The cross takes center stage in the Gospel lesson when Jesus speaks of it for the first time in his public ministry. The reference caught the disciples off-guard, signaling a significant new phase in his ministry and revealing the nature of following him. Jesus' words now focused on the question of his identity, the rejection of his teachings by religious establishment, and his suffering and death.

Peter objected to the teaching that Jesus would suffer, die, and be resurrected. His argument brought a quick rebuke. Remember, the disciples had left their fishing boats and work, and were separated from their families in order to serve with Jesus. There was an ultimacy about their work which made them expect his ministry and their service to grow and continue. The teaching on suffering and death threatened the future they had envisioned. Therein rests the problem: in turning back Peter's objections, Jesus said, "You are thinking in human terms, not in the way that God thinks." Here, Jesus forged a clear, new link between God's purposes and the work of the disciples.

In two remarkably difficult teachings that he directed to both his disciples and to future believers, Jesus said, first, "Any who wish to come with me, let them deny themselves…." That was a tough teaching in Jesus' time and perhaps even tougher to preach and sell today.

For many, Jesus' call to self-denial seems more appropriate to monks and cloisters than to our every day worlds. His words are discounted as too simplistic for the complex worlds of business, politics, and family. There is, however, an alternate way of experiencing Jesus' teaching, beyond the monastery. To deny one's self in order to follow Christ is to actively seek to know the will of God for your life, and to then attune your mind and purpose to the mind and purpose of God. To deny one's self-interests is to say ‘yes' to (1) the call of God to a certain lifestyle, (2) to biblical moral and spiritual values, and (3) therein to find freedom by allowing Christ to live in us.

The second difficult teaching on the pre-conditions for going with Jesus is, "Take up your cross and follow me." The path of discipleship is not necessarily an easy one; it does not always offer peace and certainty. If you follow Jesus, people may see you as a renegade, a strange non-conformist, or a starry-eyed idealist whose feet perpetually float six inches above the real world, and, also, something of you might have to die for what you believe. Regardless of all that, you will also be fully alive to your highest calling and values.

Today, as then, the challenge of discipleship and the reward of taking up your cross is knowing Jesus' presence in a full way, the enlivening of the soul, the quickening of conscience, the empowering of empathy and compassion, and the willingness to simply be a good person. What strikes me about this teaching is the inspiring quality of Jesus' leadership: when he calls us to take up our crosses, he is not asking us to do anything that he has not already done.

So, how hard is it for you to seriously consider Christ's call to "deny yourself and take up your cross"? Picture yourself in the presence of Jesus and hear him ask you, in easy, measured tones — not in a commanding voice -- to deny yourself:

• What comes to your mind, specifically?
• What would you deny in order to have the mind of Christ and to attain to the purposes of God?

Now, picture yourself in Jesus' presence as he asks you, in a kind and even tone -- again, not a commanding voice -- to take up your cross and follow him:

• What is the specific cross you feel that you must take up at this time in your life?
• What are you willing to die for, for which it is worth living fully?

The cross is an appropriate symbol for Christians who believe that faithful sacrifice is fundamentally important. The cross, correctly understood, empowers Christians to be still in a chaotic world in order to find and perpetuate the calm center. The calm center of the cross empowers Christians to confront evil and suffering by peacefully working to transform those conditions. The cross inspires all Christians to move through life in hope and toward the future that God intends for humankind.

The central, uncompromising point of Jesus' cross is not suffering but freedom, not death but new life, not defeat but hope. When you respond to Jesus' call to deny yourself, pick up your cross, and follow him, the central, uncompromising truth is not that you will necessarily suffer and die but rather that you are an agent of God's new life and being.

As Christians we dare to shoulder our crosses and follow Christ because we already know that the tomb is empty, death is defeated and deprived of the final word in human life. Although it is Lent we can confidently proclaim the Easter affirmation, "Christ is risen! Risen indeed," and know that the proclamation stands for us as well!