Do you own a cross? Many Christians have at least one. Maybe a decorative one to hang on the wall. I like to stop and look at the ones that line the wall across from the Fellowship Hall. Each is different in style, a work of art reflecting a little bit of our culture, ourselves as well as the Christian faith. I have crosses in my study and several of them in my home.

We also have crosses that decorate our clothing or jewelry. I have a favorite one I have been wearing for about 20 years. It has hung around my neck during most worship services I have had the privilege to lead. There are a couple of reasons I like this one, even though it is rather simple. It is made of horseshoe nails and reminds me of the nails driven into Jesus at his crucifixion. Most importantly, my wife Tracie gave it to me at a difficult time in our lives. A time when we learned to lean heavily on Christ. It has come to remind me that our Christianity can sometimes be a burden, but one well worth carrying.

At the time of Jesus, the cross was a sign of state sponsored terror. It symbolized only the ugly cruelty of Rome’s most heinous method of dealing with undesirables, particularly slaves and revolutionaries. It was not to be mentioned in polite society. The cross was never something a person would display in any form. Yet, Jesus told his disciples and others that if they wanted to join Him, they must pick up their cross and follow Him. At the time, He was on his way to Jerusalem where he predicted he would be executed. This was not a metaphor, but a real possibility that awaited the people of the early Christian church. 

Now days, American Christians have nothing comparable to the cross to fear for following Jesus. But those words of Jesus remain and hang in the air like a cloud when they are read or talked about. To often we skip over them or make them into something that no longer applies to a person who decides to follow Jesus the Christ.

So how do we respond to Jesus today? Certainly, we do not look for a cross to die on or a hangman’s noose to wear. But following Jesus into and out of the dark places of humanity is part of the Christian call to join the kingdom of heaven.  Many years before Jesus, the prophet Micah wrote in response to the question what does God want or require? “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8)?

Hopefully, when someone asks us why we attend church, we can respond that in the church we find the love of God, forgiveness, and family where we practice justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. I wear my cross for many reasons, but mostly, to remind me of who I am and who I am called to follow.

May the Grace and Peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you!

Pastor Rick