Today we have this verse, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves, take up their cross and follow Me.”

We have to sit with, What is the cross that we are called to bear? What does that mean? What does that look like? It does call for sacrifice. That denying of oneself. It does call for us to put the needs of others ahead of our own needs and wants.

It also sounds like it could be asking us to become martyrs. But rather than thinking about martyrs,
or of being a martyr, that’s not to be our goal. So that we would get the glory, of whatever glory there comes with martyrdom.

But it’s meant to be about pointing towards God. This is really important right now, in this time and in place that we live, because there are people who are trying to perceive themselves or saying that they are martyrs. Martyrs are not looking for revenge. Martyrs are people who are seeking righteousness and justice.

We say that we are about justice.

That’s important. That’s a very important distinction today. Because there’s a lot going on in our world. And It’s hard. Taking up our cross means that it’s going to be hard. It’s going to be painful.
And yet, we are called to do that.

We are trying to create God’s kingdom here on earth, which is not like ours. It is not about power, or money, or prestige. It is about love and it is about mercy.

So when we take up our cross, we need to be taking it up or bringing in more love and justice into the world. I struggled with this one mightily, because there’s plenty of people who feed on martyrs, they feed on people who are willing to give up everything that they have to please another person and that is not what this is saying.

The only reason to give up everything is for God.

It is not to please one’s spouse, one’s partner, or one’s friend. It is only to bring more love and light into the world. If what one is doing is not bringing more love and light than it is not of God.

I say that because I do think we have an example of one who bore their cross this week in our news, and that is Alexei Navalny. No he was not killed for his faith. But it is his faith that made him challenge Putin in the way that he did. It was his faith that brought him back to Russia after he had been poisoned and stand trial for allegations of going against the government in 2021. He had a long closing statement in that trial, but what stood out for me the most was that he said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.”

He said, he didn’t come back for glory. He didn’t come back for any publicity. He came back because he wanted the people of Russia to be free from Putin’s oppressive forces. It wasn’t about him, it was about something larger. And because of his faith, he was free. His faith made it easy, he said, to make the decision. That’s a powerful faith.

When you can trust that you are in God’s hands. All you are doing is following God.

I find it interesting that they combined Abraham’s story with this text of picking up your cross. This is a picture I took in Turkey, of the landscape and up at the top of the hill, it’s covered with sheep. There’s a whole line of sheep up there. Which is what I was looking for an image of for Abraham. I thought, Abraham in the wilderness, you know, Abraham walking through these, this the area of Mesopotamia and into Palestine and trying to find the place.

In our scripture today, Abram got a new name. He’s now Abraham. The point of Abraham story is that he is called and chosen. Because he listened and answered the call. That is Abraham’s only redeeming value. His only redeeming quality is that he answered the call of God to follow what God wanted. So he picked up his whole family and he took them all and said, Nope, this isn’t where we’re meant to be. God says, I’m to follow God, and I don’t know where we’re going. But we’re going on a trip. Going without a map. The only thing I know is God will tell me when we’re there.

The beauty of Abraham’s story, is that God stays faithful to him. Abram makes terrible decisions. That’s is really the beauty of Abraham, we find out that no matter how bad Abraham behaves, including denying his wife and letting the king have her,
to save his own neck. God doesn’t leave him. God stays with him. So the overall message seems to be follow God, and you will live.

Kind of the same message that Jesus has for us this morning.

In this hard text that we have to read, it’s about following Jesus, so that we live. What Jesus is asking is for is this giving up of oneself for the greater good.

Now there’s an interesting dynamic that we need you to know about from history. During the Roman Empire, there was a phrase “Pax Romana”, meaning the peace of Rome or Rome’s peace. In order to have Rome’s peace, the people were told that they needed to sacrifice. They needed to sacrifice, they needed to pay the exorbitant taxes, they needed to do the forced labor for Rome, and if they needed to die for Rome, then praise be. Let them starve to death or die for Rome.
But that was it, then you died for Rome.

I put these two pictures up, because these are from Turkey, these are from Istanbul when I was there. The one on the left is the last palace of the Ottoman Empire, which is as much of a palace that we have left of any kind of empire. Roman palaces aren’t they’re ruins now. So we don’t have an idea of what they look like. But this was the one built in the mid 19th century, and is still in good shape. That’s on the left.

On the right, is a picture of the houses that the people live in. I can’t I can’t take you back 2000 years, but this is in 2006. I’m sure that the houses on the right, probably have some better building materials than they did mid 19th century, although some of those may have still been there in the mid 19th century too. But it was the people on the left, telling the people that lived in the homes on the right, that they needed to sacrifice for the people on the left.
And I want you to think about that power dynamic.

When the wealthy tell you that you need to sacrifice everything you have so that they live, and you live like the people on the right.

This is where we talk about social justice.

In Jesus’s message, Jesus says “If we will deny ourselves and take up our cross for God”, and here’s the difference, “You will live.”

Jesus promises life, not death. Not death and just being a servant to the wealthy and to the empire. But Jesus promises life
because Jesus will be raised again. And eventually we are also promised that we get to rise with Jesus. That’s end game.

I don’t talk about salvation a lot. I’m not one who preaches that you’ve got to be saved because I believe we all are.
I believe we all are saved already. Not because of anything we have done. But because of the love and the mercy of God. Because like Abraham, we are going to make terrible choices.

But Christ is hoping that sometimes we’ll make the right choice to be the love and the light that the world needs.

It might be as simple as the love or the light that a friend needs to see. When they’re in a dark place. When they’re feeling like everything is going wrong. Maybe that’s what we can do. Maybe that’s the something good we can be up to.

As a congregation. We have named that compassionate justice is important for us. So this week I want you to sit and think about what is it that you are being called to do to bring more justice into the world?

What is Christ tugging at your heart with?

We can’t solve it all. But we can make small progress one step at a time.

There’s lots of issues right now. There’s lots of places where our society is breaking down. We need voices of justice.
That we make sure that all people have access to health care and education and that it works for everybody. That we are creating a world that we want our children to grow up in. That we’re making sure there is going to be a world for our children to grow up into.

So what what is the area that you are being called to? That is your question to sit with. What difference are you being called to make in this world? Who needs your help? Whatever sacrifice you can make, to put more love and justice into the world is what Christ is looking for you to do.

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Join us for a hopping good time at our annual Easter Egg Hunt on March 23rd at 10 AM!

Join us for a morning of family fun at the Fellowship Hall parking lot (or indoors if it rains)! This community event welcomes everyone, so bring your friends, family, neighbors, and fellow church members. While the egg hunt is geared towards children aged 10 and under, all are welcome to participate. Please remember to check your child’s eggs for age-appropriate toys or allergen considerations, as candy and prizes will be randomly placed.

Register now to secure your spot: https://forms.gle/pzNRUQzAnDrj2R1J9

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The Albright Chamber Singers will give a concert of varied choral music on Mar. 3rd, 2024 at 3pm in the sanctuary at Church of the Apostles, UCC in Rohrerstown.

The Albright College Chamber Singers are one of Albright’s premiere choral groups. This ensemble is designed to provide select students with the highest level of musical experience and achievement. Repertoire includes all styles, eras, and genres, including repertoire written for traditional chamber choir, pop, Renaissance, Americana, folk, non-western traditions, and new works.

A freewill offering will be taken in lieu of tickets for this concert

To Learn More About Our Upcoming Concerts and Apostles Academy Click Here!

Get ready to soar to new heights at Church of the Apostles UCC’s located in Lancaster, PA at our free movie screening of Disney & Pixar’s Up!

Join us on Friday, March 15th, starting at 6 PM in the sanctuary of Church of the Apostles UCC (Located at 1850 Marietta Ave. Lancaster, PA 17603) for a fun-filled evening of adventure and inspiration.

Grab your favorite pajamas or comfy clothes, snuggle up with a blanket and stuffed friend, and join us for this special movie night! We’ll provide snacks and drinks for everyone to enjoy! Please note that outside food or drink will not be permitted in the sanctuary, except for medical reasons, in which case spill-proof containers are required.

This event is open to the public, so bring along your friends and family for a fantastic movie night with your church community!

Kindly RSVP by Clicking Here to ensure we have enough treats and drinks for everyone!

Today starts A New Time.

In the church year, it’s the season of Lent, which the church has often made a time of giving up, encouraging us to, to be less selfish, and to let go of some of the pleasures that we enjoy. We’re doing a slightly different take on that right now. What I want to encourage you to do is to let go of the things that get in the way of you being fully who God created you to be. Let go of the past hurts the regrets you might have, the times when you wish you had done something differently. It’s time to let go of those things and no longer be weighed down by them.

Instead, choose to be about something good. Choose to be about something that draws you closer to God.

Something that draws you closer to others, so that you can share the good news with them. I think we live in a world today, where a lot of us are just overwhelmed saddened by the latest news, maybe even a bit afraid. We’re getting to the point where we miss the beauty. We miss the birds, or since we are in Pennsylvania, we miss the Tundra Swans and the geese. Do we see them? Are we missing all of that? Because we’re focused on all of the things that are going wrong in the world?

We’re becoming afraid and we’re isolating, instead of coming together and creating community. Those of you who are here, and those of you at home that we hope will join us at some point, you’ve chosen community today. How can we help others know that this is a safe space? That this is a place where we hear a different message?

Because that message of deprival and all of that giving up? Yes, it’s true. We are mortal and our mortality is right in front of us but in the wilderness is our lives. We learn lessons of life, and this is a time to look at the lessons and recognize that through it all, God is with us.

We are never alone.

It’s interesting that they put the rainbow with us on this first Sunday of Lent. Because you know the rainbow reminds us that God changes God’s mind. God was so frustrated with humanity is the way the story goes right? That God sent the flood.
But God changed God’s mind as if God’s heart was broken by not having that relationship with humanity. So God said, I’m never gonna do that again. There’s never going to be a time when I don’t love you. There’s never going to be a time when I leave you.

It doesn’t matter what we do. I mean, it does matter. Obviously God wants us to be better people but there’s nothing that we can do that will drive God away from us. God is constantly reaching out to be in relationship with us. Love wins. God’s love is eternal forever. And the Rainbow reminds us.

Mark’s Gospel

Mark’s gospel is very interesting in that you might have had a flashback when I read the beginning of that, because you’re like, that’s the baptism text. We read that back in epiphany, because we did. We read that on January 14th. Because it was the baptism, but for Mark, all of this is the beginning of Jesus’ ministry.

He does all of it in six verses, the whole thing. From baptism, Jesus goes down in the water comes up, here’s you are my beloved. And immediately the Scripture says the Spirit drives him to the desert. He has, for some reason, of which we do not know, he has to have that wilderness experience. But he’s not alone in the desert. He’s not alone there, just as we will not be alone.

Yes, he encounters Satan, he encounters all the temptations of our lives. He encounters wild beasts, and the angels wait on him. God is present with him. Just as God will be present with us through all of our wilderness and, and temptations.
We are not alone. God has chosen to give us a new time, a different thing.

Then, as soon as the 40 days are up, Jesus goes to the to Galilee and declares it is a new time. Repent and hear the good news. That also happens just as John is arrested and taken away. John is no longer saying, Repent. So Jesus comes and follows up with this message of repentance. And we’ve made this message of repentance as confession, looking at ourselves, and recognizing what we have done wrong. That is an important piece of it. And there’s more to it.

We also have to choose to be different.

We have to choose to change because it’s a new time. God in Jesus has come close to us. Because God still wants that relationship. God still wants to walk with us, talk with us, share life with us, teach us, model for us, and encourage us to be our best selves.

Will we be? No. But God loves us anyway. But we can be about this idea of repentance.

This quote by Amy Jo Levine really is catching to me. Because it changes that meaning a little bit that repenting means fixing broken relationships, and doing one’s best to restore community that’s coming out of the Jewish perspective. Right? This is Rosh Hashana for them. This is how do we admit that we’re not who God has called us to be. We can be better. We can work on the relationships, our relationship with God, our relationships with one another, and our relationships with the world, and the community. To everyone that we meet, we can be better at those.

We can build community. That’s what I think we need right now, more than ever.

We are living through a new time. We haven’t come out of the pandemic well. There are some people, and I would even say that I’m in that group, that when we get in a large group, we don’t feel right. I don’t like large gatherings anymore. There’s some who don’t. We stay away from large gatherings because they’re afraid of the the germs that are in those gatherings. The pandemic did that for us really well, showed us that those large gatherings are super spreaders.

But now, we also know that large gatherings are targets for people with guns who aren’t stable. You get a large gathering, even the Super Bowl gathering was an opportunity for a man who needs help and a gun. But they do the damage. So we’re like, “I’m not sure if I want to be in a large gathering.” Then you watch the news. There’s a lot of violence in our world right now. How do we counteract that? We have to remind ourselves, that we don’t do it alone.

God is with us. We come together to remind each other that God is here that God is with us wherever we are.

We can encourage one another. We can hold each other up in the hard times. That’s who we are called to be. We are called to create community. To be this inclusive refuge, to serve compassionately, to care about the environment and how everyone is treated. That’s what we’ve said. That’s what God is calling us to be. So can we be about that? Can we be about looking at how we interact with one another and how we greet those who come into our midst to make sure that all feel welcome to experience Christ with us. That’s our challenge.

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