The words from Jesus today might make us squirm a bit, and we might prefer to gloss over them. Hate our family members? Hate life itself? Give up all our possessions? It all sounds so extreme. But then again, Jesus is not known to mince words or soften the edges of his speech to suit our comforts. How do we begin to live into this life that Jesus demands?

Perhaps we should consider the question in a slightly different way: If we strip away everything from our lives, what remains? What rests at the core of all the other stuff? In our baptism, this question was answered once and for all, though we may forget it or even doubt it at times: Jesus is at the core of all we are and all we do. The cross rests at the center of who we are and all that we have.

excerpt From sundaysandseasons.com. Copyright © 2019 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved.