Abba Poemen said ‘There
is no greater love than that a man lays down his life for his neighbour. When
you hear someone complaining and you struggle with yourself and do not answer
him back with complaints; when you are hurt and bear it patiently, not looking
for revenge; then you are laying down your life for your neighbour.’
The
Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is a wonderful thing for the simple reason that
it turns the world around. In the Cross we see the values of the world turned
on their head. What looks like a shameful defeat and a failure, to be executed
like a common criminal, naked, vulnerable, mocked, abused, and tortured, is the
true victory.
It is
a victory which the powers of this world cannot understand. To many people it
still seems strange, that we as Christians should celebrate torture and
failure; and yet we do, because we know that the Cross is not the end, that it
leads to the new life of Easter. It is a cross which brings both peace and
mercy. It demonstrates them in the clearest possible terms: ‘Father forgive
them, for they know not what they do’ ‘Today you shall be with me in paradise’.
This is what the love of God looks and feels like. It gives us the true gifts
of God’s peace and God’s mercy. They cannot be bought with money, or power, or
privilege, or status, with fine clothes, or fine words, or indeed anything of
this world. They cannot be bought at all; they are pure gift, freely given, and
of no worth in the eyes of the world but of infinite value.
So
then, we have a choice. What will you choose? Christ, or the ways of the world?
Whom will you serve? We can have a comfortable life; we can fill our barns full
and build bigger ones, or we can be crucified with Christ. It may not appear
quite as tempting an offer. People prefer the easy life, and the devil can
tempt you to go after the ways of the world. Many do, but ultimately what they
go after is vain, empty, without substance. Instead, we follow our Lord’s footsteps
which will lead to the Cross in any number of different ways. But we are to do this
gladly, to embrace it, and live it out joyfully. This is why our Lord summarises
his teaching with advice ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,
and all these things shall be added unto you.’ What Christ offers is TRUE
life, TRUE abundance, not material satisfaction, or the absence of pain. So then
let us choose to serve him who gave his life for us. Let us live out our faith in
our lives. So that everything that we say, or think, or do, every last thing, will
proclaim to the world the truth of Christ’s victory and his love. It’s up to us,
you see, to keep proclaiming the Gospel in thought, and word, and deed, so that
the world may believe and give glory to God the Father, God the Son, and God
the Holy Spirit, to whom be ascribed as is most right and just, all might,
majesty, glory dominion, and power, now and forever.
No comments:
Post a Comment