Welcome to the Cross, American Christian

If you welcome every person from the heart, seek to love as Christ loves, to forgive all, you will end up on the cross with Jesus.

If you embrace everyone—and I mean truly enter into genuine friendship (real world connection) as much as possible with all persons—then those who define themselves by their own sense of righteous difference from others will nail you to a tree. And some of them will be Christians. Count on it.

When, perhaps conversely, you suggest that there are paths that lead to life, that lead to communion with God, and paths that lead to death—paths that lead to separation from the God of Life—then those who insist that power is the way to get ahead in this world, who are blind to any evil that contrasts with the good; then those who define themselves by autonomy, relativism, and materialism—will crucify you. Some of them will be your neighbors, friends, and family. Count on it.

Welcome to the cross, American Christian. The “left” will crucify you and the “right” will crucify you but—and this is the salient point—your place is with Christ on the cross.

At the cross, there are no rights or privileges. At the cross, there is nothing but humiliation. At the cross, there is nothing but service. At the cross, you love to the end—to your end.

There is nothing new about this reality. So, on the eve of Good Friday, take up your cross and go. Love to the end.

I promise that when you do that—when you truly love and forgive all from the heart as Christ does, when you seek the humility of the Son of God first and not your liberty—the kingdom you long for will come and you will be surprised by the vast multitude without number that are drawn to Christ as he is lifted up in you. All you have to do is die.