When you choose to follow Christ you will eventually intersect the cross.  For Christ this was a place of anguish, but not despair.  Jesus hangs there wanting it all to end so that it can all begin...anew!  There is much to learn from the passion week of Jesus and the cross has now become a source of strength rather than torture.

Jesus is pretty straightforward when sharing with his disciples.  He tells them that they must daily pick up their cross and follow him.  In the beginning Jesus asks the twelve simply to follow.  It is hard for us to know whether or not they knew why to follow him, but I think it is a safe bet that they had no idea what they were getting into when they left their lives to follow this radical teacher.

The call to discipleship for us is really no different than the call expressed by Jesus in Matthew's gospel.  We must be people who won't simply believe, but rather become determined followers.  This following, much like the apostles, begins with some basics but quickly turns to a decision point where we must enter into covenant with God that we will follow Christ...even to the cross.

The cross has a different image for us today than it did in the ancient world.  You've probably heard before that the equivalent of wearing a cross around your neck then, would have been like wearing an electric chair today.  I wouldn't say that's drastic, but it is dramatic.  Things are always better in context.

The cross stood for punishment for crimes committed in the land.  Pilate tries to stay the execution by stating that the crimes that are being accused of Jesus are far from death on a cross.  However, politics played there part, a riotous crowd pushed against the decorum sensibilities of Pilate and not wanting to look like an inept leader, he gave in and gave Jesus over to the cross.  So, no one would have worn a cross around their neck in that day.  However, nor would anyone be picking one up to follow Jesus either.

Today the cross has more meaning than its tortuous beginnings.  We have read the end of this story.  We wear or display a symbol that communicates a story of sacrifice, salvation, and fulfillment of God's promise.  Our gaze can be fixed upon the cross, not so we can watch the lamb be slain, but so that we can see the Lord have power and dominion over darkness, sin, and Satan.  And so we pick up our own cross and follow Christ.

Many times we have taken this scripture about picking up our cross and make it about OUR sin, OUR dedication, OUR following, and OUR sacrifice.  The cross may benefit us with everlasting life, but the cross has little to do with US and much to do with Christ.  Christ wants us to pick up our cross daily and follow Him so that we have 20/20 vision for the Lord.  The cross which was once a symbol of death and torture, has now become a symbol of God's sacrifice for all of creation.

So when we decide to become disciples and follow Jesus we will intersect the cross.  We will intersect Jesus' persecution, Jesus' death, Jesus' sacrifice, Jesus' humility, and Jesus' salvation.  With the cross on our own back during our every day, we learn how to face demons, destruction, death, darkness, and despair.  But it isn't because we have a strong back.  It is because we have a GREAT AND MIGHTY GOD!  The cross keeps our focus on that fact and the fact that Jesus is a hero over death, a sacrifice for all, and a divine deliverer. 

We will be just as prone to the evil and darkness of the world when we decide to be a disciple as we were before.  The cross will make the pain and suffering alive in our eyes.  The difference, though, is that when we intersect the cross we will also come to know the Triune God in new LIGHT.  

I walked across a road and knew in a flash that I wanted to have ministry as my career. I use the story behind this to share how God called me to ministry.  But, If I'm honest God called me the day, he called me to follow him.  I'm not sure I can really remember when God called me to follow him.  I believe that, like most kids growing up in church, I was a work in progress.  God had worked on my heart for quite a while.  He was with me when I was in the church nursery learning to "Pat the Bible", singing in Sunday School about the days of creation, learning the great stories of Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus.  God was using the church to create in me a love for Him, His Son, and His Spirit.  God doesn't just call you once, he calls you continually.  

When we see Jesus calling the twelve it is not a one-time calling, but a first call to a lifetime call to follow Him.  And in that moment, when Jesus called this rag-tag group, he has called them to be disciples; followers.  Of course they would become more than disciples, they would also become apostles (sent ones).  When we were called by God to follow Him we were called to much more than just to believe and acknowledge.  We were called to get up and follow Him.  And it wasn't a one-time call, but it was a first call for our lifetime call.

Are we being disciples?

How do we stay in a continued calling with Jesus?

He has called and our response is to follow whole-heartedly with all of our soul, mind, strength through love for Him and our neighbor.

It seems as though that the world is in one pursuit after another to make their personal world better, richer, larger, and more exciting. There is nothing inherently wrong in wanting to constantly strive to improve your surroundings.  It is the way God is and the way God has designed us.  However, for those who proclaim God as their father and Jesus as their savior, we should pursue the things of God, rather than the world.  Wouldn’t you agree?

The world suffers from immediacy, selfishness, distractions, and personal achievement.  We use social media, our occupations, community status, and our portfolios to lift ourselves above the competition.  We use pictures and statuses to show the world how our children are better than their children.  We write, like, or retweet open letters to prove that your philosophy and lifestyle are inferior.  We use other people’s shoulders to stand above the work crowd for an extra promotion or raise.  We will spend a little time on a lot of things so we can give the illusion of being an expert on all things.  Unfortunately, the world has handed us a lie.  The lie that continues to be perpetuated is that the more we rise, the better we will become and the better we become, the more we will rise.  This achievement and self-glory cycle will lead us down a road of satisfaction, happiness, and success.  And 90% of those who join this cycle will find a reality of emptiness, exhaustion, and discontent.  The other 10% are lying.

Fortunately God has given us an undeniable truth.  The truth that Jesus provided in His upside-down kingdom is this, “So the last will be first and the first will be last.” (Matthew 20:16)   The thing that Jesus understood that we still struggle with is that when we elevate God and our relationship with Him, we will find fulfillment.  It may not translate into the riches of this world, but it will translate into joy, rest, and wholeness.

In 2014 we will take our year to focus on one piece of our vision statement.  The vision of the University Church of Christ is:

“At the University Church of Christ, our vision is to live as God’s family, demonstrating the love of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit in every motive, every thought, and every action.

This vision is fulfilled through our dependency on God in leading and empowering us:

•   To continually pursue individual holiness in every dimension of life;

•   To participate in the body of Christ, the church, so that we may both give and receive the love, the strength, and the encouragement that comes from communion in God’s family;

•   To serve the poor and suffering through sacrificial living;

To teach the love of Christ both in our community and across the world.”

I have always been the parent of our family who has taken the boys to school.  Before moving to Conway, Leah was a teacher in Texas and had to be at school before the boys.  Fortunately, most of the time their school was at the church where I worked, so I took them to school.  I have kept the trend here in Conway, simply because I enjoy the ride to school.  However, from the time we wake up to the time we get in the car, everything seems to be a mad dash.  

It's almost straight from a cartoon or sitcom.  Bowls and cereal are thrown on the table from the kitchen, clothes are flying around and something ends landing on their bodies.  Toothbrushes, toothpaste is all a mess.  Their hair may or may not get done (but that's our little secret).  Lunches are in the backpacks, backpacks on their backs, and we are heading out to the car.  I just got stressed out all over again, just typing that!  

The car time is different.  We can only drive so fast (there are speed limits and we go through several school zones just to get to our school).  So it seems that time during the car ride slows and this is where there is much magic and awesome conversation.  I know I won't always get this kind of conversation, so I'm taking advantage of it.  But that's for a different post.

That mad dash gets me every day.  I don't look forward to how frantic we get.  Even on the days that we make slower yet successful progress, it is probably because I forgot to take out the trash or something like that.  Being on time is a pet peeve of mine and I grew up knowing that on time means 15 minutes early.  I'm never that early anymore, but I try my hardest to be on time.  That means that sometimes the process to get somewhere on time is frantic and crazy.

I see in many people and in many churches that we tend to have this mad dash sense of spirituality.  That we must run around frantic to get everything done.  Yes, there are things that need attention every Sunday.  Yes, there are times when we need to hurry to an Emergency Room, hospital, or someone's house.  But if we are going to be disciples of Jesus (people who follow Jesus), then we might want to reflect on our pace.  Jesus never seemed to live life in a mad dash.  He was not bound by time, quite like we are.  He was urgent about glorifying God.  But he was evenly paced when it came to healing others, miracles, exorcisms, and raising people from the dead (remember Lazarus).

I think it is important to take notice of our pace in life.  Sometimes we need to slow down from the mad dash life that exists in our culture to really soak in Jesus and see what God is doing around us.  We might even need to do this at church, during our worship services.  Other times we might need to find more urgency.  When it is time to show God's glory to those around us, it is time to be urgent in that mission.

What is your pace in life?

What is your mad dash story?

How can we find a better pace for the Kingdom?