We hear the words from Jesus: “Take up your cross and follow me.”
These words scare us.
We know what taking up a cross meant for him.
We do not feel able to sacrifice our lives.
We are not even ready on most days to sacrifice smaller things for the sake of the Kingdom.
Today O God we confess our timidity, our weaknesses, our fears, and our hesitations.
As we gather today—as we look at the cross in front of us,
as we remember the crosses that marked our foreheads
on Ash Wednesday, such a short time ago, to begin the Lenten journey,
as we think of the Cross that Lent calls us to journey towards
may we find strength in new places deep within our souls.
May we find courage, hope, and the peace to really follow Jesus.
May worship today help us to begin the Lenten journey
towards finding our crosses and figuring out how to bear them.
Hear our prayers,
remind us of the grace that covers our sin
and offers us the endurance
to the run the race of faith.
Amen and Amen.
Submitted by Rev. Shannan Vance-Ocampo, Watchung Avenue Presbyterian Church, North Plainfield NJ.
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