By: Matthew Swope
Deny thyself. During this time of Lent, it is customary to give up something of which we are particularly fond—chocolate, caffeine, cable…the list goes on. Thus, we deny ourselves a small pleasure in trying to focus more on Christ and His ultimate sacrifice. In Luke 9:23, Jesus challenges us to do much more by denying ourselves and taking up our cross to follow him each and every day.
What does this really look like for us as Lutherans?
In this day and age, we are constantly bombarded with a focus on the individual. What makes YOU feel good? Trust YOUR instincts. YOU must take care of YOURSELF before YOU can help others.
The mixed messages of an egocentric society can muddle Christ’s message in our heads. It isn’t that God expects us to forget about our individual needs/goals/desires, it is that we are to trust entirely in God. Imago Dei—we are created in the image of God, and together as a community we form a prism of the many individual facets of God Himself. We each serve a beautiful and unique role therein. Surely God wants us to celebrate our glorious diversity; however, God also desires us to “lose ourselves” in Him. Only in striving to do so can we join in this journey to the cross.
Prayer
Dear God, help us to embrace your word. Give us the courage to take up the cross and follow you, knowing not only that we will stumble along the path and fall short of the destination, but also that by Your grace Christ will pick us up, dust us off, and spur us on. Amen.
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