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"GETTING THROUGH THE TOUGH TIMES"
GOSPEL SCRIPTURE TEXT: MARK 8:31-38

DAVE RING, PASTOR
LOS ALAMOS 1ST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
SUNDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 21, 2010

SCRIPTURE TEXT: 31He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. "Get behind me, Satan!" he said. "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." 34Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? 37Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 38If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."

PRAYER: (Please join your hearts with mine for a moment of prayer at this time.) "Lord, we seek today to apprehend a difficult teaching from your Word. Grant us an extra measure of Your grace, that we may better receive whatever You wish for us today. Amen."

MESSAGE: Because Los Alamos is a town of intelligent people, I suspect that most of you are aware, through probably not in great detail, that the Christian church maintains a special calendar - an annual cycle of "Christian seasons." Our secular calendar year is based upon events, times, and occurrences in the everyday, natural world. The Christian year finds its roots in events, times, and occurrences in the life of Jesus Christ. The idea of a "Christian year" isn't found in the Bible as such, but is a simple deduction that is in no way contrary to Biblical teachings.

The Christian year begins, usually in late November, with the season of Advent. Advent is a period of preparation--spiritual preparation for the great celebration of Christ's coming into our world--the earthly birth of Jesus at what we call Christmas. The Christian year continues on a high note beyond Christmas day into a short period of further celebration called Christmastide, and onward into a longer time of uplifted spirit called Epiphany. Epiphany commemorates the manifestations of God upon earth by Christ, through his years of teaching, healing, and the working of miracles.

However, sometime between mid-February and mid-March of each year, the Christian calendar enters a different sort of season. For a period of 40 days prior to the commemoration of the Resurrection of Christ from the dead, the focus of the Christian faith is a much more sober one. In the Church, in place of bright greens, reds, and whites seen in other seasons, dark purple and even black are the dominant colorings. This period of time is called Lent.

Today, February 21st, is the first Sunday of Lent for 2010. Lent, like Advent, is a time of preparation. Forty days is a span of time that, in the Bible, is often employed in scripture to denote "preparation" -- for important things to come. For example, Christ spent 40 days in the wilderness prior to beginning his public ministry. During this 40 day period called Lent, Christians are encouraged to concentrate upon spiritual preparation for the coming great events at the end of Jesus' earthly life among us -- His rejection, trial, suffering, crucifixion, death, and, ultimately, His Resurrection from death unto life eternal. Since, with the exception of the last of them, these events are troubling and negative in nature, the mood of Lent is generally introspective -- quiet, somber, even brooding. The themes of Lent are "heavy" subjects -- repentance, self-examination, getting one's spiritual house in order in case we, like Jesus, should be called upon to endure trial and suffering because of our faith in Him.

In the modern day, Lent is not a very popular season of the Christian year among churchgoers of any denomination. Most Protestants - and even many modern Catholics -- scoff at the tradition of older Catholics regarding "giving up" something for Lent as being silly and unfounded in Scripture. Lenten masses - normally offered in Catholic churches every day throughout the 40 days thereof, are sparsely attended - and mostly by the elderly. United Methodists, who were never particularly enamored of Lent in the first place, pretty much treat it with benign neglect. About the only major recognitions of Lent we can usually muster at this church are a brief Ash Wednesday worship and a handful of special services during Lent's final week, which is termed "Holy Week." However, let me hasten to remind you that, this year, we actually are doing something new and special throughout Lent. We're teaming with the United Church for a series of Lenten "reflection sessions" each Thursday at noon during the seven weeks of Lent. This coming week's noon Lenten reflection will be held at our church, with a soup and bread lunch served.

Why must there be such a thing as "Lent" in the Christian faith? Why can't we focus all year long on roses and ringing bells and resurrections -- happy times and abundant life?

The answer should be obvious. Our faith is based, first and foremost, upon the life and teachings of the one whose name we bear -- Jesus the Christ. And the life of Jesus was most certainly not always filled with sweetness and success. Jesus was almost constantly, if we believe what the Gospels record for us, faced with pressure, stress, and problems. In Biblical language, the term used is "trials and temptations." Whatever we call them, Jesus certainly had his share of tough times. Particularly as His earthly life drew toward its end, the stresses and the trials grew even tougher. The last 40-plus days of His life were overfull of pain, sorrow, and nasty opposition.

If we are to be honest in the Christian church, in order to pass on the totality of the faith founded upon Jesus, there really has to be a Lent. The word "Lent" carries some unfortunate prejudice for some of us, I know -- so call it what you will. Name it "Spring Cleaning Season for the Soul" if that is more acceptable to you. The Season of Lent will probably never be a popular time among Christians -- and I fully understand why. Certainly, I'd sooner speak to you about love, joy and peace -- about faith, hope, and charity -- rather than trials, temptations, stresses, and sufferings. It's only natural -- and human -- for Christians to want to emphasize the positive aspects of our faith -- and to major upon our times of celebration, like Pentecost, and Christmas, and Easter. Yes, it's natural -- and human -- to want to avoid the negative. But it's not Christian.

Just as our Lord Jesus endured His season of tough times on earth, we who follow Him must prepare ourselves, lest when trials and testing come our way, we fall away from following after Him.

It's interesting -- and maybe just slightly encouraging -- to read the Gospels' accounts of the original 12 disciples' reactions to Lenten-type themes and ideas. The 12 were quite content to trek the countryside with Jesus -- to listen at His feet to great sermons, parables, and wise sayings. They were excited to witness miraculous cures happen before their very eyes. They even saw, on more than one occasion, a man rise from the dead at Jesus' command. It was all so wonderful -- truly, as Peter stated on behalf of them all, this was obviously the Son of God.

But then Jesus began to uncover the "flies in the ointment." There was going to be opposition. There would be suffering. Eventually, there would even be murder -- and all because of Him! "He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him." Jesus' earliest disciples, once again with Peter as their spokesman, said, "Never, Lord! This shall never happen to you." It can't be! Don't even talk about such negative things. We don't want to hear it! God forbid! Tell us another interesting story, Jesus. Let's go hold some more children on our laps, Lord. How about curing some blind people? Explain to us more about the Kingdom of God -- will it really have golden streets and will we get to wear beautiful white robes? But don't -- don't shake us up with that negative thinking. That's not what we're here for!"

I mentioned earlier that there was perhaps a note of encouragement to be found even in this difficult passage of Scripture -- and it's this: You and I are very little different from the original 12 disciples who gathered about Jesus. They were neither worse, nor better - spiritually -- than we are. They didn't want to contemplate the negative aspects of following after Jesus -- and neither do we. But Jesus forced them to come to terms with the negative -- by directly confronting them with its reality. The Church continues this kind of honesty about following Jesus -- by having the season of Lent --an annual time when harsh realities are not to be avoided.

I almost hesitate to add this last point, but maybe some of you are strong enough to handle it. For Jesus also took his Lenten-style, negative thinking one step further. It was bad enough to suggest that He would have to suffer opposition, hard times, maybe even pain and death. Even so, well...He was special -- the Son of God -- He could handle it! But then the conversation went from just plain tough preaching to inexcusable meddling! He drew them into it all, too! "Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.'"

Oh! Oh! This is serious. There wasn't going to be trial and suffering -- and hard times -- and maybe even a wrongful death -- just for Jesus alone. No -- Jesus was saying that anyone who wants to follow after Me had better get used to the idea of self-sacrifice. There wasn't going to be a Lenten season just for Jesus. Instead, there would be a Lent in every Christian life. "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."

Each year, for 40 days prior to the joyous celebration of Christ's Resurrection from the dead which we call Easter, the Christian Church focuses upon a far different reality. We center our thinking upon an earthly Jesus -- a man all-too-human, just as we are. Stressed and strained -- tried and tempted -- just as we are. Wrestling with problems, failures, enemies, fickle friends, bodily pain -- lots of negatives, just what we have to deal with. And this very human Jesus impels us to carefully examine ourselves -- to look thoroughly at our lives -- and to prepare, in faith -- for the worst -- or the best --that comes our way.

It's taken me a whole sermon to say it, but Jesus summarized this message in one clear sentence. The reason for and the meaning of the entire Christian season of Lent is this: "If anyone would come after Jesus, he must deny himself, take up His cross, and follow"…Jesus.
Will you? Amen.

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