What is "Bearing Your Cross"?

On one of the episodes of the old TV show MASH, Radar O’Reilly is trying to locate medical supplies for his Army surgical unit.  He calls every clinic and supply center he can think of, but he just can’t find any.  Hawkeye and the others will have to do without.  Radar sighs as he explains this to Hawkeye, “That’s just another bear we’ll have to cross.”

However mangled the phrase comes out, it’s one we recognize from the gospels, especially from Holy Week.  “We all have our crosses to bear,” we say, not always fully grasping what that means. 

What does it mean? 

For Jesus, bearing the cross was his experience of enduring unavoidable suffering.  I call it unavoidable because it was the natural consequence of following his call, of living his life with integrity as it unfolded. Could he have avoided the cross?  Could he have run away? Not if he were to be true to himself.

“Bearing the cross” in your life would also be the experience of enduring unavoidable suffering.  The suffering of the MASH unit lacking supplies was unavoidable. Living with a chronic illness or birth defect may be unavoidable.  Assisting another person with the same thing could be bearing the cross as well; the suffering may be avoidable – you could leave your ill husband or turn your back on your child – but when your integrity won’t allow you to do that, it’s not really avoidable.

Actually, “enduring” may not be the best word.  The power of Jesus Christ is such that He can help us embrace the unavoidable suffering.  In that sense, we‘re not just gritting our teeth and enduring something; we dare to accept it.  Our suffering is lessened when Christ helps us shoulder our particular circumstances because they are hidden gifts.

By the grace of the Lord, a broken heart can become a source of compassion. Caretaking can become an opportunity to show deeper tenderness.  Doing without can awaken our creativity or inspire our gratitude for what we do have. Losing strength can help us reframe our identity with God.

Pope Benedict’s recent resignation reminded me of the final days of his predecessor, John Paul II, in 2005. I’m old enough to remember when John Paul began his papacy in 1978.  He was striking for being a very athletic Pope, a barrel-chested man who loved skiing and hiking and being outdoors. But by 2005 his health had certainly deteriorated, and Parkinson’s had weakened him terribly.  Many urged him to abdicate so that the world could have another strong, vigorous Pope. 

But where once he could emulate for the world a strong, vigorous Jesus, at that time he chose to emulate instead the weakened and dying Savior.  Like Jesus, John Paul II embraced God’s “power made perfect in weakness.” He embraced his deterioration as an offering to his Lord and a bearing witness to God’s faithfulness.

As of Sunday we enter Holy Week.  I hope that the experience of Jesus’ cross-bearing can lead you to choose what may have seemed unavoidable. In every hardship God can bring you unexpected blessings and joyful gifts.

Pastor Larry

Traditions Old & New

One of the privileges of my role as spiritual leader of a congregation is to invite you into deeper experiences of the Holy Spirit. Often there are rich traditions of the church’s worship that have been forgotten, rejected, or co-opted by one ‘side’ or another.  Yet millions of people find themselves enriched by reclaiming the old and making it new again.

Old practices can bless us in fresh ways.

The use of ashes on Ash Wednesday is a key example. Once practiced solely by the Roman Catholic Church, making the sign of the cross with ashes has been reclaimed by the universal church as a powerful witness to the enduring love of God.

Here are several new/old practices we’re including in observing Holy Week, the final week in Jesus’ life. They’ll be offered on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday (March 28-30).

• Footwashing is Jesus’ command to his followers in John 13. In John’s gospel it receives far more attention than the Last Supper itself.  Often practiced by the “low church” denominations (Anabaptists, Baptists, Mennonites, Brethren, etc.), footwashing is a powerful experience of devotion to Christ and loving servanthood before others. We will offer this option again (as we did last year) in our 7:30 pm. service.
• The Stations of the Cross have been long embraced by the more “high church” wing of Christianity (Roman Catholics, Anglicans, etc.). In our Protestant version it becomes a way for you to walk Jesus’ Good Friday journey in a thoughtful, contemplative way, and at your own pace. Our sanctuary will be open for your personal meditation from 9 am – 7 pm Friday, March 29.
• Tenebrae is Latin for “shadows.” It has its roots in twelfth-century Christianity as a reflection of the meaning of Jesus’ death on a cross. It incorporates music and word, sound and silence, light and darkness into a profound retelling of the crucifixion journey. It will form the foundation of the Good Friday service, also at 7:30 pm.
• A relatively new tradition, worship in the style of the Taizé community in France will anchor our Holy Saturday service.  It is a contemplative service of quiet singing, Scripture reading and prayer, all in candlelight.  This Taizé worship begins at 5:00 on March 30. 
• A Psalms Vigil will follow from 6 pm – midnight. We will read meditatively all 150 psalms. You are welcome to come and go – or remain – as you can.

The barriers between “low church” and “high church” are coming down!  What’s old is new again, especially if it brings us a powerful experience of Jesus Christ. I hope you’ll find these a nudge beyond your comfort zone. Try something new and old at the same time.  I hope these worshipful opportunities will be especially meaningful to you in your faith journey.

Pastor Larry