Then Jesus told his disciples, “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 will find it. (Matthew 16:24-25)
The words of Jesus in the verses, above, seem like hard words, a bitter pill to swallow.
He tells us that if we want to follow him we must “deny” ourselves, and “take up our cross” and “lose our lives for his sake.” If we take these words at face value it is hard to imagine anyone responding to such an invitation and eagerly following after Jesus. They don’t bring to mind images of the kind of life most of us are hoping to live. In fact, they sound more fit for a Cistercian monk than for your average man and woman.
Yet, we should not dismiss these words of Jesus because we think they demand more than we can give of ourselves. They deserve a fair hearing because in them there is a profound truth which holds the key to a new kind of life – one in which we experience authentic freedom and even joy.
So we return to the verses in which these words are found to give them a closer look. The first phrase to consider is the one in which Jesus states that we must deny ourselves. I think it is safe to say that nobody likes having to deny themselves something they want or enjoy, for any length of time. And while we might deny ourselves something for a brief period on behalf of a worthy cause or for someone we love, Continue reading
Last week, I wrote about a favorite prayer of mine from The Book of Common Prayer called, “The Prayer of Humble Access.” It is found in the service of Holy Communion, Rite I, just after the bread and wine are consecrated and just before the congregation is invited to receive Communion. However, this prayer troubles some people, so as a way of explaining its merits, I referred to the gospel story on which it is based. It is found in the gospel of Matthew, chapter fifteen, verses twenty-one through twenty-eight. (And also in the gospel of Mark.)
The “Prayer of Humble Access” is the name given to a prayer found in the Book of Common Prayer just after the bread and wine are consecrated and just before the congregation is invited to receive Communion. I find it very moving and I often recite it to myself as I prepare to receive Communion. However, some people find this prayer odd or even demeaning. It begins like this: “We do not presume to come to this thy Table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies…” 
Careful For Nothing 