3rd Sunday of the Great Fast Veneration of the Cross

Title

Take Up Your Cross and Follow Me

Outline

1. I recently read a typical book that speaks about finding yourself, esteeming yourself, and coming to fulfillment when you put yourself first

Now it isn’t that there are no toxic relationships that one must separate from to hear God’s message to you

But this “me first” and finding “the strength within you” and esteeming yourself is self-destructive when read in the light of scripture

Jesus says, “Take up your cross and follow me”

2. The first point to note is that Jesus is presented as a priest

He is appointed as a priest

He is tested as a priest

And as a high priest he has offered sacrifice - himself

He chose the most shameful way of sacrifice - the cross

He is calling us to worship in the same way, by offering ourselves to God

The good news is that since he did this successfully, he is able to help us as well

3. The second point, the point of our gospel, is that this giving of oneself in worship gains one true life

The purpose and fulfillment of all human life, of all life, is right worship, a right ordering to God

To “gain the whole world” without this is to lose one’s life, to lose the purpose of life, to fail at life

To deny oneself and submit oneself to God’s will is to gain life

To follow Jesus is to follow in the way of the cross that is an offering of oneself in a way that the world sees as shameful

We confess Jesus by word and deed, which is also a confession of our identification with his sacrifice by our sacrifice

Then we will indeed see the Rule of God come with power

4. Brothers and sisters, I do not know what this will look like for you

For some it could mean rejection, even martyrdom

For some it could mean quiet suffering with a cheerful disposition

For some it is lived out in family or in community, while others are led into some type of desert analogous to the desert fathers and mothers

Read the lives of the saints to discover the many ways this has been lived out

But if we offer ourselves daily to God, asking the Holy Spirit to lead us, and promising to accept what he gives, we will find that we are led there

It is not our choice; we only choose to make the offering that God leads us to, as God led Jesus to the cross

But the end result is life, the life of the coming age, the life in union with Jesus and that is worth the sacrifice and the pain, especially when we contrast it with the way of emptiness and death in the world around us.

Readings

Epistle

Hebrews 4:14–5:6

14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sinning. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

5 For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. 3 Because of this he is bound to offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people. 4 And one does not take the honor upon himself, but he is called by God, just as Aaron was.

5  So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him,

“You are my Son,

today I have begotten you”;

6  as he says also in another place,

“You are a priest for ever,

according to the order of Melchizedek.”

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) (Faithlife; Bellingham, WA, 2015; 2015).

Gospel

Mark 8:34–9:1

34  And he called to him the multitude with his disciples, and said to them, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35  For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? 37 For what can a man give in return for his life? 38  For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of man also be ashamed, when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” 9  And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power.”

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) (Faithlife; Bellingham, WA, 2015; 2015).

Notes

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) Third Sunday of Great Lent or Sunday of the Holy Cross

TRIODION AND GREAT LENT

THIRD SUNDAY OF GREAT LENT OR SUNDAY OF THE HOLY CROSS

Dark Vestments

Saints Priest-Martyrs at Cherson: Basil, Ephrem, Capito, Eugene, Everius (and four others with them) Crimea, 296; the Venerable Paul, the Simple (solitary, d. Egypt 339)