Peter’s Confession

Texts: Matthew 16; Isaiah 51

Jesus said, “Flesh and blood have not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven…On this rock I will build my Church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.”

Those of you who are parents, do you remember the feeling you got when you gave your child the keys to their first car? Maybe it was a gift, or maybe you met them halfway on the price after they had saved through an after-school job. Do you remember what it was like when you realized that you just gave a 16 or 17 year old the keys which would start up a hunk of steel with an engine that could conceivably go up to 100 mph? Perhaps you thought, “What were we thinking?” You may have even prayed that in some way, some how, there was enough maturity in that teenager to handle the responsibility of owning a vehicle, and they would not try something like trying to find a long stretch of road or even a 7-mile bridge to see how fast it could go.

Peter was a bit like a teenager. He was hardheaded, stubborn, brash, and often times spoke before he thought. And yet, in this story in the Gospel, Matthew describes a scene where Jesus asks his disciples what others say about him. They go through a list of prophets: John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah. Jesus dismisses all of that and presses them further. “But you … who do YOU say that I am?” Peter, who always spoke first and thought later, says, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus then pronounces quite a blessing on Peter for his confession. This hardheaded, stubborn brash young man gets it for once. He is given the keys to the kingdom of heaven, a new name, and off they all go into the Judean countryside. I’m sure Jesus at times would look at the band of disciples he called (ESPECIALLY PETER) and say “What was I thinking?”

Peter’s story actually fills me with hope. He was just a simple fisherman, who had no end of faults. But Jesus called him out of his former life along with the other disciples to show and to teach what it means to know God, to follow God and to love each other as God loves us. He suffers his share of mishaps, and has a tendency to make a mess of things. In the end, even after his denial of Jesus at the hour of his suffering and death, Peter is restored and goes on to become the leader of the disciples and then later the leader of the Church in Jerusalem and the first bishop of Rome in spite of himself.

It is important to note that Jesus did not praise Peter or bless him because of anything that he said or did on his own. Peter’s answer to Jesus’ question did not come from observation, or human reasoning, and Jesus’ blessing is not a response to Peter’s strengths or accomplishments. Jesus is responding to Peter’s faith which in and of itself is a gift from God, a faith which allows Peter to say, “You are the Messiah.” The lesson here is that the Church, just like Peter, stands or falls on the both the strength and the fragility of our faith. God relates to the church like a loving parent, who trusts an oftentimes immature teenager with keys to a vehicle to share with the world the message of the Gospel, and how we drive that vehicle is our witness. We have the ability to do both great good and great evil, to be faithful and to also drift away.

The question, “Who do you say that I am?” is asked of us to this day. Jesus asks, “What is your understanding of who I am? What is your experience of God through my witness?” It is perhaps the most important question we can answer as People of Faith because it informs so much of how we act. This confession, this gift, this testimony becomes the rock on which the Church stands and God has promised the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

It is a promise that no power in the world, not even the powers of sin and death will be able to overcome the work of the Church and the advancement of the Kingdom of God. It is a reminder that no matter our struggles inside the church, no matter how much the Church is called irrelevant or dying that there just isn’t any stopping the Good News of Jesus Christ, and God’s Kingdom will come.

Isaiah also points to great rocks of faith. In our passage today, he reminds us of Abraham and Sarah, who were called out of their homeland and sent to a distant country, just as Jesus called the disciples to drop everything they were doing and to follow him.

With the reality of a 24-hour news cycle, no shortage of commentary in the form of newspaper columnists, television and radio pundits, and bloggers, it is very easy to get discouraged at what is going on in the world. The stability enjoyed by the Western World since the end of World War II is not nearly so stable any more. But through our faith, the same faith and trust that sustained Abraham and Sarah, the faith that enables Peter to say Jesus is the Messiah, we are reminded that the one who said “the gates of Hades will not prevail” is the same one who said “My Kingdom is not of this world.”

Isaiah also says that God is telling his people, “Listen to me.” With everything that is going on in our country, and even with everything we deal with on a day-to-day basis, sometimes listening is not easy. There are so many voices and distractions pulling for our attention, seeking to drown out the voice of God who maintains his promises and his provisions are still intact no matter how discouraged we may become. But if we do listen, we will maintain a perspective. The ears of faith still hear God’s voice above all of the turmoil, reminding us that God’s promises are sure and will outlast anything that can be thrown against them. “Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. The heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment … but my salvation will be forever, and my deliverance will never end.”

Amen.

Blogger down

Since Blogger went down the other day, and some folks’ blog posts still haven’t been fully recovered, perhaps I should back everything up.

I guess the internet is not permanent after all…

Blogging Blues

So, having spent some time re-reading some blog posts, I figure I might actually have something to say which may be of some value.

Maybe I should actually blog and also catch up with my more spiritual/religious friends?

Maybe I should post enough where I don’t feel the need to have one of these posts as filler?

Hmmmmm…..

Be Careful What You Wish For — A Sermon for St. Peter’s, Key West

Text:  John 20:19-31

Easter brings with it many news articles, books and documentaries which talk about the Christian faith. For example, the Evangelical pastor Rob Bell recently came out with a book entitled, Love Wins. Love Wins makes the claim that what happened on the cross is so powerful, and that God’s love is so strong, that there just might not really be a hell. As you can imagine, this caused quite a stir. In fact, it even led New York Times columnist Ross Douthat to write about it on April 25, Easter Monday no less. On television, The History Channel was showing a documentary of sorts on the post-Resurrection appearances of Jesus using material not only from the Gospels, but from the Gnostic writings as well. For all of the talk of us becoming a country that is “spiritual but not religious” and that there are an increasing number of people who profess a belief in God but do not adhere to a particular faith, the story of the Resurrection of Christ and all that it could possibly mean never ceases to grab attention.

“Is there really something to all of this?” they ask. Sometimes we might even ask that question ourselves. “Are we crazy? How can we be sure this is true? What if those who say that the Resurrection is a hoax are right?” Indeed, we read in St. Paul’s epistles that if the Resurrection didn’t happen, we’re all just wasting our breath and we may as well sleep in on Sunday morning and watch “Meet the Press.” These are all very valid questions, and these questions lead us to the place of the disciple, Thomas.

We’ve all heard the phrase “Doubting Thomas” and Thomas’ story is always read the Sunday after Easter. Thomas’ friends are telling him that Jesus is back from the dead and he demands proof before he can believe it himself. If we look through the earlier parts of the Gospel of John, we see that Thomas isn’t so much a man of little faith, but a rather complex individual. He is capable of great courage as is shown when he is willing to go with Jesus to Bethany at the news of Lazarus’ death, even though it may mean his arrest. Later, he understandably shows great anxiety on the night of Jesus’ betrayal. Personally, I always thought Thomas got a bum rap as we actually owe him a great deal. When his friends say to him “We have seen the Lord!” he’s not taking their claim at face value, and remember, this is a group of people he’s lived with for the past three years or so. If he should be willing to believe anyone, it’s this group.

But, he says,”Now hold on a minute! YOU are trying to tell ME that Jesus, who was executed in front of us and for all the world to see is now alive? We saw him crucified, we saw him dead, we saw him buried. Surely you’ve all seen a ghost or even more likely hallucinating. I tell you, unless I see the marks of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in those marks and in the wound in his side, I am simply not buying it.

Now, in all honesty, who can blame Thomas? He’s saying that he needs to experience what the others did before he will believe it. He is also trying to give everyone a reality check here. In this scene, Thomas is being a voice for those of us here in the 21^st century. We are to be grateful to Thomas because here we see that the intersection of doubt and faith are very much part and parcel of the Easter experience. Thomas is demanding answers for all the questions that come up around this time of year. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could provide clear evidence that no, Jesus body wasn’t stolen; no, Jesus’ body wasn’t given to the dogs; and no, we certainly are not crazy.”

It is important to remember that Thomas is not the only doubter here. Mary Magdalene didn’t belive Jesus had risen until Jesus spoke her name in the garden by the tomb. The other disciples didn’t believe Jesus had risen until he appeared in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Belief and faith in the Resurrection cannot be arrived at by simple physical evidence, but by trust and Jesus revealing himself to us, and this is what happens with Thomas. It is Thomas, and not the others, who is given the reality check when Jesus appears again. Jesus gives Thomas exactly what he wishes for: an invitation to touch the wounded hands and side. Thomas doesn’t get an encounter with a ghost, but with the flesh and blood risen Lord. When he is presented with the reality of the Resurrected Christ, he actually does not go to touch the wounds, but he only cries out, “My Lord and my God.”

This little scene is actually quite powerful. Jesus does not criticize Thomas of belittle him for his doubt, but he gives an invitation to “Come and See.” Jesus handles our questions and doubts the same way. He handles our doubt by being in the business of meeting people where they are and giving them what they need. After all, everyone has different life experiences and outlooks on life. Jesus met Mary in her moment of deepest sorrow. He met the other disciples when they were hiding in the darkness in their moments of deepest fear. And he met Thomas in his doubt. Jesus does not appear in a big flash of power and light, but he simply … shows up, he calls out your name ad he offers you peace. This isn’t the peace that world offers which says that if you try just a little harder, if you put your back into it, everything will turn out all right. The peace that Jesus offers is the peace that passes all understanding, a peace you have to do nothing to earn and is a gift from God.

It is the assurance that the One who was crucified, dead and buried is now alive forevermore. This is the One who heralds the Reign of God, the Reign that says swords are beaten into ploughshares, spears into pruning hooks, liberty is proclaimed to the captives and the oppressed are set free. This is the One who has the wounds and scars to show that God’s grace and love triumphs over all in the face of the deepest tragedy, injustice and humiliation that humanity can inflict on someone.

We cannot actually prove the Resurrection happened. Faith doesn’t exactly work on proof, for faith and belief are matters of the heart and matters of trust. Such things don’t completely answer questions which demand physical evidence. One reason we can believe the Bible gives a true revelation of God is because it shows how God stepped into human history and deals with us, warts and all. It shows us at our very best and our very worst. It shows ordinary people doing extraordinary things because God stepped into their lives and met them even in their doubt. We can trust that this is the same God who moved spiritual giants like St. Paul, St. Peter, Martin Luther King and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. We may even know personally some who were moved to do remarkable things because of their faith in the Risen Christ. It is because of that trust we can gather together during the Fifty Days of Easter and say “Alleluia! Christ is Risen!”

The disciples began the Easter story in doubt, but their lives were changed forever by an encounter with the Living God, a God who continues to meet God’s people every day and every moment. We have to remember that when we question or doubt, that’s perfectly fine. God would not be much of a God if he couldn’t stand up to some scrutiny. We cannot, however, be afraid of the answers to those questions, because those questions are responded with invitations to an encounter with Christ, and who knows where he might show up? On the street, on a park bench, where you work, in a bar, in a guest house, or at the communion rail.

There is a saying we have which says, “Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.” If what you are wishing for is an encounter with Jesus, that’s all the more reason to be careful. I can’t tell you where he’ll show up, or when he will call out your name, but I can tell you this much. The Good News I have for you today is that when it happens … you won’t ever be the same again.

Amen.

And Mary Magdalene said..

Text: John 20

‘I have seen the LORD!’

Jesus said her name, and her life was forever changed. She went and announced it to the disciples. They eventually saw Him too.

The first evangelist of the Risen One was a woman of questionable morals. The first evangelist was someone whom no one had any business noticing.

But she saw Him. Jesus, the Christ, revealed Himself to her before he revealed Himself to anyone else.

She spread the News. Christ is Risen.

And the world hasn’t been the same ever since.

The Lord is Risen Indeed.