Kevin Caruso At Trinity in Wheaton Proper 19B (9/13/2015)

Jesus-is.org is a simple website. At the top in big letters it says, Jesus is BLANK. Then underneath it is a series of 12 boxes in a grid. Each box containing a word or phrase that completes the sentence, Jesus is…. Every few seconds, The screen flashes as a new box replaces an old one… But, what makes this sight particularly interesting, is that it is not just a static list… it is interactive! People actually put their own answers in. The top left box says “Create Your Own” And clicking it allows you to do just that… In just a few minutes, These answers flashed across the screen… Jesus is… Working in Me Always there Getting boring The Bottom line… Not Here… Making me a better Mom Just a human being The ultimate revolutionary A concept… A false prophet Never far Love Not Fake Nothing like Christians Not afraid of Church Norris Bliss An Arab The reason for the season The sweetest melody…

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Kevin Caruso At Trinity in Wheaton Proper 19B (9/13/2015)

It would seem the past 2000 years Has done little to resolve The first question Jesus posed to the disciples in today’s Gospel… “Who do people say that I am” While people today don’t believe Jesus is Elijah, or John the Baptist, Countless images of Jesus pervade our lives. Movies and musicals, Blogs and Books Painters and Poets, Provide glimpses of the myriad ways we Have tried to make sense of who Jesus is Through the ages. If Jesus were to ask us, “Who do people say that I am” It would be hard to even know how to begin answering… And yet, in the end, this question about what “people” say is really just the precursor to the question that truly matters! As Jesus turns to the disciples and asks Who do YOU say that I am? What a question… a question whose power reverberates in hearts and minds 2000 years later… What really matters is not what other people say… Not what other people think… But, what do you think? What do you feel? WHAT do you believe? What does your HEART tell you? WHO DO YOU SAY I AM?In a sense, It is as if Jesus is saying to each of us, the only answer that matters is the one YOU submit to the Jesus-is.org website. All the rest is just static noise…

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Kevin Caruso At Trinity in Wheaton Proper 19B (9/13/2015)

And Peter, on behalf of all the disciples, And all the Christians to come, Answers, “You are the Messiah” You are the one sent to save us. the one meant to redeem us… For Christian’s, what it means to follow Jesus, is to recognize he is more than an important prophet, more than an important historical figure. More than a great teacher with important ideas. To proclaim Jesus as Messiah is to proclaim that our relationship with him is more substantive than just knowing things about him. Our faith is in a God who choose to come into the world. A God who choose relationship with humanity. A God who chooses relationship with each of us. A God who knows us each by name. And, in the Gospel of Mark, It is exactly at this moment, when Peter proclaims Jesus is the Messiah for the first time that Jesus’s ministry transitions from a series of miracles and healings to the walk to the cross. As soon as they declared who he was, he taught them What that would mean… “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.” To be the Messiah was to face suffering and death. We can make no mistake, There is a cost to being in relationship with Jesus. Seeing that Jesus is the Messiah Brings with it a price. "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”

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Kevin Caruso At Trinity in Wheaton Proper 19B (9/13/2015)

But to deny ourselves of what? And what Cross is it that we are supposed to bear? One theologian explains that perhaps the best way to make sense of this passage is to take it literally…1 When Jesus tells his followers to deny themselves Jesus is asking us to say “no” to ourselves, To say no to the parts of us that act in petty self-serving ways To say no to those choices which demean others To say no to making easy choices out of convenience In a sense, Denying ourselves is about recognizing who we really are, About giving ourselves over to God first… About placing others before ourselves… A friend of mine once told me a story about her mom. She grew up on the West side of Chicago, And she was raised with her 3 siblings by a single mother. And as she put it, her mom was one of those ladies who could always find a way to help those around her. Rent was due, and you were out of work and against the wall, she would write the check… without a second thought she would write the check. And yet it wasn’t like she had a lot of money… As my friend put it, Her mom would look at them like they were crazy if they even asked for new shoes… And yet somehow, there was always enough to share with those in real need. But we must always remember, Being asked to deny oneself is not the same as seeking suffering or glorifying in it. But to recognize that suffering is unavoidable…. Planes crash into building, Refugees leave war torn countries, the parents of children who have been killed by gun violence in the US, those who are underemployed, those who are homeless, those diagnosed with a terminal illness, and the list goes on and on… 1

https://www.workingpreacher.org/craft.aspx?post=1626

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Kevin Caruso At Trinity in Wheaton Proper 19B (9/13/2015)

Denying ourselves, as Jesus calls us to do, amounts to knowing we are called to say “no” to simply putting our own needs first. And taking up our cross Begins with really paying attention to the needs of those around us. (Describe icon with Jesus carrying cross, notice others carrying their own crosses, notice how they are also supporting each other, notice people at back yet to have a cross to bear.…)

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Kevin Caruso At Trinity in Wheaton Proper 19B (9/13/2015)

To bear Christ’s cross is to choose a particular kind of relationship with the world. It is to comfort those in need, Even as we challenge those who abuse their power. To bear Christ’s cross Is to see our responsibility for each other. To recognize that in the end, Bearing the cross is not really something we do on our own. To bear Christ’s cross is then in the midst of suffering, to be a voice of hope… and in the midst of death, one who proclaims the new life Christ promises the world… In the end, we are each called to bear Christ’s cross in our own ways each of us are called to lead lives which not only proclaim Christ’s love, but embody it... To claim Jesus as Messiah, as Savior, must be a truth proclaimed not only on our lips, but in our lives… As soon as we find ourselves answering Jesus’s question “Who do you say that I am?” With “the Messiah” We find ourselves unavoidably confronted with the fact that Christianity is a way of life with a cost. To proclaim- Jesus is Messiah, is to see that the path ahead takes us to join him on the cross… To that place where we set aside a life lived for me In favor of a life lived for we… But the Good News is that such a life, Such a life is what it is God dreams for us. Such a life is a life lived to its fullness. Such a life reflects the abundance of God’s love for us… A love so powerful that Jesus suffered and went to the cross for us…

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Kevin Caruso At Trinity in Wheaton Proper 19B (9/13/2015)

Sometime ago, I saw a picture of a crucifix with a caption that stuck with me. It was a photo that zoomed in on Jesus’ arms And in bold letters underneath was written Jesus loves you this much… And may we love one another And all those we share this world with just a fraction as much. And if we do that… If we do that… We will truly be a part of making God’s kingdom come.

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