Are You Ready...To Be Crucified?

Today was a glorious day in the Lord. The sermon went well, I believe God was glorified and the people heard a Word from the Lord. My sermon title was "Are You Ready...To Be Crucified. Below is an excerpt from that sermon.

In Matthew 16:21-24 Jesus is preparing his disciples for what was to come. What he is telling them should not come as a surprise to them, especially since they have already confessed him to be the Messiah in verse 15. However, Peter’s response reveals that Jesus disciples still did not get it--Jesus was going to be killed. The disciples were expecting so much more from their Messiah. They anticipated a warrior. Their Messiah would right all the political, economic, and social wrongs they had suffered. They were expecting a King in all his glory and majesty. They were not expecting the death of their Messiah.

That’s the way some of us think as well. We think because we’re Christians-Jesus disciples, God is going to make everything all right--and to us all right means, just the way we like it—to our satisfaction, on our timetable. I know that’s what some of us think, because when it doesn’t happen the way we like it—we pout, we get angry, we ask the question, why me? We don’t expect suffering. Wouldn’t that just be wonderful, Christianity without suffering, or better still--pain free Christianity? That’s what Jesus disciples wanted. That’s what they thought they were in line for—pain free, pie in the sky Christianity.

But Jesus messed them up— with the Cross!

Have you ever just been messed up? You think you’ve got it all straight in your mind and someone comes along and messes up YOUR agenda. Jesus has come to do exactly that-- mess up our agenda’s with—the Cross.

When Jesus spoke of a "cross," He was speaking of something the people around him were acquainted with since capital punishment, which was done in public, was a common means of execution at that time. In Jesus day, condemned people were forced to carry their own cross to the place of execution. They would then be nailed to it, and die upon it, while crowds watched. Another way Jesus could have asked the question is "If anyone wishes to come after me, let them be prepared to be led out to public execution, following my example." Dietrich Bonhoeffer a noted theologian who was also instrumental in shaping Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.s theology of suffering, put it this way, “when Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”

As a result, I’m convinced that over the years, this phrase has been watered down to mean something less than Jesus originally intended. I have come to realize that taking up our cross as Christians, has everything to do with how we choose to live our lives. Our lives are inextricably connected to Purpose—Everything that has occurred in our lives--the good, the bad, and the ugly--God will use to fulfill his purposes. Our purpose in life always has to do with two things—Giving Glory to God and offering compassionate service to others.

Just my Imagination

Today I am preparing to preach my first official sermon. I guess you could call it my "inaugural sermon." What makes this so exciting and yet, anxiety producing, is that I am preaching during Sunday Morning Worship Service at Destiny Worhsip Center Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), in Cedar Hill, Texas. What is even more amazing is that I serve that fine church as their Assistant Pastor.

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine myself preaching during Sunday morning worship services. Well, now that's not altogether true. In fact, that is exactly what I have done over the years...Imagine.

I can recall sitting in my pew, listening to various male preachers and begin thinking, If I were preaching that sermon, I would have said this or that" Or, if I were preaching I would have approached that subject this way." All I have been able to do is "imagine."

I guess I allowed myself to imagine because the powers that be in my denomination, couldn't censor or reprimand my imagination. Imagining was all that was available to me--a woman with aspirations of being in full-time ministry. Because of these limitations, my minsterial aspirations involved teaching women, and working in various Outreach Ministries of the church, but never the Pulpit.

Even as a Seminary student, I decided upon graduating in May 2006 with my MDiv, that I would pursue PhD studies instead of a DMin. My reasoning for this choice was that in my denomination, the only persons (except for one woman who worked at a University) who held the DMin. degree were men serving as full-time preachers and pastors. Therefore, I needed to restrict my studies to teaching at the University or Seminary level, and continue my work with women and outreach ministries.

While there is nothing wrong with ministering to women or serving in outreach ministries, in fact, that is still the largest part of my ministerial functions. However, if God desires to expand the borders of my life into preaching the Word to the entire Body of Christ, for me to refuse, would be an act of disobedience.

And so, here I am in July 2005, an Assistant Pastor in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), who could have imagined that, certainly not me.

But God, knows the plans that God has for me.

I simply want to walk through any and all doors that God opens, even if on the other side, something new and different awaits me. For I am assured that if God is there, all will be well.