Grace United Methodist Church - Franklin, IN
  • About Us
    • Staff
    • What to Expect
    • What We Believe
    • Calendar
    • Upcoming Events
    • Institutional Partners
  • Classes & Small Groups
    • Adult >
      • Classes and Spiritual Formation Opportunities
      • Small Group Locations & Times
    • Youth
    • Children
  • Missions
    • Service Opportunities
    • Ministry Partners
  • Give
    • Giving
    • Ways of Giving
    • What is tithing?
  • Preschool
    • Home
    • Classes
    • Calendar
    • Amazon Smile
  • Resources
    • Sermons
    • Blog
    • The Kids These Days podcast
  • About Us
    • Staff
    • What to Expect
    • What We Believe
    • Calendar
    • Upcoming Events
    • Institutional Partners
  • Classes & Small Groups
    • Adult >
      • Classes and Spiritual Formation Opportunities
      • Small Group Locations & Times
    • Youth
    • Children
  • Missions
    • Service Opportunities
    • Ministry Partners
  • Give
    • Giving
    • Ways of Giving
    • What is tithing?
  • Preschool
    • Home
    • Classes
    • Calendar
    • Amazon Smile
  • Resources
    • Sermons
    • Blog
    • The Kids These Days podcast

Lent in Plain Sight: Cross - Mark 8:31-38

3/15/2022

0 Comments

 
It is difficult to prove, but following Jesus’ announcement to his disciples that he will suffer and die on the cross, the crowds that were following him seem to have gotten smaller as the gap between who Jesus is and who people expected him to be got bigger. After all, the cross in Jesus’ day was a sign of torture and shame, humiliation and defeat. It was not a sign of success!

In his book Not a Fan, Kyle Idleman makes a similar point when he says that most Christians today are quite content with being a fan of Jesus rather than a follower of Jesus: better to admire Jesus from the sidelines than make the decision to follow him and pick up a cross. Idleman wants us to understand that whenever we make the cross into a ladder for our own self-promotion or admiration, even to get into heaven, we have missed the point of the gospel.  

This is close to what the apostle Paul means when he says that we “preach Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor 2:2) – a notion completely out of sink with pagan culture. It is Paul’s way of saying that we do not preach a gospel of easy answers: rather, we preach a gospel that keeps coming back to the cross, or to the distance Jesus keeps, so that God can keep the throne of grace free, untamed, and uncontrollable. It also keeps the gospel interesting. In fact, as a pastor, I can’t think of anything more dishonest than preaching such a gospel of “cheap love.” By minding what is in plain sight, we realize that a gap exists between God and us, and it is a gap we call the cross.

How might we recognize this gap in ourselves during this Lenten Journey? How might we come to confess Christ and our relationship to him when we come into his presence? How may we recognize how this gap makes us aware of how amazing grace is?

​Pastor Andy Kinsey
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018

    RSS Feed

Grace United Methodist Church
1300 E Adams Dr,
Franklin, IN 46131

Phone: 317-736-7962
grace@franklingrace.org

Weekend  Worship Services
Saturday: 5:30pm 
Sunday: 9:00am & 11:00am

Picture