Coronavirus Response

  • Home
  • A-Z List
  • About
    • About the NCC
    • Connectional Table
    • Staff
  • Calendar
    • Events
    • Google Calendar
    • Past Events
  • Churches
  • Contact
    • Find Us
  • Districts
    • District Office
    • Beacon
    • Capital
    • Corridor
    • Fairway
    • Gateway
    • Harbor
    • Heritage
    • Sound
  • Employment
  • Search

NC Conference

Healthy Congregations and Effective Leaders in Every Place Making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World

  • Discipleship
    Developing Disciples
    • Christian Formation
      • Children
      • Church & Society
      • College
      • Creation Care
      • Differently Abled Persons
      • Older Adults
      • Spiritual Formation
      • Status & Role of Women
      • Young Adults
      • Youth
    • Church Revitalization
      • Coaching
      • Disciple Making Way
      • Evangelism
      • Grants
      • MissionInsite
      • Shift
    • From the Bishop
      • Church Transformation
      • Conflict Transformation
    • Multicultural
      • Anti-Racism
      • Asian
      • Hispanic-Latinx
      • Native American
      • Strengthening the Black Church
    • Stewardship
      • Apportionments
      • District Remittances
      • Financial Discipleship
      • Grants
      • Insurance
      • Mission & Service
      • Pension
      • Treasurer Training
  • Leadership
    Strengthening Leaders
    • Bishop’s Office
      • Appointment Book
      • Church Transformation
      • Conflict Transformation
    • Office of Clergy Life
      • Board of Ordained Ministry
      • Called to Ministry?
      • Extension Ministries
    • Board of Laity
      • Certified Lay Minister
      • Lay Servant Ministries
      • Local Church Lay Leaders
      • United Methodist Men
      • United Methodist Women
      • United Methodist Youth
    • New Faith Comm.
      • New Room Society
      • Our Communities
    • Conference Offices
      • Center for Leadership Excellence
      • Christian Formation
      • Communications
      • Conference Secretary
      • Connectional Ministries
      • Information Technology
      • Multicultural Ministries
      • Outreach Ministry
      • Treasurer’s Office
  • Service
    Ministering To The World
    • Local Outreach
      • Afghan Refugees
      • Church Construction
      • Church Loans
      • Congregations for Children (C4C)
      • Creation Care
      • Cross & Key Prision Ministries
      • Health Ministry
      • Restorative Justice and Mercy
      • Seed Funds
      • Mission Projects
    • Global Outreach
      • Love for Liberia
      • Missionaries
      • NCC UMVIM
      • Project AGAPE
      • Sierra Leone: Mission of Hope
      • ZOE
    • Disaster Ministries
      • Donate to Storm Response
      • MERCI
      • Response Plan
      • Response Team
      • Training
      • UMCOR Kits
    • Giving
      • 2021 District Christmas Offering
      • Advance/Rainbow Covenant
      • Apportionments
      • Give to Storm Response
      • Mission & Service
      • The Gary Wayne Locklear Mission Endowment
      • New Room Society
      • Special Sundays
    • Ministry Partners
      • Boy Scouts of America (BSA)
      • Camps & Retreats
      • NC Institute for Spiritual Direction and Formation
      • Partners In Ministry
      • Robeson Co. Church & CC
      • UMF
  • Resources
    Supporting Ministry
    • Conferences
      • Annual Conference 2021
      • Annual Conference 2022
      • Charge Conference 2021
      • General Conference
      • Pilgrimage
      • SEJ Conference 2016
    • Media Center
      • Catalog
      • Labyrinth
      • Ministry Tools
      • Online Resources
      • Weekly Newsletter
    • Online Resources
      • Anti-Racism
      • Archives & History
      • #BeUMC
      • Church Lookup
      • Disaffiliation Information
      • Green Church Initiative
      • Online Data Collection
      • Online Learning
      • Pastor Lookup
      • Ramus: Web Hosting
      • Video (Vimeo)
    • Publications
      • Appointment Book
      • Bible Study
      • Conference Directory
      • Conference Journal
      • Every Day Grace
      • Lenten Reflections
      • Mission & Service
      • Podcasts (NCCUMC.FM)
    • From UMC.org
      • Agencies
      • Communications
      • Discipleship
      • Finance & Administration
      • Global Ministries
      • Graphics Library
      • Relief
      • Status & Role of Women
  • Bishop’s Office
  • About Bishop Fairley
    • Biography
    • Calendar
  • Appointment Book
  • Events
  • Reports & Rulings
    • Episcopal Rulings
  • More
    • Conflict Transformation
    • Emmaus
    • Lenten Reflections

connections: Take Up Your Cross and Follow

February 20, 2018 Leave a Comment

In the second week of Lent, Bishop Ward recounts the admonition from Jesus to deny ourselves and take up the cross. She highlights ways we practice self-denial, take up the cross and follow Jesus.

Grace, peace and strength to you in these early days of Lent.

As we begin the Lenten journey together, the cross is in the center of our life. Jesus said, “Everyone who wants to be my follower needs to take up their cross and follow me.” So in this season of Lent, we do hard things. We discipline ourselves. We examine ourselves. We identify areas of our life – attitudes, relationships, ways of living – that need to be shifted and changed; that need to be overwhelmed by the love and grace of God.

We look at ways in which we need to be more reconciled to one another and to God through Jesus Christ. You practice this self-sacrifice, this self-denial when you set aside time to prepare well to teach a Bible study or Sunday school class. You practice self-denial when you carve out time to rebuild a home destroyed by Hurricane Matthew or when you work to collect food for a child and put it in a backpack so that that child will have food through the weekend.

Following Jesus, we practice self-denial. We watch the way He lived beautifully toward God with a heart overflowing in love. As we move through these Lenten days, let us take up our crosses. Let us follow Jesus faithfully and well.

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Filed Under: Connections Tagged With: Bishop Hope Morgan Ward, Lent 2018

Recent Updates

Moving Forward Graciously

From the Bishop: Graciously Moving Forward

Thank You for Your Faithfulness & Courage

Join the Bishop’s Day Apart on April 12

Cabinet Announces Transition Week for 2022 Appointments

Bishops Discern Ways for Churches Choosing to Separate from UMC; Seek Court’s Guidance on Jurisdictional Conferences

From the Bishop: Response to General Conference Announcement

Holding the Ashes

Pastoral Letter in Light of the Tragic Events in Ukraine

‘Make It Plain’

NC Conference of The United Methodist Church · 700 Waterfield Ridge Place · Garner, NC 27529
Phone: 919.779.6115 · Toll-free: 800.849.4433 · Fax: 919.773.2308

Copyright © 2022 · Privacy Policy · Powered by WordPress · Site Admin