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People who form a church have all kinds of ideas about what it should be like. People looking for a church have all kinds of ideas about what it should be like. But the only thing that matters is what Jesus says a church should be like. And thankfully, Jesus never shied away from describing and demonstrating the kind of church he wants. This week we see that the kind of church Jesus wants carries its cross. Just as Jesus’ path as our Savior necessarily included him dying on a cross, so also our path as his followers necessarily includes a cross. For us that cross is symbolic – it means a death to self and submission of our life to his. Though our figurative cross can be painful and seem repulsive, knowing how Jesus blesses us through it enables us to take it up with joy.