Mark 15:21 NLT

'A passerby named Simon, who was from Cyrene, was coming in from the countryside just then, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. (Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus.)'

And now the walk to Golgotha begins in earnest. Weakened and brutally punished already, Jesus has to find the strength to carry his cross to his own execution. Here we see the reality of Jesus’ humanity fully expressed again. He experiences the burden and weight of the reality we face working out life every day. Life is not an easy ride, yet we can encounter Christ in every moment.

Honestly, I sometimes struggle here. Much of life can become drudgery. Task follows task and I merely complete each one out of habit, with little conviction or awareness of God’s presence. I sense it is the greatest gift that Christianity offers each one of us, a substantive purpose in each moment of life because of the reality of an eternal, people-focused God. In saying this I am not intentionally minimising the pain and displacement of millions, for whom life is indescribable. However, I am suggesting that Christ is present in the darkest experiences and historical processes. It is we who have to choose to discern Christ in such places.

It is also clear I am not expected to endure alone. Here a total stranger is forced by military might into helping Jesus. He has little choice but to obey. Yet, I too can help, but will do so only as I yield to the compulsion of the Holy Spirit. It is often inconvenient, perhaps unpleasant, yet I am the one who is chosen to share another’s load. It’s the reason why Church is at the heart of God’s purpose, for none of us can navigate the Christian life alone. The way of life expressed by the Church is the clearest proclamation of the gospel that exists, as Jesus testifies (John 13:35). As we look at the landscape of Church, this presents us with a mighty challenge in considering the way we behave as witnesses to Jesus’ testimony.

QUESTION: How does your church present the gospel by the way that it lives?

PRAYER: Lord, may your Church by its words and works present the good news of Christ to the world.