Calvary Presbyterian Church
The Rev. Debra May Cerra
March 8, 2009

Romans 4:13-25 (NRSV)
For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation. 16 For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, 17 as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations")—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 18 Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become "the father of many nations," according to what was said, "So numerous shall your descendants be." 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. 20 No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 Therefore his faith "was reckoned to him as righteousness." 23 Now the words, "it was reckoned to him," were written not for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.

Mark 8:31-38 (NRSV)
Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things." 34 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. 35 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. 36 For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 37 Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? 38 Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

Divine and Human

You might remember comedian Yakov Smirnoff. When he first came to the United States from Russia he was not prepared for the incredible variety of instant products available in American grocery stores. He says, "On my first shopping trip, I saw powdered milk--you just add water, and you get milk. Then I saw powdered orange juice--you just add water, and you get orange juice. And then I saw baby powder, and I thought to myself, What a country!"
            Smirnoff was joking but people make assumptions like this about faith in Christ. When life is good, they step it up, take the bull by the horns so to speak, and do life on their own. They are in the driver’s seat.
It’s during a crisis: when a 9/11 happens, when a tsunami hits, when life seems out of control, that people run to God. They want a quick fix for the mess around them. They go to church looking to shop for the right ingredients: peace, hope, assurance. They want to be Powdered Christians: just add water and, poof, they’re disciples of Jesus.
            Indeed, there are people who have instant conversion experiences. Maybe some of you here this morning have experienced one. However, that’s just the beginning. Our desire may be to change our ways, to have our lives reflect the Light of Christ, to live a life that embraces the love of God and love for others. And that’s wonderful.
But true life-changing discipleship takes time. We need to face trials, suffering, and temptations in order to know what it means to need a Savior. In good times and in bad, we need to embrace God’s peace, God’s truth, and God’s grace. Our sanctification – that is, our setting apart for God’s use – is a process that redirects our habits, realigns our attitude, and reconstructs our character. It takes time to learn to live like Christ.
A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. "If Jesus was sitting here, He would say ’Let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait.’ Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, "Okay Ryan, you be Jesus!"
It’s not easy to be Jesus. It’s not easy to be his follower. When Jesus said to his disciples: "It is necessary that the Son of Man proceed to an ordeal of suffering, be tried and found guilty by the elders, high priests, and religion scholars, be killed, and after three days rise up alive" (31) they didn’t want to hear it. Peter, the spokesperson for the group, took Jesus aside and rebuked him.
Peter objected to Jesus’ words because Peter had a worldly view of the kingdom of God. He did not understand Jesus’ divine knowledge of a heavenly kingdom. To think that Jesus would suffer; that he would be put on trial and found guilty; that he would be killed and rise again was more than Peter could grasp. So he lashed out at Jesus, grabbing him in protest.
“Turning and seeing his disciples wavering, wondering what to believe, Jesus confronted Peter. ‘Peter, get out of my way! Satan, get lost! You have no idea how God works.’ Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, ‘Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for? If any of you are embarrassed over me and the way I'm leading you when you get around your fickle and unfocused friends, know that you'll be an even greater embarrassment to the Son of Man when he arrives in all the splendor of God, his Father, with an army of the holy angels.’” (34-38)
He was a genius. He revolutionized music. His music spoke to people’s deepest feelings. He was on top of the music world.
He was also a conflicted person. His journals showed a man who was lacking something. He made millions of dollars, but his inner life revealed someone who was lost. He talked of suicide in his journal. He had a wife, and by all accounts it was a happy marriage. He had a daughter, and was determined to be a better father than he had.
His work marked a turning point in the style of pop music. He wasn’t the prototypical rock star. He owned one pair of shoes. When they were stolen at a concert, he showed up the next day in socks. He drove a Volvo because it was the safest car, but he drove it to the houses of heroin dealers.
            Yet this man, Kurt Cobain, who had “gained the world,” couldn’t take it anymore, and on April 5, 1994, he forfeited his life with a shotgun. All he had was unfulfilling. His music had trapped him in the public eye, which is not where he wanted to be. His drug addiction held him down. His money bought him no happiness. He lacked the peace that Jesus offers. An excerpt from his journal reads, "I don’t care if it’s an out-of-the-in-crowd, I just need a crowd, a gang, a reason to smile. I want to be accepted. I have to be accepted. I’ll wear any kind of clothes you want! I’m so tired of crying and dreaming. I’m soo soo alone. Isn’t there anyone out there? Please help me. HELP ME!"
            This is what Jesus was talking about. Kurt Cobain had gained the whole world, but he forfeited his life. Of course, we all have things we want. We all have goals. But Christ is clear. When we choose to follow Him, we must deny ourselves. This means we can’t always do what we want to do; what our natural tendency is. This means that we will face tough, life-changing decisions that need to be made in the shadow of the cross, and not the desires of the human wants.
Jesus says, “Anyone (that’s you and me) who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self.” (34, 35)
Following and serving Jesus does not deprive us of joy and happiness; the truth is that we will experience fulfillment and joy and happiness through our dedication to Jesus Christ. Denial of self places us in the hands of God at all times, no matter where God’s hands might lead.
Let me share with you something that will place each of us in the Hands of God. This is endorsed and embraced by your Session. The elders are excited about. It is something that will be life changing in this congregation and this church.
Jesus is not saying we need to abandon our lives – our family, our friends, our outside interests, our careers. What Jesus is saying is that to follow Him, really follow Him, we need to sacrifice - to differentiate between what we want to do and what we need to do. Jesus needs to be first – for when He is, there will be time to serve Him AND serve others. AND there will be time for the other things we want to do.
Here is where the change at Calvary occurs. I know that there is a holy pride for Calvary church – we love what it stands for; we love what it does. But there’s a glitch in our following Jesus – in our call to be the church of Christ.
Some have served faithfully for years and are tired. Some have served in the past and have a sense of “been there, done that.” Some feel so stretched in family obligations or job demands or outside interests that, when approached to help out on a church function, they waiver. They want to but they know that taking on one more meeting may  put  them over the edge of over-commitment and so they decline. Some just think that they have nothing to offer or they don’t know how to get involved or they aren’t sure where they fit in. All this leads to a spirit of apathy. Over and over the same message is heard at Calvary: “Yes, let’s do it. Sounds great! It will be a meaningful ministry. But please, don’t ask me to help!”
To counter this, Calvary Church is beginning a new phase. We are no longer going to have committees of 3 or 4 people doing the work of the church. The Elders are now Team Leaders and you, the people of the church, are the ministers. Each team (Building and Grounds, Church Life, Christian Education, Mission, Music and Worship, Stewardship and Finance) will rewrite their ministry descriptions. There are some ministries that the Team will need to oversee. But there are many – most – ministries that ministers (that’s YOU) can handle while serving Christ with joy and conviction. There will be no monthly committee meetings planned.
A ministry may entail planning or doing. It may be seasonal; it may be for a period of time; it may be for just one day. When you sign on to a ministry, you work on that ministry. When it’s done, your commitment is completed. If, for example, you choose to be the minister or, working with another, the ministers of the Christmas Pageant; you ask others to help; you work with the Christian Education team; you employ the children and youth; you see the ministry through to completion. As you do, Jesus promises that you WILL sense an abiding joy in serving Christ that only the Lord can give.
Over the next several months, you will be hearing more about this change. Talk to the Elders! Catch the excitement! Pray about how YOU can serve here at Calvary – not doing it all, but sharing in a piece of the ministries of Jesus Christ.
Christ is calling. He knows your name, He has blessed you with talents; He has given you gifts; He has empowered you with His Spirit. Remember, Jesus sis not asking us to be “powdered Christians” – a bit of water and poof, we’ve made it. Remember, becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ is a wonderful process that redirects our habits, realigns our attitude, and reconstructs our character.
Friends, we have a choice. We can lay down the cross we have been given to joyfully bear and passively life our lives with no challenges, facing the ebbs and flows of life in our human frailty. Like Kurt Cobain, we may gain the world but forfeit our lives.
Or we can set our minds on divine things rather than human things. We can pick up our cross and walk in the light of Jesus. As we each carry our cross (in other words, our ministry) we will be transformed; we will be living for something greater than ourselves. The choice is ours.
Don’t be ashamed of Jesus and his Word. Friends, I appeal to you this day …take it up. Take up your cross, come, and follow Jesus! Amen.