March 6: Donate Your Power
♫ Music:
Day 6 - Monday, March 6
The Sacrifice of Renunciation
Scripture: Mark 8:34-38
And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
Poetry:
"Am I a Soldier of the Cross"
by Isaac Watts
Am I a soldier of the cross,
A follower of the Lamb?
And shall I fear to own His cause
Or blush to speak His Name?
Must I be carried to the skies
On flowery beds of ease
While others fought to win the prize
And sailed through bloody seas?
Are there no foes for me to face?
Must I not stem the flood?
Is this vile world a friend to grace
To help me on to God?
Since I might fight if I would reign,
Increase my courage, Lord;
I’ll bear the toil, endure the pain,
Supported by Thy Word.
DONATE YOUR POWER
It’s probably fair to say that it’s easier to quote Christ’s words about cross-bearing than to live those words out in our daily lives. And while it is not likely (though not impossible, depending where you are in the world) that anybody reading this will be forced to bear an actual cross today, Christ’s imperative to do so confronts Western culture in provocative ways. The message of Roman crucifixion was to remind the conquered that Rome had all the power, and all competing claims to power would be silenced under Roman might. So considering Jesus’ startling command in this setting, why would anybody have voluntarily taken up a cross?
On one hand, Christ’s command to do so is helpful to us because it is deeply true. We know that our lives are not easy, and so Christ’s command to bear a cross gives words to our experience. But there is more. Followers of Christ are instructed to voluntarily lay down power, privilege and the right to have their voices heard in order to donate these to people who are living without these privileges. Our fear, however, tells us that power is scarce and that we should hold onto it at all costs. But notice; there is power in voluntarily laying down our rights. We see it everyday. A student gives up valuable time with friends in order to take on the routines that will lead eventually to a diploma. A parent gives up a significant measure of freedom in order to raise a child, only to receive something much more deeply meaningful than that freedom. A person sacrifices salary to pursue a calling and then receives a life that is richer than they ever could have imagined. Laying down liberty, title, position, privilege and the right to be heard in order to take up a cross is not an expression of weakness, but an expression of power.
What if Christ’s followers were known not for demanding their rights, but as people ready to donate them? What if Christian communities were known for this kind of self-sacrificial love? To all who give up their power, they can be reassured that they will be filled by others who are equally committed to being pouring out. In this way, our needs are met not by grasping for power, but by laying it down.
Today, I would encourage all of us to pause. Assuming that we are relatively safe, well fed and adequately sheltered, where are we grasping and demanding to be heard? Where are we afraid that our rights are being trampled? Might this be an opportunity to lay down our rights in order to take up a cross and follow Christ? Use this moment not to grasp, but to relax. Breathe. Take an extra moment to lean in. Lead with humility. Cultivate a teachable heart. Work to assume the best about someone you disagree with, even if you're sure they won't do the same for you. Assume there are parts of their story that you still don't understand. Ask them to tell you more. Really listen to them. Wait for them to conclude before you figure out what to say in response. Pray as you listen. Don't dismiss them. Rather, give up your right to be heard and donate that right to someone who is not yet ready to give up theirs. Doing this today can be the beginning of what it means to take up our cross and to follow Christ.
PRAYER:
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.
Amen.
(Francis of Assisi, 1181-1226)
Chad Miller
Director of Student-Led Ministries and Formation
About the Artwork #1:
The Believers Project
Jordi Pizarro
Silver Gelatin Photograph
About the Artist #1:
Jordi Pizarro (b. 1985) is a New Delhi-based documentary photographer, who was born in Barcelona, Spain. His photography focuses on social and environmental concerns that affect communities not covered by traditional media stories. Believers is an ongoing project documenting the traditions and rituals of religious communities in ten different countries over four continents, exploring what he calls “the mental state of faith.” Pizarro’s work has appeared in international magazines including National Geographic, The New York Times, Time, Forbes, and Foreign Policy, as well as other publications.
http://www.jordipizarro.com/news
About the Artwork #2:
Crossroads Installation (2016)
Anna & Bernhard Blume
Multi-panel photographic installation
St. Mary’s at Alexanderplatz, Berlin Germany
About the Artists #2:
Anna (b. 1937) & Bernhard Blume (1937-2011) are/were German husband & wife art photographers who have created sequences of large black-and-white photos of staged scenes in which they appeared themselves, with objects that take on a "life of their own.” Many of the Blumes’ sequences included cross-shaped forms. Their works have been shown internationally in exhibitions and museums, including MoMA in New York City. Their Crossroads Installation (2016), was placed in the Protestant church of St. Mary which was founded during the first medieval urban expansion of Berlin in 1250 as a parish church for the new town. It is one of the few remaining buildings from Berlin’s early history and the only one that is still being used as a church. The contrast between the contemporary installation placed in a medieval context is striking.
About the Music:
“Take Up Your Cross”
Lyrics:
[Chorus:]
Take up your cross, follow Jesus
Take up your cross every day
Don't be ashamed to say that you know Him
Count the cost, take up your cross, follow Him
[Verse 1:]
What are you doing for the King
Have you really given everything
To the One who gave His all for you
You’ll be satisfied just to know
That the Lord has saved your soul
Have you forgotten what you need to do
[Chorus]
Don’t be ashamed (don’t be ashamed) to say that you know Him
Count the cost, take up your cross,
Count the cost, take up your cross
Count the cost, take up your cross
And follow Him
[Verse 2:]
Don't be ashamed to say that you know Him
Count the cost, take up your cross and follow Him
I know sometimes the road is long
And I know sometimes you feel like you can't go on
But you can make it, you just
[Chorus]
[Coda;]
Don't be ashamed to say that you know Him
Count the cost, take up your cross
Follow Him
About the Performers:
Over thirty years ago, Ray Barnett was on a humanitarian trip to war-torn Uganda when he gave a small boy a ride from his decimated home to the safety of another village. During the journey, the child did what he knew how to do best – he sang. That simple song of dignity and hope became the catalyst for a program that has changed the lives of thousands of children and reshaped the future of the African continent. The African Children’s Choir first formed in 1984, is composed of African children, aged 7 to 10 years old. Many have lost one or both parents through the devastation of war, famine and disease. The Choir’s astounding successes in the West meant that Barnett and his organization, Music for Life, was able to provide for many children beyond those in the Choir. Children’s homes were established to care for those who had been orphaned during the war. Additionally, a number of special Literacy Schools have been established in Uganda where hundreds of children learned to read and write and gained confidence and skills. The African Children’s Choir continues to tour every year, raising funds to support Music for Life as it faces the challenges that the continent brings, including the devastation wrought by the AIDS pandemic and the suffering of 12 million orphans.
http://africanchildrenschoir.com
About the Poet:
Isaac Watts (1674-1748) an English poet known as “The Father of Hymns,” wrote over 750 hymns of praise to God. Many of these remain in use today and have been translated into numerous languages. Watts based most of his hymns on particular psalms since in the Church of England only Psalmody was allowed in worship during his lifetime.
About the Devotional Author:
Chad Miller has worked at Biola since 2012. Before that he worked as a pastor in the local church beginning in 2000. Chad has been married to Beth for 15 years and they have three beautiful children, two dogs and a thriving ant farm.