Sunday, December 5, 2010


Experience of the Cross

And I, if and when I am lifted up from the earth [on the cross], will draw and attract all men [Gentile as well as Jew] to myself. – John 12:32 (The Amplified Bible)

The recent theme of the 2010 Multicultural Conference at Lake Junaluska was “Embracing Christ’s Multi-Ethnic Body: Breaking Down Barriers and Building Bridges.” A program of the SEJ of the United Methodist Church, the December 2-4, 2010 Conference provided an opportunity for competent lay and ordained leaders to be further enlightened (and empowered) in response to the continuously changing diversity.

As I reflected from the Thursday, Friday, and Saturday encounter (Wednesday was a day of facilitator training), the words enlightenment and empowerment are significant. I was enlightened to see that dismantling racial prejudice is a personalized process that undermines how one is able to effectively co-exist with someone from another race - I might add in a church setting. Nevertheless, how can one effectively [or should I say – loving] co-exist with someone unlike him or her unless he or she has experienced the Cross of Christ? I’m sure you remember the chorus lines from the familiar Church song At the Cross that said:

At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light and the burdens of my heart rolled away. It was there by faith, I received my sight, and now I am happy all the day!

Without a doubt, this powerful refrain should empower an individual to dismantle (break down) any and all walls of hate, prejudice, envy, malice, pride, resentment, etc that only cripples and renders ineffectiveness. Joy comes when the Cross of Christ becomes a light, a burden lifter, and a tool of spreading the Gospel. How effectively can the Cross of Christ (the Crucifix) be a tool for spreading the Gospel? How effectively can it evoke the message of sacrificial love?

With a noticeable crucifix around his neck, Stephen and I [just minutes before the Opening worship service on Thursday, December 2nd] entered into a brief conversation about the kindred spirit that exists among those truly touched by the light of Christ. About how the Christ in us is exemplified by the way we carry ourselves. As time passed on, I learned further that my white brother was the Pastor of Carter County Parish- United Methodist Churches: St. Paul-Waatauga Pt.-Hunter-Slages - Johnson City District, Holston Conference. I remember saying how much I admired the cross he was wearing and he began to explain how it came about. This is how my brother and friend, the Rev. Stephen P. Burkhart, put it in written form (as I asked him to) so that you can get the full picture of his witness. This is how he explained why “I like that Cross”:

The summer of ’96, the Holston Annual Conference was a day away and I found my 14 year old son Kevin working in the garage. When I asked him what he was doing and reminded him to put the tools back, He showed two crosses he had made from a piece of cedar scrap wood with natural twine lanyard. “ One is for you Dad, and one is for me. It took you a long time to decide to be a Preacher, so I made this for you when you are on the stage. I am with you!”

At the Conference, I took my place with other new Local Pastors who were asked to come up on the stage and be recognized and introduced. At the end of the brief ceremony, I was returning to my seat and an old man jumped up and hugged me with tears in his eyes. “ I am so proud of you!” he said. “ Thanks, but I don’t know you mister!” I responded. He held me by my shoulders, looked into my eyes and said “ You are the only one up there that had a cross on. When did we become ashamed to show who we work for? And I feel bad, because I left my cross at home on a dresser…but I am very proud of you, Pastor!” . I reluctantly took the cross off my son had given me, and put it around the old man’s neck. He cried, smiled, hugged me again and took his seat. I returned to my seat, to meet my son now standing. He took his cross from around his neck, and placed it around mine. I started to resist and he said “ Like I said Dad, I am with you!”

Many years have passed and I have learned to take some time to whittle once in a while. It has become a form of prayer. And I make many crosses. Mostly now, I use old forsythia bush branches. They are easy to whittle and notch together, and make a natural looking cross.

One of my joys is to give the crosses to anyone who notices it. I love to see the smiles and tears of joy from cashiers, store, clerks, children, and just folks I bump into as I take the cross and hand it to them.

Some 14 years after my son made those first two crosses, I met a man as I entered the welcome center at Lake Junaluska to register for this Multicultural Conference. The man glowed with the light of Christ and greeted me….and it was real. It took the edge off my fears and doubts as to whether a 300 pound German/Scotch/Irish hillbilly would be welcomed here. He reminded me of many years ago when I was greeted as a new Local Pastor by a stranger, and the many men and women servant-leaders God has placed in my life this 14 year journey from Engineer to Local Pastor to Elder. He was there and gone. But I was blessed to give a cross away at the registration table. And as I write, I am out of crosses as I have passed them on to several folks at this conference. But forsythia grows really fast!

Many thousands of crosses later, I ponder that the cross is not something to just display. What would happen if in our doubts, in our trials, and in our journey we could remember that the cross is something to share? If we just let folks know that God is always saying “ I am with you!” We could do that!

Just after the closing session on Saturday, December 4th, Stephen said, “Brother Fred, you and I have a connection now!” Meaning that after all that had been said and done at the conferece, the experience of the cross allowed us to be spiritually bound and most importantly to live out what Jesus said, And I, if and when I am lifted up from the earth [on the cross], will draw and attract all men [Gentile as well as Jew] to myself. Selah

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