"This is The Way"

 

2-28-21 

Grace to you and peace from God our creator and from our Lord and savior Jesus the Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Six years ago, a group of women pastors, including myself, met for a retreat at a camp in NJ. For a fun craft to do together, I brought small wooden crosses and some crazy glue and suggested that everyone in the group bring – not a dish to pass, but a dish to break.

We all brought with us something that was meaningful for us to smash, so that the broken bits might be transformed into a unique mosaic cross. Some of us brought dinnerware from marriages that ended in broken vows.  Some brought worries about toxic situations at home and in their churches. Some brought personal grief, challenges, and questions.

I thought I was prepared - We went outside, and I brought a tarp and a hammer. But I overlooked one thing…Band-Aids. So, of course, one of us ended up bleeding, and much to my surprise, it wasn’t me! Fortunately, this camp was well stocked in first-aid kits, and all was well. No stitches needed.

But despite the bleeding and the big mess we made - we were able to make beautiful art out of our brokenness. We exchanged broken bits of our own mess and together we created something new.

At the start of every Lent, we receive the cross of ashes on our foreheads, to remind us that God can do something beautiful with us, who are so limited and flawed. Just a little bit ago we saw little George receive the sign of the cross on his forehead too. That cross also reminds us that our lives do not belong to us. We do not belong to ourselves. Like George, we belong to God.

This means our lives are to be spend in the service of the world. We are to care for and carry one another, especially those suffering, rejected, and vulnerable. We are to walk and live the way of the cross, which for me, means that I need to set my mind on the things that are important to God, not get caught up in the things that the world sees are important.

Every day, but especially now, need to ask ourselves, as people of God – What way will we follow? What do we see as most important: Our personal choices or the health of our neighbors? What is more important - Our “right” to bear arms….. or our call to bear one another’s burdens? What is more important, our maintaining the veneer of normalcy ….or addressing and healing our trauma, in whatever messy way that may look like?

During this pandemic winter, we caught up on a lot of shows, including Star Wars’ “The Mandalorian.” More than just “a man in a cool suit,” the Mandalorian, has a story - like his people, he follows a strict code of conduct. It binds their people together, but also sets them apart as different. For every strange choice they make, they respond with the refrain: “This is the Way.” And there is one particular thing that a Mandalorian should NEVER do. While these rules are strict and pose their own challenges, in a way, they do make life simple for their followers.

Life may have seemed simple for the Mandalorian at the center of this show. But then he meets a child, and everything changes. Life is no longer simple. He is thrust into adventures that challenge him and challenges the way of life he is used to. And that one particular thing a Mandalorian should never do? It turns out that he will face a choice – keep to his strict code, or to that one thing – in order  to save the universe, and to save the people that THIS Mandalorian has come to care about, including this unexpected child. It turns out, he will have to forge a new way.

For Mark, and for Jesus, the way of the cross is a way of life - following Jesus will cause us to live our lives in such a way that the powers and empires of the world will try to get rid of us, as they tried to get rid of Jesus. The cross is both the consequence and the symbol of this life, “the way” or path of death and resurrection, the way of transformation. As followers of this way, we witness God transforming an instrument - specifically designed for cruel execution - into a symbol of new and abundant life.

Peter thinks that there is one thing that a Messiah has come to do, a “right way” to be the messiah – ride in “on a white horse” and save the day with power and might. So, when Jesus said, “my way of life and my actions will lead to suffering and rejection by the people in power. They will kill me for this, but I will rise again 3 days later, all for your sake” …. Peter obviously did not take it well. After all, this is the one thing that a true king would allow himself to suffer a humiliating death, right?

Peter hung on to that one thing he thought was important, and so he almost missed the entire “way of Jesus.” Instead of learning from the teacher, Peter tried to do some teaching himself, which got him into some hot water. Like Peter, we all would rather be the leader, or at least have some input in the way Jesus is headed.

But Jesus does not reject Peter outright for his errors. Instead, Jesus tells him to “get behind me.” Not necessarily to kick him out of the group or to get out of Jesus’ sight… but get behind Jesus… because you need to be BEHIIND the person you are following in order to SEE how to follow them. We can’t walk the way that Jesus would have us walk if we are not behind Jesus, following his lead.  

Eventually though, after a LOT of mistakes, Peter does eventually get “back in line.” He is not rejected, even when he rejects Jesus, because he comes back to walking the way, however imperfectly. He puts down his ego and takes us his cross. He let go of that thing that was holding him back, and it got smashed to bits…. but it also turned into something beautiful.

This is the cross I made with those dear friends. It has some of my broken bits, and some of theirs. It’s rough around the edges, and it was a challenge to make. But it’s my favorite cross (and I own a LOT of crosses). Here are pieces of brokenness, death, and loss. But together, they represent the way forward - together. This is the way. Thanks be to God. Amen.