Take Up Your Cross
Comments on Galatians with an ear to Luther’s commentary
Scripture Text: Galatians 3:4 and Mark 8:34-38
Series: Comments on Galatians
It was quite a sight for a university campus. 40 years ago, I walked around a building onto the quadrangle and saw a man dragging a huge, wooden cross. He had it balanced over his shoulder, hanging on to it with one arm and hand while he held a Bible in his other hand. He would struggle under the weight of the cross a few steps and then preach awhile. Nobody seemed to pay him any mind; I was the only person who stopped to listen. Yet he carried his cross week after week at different locations. I wonder sometimes what happened to him. Does he still proclaim Christ or did the load become too heavy over time? Did he become frustrated because no one listened and no converts resulted from his labors?
It would be no surprise; I have seen many people work hard for the Lord and then quit because their labors did not seem to pay off. That is precisely the issue. It is not our labors that will ever pay. What we do in service for God will never purchase a blessed thing. Christ is the one who hung on the cross that he calls us to carry.
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Author
Rev. Dr. Mark E. Ryman has served as Pastor for St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Salisbury, NC, since 2021. Previously, Pastor Ryman served congregations in North Carolina and Ohio, as well as a call to specialized ministry with Sola Publishing.
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