"Expensive Crosses"

      From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.
      And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you." But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."
      Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it."

      If there is any command of Jesus that has been widely followed---and followed more literally than anyone could have imagined---it would be the injunction to "take up the cross". We are surrounded by crosses! The symbol of the cross is all around us: here at the front of our chancel, on church steeples, on fish bumper stickers, around our necks, on our lapels. We really cannot escape it.

      Even the celebrities are into crosses. Big time crosses, expensive crosses. Stars are going after the "big bling"---showy, platinum and diamond studded crosses. Huge, heavy crosses with interchangeable gemstones. Take your pick: sapphires, rubies, emeralds. Cross jewelry like this cost upwards of $40,000 or more! That's one expensive cross.

      When I hear such things I cannot help but think the symbol of the cross has lost its meaning. Maybe we never really knew what it was supposed to mean. The cross has become an emblem, a political statement, a bumper sticker, a sign of membership in a certain social club, or, worse yet, a way of showing off.

      In her book on lectionary images, Gail Ramshaw says, "The symbol of the cross . . . is found . . . in many cultures and religions. . .the cross symbol is the most distinctive Christian symbol and is central to Christian teaching, which interprets the cross as a sign of both death and life".¹ So I wonder, are the many crosses which surround us today really "Christian" crosses? Or have they lost this "life and death" meaning?

      In Matthew we are told, the cross was central to Jesus' mission. “He must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering. It was necessary that Jesus suffer.

      But, Peter, the beloved, does not want to hear this! He wants Jesus to somehow avoid this suffering, this shameful cross. Surely the cross, the mark of execution, would not be necessary?

      Peter speaks not only for himself, but surely for all the disciples.

      Jesus lashes back. The one Jesus has called his rock, the foundation of his church. The one who seemed to get everything right when he called Jesus the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. "Get behind me, Satan!" All of a sudden, the rock has become a blockhead, a stone in the road where Jesus is traveling.

      Peter is thinking of human things, not divine.

      The cross was central to Jesus' mission, and Jesus tells us the cross is central to our discipleship. The cross is laid on every Christian. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all tell us we must take up our cross and follow Christ. All four evangelists tell us we must "lose our life" if we are to follow Christ. For every Christian, the question of cross carrying is not up for debate.

      What is this cross we are to carry? Some have called it death. Some--- suffering. Surely it is a heavy load to bear. And yet, others have minimized its weight, saying it is Jesus who carries it for us, therefore we don't have to put our shoulders into it and trudge uphill.

      What is this cross we are to carry? One key is found in the language of scripture. If anyone wishes to follow in [Jesus'] footsteps, they must renounce their claim to themselves.² They must disown themselves. To disown one's self. How strange this is!

      To disown one's self is to recognize we do not "own" ourselves. We do not belong to ourselves; we belong to God.

      To renounce one's self is not only to turn away from self, but to turn toward God and others.

      What does the cross ask of us? The cross demands we let go, we think less of human things and more of the divine. What might this look like? For some, the cross means leaving friends and family. For others, it means turning to friends and family. Many are asked to leave behind cherished ideas and habits. One is asked to do something she is unprepared to do. Another is called to embrace someone he would rather not even look at. Though your cross may look different than mine, it is still the same cross. Because the cross of Jesus is more than just where Jesus died. It is the manner in which Jesus lived.

      If we are to take up the cross and follow Jesus, then, we must look to the example of Jesus' life, not just the manner of Jesus' death. When we look at it this way, we can see the cross means we serve others, we include people on the margins, we put our best friends and closest relatives, but most importantly, ourselves, on the back burner. The cross says we must not cling tightly to ourselves.

      An expensive cross. Not just wearing a cross around our necks or on our lapels, but allowing Christ to take over our will, our self.

      This expensive cross demands a high price: letting go. But this expensive cross offers joyous reward. In clinging to self there is death. We all know it. When we turn inward, we become greedy and selfish and grasping. It is only in letting go of "me" we find abundant life and joy. It is in giving to others we are most happy and most fulfilled. It is in reaching out where we are most complete, most truly ourselves. This is the paradox of the cross: the dual symbol of life and death. If we lose our life for Christ's sake, we will save it. And not just in the hereafter, but here and now.

      Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote "The yoke and the burden of Christ are his cross. To go one's way under the sign of the cross is not misery and desperation, but peace and refreshment for the soul, it is the highest joy."³

      Bonhoeffer personally knew the cost of the cross. For him it was dramatic: imprisonment in Nazi Germany, giving up marriage to the woman he loved, and finally, execution at age 39.

      What is this cross we are to carry? Some have called it death, but it is the key to life. Some have called it suffering, but it is suffering that leads to joy. Surely it is a heavy load to bear, and yet, a load that lightens as God walks with us.

      An expensive cross? Yes. One worth giving everything for? Oh, yes.