Dying to Live

Whoever comes to me must follow in my steps and be willing to share my cross and experience it as his own, or he cannot be considered to be my disciple. All who seek to live apart from me will lose it all. But those who let go of their lives for my sake and surrender it all to me will discover true life! – Matthew 10:38-39

Jesus’ death and resurrection stand at the center of the Christian faith. The more I’ve pondered the mystery of death and resurrection the more I’ve come to believe that it isn’t merely something that happened to Jesus. It is also meant to be the pattern of our lives. To experience the abundant life that Jesus promised, we must die before we’re dead. Jesus said as much over and over to his disciples but like them, we struggle to embrace this reality.

This week in his insightful devotional, Father Richard Rohr outlines five “daily deaths” that lead us to the greater life that our faith promises:

1. Life is hard, and yet my yoke is easy and my burden is light(Matthew 11:28).
2. You are not important, and yet do you not know that your name is written in heaven?(Luke 10:20).
3. Your life is not about you, and yet I live now not my own life, but the life of Christ who lives in me(Galatians 2:20).
4. You are not in control, and yet can any of you, for all of your worrying, add a single moment to your span of life?(Luke 12:26).
5. You are going to die, and yet neither death nor life. . . can ever come between us and the love of God(Romans 8:38-39).

These seeming paradoxes form part of the labyrinth of daily faith. I invite you to join me this week in pondering them and living them. We are all longing for abundant life these days. Holy Week shows us the way.

Pastor Jeff Marian serves as lead pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Burnsville, MN

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