March 4 2018 "The Cross Calling"

March 4 2018 (Third Sunday in Lent) I Corinthians 1.18-25 “The Cross Calling” Pastor Jacqueline Hines

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( --a few jokes…)

If any of us were asked “Would you like a cross or would you like a crown?” We would all choose a crown. [slide # 1 man looking at crown] A crown is the symbol of ruling and reigning, of being in control of our lives and in control of the lives of others too. A crown says we can sit back and enjoy our lives in peace. [slide # 2 royalty on thrones]

When the cross is before us, we pray the prayer that Jesus prayed: “Father if it is your will, let this cup pass from me. Not my will but yours be done.” In this Lenten season we follow in Jesus’ footsteps knowing they will lead us to the foot of the cross. [slide # 3 man carrying a cross]

Like Jesus, we surrender to God’s will more willingly when we trust the results, the reward, the resurrection. Like Christians centuries ago we sing in our heart –

“Must Jesus bear the cross alone and all the world go free. No. There’s a cross for everyone and there’s a cross for me.”

That verse reminds us that good things are worth working and sacrificing for. Good things may involve our shedding blood, sweat, or tears.

Another verse reminds us that the Christian cross is holy, sanctified – set apart for God’s sake in order to plough through some evil while we plant seeds that grow and develop God’s righteous plan. 

“The consecrated cross I'll bear till death shall set me free; and then go home my crown to wear, for there's a crown for me.”

A plant that grows does not look like the seed. When a cross is planted in our lives, we do not know what good will result, but we can be assured that it will be good.

Our text this morning tells us that God’s power can be found in the cross. “…for those being saved it (the cross) is the power of God.”  [ slide # 4 …power of God]

Not every cross is consecrated. Not every cross can fulfill God’s purpose and plan. St. Monica, [slide # 5 St. Monica]  mother of St. Augustine  of Hippo, [slide # 6 St. Augustine] a town in North Africa “…was given  in marriage to a man who not only came home drunk each day but had a violent temper and Monica was often the victim of his rage. He was neither a faithful husband and therefore, Monica’s life was full of trials, but her husband converted a year before his death and “he admitted that he admired his wife’s strong faith and it was her unwavering kindness towards him that changed him.” *

Monica endured the same trials with her son Augustine “whose brilliant mind seemed dedicated only to bringing her sorrow.” ** In his youth he took a concubine, had a son with no regard for the responsibilities, abused alcohol and other substances and spent years romancing his demons before he converted to Christianity. All the while his mother prayed and trusted God. She believed it was her cross to bear.

It seems Monica was called to do battle and to bear a cross with her loved ones. God gave her the spiritual weapons she needed to get her family out of the jaws of Satan. Still, not every cross is consecrated. Some are just trouble we need to avoid. Not every cross can fulfill God’s purpose and plan. We need to talk to God about our crosses.

Ruth Graham, Billy Graham’s wife [slide # 7 Ruth and Billy Graham] wrote the book “The Prodigal and Those Who Love Them.” Their five children have glorious ministries now but in their younger years they endured divorces, a runaway grandchild, drug abuse and some general misbehavior. [slide # 8 Ned Graham as a boy on left]

“Ned Graham, a pastor who prints and distributes Bibles in China, has told of the times, now long past, when he would return to the family home in Montreal in the small hours of the morning, “drunk or stoned or something.”

Each time, without fail, his mother would be sitting in her rocking chair in the kitchen, her eyes red and tired from crying or praying, or both.

She would walk to her son, kiss him on the forehead and say, “I’m glad you’re home, Ned. I’m going to bed now.” +

[slide # 9 Ned Graham]

We all have our crosses to bear, but we are not called to carry every cross or fight every battle. Sometimes the battle is not ours to fight, and none of our business. The Lord will take care of it and we should stay out of it. Sometimes God will shout at us to “let go” of a certain cross, to run away from certain people, to avoid certain situations, to stop fighting, to cease arguing and find the strength to follow Jesus wherever he leads, be it a safe pace, a peaceful place, another battlefield or to bear some other cross.

Every cross is not consecrated. So, we must follow Jesus to the cross. The cross of Jesus is at least three things. The cross is chaos, the cross is caring, the cross is Christ.

The cross is chaos just as Genesis talks about how God created something from a void. Whatever cross we are called to bear may seem barren. A cross can be thought of as a waste and fruitless; we wonder what good can come from it, but when Jesus finishes, the results will be called good. The cross begins with chaos, but through our work with the Father Son, and Holy Spirit, great good happens.

The cross is also caring. There are so many terrible things that go on in this world that can only be changed when somebody cares.  Since 2013 there have been 291 school shootings. There have been 18 shootings since January. [ slide # 10 shooting map] There are many people who care about kids. There are others who care more about the money they make from letting anyone and everyone buy guns - even automatic weapons. Who besides the military needs automatic weapons?  

Marian Wright Edelman, president and founder of the Children’s Defense Fund says – [ slide # 11 Edelman] “Consider that since 1963, over three times more children and teens died from guns on American soil than U.S. soldiers were killed by hostilities in wars abroad. On average 3,426 children and teens – 171 classrooms of 20 children – were killed by guns every year from 1963 to 2016. And gun violence comes on top of other major threats of global violence that threaten our children.” [slide # 12 child covering eyes]

The cross is caring. I am glad we support the local food pantries because Coretta Scott King once said, “I must remind you that starving a child is violence.”

When we care, there is a cross to bear. We care about children, we care about the church, we care about nurturing a culture that creates healthy, loving families.

In order to have healthy families we have to wake up and realize the world is changing. Overnight, cable television and the internet have exposed children to unimaginable filth.

I am told that schools have decreased their funding for sex education in schools. Young people know too much from the internet and much of what they learn is really training for abuse, violence, and neglect. What they learn sets them up for abuse that counselors say may not even be able to speak about for twenty years after an incident. When we care, we may have to sacrifice blood, sweat and tears to create something good and Godly and counter what the world has to offer. Love is not always simple or cheap. We want to do all it takes to let each human being know they are worthy of love and care.

Job surveys suggest that people rather have more vacation time from their workplaces than more money. Time is precious. What a child needs most from parents is time and attention. What a parent needs most is to watch who is giving your child time and attention. [slide # 13 father and daughter walking]

The cross is chaos, the cross is caring, and finally the cross is Christ. Christ is king, ruling and reigning with the power of almighty love. Christ is salvation, saving us from every enemy. Christ is the lover of our souls. We are beloved. If you have a cross to bear, you can be confident that love will see you through. Love will make a way.

There is a song I have heard that reminds us of how loved we are. It says:

Your heart is beating, alive and breathing

And there's a reason why. You are essential, not accidental [slide #  14 Jesus and children]

And you should realize. You are beloved. I wanted you to know [slide # 15 …wanted you to know]

You are beloved. Let it soak into your soul. Oh, forget the lies you heard

Rise above the hurt. [slide # 16 …not alone] And listen to these words. You are beloved.

[slide # 17 carrying cross] On your journey from the cross to the resurrection, may you know deeply that you are beloved by God and know that you are called to deeply love others! Amen. [slide # 18 Edelman quote]

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*http://www.family-prayer.org/saint-monica.html

 **https://books.google.com/books?id=EskRCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA63&lpg=PA63&dq=monica+he+was+neither+a+faithful+husband&source=bl&ots=Lwbzpbf-ns&sig=_vcHINHtTv8eReADSXSjPwj3CUA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj1pPG5gM7ZAhXNct8KHZ29CVIQ6AEIKzAB#v=onepage&q=monica%20he%20was%20neither%20a%20faithful%20husband&f=false 

+  https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2018/02/25/overcoming-struggles-billy-grahams-children-rooted-ministry-today/360965002/+