While much of the Christian life is ‘doing,’ at times we are called to change our thinking. “Let this mind be in you…,” Paul writes. In this Sunday’s reading (Matthew 16:24-26), Jesus is calling us to think differently. After all, this is a call to discipleship, and a disciple is a student. So, time to learn to see ourselves and the world differently.
“Deny yourself.” This is a conscious decision because our
natural tendency is to think of ourselves. Whether our lives are difficult
(‘Woe is me…’) or we think we’re king/queen of the world (‘Woah! It’s ME!), we
tend to think about ourselves. Jesus is calling us to think outside of
ourselves. While the world calls us to ‘be true to yourself,’ Jesus calls us to
be true to him. One way to deny ourselves is to ‘flip’ this call: affirm
others. When we get outside of ourselves, what is rotten in our lives doesn’t
look so rotten; our self-absorption is replaced by the joy of tending to
others.
“Take up your cross.” This clause is so misread today. While
we think of Jesus and his decision to go to the cross, the disciples heard
something very different. When they heard these words, they were reminded of
the brokenness of their world—a world where crosses were part and parcel of
daily life. One school of wisdom teaches that we should see the world from the
perspective of “the glass is already broken”: Everything we have or own will
break, will fail, will fade, will be scratched. How freeing to realize this so
that when the moment comes, we aren’t surprised. Jesus calls us to see that
“our lives are already over.” When we own our own mortality, we can let go and enjoy
the reality of here and now. We are set free, in a way, to live life with joy
and enjoy the people and world around us.
“Follow me.” Following Jesus today is different from how the
disciples did this in the 1st Century. Today, we follow Jesus by
aligning our lives with his, with his words and actions, with his way of being.
Another way to think of following Jesus is to really internalize his teachings
and his life by reading Scripture, participating in worship, fellowshipping
with other followers of Jesus, praying, and by serving and teaching others.
All of this—denying self, taking up the cross, and
following—are a way to know and lay hold of life. In doing these things, we
really begin to live life as God intended. Affirming others, recognizing the
transience of this life, and internalizing the life and teachings of Jesus
provide the foundations for seeing the world from a truly Christian perspective.
Let’s determine to think these ways….
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