Here's a Crossings paradigm for the Sunday gospel, a week hence, Sept. 1.

Peter's Problem, Ours too. Its Diagnosis (and Deadly Prognosis)

The Symptoms - Behavioral

D-1 - REFUSING LOSING

1. Rebuking Jesus about his suffering
2. Saving one's own life
3. Gaining the world, going for "profit" in the business of daily life
4. Asserting, not denying, self; avoiding the cross; not following Jesus

The Sickness - Internal

D-2 - SWITCHING SIDES

1. Being Satan's disciple
2. On man's, not God's, side
3. Ashamed of Jesus and his word about the cross
4. Not "seeing the kingdom of God"

The End of It All - Eternal

D-3 - LOST, SHAMED AT THE END

1. Losing your life
2. Forfeiting your life
3. Son of Man ashamed of us when he comes in the glory of his Father
4. Tasting death completely without ever having "seen" God's kingdom (God's new mercy-management model in Christ)

Solution: A New Prognosis

New Beginning - Eternal

P-1 - SWEET SWAP: A WINNER FOR LOSERS, GLORY FOR SHAME

1. The kingdom of God coming in the power, in the "glory" of the crucified Jesus
2. A Messiah for losers
3. The good news of the cross: he saves our lives by losing his own

New Health - Internal

P-2 - FAITH: SWITCHING BACK TO TRUSTING CHRIST

1. Denying our self-saving schemes; taking up the cross-option as our own
2. Acclaim (instead of shame) for the Messiah-for-losers

New Symptoms - Behavioral

P-3 - WINNING BY LOSING

1. Losing our life - for Christ's sake, sake of the gospel--in daily life situations
2. Following, cross-bearing, confessing Christ in our own sinful generation
3. "Standing here (in St. Louis, in Kota Kinabalu, wherever) seeing the
4. kingdom of God coming with power" as we win by losing our lives in the events of daily callings