Think back a few months to Lent 2020. If we consider ourselves committed disciples, those 40 days were a time when we were ready, willing and even eager to sacrifice, to forgive and to recommit. Taking up our cross to follow Jesus was part of our annual Lenten journey toward renewal and new Easter life. That was then, and this is now---months later. Today, are we as eager, as motivated, and as determined to continue our faith journey with the same vigor?
All three Scripture passages for this weekend remind us that the call of the cross is not limited to a special time, nor to a liturgical season. Wherever our ministry---in church---in school---in the workplace---or in our homes, we are required to forgo half-hearted service. As theologian Walter Burghardt explained: “If those who would speak, live and witness the Gospel are to be effective, and if their message is to have its intended impact on the world, they must be set aflame. …Disciples’ spirituality to God, to Christ, and to the world must be a conversion that turns the believer inside out and in effect, puts ‘fire in their bellies.’”
Those who hear this talk about “fire in bellies” might think of the sacrifice of martyrs. We are all familiar with that kind of sacrifice, but losing one’s life does not always require the supreme act of martyrdom. Losing life always includes the willing surrender of all we are, all our hopes and dreams to our God. We fail in this regard when our ministry is without fire, and our daily routine is nothing more than just “going-through-the motions.”
“The cross is the symbol of the standoff between divine love and human recalcitrance.””
Our enthusiasm is diminished when we find people burdensome, when the needs of the poor are unpleasant, when we participate in hurtful slurs and jokes, when we avoid sacrifice to attain creature comforts and when our walk does not match our talk. If we are sensitive to God’s will and God’s ways, we quickly realize that discipleship is costly, and is always part of the journey. The only way to be followers of Jesus is to renew our conviction to be transformed by him. Remember, it is a long time until another Lent!
This week’s Scripture message is as tough as it gets. It does not depict some scene from the distant past, but a challenge for each of us to decide if we are willing to follow Jesus all the way to Jerusalem today accepting whatever that will demand of us! We will encounter crosses that we will carry---the problems, the difficulties, the sorrows and the illnesses that come our way. As theologian John Shea puts it: “Every time the cross happens, a double revelation unfolds. Divine love in some finite human person shines forth and human resistance in some hardened persons is seen for what it is. The cross is the symbol of the standoff between divine love and human recalcitrance.”
On our journey, we will be asked to consider anew, the quality of our service and allow ourselves to be seduced by our loving God. The promise he made to Jeremiah, he makes to us: “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you. I anointed you prophet to the nations. …To whomever I send you, you shall go. …Have no fear, because I am with you to deliver you.” [Jeremiah 1:5,8]. Today, Jesus is asking us, “How’s the fire in your belly?” ----Deacon Wilson Shierk