People begin to lower their various flags and the cross grows bigger People begin to leave their individual flagpoles and they join each other around the cross, so that only Christ is glorified. Only a dream? Surely the point of that dream is profoundly scriptural? It matches up with what the Lord says John 12.32 "When I am llfted up from the earth will draw all people to myself."

Jesus was speaking in response to the requests of the Greeks to see him Highly significant request from those seen as 2nd class by exclusive Jews. But Jesus Christ cannot be seen as property of one denomination or race He is for all sorts of people: at foot of cross all human divisions have to dissolve It does not matter how clever you are, how rich you are, how athletic you are, how posh you are or how religious you are Before the cross, the Principal of UCC is on same level as a college cleaner the Lord Mayor of Cork is no higher than a prisoner in Cork jail Moderator of the General Assembly no better than a child in the Sunday School and Ian Paisley no different from Gerry Adams for when Jesus was lifted up from the earth on the cross it demonstrated both God's love and God's judgement God's judgement on the world and the prince of this world on all proud power and rebellion against God. The death of Jesus was supposed to be a judgement on him, The Roman and the Jewish authorities did a deal to get him condemned. He was too much of a challenge to their comfortable lives. But it is not Jesus who is condemned on the cross but those who will not repent of their pride and power and think they can manage running their own lives without submitting to him. And God's love is seen in the cross, for it draws all sorts of people to Jesus drawn by his love, his acceptance whoever they are, his forgiveness whatever they've done.

But what is the cross to you? Demonstration of God's love that Jesus died for you to cleanse you or demonstration of God's judgement that you choose to remain in the darkness of pride and rebellion, doing it your way not his? Simple way of assessing that'. who has the glory in your life? Is it Jesus Christ crucified, or is it yourself Who is the centre of attention? Who comes first? Let's each ask ourselves that question in case we are saying 'I'm a Christian. Jesus died on the cross for me. and still in my inner self am hungry for power and control, to have the glory.

To be a Christian is to acknowledge not only that Jesus died for me but also to be willing to die to anything in me that does not put Jesus first

In the early 1960s news came of the murder of 4 missionaries in S America Jim Elliott & friends had been trying to contact a head-hunting tribe which was suspicious and hostile of all outsiders. They made contact and the next day their bodies were seen floating in the river. What happened afterwards illustrates what Jesus says about the seed of corn having to die before it bears fruit. The widows of the murdered men made contact eventually with the tribe. Some even of their killers came to faith a church flourishes in that supposedly unreachable tribe and many people were inspired by Jim Elliott & his friends to offer for service. As Elliott said. 'He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.' V 25 The man who loves his life will lose it while the man who hates his life in this wodd will keep it for eternal life.

'Out of Jesus' death, new life is available to us. But as followers of Jesus we are also called to live a similar rhythm of life. We are called to empty our hands so that God may fill them with new things that have to do with his kingdom. We are called to relinquish even that which is good so that God's greater good may emerge. Death, paradoxically in the Christian's life, precedes life. And nothing of lasting value in the kingdom of God ever happens where surrender and relinquishment have not taken place. At the place of our emptiness the new springs up, and in our weakness God's strength and power are made manifest.' (Charles Ringma)

Isn't there so much I, me and my in our lives? I want this, this pleases me, I'm holding on to that, it's mine and so little of asking what does Jesus want? What would glorify him? What Jesus wants is basically that we pull down our flag and gather at the foot of his cross and stop glorifying ourselves and our ideas and give him the glory

What does that mean in everyday life? It could mean accepting the scorn of others in saying that we trust in Christ It could mean a different ways of handling money in a culture where we all condemn the banks this week but there are so many dodges about (a banking scandal had just been exposed) It could mean a denial of much of what we take for granted as our right to a good lifestyle, affluent, easy, not to be bothered, It could mean as it meant for Jim Elliott the prospect of losing your life But with all that there are the richest of rewards, it's not a life of misery it is dying to self, to live a new life in Christ, it is living in the light of Christ, rather than in the darkness of fear and despair. And what is true for us individually is also true for the Church. Presbyterianism and all the other 'isms' of the churches have to die so that only Christ is glorified the refusal to change that says 'we are all right as we are has to die so that only Christ is glorified worship of change for change's sake, always seeking a new experience has to die so that only Christ is glorified.

Teenagers in England recently asked what did they want to do most in life? No 1 ambition was to win the lottery and then forming a relationship and having a good sex life Lowest in the list were succeeding in a career and passing exams. We might smile or be concerned about their priorities but what are our priorities? What do we want most? If we do follow him who was lifted up on the cross then surely what pleases him and not our pleasure, his glory and not ours must come first. Does it?

May Christ crucified & risen be the focus of your lives.