Creekside Church Sermon of June 19, 2005 "Loving the Cross We Bear" Matthew 10:24-39	Rev. David Bibbee
Send this sermon to a friend

Although today isn't a "religious" holiday, and retailers have hijacked it and turned it into another excuse to buy things, Father's Day is still a feel good occasion. Today, a minority of badly behaving, irresponsible fathers cast shadows upon the majority of loving fathers who are devoted to their families. It is one reason we lift up the qualities of good and godly fathers. As Sue Noffsinger so beautifully expressed it in the verses you heard earlier:

Who was there? A man guided by our heavenly Father.
A heavenly Father…

who picks us up when we fall,
who teaches us to walk by faith,
who comforts us in sorrow and cheers us on in good times,
who forgives us and enfolds us in His unconditional love.

Think about it. We're really blessed. We have two fathers who love us.

On Thursday morning I witnessed a, "I-wish-I-had-a-camera" moment. Ted Noffsinger came to the church office to pick up the big cross that often adorns the altar on Sunday. It is a substantial wooden sculpture. Ted picked it up with both arms, smiled, and said, "I'll be seeing ya'!" I wanted to frame the incongruity of that moment. There was Ted, bearing the cross with a smile on his face. We don't associate smiles with bearing crosses. The moment was all the more striking because I was writing the first paragraph of this sermon I had titled, "Loving the Cross We Bear."

"I will cling to the old rugged cross…," When we sing this old hymn we don't think of the cross as something to be loved or enjoyed. Many a would-be follower walked away when Jesus revealed the cost of that decision. Back in 1720, Alexander Mack, the founder of the Church of the Brethren, put the matter in a pointed, poetic question:

"Count well the cost," Christ Jesus says, "when you lay the foundation." Are you resolved, though all seem lost, to risk your reputation, yourself, your wealth, for Christ the Lord, as you now give your solemn word?

Its Father's Day-a time to recall the good things given to by our earthly fathers and our heavenly Father. But the good things from God the Father aren't easy things.

Jesus called the disciples together to consecrate, commission, and confer his power upon them. They were given authority over evil spirits, and the ability to heal people of everything that ailed them. Being entrusted with Jesus' power was a good thing, but with it came this warning-- "Don't think that I've come to bring peace on earth; I didn't come to bring peace, but a sword."

Mary Alice MacAfee was a sweet, gentle, grandmotherly lady in my home church. She got a new, zip-up leather case for her Bible. Stitched on the cover was a cross that looked like a sword. I said, "Mary Alice, if I didn't know you were a peace loving Brethren woman, I would swear that is a sword on your Bible cover." She replied, "It IS a sword!" My adolescent Brethren thinking didn't put "Jesus" and "sword" in the same sentence.

The truth we tiptoe around is that devotion to Jesus brings inevitable division. Don't look to Jesus for pleasant Father's Day sentiments. "I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother; your foes will be in your own household." You won't find this quote on a Hallmark Father's Day cards!

The "Americanized" version of Christianity that is so prevalent promotes Jesus as, "The best deal you could ever have." Its adherents believe that being a Christian is synonymous with being a good, law-abiding, patriotic citizen. The goals of government, or what the "majority" believes is in harmony with the goals of God's Kingdom. But it's not what Jesus said:

"I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. You will be delivered up to councils, they will flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings… you will be hated by all for my sake," Jesus said (Matt. 10:16 ff).

Today, Christian discipleship may get you a curious stare if you are seen praying over a Big Mac at McDonalds. You may get pressed on your beliefs during coffee break conversations about abortion, same-sex-marriage, the war, and the direction the county is headed. You may experience a twinge of discomfort, or be inconvenienced now and then because of your faith, but not persecuted.

The reason for the absence of persecution is not that we live in a society that is religiously tolerant. Maybe we don't experience the pain of persecution because what Jesus told us in the dark we haven't uttered in the light. Maybe we aren't singled out because what we have heard Jesus whisper has not been shouted from the housetops.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is GOOD NEWS… depending on where you stand. Clayton Schmit says, "The gospel is bad news, lousy news, offensive news for those who are of the world and don't know their need to made new in Christ."

I was in a restaurant last week, eavesdropping on a conversation at the table next to me. It wasn't hard to overhear. Two men were talking in raised voices, looking at a laptop computer situated between their sandwiches. They were talking about investments earnings ratios. One guy was bent out of shape. "Do you know how long it will take to recoup my $25,000 investment?" I thought about scooting over to their table and saying, "You guys looking for a great investment? Sell all you have and give it to the poor. Pick up your cross and follow Jesus. Quit trying to find your life. You'll find it if you lose it for Jesus' sake." They probably would have told me where to put to the good news and asked the manager to scoot me out the door.

The good news is good. The early church grew at a phenomenal pace because the first Christians knew they had been entrusted with something too good not to tell. They were persecuted by the Jews because instead of basing their lives on the law, they lived by the law of Jesus' love. His love was unleashed and paupers turned into kings and queens. People who had been antagonistic strangers became a family. Jesus' love turned rejects into the righteous.

The early Christians weren't afraid to shout. Here is what someone said they were shouting themselves hoarse about-"Jesus calls us to change. To live by love. To seek justice. To forgive others. To give up the stuff of this world and give ourselves to people. To avoid the charms of life and seek the challenges. To look hard into the face of temptation and stare it down. To fight for those who are weak. To say no to self and yes to sacrifice. To believe that the one who comes from God IS God."

Does this sound like something we should get worked up about? This is the stuff of which growing churches are made, yet when these things are spoken about and acted upon, there is resistance. Conflict with society is understandable. What is sad is when Christian witness creates resistance in the church!

My good friend pastors a church that does lots of things right. They do the hard work that necessary to make grow happen. They have exploded the myth, which I call an excuse, that says we can't be true to our Brethren heritage, be evangelistic, and grow at the same time. This church is unapologetically Brethren and reaches people who resonate with its message. But it has not been without tension, and loss as well.

One of the eye-opening experiences I had in seminary was studying with students from other countries. The ones who challenged us most were from Nigeria and Sudan. They understood, in ways we did not, that preaching and living the gospel doesn't bring peace but a sword.

We American seminarians were preparing to minister in affluent communities. Our Nigerian brothers would return to poverty and social distress. We were preparing to help congregations have nice worship services and fellowship opportunities, be more generous givers, help recruit Sunday school teachers and committee members, and settle disputes about which casual attire is appropriate to wear to church. They were preparing to return to minister in places where being a Christian could get you killed, or, if you were lucky, ostracized from your family.

One Sudanese pastor said, "You should not worry about us. The church in my country will be fine. We are at our best when our people are in jail. It gives us the chance to witness to our beliefs. We grow the fastest when we are persecuted. It is we who shall be praying for you. It must be so hard to be a Christian in your country where you have so much and people think they have everything they need."

Jesus tells us, "What I say to you in the dark, utter in the light. What you hear whispered, shout on the rooftops." He is passing along to us what his Father passed along to him. Don't be afraid to pick up your cross. Sure, its not easy, but name one thing worth doing that is easy. Sure, there's a price to taking a stand, but at least you have something secure on which you can stand while the sand on which the world builds gives way. Sure, saying no to the short-term comforts that others strive for is hard, but the life you find in the process is the life you shall never lose.

Someone said that churches which practice carrying the cross of Christ daily, are the churches that are "absolutely fearless, absurdly happy, and always in trouble."

Let me tell you about the women in a Methodist Church in North Carolina who practiced bearing the cross and loved it. Their women's fellowship wanted to take on a service project at the local jail. They lived in a resort community that lots of high school and college students flocked to for spring break. You know the things that go on at spring break, and lots of them ended up in jail. A major portion of the town's revenues came from stiff fines leveled against the students.

The ladies decided to put together toiletry kits. One of the women, Myrtle Smith, learned the city collected over $100,000 from jail operations, and that policemen joked about making "spring break quotas." She also learned that the student were placed in the same cells with hard-core criminals, and that the girls were being sexually harassed. The women added Bible pamphlets to the kits and quarters to make phone calls. However, the students could only make calls between 8 and 9 a.m. and 4 and 5 p.m. "If they couldn't make their calls in the time allotted," the sheriff said, "that's too bad."

Myrtle suggested that the women organize themselves to make the calls for the prisoners-even help them get legal advice. Spending more time at the jail, the church ladies saw what few in their town ever saw. There were signs of excessive force. There were rumors of money changing hands in exchange for lighter sentences. The ladies fellowship decided to question the jailer who told them, "What goes on here is no concern of yours. Why don't you stick to church work and leave the legal work to us?" Myrtle shot back, "This IS church business and it is a concern of ours. If we don't get answers we're calling the State Law Enforcement Division."

The jailer didn't flinch. "You ought to stick to saving souls and let me handle the criminal element," he said. Myrtle replied, "You're going to find out what a mistake you made when you began messing around with a group of Christians… some of our best friends spent time in jail." Well, the police refused to cooperate. A formal complaint was drawn up. An investigation was launched. The city was charged with wrongdoing. The jailer resigned and jail operations changed.

All of the sermons that have appeared in text form on our Web Site since August 1996 are available here in the On-Line version. Use the search engine below to find the sermon you want. You may search by date, sermon title, or content. The sermons are full-text searchable.

Sermon Search:



Exact phrase    All words (AND)    Any word (OR)