An Invitation to Take Up Your Cross by Mark D. Roberts

Mark 8:34-38

He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (NRSV)

Mark 8:34

In Mark 8, Jesus uses the imagery of crucifixion to call people to follow him sacrificially. If they want to experience the life of the kingdom of God, they must die to themselves as sovereign over their own lives and live each day under the authority of God.

Many Christians throughout the ages have used the Stations of the Cross to deepen their gratitude for Christ‘s sacrifice and to augment their commitment to following him sacrificially. Traditionally, the Stations of the Cross included fourteen representations of the passion of Christ, beginning with this condemnation and ending with his being laid in the tomb. The original Stations of the Cross, also known as the Via Dolorosa (way of grief), are in Jerusalem on the path Jesus walked to his death. But many churches throughout the world include artistic stations that help people reflect on the meaning of Christ’s death.

Half of the traditional Stations are found in Scripture, while the other half come from ancient Christian tradition. In 1991, Pope John Paul II created a new series of fourteen stations, each one based on Scripture alone. These biblical stations have been attractive to those of us who base our piety more on Scripture than on church tradition.

I have found that reflection on the biblical Stations of the Cross has helped me to experience more deeply the love of God in Christ. Moreover, I have been encouraged to take up my cross and follow Christ more faithfully.

Beginning tomorrow and continuing for fourteen days until Holy Saturday, the day before Easter, the Daily Reflections will follow the new Stations of the Cross. My prayer is that, by “walking” the Stations with me, you will come to a deeper understanding of God’s love and grace, as well as a greater desire to serve him with your whole life.

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: What has helped you in the past to take up your cross and follow Jesus? Have you ever experienced the Stations of the Cross? How did this affect your relationship with the Lord?

PRAYER: Gracious God, as we come closer to Holy Week, we yearn for a deeper experience of the cross. We seek to know your love and grace in a fresh way. We want to hear again the call of Jesus to take up our cross and follow him.

As we focus on fourteen passages from the Gospels that highlight aspects of Jesus’ passion, may we be drawn into the scene. May our hearts be captured by the horror and the wonder of his sacrifice. May we be encouraged to take up our cross and give our lives in sacrificial service to you. Amen.

P.S. from Mark: Several years ago, some folks at Irvine Presbyterian Church, where I served as pastor, decided to offer the Stations of the Cross as a devotional experience for Holy Week. For obviously Protestant reasons, we opted for the Pope’s biblically-based version. My wife, Linda, offered to paint fourteen watercolor pictures that illustrated the passages upon which the revised stations are based. These were displayed in our church sanctuary during Holy Week, and people were invited to come, to read Scripture, to reflect, and to pray. For many members of my church and community, this was a precious time of drawing near to the Lord in anticipation of Good Friday and Easter. (For the past several years, I have offered the use of Linda’s paintings for churches and Christian ministries without charge. Her paintings have appeared in literally thousands of places of worship on six continents. They are permanently installed in a number of churches. If you would like to use her paintings, all I ask is that you contact me and ask permission. You can view Linda’s paintings here.)

http://www.thehighcalling.org/reflection/invitation-take-your-cross

Facedown Before the Lord by Mark D. Roberts

Ezekiel 1:1-28

Just as a rainbow lights up a cloud on a rainy day, so its brightness shone all around. This was how the form of the LORD’s glory appeared. When I saw it, I fell on my face. I heard the sound of someone speaking. (CEB)

Ezekiel 1:28

The first chapter of Ezekiel describes his vision of God. It begins with flaming angels and mysterious wheels. Above the angels is a glittering dome, upon which there is a brilliant blue throne. Seated above the throne is a human-like form that appears to be gleaming, flaming amber. The brightness of the human form glows “just like a rainbow lights up a cloud on a rainy day” (1:28).

What was this glowing, brilliant, human-like being? Ezekiel explains, “This was how the form of the LORD’s glory appeared” (1:28). God had chosen to reveal his glory to Ezekiel in this bizarre, brilliant, other-worldly image.

And how did Ezekiel respond to his vision of God’s glory? He writes, “When I saw it, I fell on my face” (1:28). Ezekiel is not saying that he fainted or was so shocked that he fell over. Rather, in his culture, falling on one’s face was the ultimate sign of reverence and respect. It was a powerful symbol of humility and submission.

I wonder how our lives would be different if we began to grasp the majesty and holiness of God. I wonder how our churches would be different if, even for a moment, we glimpsed the glory of God as did Ezekiel. Not only might we fall on our faces before the Lord, but  we might alsobe empowered afresh to serve him in every facet of our lives.

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: Have you ever fallen on your face before God (or something like this)? Have you ever been so overwhelmed by his glory that you could do nothing more than offer your whole self to God? Do you yearn to see more of God’s glory? Have you asked the Lord for this gift?

PRAYER: Almighty God, my words cannot begin to respond to your glory. They seem so shallow and insufficient. Nevertheless, as I consider your glory today:

I give all that I am to you, for your purposes and glory.

I offer my dreams and hopes.

I commit to you the full use of my talents and energies.

I promise to glorify you, not just in worship services, but in a life of service.

Let all that I am be for your glory. Hallelujah! Amen.

P.S. from Mark: The Christian season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, February 22. If you’d like to know more about the special season of the year that we are about to enter, you might visit the following link on my blog: Resources for Ash Wednesday, Lent, Holy Week, and Easter.

http://www.thehighcalling.org/reflection/facedown-lord

A Mind-Blowing Vision of God by Mark D. Roberts

Ezekiel 1:1-28

As I watched, suddenly a driving storm came out of the north, a great cloud flashing fire, with brightness all around. At its center, in the middle of the fire, there was something like gleaming amber. And inside that were forms of four living creatures. This was what they looked like: Each had the form of a human being, though each had four faces and four wings. (CEB)

Ezekiel 1:4-6

In the first verse of Ezekiel, the prophet reports that he “saw visions of God” (1:1). The first of these visions, which dominates chapter 1, is truly mind-blowing. I have read it several times, trying to picture what the words portray. I can make sense of the words, but have a hard time putting them together into a coherent image. I sense that Ezekiel may have been struggling to find the right words to describe this utterly extraordinary vision of God, one that included flaming angelic beings with four faces and a set of brilliant wheels corresponding to the faces. And then, above the winged beings, was a gleaming, glorious revelation of God himself.

Ezekiel’s vision reminds us that we mustn’t limit God by our words and images. God is infinitely greater than anything we can explain or imagine. In his grace, God has condescended to make himself known to us in ways we can begin to understand. Yet we mustn’t confuse our understanding of God with the real thing. God is so much more than anything we can fathom or envision.

It’s tempting for us to latch on to certain ideas about God or pictures of God, such that we neglect the fullness of his revelation. This is one reason why Christians in my tradition (Reformed) have been reticent to display images of God. We can too easily let our images take God’s place in our minds and hearts. Ezekiel’s vision in chapter 1 reminds us of God’s transcendent greatness. It encourages us to be continually challenged to learn more about God and to know him more deeply and fully.

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: What ideas about God or images of God are especially meaningful to you? Why? What helps you to remember that God is so much greater than anything you can think or imagine?

PRAYER: Awesome, amazing God, my mind has a hard time figuring out just how Ezekiel’s vision in chapter 1 fits together. How much more difficult it is for me to understand who you really are.

Yet, I confess that I can sometimes feel as if I have you all figured out. I can even pick and choose among the images and ideas of God that I like. Forgive me for my arrogance, for my failure to attend to the wideness of your self-revelation in Scripture.

Thank you, Lord, for making yourself known to us in ways we can understand. Thank you especially for revealing yourself in a human being, in Jesus of Nazareth, the Word Incarnate. In him, we catch a unique glimpse of your truth, glory, and love.

All praise be to you, awesome, amazing God. Amen.

P.S. from Mark: The Christian season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, February 22. If you’d like to know more about the special season of the year that we are about to enter, you might visit the following link on my blog: Resources for Ash Wednesday, Lent, Holy Week, and Easter.

http://www.thehighcalling.org/reflection/mind-blowing-vision-god