Embracing Suffering: The Call of the Cross

Devotional

Day 1: Embracing Our Shared Vulnerability

In the wake of tragic events, we are reminded of the fragility of life and the pervasive presence of evil in our world. These incidents highlight our shared vulnerability and the need for compassion towards those affected. Despite the frequency of such events, they often fail to penetrate our consciousness unless they are extraordinary, leaving us with a sense of helplessness and a desire to fix what seems irreparably broken. It is crucial to not become desensitized to the suffering of others but instead seek to understand and alleviate it. [01:23]

"Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:2, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life is currently experiencing suffering or hardship? How can you extend compassion and support to them today?

Day 2: The Cross as a Mirror of Our Brokenness

The cross is central to the Christian faith, revealing the depth of human brokenness and the profound love of God. It calls us to confront the evil within us and reorient our lives toward the way of Christ. The story of the crucifixion is not just about a charismatic figure; it is about a God who chose to suffer and die a humiliating death to redeem humanity. This act of suffering love challenges us to examine our own hearts and align our lives with the teachings of Christ. [04:34]

"For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." (1 Corinthians 1:18, ESV)

Reflection: What aspects of your life need to be reoriented towards the way of Christ? How can you begin this transformation today?

Day 3: Embodying Suffering Love

The crucifixion is not just a historical event but a revelation of God's nature as one of suffering love. It challenges us to embody this love in our interactions with others, especially those who are marginalized and oppressed. The cross calls us to die to our own projects and enter into the suffering of others, seeking to bring God's love to those who are oppressed and marginalized. This requires a total reorientation of our lives toward the way of Christ. [06:37]

"Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." (Philippians 2:4, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your community is marginalized or oppressed? How can you actively participate in bringing God's love to them today?

Day 4: Reflecting on Our Complicity in Suffering

The song "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?" serves as a poignant reminder of our shared humanity and the suffering endured by many. It challenges us to consider our complicity in the suffering of others and to reflect on whether we truly embody the love and justice of Christ. This reflection invites us to examine our actions and attitudes, ensuring they align with the teachings of Christ and contribute to the alleviation of suffering in the world. [08:56]

"Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered." (Proverbs 21:13, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways might you be complicit in the suffering of others? What steps can you take to align your actions with the love and justice of Christ?

Day 5: Participating in God's Work of Redemption

Reflecting on the mystery of the cross invites us to mourn with those who mourn and to actively participate in God's work of redemption in the world. We are called to die to our own projects and enter into the suffering of others, seeking to bring God's love to those who are oppressed and marginalized. The resurrection will come, but today, we live in the shadow of the cross, contemplating its profound implications for our lives and our world. [10:29]

"Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep." (Romans 12:15, ESV)

Reflection: How can you actively participate in God's work of redemption in your community today? What specific actions can you take to support those who are suffering?

Sermon Summary

In the wake of a tragic event in New York, where a man unleashed violence on a subway, we are reminded of the fragility of life and the pervasive presence of evil in our world. This incident, like many others, prompts us to question how such things can happen and where God is amidst the chaos. It is a stark reminder of the vulnerability we all share and the compassion we must extend to those affected. Despite the frequency of such events, they often fail to penetrate our consciousness unless they are extraordinary, leaving us with a sense of helplessness and a desire to fix what seems irreparably broken.

Reflecting on the cross during this time is crucial. The cross is the hinge of human history, revealing the depth of human brokenness and the profound love of God. It challenges us to confront the evil not only around us but also within us. The story of the crucifixion is not just about a charismatic figure; it is about a God who chose to suffer and die a humiliating death to redeem humanity. This act of suffering love is what sets Christianity apart and calls us to a total reorientation of our lives toward the way of Christ.

The song "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?" serves as a poignant reminder of our shared humanity and the suffering endured by many, including African American slaves who first sang it. It challenges us to consider our complicity in the suffering of others and to reflect on whether we truly embody the love and justice of Christ. The cross calls us to die to our own projects and enter into the suffering of others, seeking to bring God's love to those who are oppressed and marginalized.

As we reflect on the mystery of the cross, we are invited to mourn with those who mourn and to actively participate in God's work of redemption in the world. The resurrection will come, but today, we live in the shadow of the cross, contemplating its profound implications for our lives and our world.

Key Takeaways

1. The fragility of life and the presence of evil in the world remind us of our shared vulnerability and the need for compassion. We must not become desensitized to the suffering of others but instead seek to understand and alleviate it. [01:23]
2. The cross is central to the Christian faith, revealing the depth of human brokenness and the profound love of God. It calls us to confront the evil within us and reorient our lives toward the way of Christ. [04:34]
3. The crucifixion is not just a historical event but a revelation of God's nature as one of suffering love. It challenges us to embody this love in our interactions with others, especially those who are marginalized and oppressed. [06:37]
4. The song "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?" serves as a reminder of our shared humanity and the suffering endured by many. It challenges us to consider our complicity in the suffering of others and to reflect on whether we truly embody the love and justice of Christ. [08:56]
5. Reflecting on the cross invites us to mourn with those who mourn and to actively participate in God's work of redemption in the world. We are called to die to our own projects and enter into the suffering of others, seeking to bring God's love to those who are oppressed and marginalized. [10:29]
** [10:29]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:34] - Tragedy in New York
[01:11] - Vulnerability and Compassion
[02:00] - The Illusion of Technique
[02:38] - Reflecting on the Cross
[03:11] - Facing Evil
[03:38] - The Heart of the Cross
[04:48] - Moral and Spiritual Ecosystem
[05:29] - The Touchstone of Christian Authenticity
[06:11] - The Uniqueness of Christianity
[07:09] - Solidarity in Suffering
[08:32] - A Challenging Question
[09:26] - The Uniqueness of the Christian Message
[10:12] - Reflecting on the Mystery of the Cross
[11:17] - Closing Reflections

Sermon Clips

"and that sense of vulnerability and the fragility of life and hearing a story like this is something that all of us will share at moments and then beyond that there is the compassion for the people who go through this these are real people not just names in a newspaper" [00:01:18]

"and somehow when there's an unusual story like this it elicits great response and strikes people in the heart and yet in our country alone 80 people die of murder every day but we do not read their stories and we do not hear their names and so it does not strike us with the same depth" [00:01:36]

"and one of those very striking statements that i think is good to read again during holy week is that one of the most glaring evidences of the bankruptcy of contemporary ethical thinking is its inability to face up to evil he writes on page 58 when the flood tides of evil break across the television screen" [00:02:48]

"at the heart of the story of the cross is this reality that in our world something is terribly wrong and cries out to be set right and we cannot set it right and that doesn't mean that we should not try to the contrary passivity in the face of evil apathy or a lack of caring or a lack of involvement is a great indictment against any of us" [00:03:41]

"taking up the cross as jesus himself called us to do means a total reorientation of the self toward the way of christ and i think about that today as i hear again a story of evil in the world it is very tempting to view the world as a script in which there are villains there are bad guys and then there are victims" [00:04:30]

"the message of the bible is that we live in a kind of moral and spiritual ecosystem and it is shot through with evil and that evil is around me but that same evil is inside of me and i cannot make it go away taking up the crosses jesus called us to do means a total reorientation of the self toward the way of christ" [00:04:55]

"the crucifixion she writes is the touchstone of christian authenticity the unique feature by which everything else including the resurrection is given its true significance the resurrection is not a set piece it is not an isolated demonstration of divine dazzlement it is not to be detached from its abhorrent first act" [00:05:31]

"the resurrection is precisely the vindication of a man who was crucified without the cross at the center of the christian proclamation the jesus story can be treated as just another story about a charismatic spiritual figure and god knows there have been enough of those down through the centuries and they're often wonderfully inspiring" [00:05:55]

"it is the crucifixion that marks out christianity as something definitively different in the history of religion it is in the crucifixion that the nature of god is truly revealed and that that nature at its core is one of suffering love and we remember and wonder and think and reflect on the cross again this day" [00:06:24]

"and those words reminded them of their solidarity with this one were you there when they whipped him up the hill were you there when they nailed him to a tree and they knew what it was like to be whipped and they knew what it was like to be hung from a tree and so this song was a reflection of a sense of the way that it is possible for people who have been stripped of all dignity" [00:07:48]

"to be met in their suffering by the crucified one who himself was shamed whose murder went unaddressed and unavenged and then that song poses kind of a challenge as it did when those slaves would sing it were you there if you were there if you saw the one who was crucified that you claimed to worship then you would not claim to own me" [00:08:26]

"will i mourn with those who mourn will i as god allows me not be apathetic but actually seek to be a part of what god is doing to bring his love especially to those who are whipped and nailed and oppressed in this world were you there when they crucified my lord" [00:10:16]

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