Aspirational (MPLS)

Genesis 17:1–7, 15–16

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.” Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”

Mark 8:31–38

Then Jesus 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. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 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.” 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. 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. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? 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.”

‘Text Message’ Reflection:
From Pastor Kris Tostengard Michel

Reverence and incredulity are two themes shared by this pair of stories. In the first reading, God appears to Abraham and makes a covenant with him. Abraham then “falls on his face” and worships God. When God elaborates on the promise and says that Abraham and Sarah will be the ancestors of a multitude of nations, Abraham falls on his face again, but this time he falls on his face and laughs, disbelieving what he’s just heard (17:17). “Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” When Sarah hears the promise a short time later (18:12), she laughs in disbelief, too. She’ll laugh for joy when the child is born (21:5).

Turn to the Gospel reading, and begin a few verses early (8:27–30). Jesus asks the disciples who they say he is, and Peter confesses, “You are the Messiah.” But no sooner has Peter paid him homage, than Jesus begins to teach them that he will undergo suffering, death and resurrection. In disbelief, Peter pulls Jesus aside and begins to rebuke him. Jesus will repeat the teaching again and again. The second time, the disciples will be confused but afraid to ask. The third time, it will go completely over their heads, and they’ll jockey for position in the kind of kingdom they imagine the reign of God to be.

When Jesus calls to the crowd—and to us—and says, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me,” we might respond with reverence and incredulity, too. “Yes, Lord, I do want to follow you…But that sounds really hard. Losing my life to find it?”

Taking up one’s cross doesn’t mean putting up with bad things because it’s “our cross to bear.” Rather it’s responding to suffering in the world; losing one’s life in order to find it by caring for the least, feeding the hungry, and setting the captives free.

‘Text Message’ Reflection Questions:

• Martin Luther contrasted a theology of glory (the understanding that God works through powerful things, especially through power over) with a theology of the cross (the idea that God works through weakness, even shame and death). Where do you think God is at work now?
• How do you define hope? What’s the difference between hope and optimism?

Prayer:

Gracious God, sometimes our most honest prayer is, “I believe. Help my unbelief.” Help us to trust you with our lives and to love and serve you with our whole hearts. Amen.