JOURNEY TO THE CROSS!

In one week the Season of Lent will begin with Ash Wednesday. During this season, we will be thinking together on the theme "Journey to the Cross." You will be given more information on this theme and the Sermon topics which will accompany it shortly.

As we begin this journey, I am reminded of a story which I read concerning the great explorer Sir Francis Drake. Drake was attempting to recruit some young men to go with him on an upcoming exploration. He gathered a group and began to tell them about the journey. He reminded the young men that all who would come with him would experience some of the most marvelous things their eyes would ever behold. He told them of sandy white beaches, foreign peoples, juicy fruits, priceless treasures, and beautiful scenery. When he finished speaking, not one of the young men agreed to go with him.

On another day, he gathered a different group of young men to explain to them the journey which he was about to make. He told them that if they would come with him, they would encounter storms which would terrify them and bring tears to their eyes. He told them of strong winds which would blow them off their course. He said they would often be thirsty and hungry and that danger would be their constant companion. He concluded his remarks by saying that if they could handle these things, the joys of exploration would surpass their wildest dreams. After Drake finished speaking, every single man in the group signed on to board the boat, eager to make the journey.

What was the difference in these two groups of young men? Was the second group more adventurous than the first? The answer is "no." It was not the men who had changed as much as it was the message.  The first message spoke of rewards, the second of challenges. The first offered comfort, the second offered suffering. The first message tempted the young men with things, the second offered them an experience unlike any other they had known.

If our current world situation teaches us anything, surely it teaches us that things, comfort, rewards, are short-lived. They are not permanent, and certainly not eternal. I believe that Sir Francis Drake had discovered what Jesus knew long before him. Jesus called twelve disciples. The gospel tells us that they "left everything to follow him." (Luke 5:11) What was it that made them so eager to make the journey with Jesus? It was, as Jesus knew,  those things which really appeal to us are the pathways that promise to shape us, the ways that build our character, the things which make us look at the world around us in a different way. If we are presented with a challenge, we change.

Have we been expecting too little of ourselves and each other? During this Lenten Season, I challenge you to join Jesus Christ and others as we Journey to the Cross. It will not be an easy journey. It will call for the best that is within us. It will be an experience unlike any other we have known. As Christians, we know that beyond the cross and crucifixion we find the empty tomb and the resurrection. When we experience the journey and the outcome, our lives will be changed forever!

                                                                                                    Dick Reese