The day of Chris' Funeral

Today is the 20year anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster.

I woke up not knowing that, and the scripture from Psalm 118 "this is the day that the Lord has made" came to my mind.

did you know that in that psalm, there is a specific day that is referred to?

"the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone...it is marvelous to our eyes...this is the day..."

the crucifiction.

The apostle Paul said that he only would glory in the cross.

...that he resolved to know nothing but the cross...

when i counsel a christian who forgets often who they are and how they are loved, I teach then to repeat, "the cross, the cross, the cross..." to remind themselves of the nature of God's love for them.

the only two undisputed winners of "sacrament status" in the church--Baptism and Communion-- both commemorate death-to-life. Communion is a repetitive proclamation of the death of our Lord.

Philippians speaks of the fellowship of His sufferings, and being conformed to him in His death.

Jesus tells us to take up the cross DAILY.

the cross
the cross
the cross

i wear a cross, handcarved by kenyan kids i look forward to meeting.

the cross-- a torture-killing
the cross-- a shameful death
the cross-- our divorce papers from this earth...

the cross
the cross
the cross

which jesus do we follow?
which jesus do we serve?
very few of the jesuses out there command that we suffer the cross.

yes, tonight we will commemorate the passing of
chris challis from this world-- nobody can find anyone of his family...
...i ask their forgiveness of that failure. I couldn't imagine finding out that someone I love died and missing it...

This is the day that the Lord has made. Those words were first penned about Golgotha and the three crosses... the day of death... el dia de la muerte...

now they refer to any day that we take up the cross to follow Jesus in his suffering.