Jesus said that following him involves denying oneself and taking
up one’s cross in order to follow him. There is an aspect of daily death in the
life of following Jesus.
At the Funeral Museum in Houston Texas I learned that the word casket refers
a small ornamental box or chest for holding jewels, letters, or other valuable
objects. We use the word to refer to the box in which we bury our loved ones. The
difference between a coffin and a casket is the shape. Caskets are rectangular.
Coffins are wide at the head and narrow at the feet. We rarely see coffins
today, except in old Westerns. Most often caskets are used for American
funerals. Why call it a casket? It is because we see life as valuable. The
casket holds the body of our loved one. We see it as a valuable object. We hold
life as perhaps one of the most valuable things we possess. Jesus says that to
find real life we must give up our most valuable possession.
“If
anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily
and follow me.” Luke 9:23 Our life is precious, but it is not our own. We recognize this in death, but do we live it in our daily life?
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