Description 

Theme:

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." - Mark 8:34

Synopsis:

• A man carries a cross through a snowy, desert landscape.
• He continues down roads, through forests and urban areas.
• He reaches the sea, the city, then finally a lonely hillside.
• On the hillside, he deposits the cross, leaning it against a tree, among many other crosses.
• He begins walking back the way he came—through the city, the forest, and the snow.
• Back in the desert he emerges with a new cross, and begins the journey again.          

Conversation:

• Mark 8:34 is a familiar scripture passage to most Christians, and the idea of 'denying oneself' and 'carrying your cross' are cornerstones of the faith. Yet, what type of denial is Jesus referring to? It it one denial or many? Is it constant, singular, or perpetual?
• Dietrich Bonhoeffer said famously, "When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die." What does this mean? Is it literal or figurative, or both?
• How does the idea of carrying one's cross relate to the hope found in resurrection, and in the Easter story?
• Does the claim to faith, the idea that one is a Christian, qualify as 'carrying the cross?'
• Can we 'carry the cross' for one another? How?
• Is there joy in carrying the cross?

Scripture Reference:

• Mark 8:34
• Matthew 10:38
• Luke 23:26
• Galatians 6:2
• Galatians 6:14
• Colossians 1:19, 20

Runtime:	3:46
Genre:	Reflective