Sermon September 12 and 13, 2009 Mark 8:27-38 Peter started out so well. He made a confession of faith that is wonderful and powerful. When others around him weren’t sure how to understand Jesus, Peter declared boldly: “You are the Messiah.” You are God’s chosen one. You are the Christ. You are the anointed king. And, if it would have stopped there, it would have been a great day for Peter. But what Jesus said next— --Peter just couldn’t accept it. In essence, Jesus said: “You’re right, Peter. I am the Messiah. And here’s what it means to be the Messiah. I’m going to suffer. I’m going to be rejected. And I’m going to be killed. And after 3 days, I’m going to rise again.” And Peter said to Jesus. “No. That can’t be right. The Messiah is a King. The Messiah is powerful. Jesus (Peter said), you’re wrong. You must be.” And what did Jesus say to Peter? “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” Jesus isn’t gentle with Peter. He refers to him as Satan. “Ha Satan” actually means adversary. Peter is fighting against Jesus. And Jesus says to Peter: “Get behind me.” Which for years, I heard as—get out of my way. But in these last years— --I’m not sure how it changed in my mind— --I hear as “follow me”. The form that is used here is actually quite similar to what Jesus uses when he calls us to follow. He says to you and to me: “Follow behind me.” So, what I hear in Jesus’ words is this. Follow me. Follow behind me. Don’t be my adversary. Don’t follow the forces of evil. Don’t follow yourself—your sin. Follow me. And that’s what Jesus says to us, too. Jesus said— --if you want to be my follower, you need to deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me. Because when you want to save your life, you lose it. But when you lose your life for my sake (Jesus said), and for the sake of the gospel, your life will be saved. What is our mission statement? Following Christ, Growing in Faith, Sharing God’s Love. Do you want to truly live? That happens when you Follow Christ. And what is your life like when you follow Christ? You deny yourself, take up the cross, and follow. When you give yourself away, then you truly live. That is a daily struggle for me. It’s not something I have figured out. It’s not something I do all the time. My life is so focused on me. My wants. My needs. My job. My family. My time. My comfort. My ideas. My goals. My dreams. I’m curved in on myself. My focus is on me. Your focus is on you. But God wants to point us toward true life. Jesus came to show us the way to truly live. And do you know what that looks like? To truly live, Jesus says, is to look beyond yourself— --to lose your life for Jesus’ sake and the sake of the Gospel. And then you’ll truly live. Jesus says: Deny yourself. I looked at different translations of this verse. One says: “leave self behind”. Another: “Forget yourself.” Another: “Put aside your own pleasures.” Get yourself out of the center of life. Allow God to be there. And when you see that God is at the center, do you know what God does? God helps us to see the needs of others— --and not just ourselves. A young, successful attorney was talking about his life. “The greatest gift I ever received, was a gift I got one Christmas. My dad gave me a small, little box. Inside was a note saying, ‘Son, this year I will give you 365 hours— --an hour a day after dinner. It’s yours. We’ll spend time together— --every night.” And not only did the dad keep that promise, but every year he renewed it— --and years later, the young man still said: “it’s the greatest gift I ever had in my life.” And you know what? While the son was getting a great gift, so was the dad. Too often, we curve in on ourselves. We deny others. Instead, Jesus says—deny yourself. Deny yourself. Take up your cross. Can you see the picture? Carrying the cross— --like Jesus did— --through the city of Jerusalem to the hill outside the city— --to be crucified. The cross. Sacrifice. Burden. Pain. And we’re told to take up the cross. To pick it up. To carry it— --even knowing the pain. Even knowing where it leads. Take up the cross. What might that mean today? Could it be— --going shopping for a neighbor when they’re sick? --or carrying books for someone at your school when they have a broken leg? --or, as a parent, answering all the questions of a toddler— --maybe even patiently? --or, as a teacher, spending extra time with a student who needs it? You can probably add a lot more to the list— --probably better ones for you. Take up the cross. A burden, taken up in love, for someone else. Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me. Follow me. We’re not going into uncharted territory when we give ourselves for others. We’re not doing something that has never been done before. We’re not pioneers. Jesus is the pioneer and perfecter of the faith. Jesus denied himself— --giving everything, everything for you and for me. Jesus took up his cross— --until he could carry it no more. And then he died on that cross. We aren’t called to do something no one has ever done. We’re called to follow— --follow Jesus into service --follow Jesus, even to death --follow Jesus, to true life. Because, those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake and the sake of the gospel, will save it. To truly live—give. Marian Preminger was born in Hungary in 1913. She was raised in a castle— --with a rich, royal family --surrounded by maids, tutors, governesses, butlers, chaffeurs. Her grandmother, who lived with them, insisted that, whenever they traveled, they take their own linen, because it was beneath their dignity to sleep between sheets used by common people. And with everything money could buy, Marian wasn’t content. While attending school in Vienna, 18 years old, she met a handsome young doctor. It seemed that romance would give her life. They got married— --eloped. And the marriage only lasted a year. She thought success as an actress would give her life. So she followed that dream. While auditioning for a play, she met the brilliant your German director—Otto Preminger. They fell in love and married. They came to America— --Hollywood— --where she got caught up in the culture and soon began to live a life caught up in all the bad influences that surrounded her. She thought it would bring happiness. When Otto Preminger discovered what was going on, they were divorced. She returned to Europe, still seeking meaning and joy. She lived the life of a socialite in Paris. In 1948, she learned that Albert Schweitzer was making one of his visits from Africa to Europe. She went to meet him— --and when she did, she found something, she found meaning. He invited her to come to Africa— --to work. And she did, working in a hospital. And there she found herself. There, working in a poor, underequipped hospital in Africa, the girl who was born in a castle and raised like a princess. The woman who was used to being waited on, with all the luxuries that money could buy. The woman who searched all the dark corners of life for happiness— --there she became a servant. And there she found meaning. She changed bandages. She bathed babies. She fed lepers. And she became free. Her autobiography was called: “All I Ever Wanted was Everything.” And do you know where she found everything? Not in things. Not in receiving. But in giving. In serving. God created you and me. And God knows that for us to truly live, we need to truly give. Jesus says: Deny yourself, pick up your cross, and follow me. And, losing your life in service, you will find true life. Follow me, Jesus says. In Jesus’ name, Amen