The Means & The Price
Text: John 19:1-42 In the name of Jesus. Amen. In America, we tend to live our lives, work our jobs, and even approach spirituality in the least costly way possible. Truth be told, the ideology of the world has a way of pressing in on all of us so that we have become accustomed to comfort. That is to say, in America, we are used to ease. And so, when hardship, suffering, or sacrifice confronts us, we naturally shrink back from it. Indeed, we want things without a price. We want comfort without sacrifice, blessing without burden, and spirituality without religion. We are comfortable when things remain vague and abstract. Now, why mention this? I mention this because when it comes to Christianity, we have become comfortable speaking about God in easy, noncommittal, vague, and general terms. We like empty phrases such as, “God loves you.” We like prayers without substance: “I am sending you positive thoughts in my prayers.” Indeed, we like abstract and vague Christ...
