2nd Sunday of Lent (February 25). For Jesus’ sake

​Prepare to Listen.  Those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.
 
Prayerfully Read Mark 8:31-38
31Then 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.  32He said all this quite openly.  And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.  33But 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.’  34He 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.  35For 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.  36For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?  37Indeed, what can they give in return for their life?  38Those 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.’
 
Prayerfully Wonder and Reflect
What, if anything, shocked or surprised you about Jesus’ demand?
 
Having explained that he’ll suffer and die, Jesus issued his shocking call: “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”  It’s a disturbing call, given to the crowd--if any.  If we want to be Christians, followers of Jesus we must accept the call.
 
Denying yourself is more than giving up something, big or small, during Lent.  Take up your cross, is a call to “Come and die.”  Jesus knew his disciples would be persecuted and forced to choose between loyalty to Jesus and perhaps death, or saving their own skin.  They could deny Jesus and save themselves or remain loyal to Jesus and possibly die.  And that’s the way to save yourself, said Jesus.
 
We practice Jesus’ demands of self-denial and cross-bearing when we choose the power of love and reject the love of power; when we live as agents of God’s love in the world standing with one arm reaching out to God and the other arm reaching out to the world, bringing God and the world together in our lives.  We practice self-denial and cross-bearing when we choose peace over violence, love over hate, truth over lies, distortions, and conspiracy theories.  We live Jesus’ sacrificial way when we build bridges rather than walls, welcome the alien, the outcast, the poor and disenfranchised.
 
Think of times when you are challenged to deny yourself, take up your cross.  Do it for Jesus’ sake.
 
Prayerfully Respond
Lord Jesus, forgive me when I’ve ignored your demands or presumed they didn’t apply to me.  Your way is shocking and demanding, but it’s the only way.  Help me live today your way for your sake.  Amen.
 
Live obediently.  Follow Jesus his way.