August 27, 2017 – Pentecost +12A

“Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.” Matthew 16:13-20

“Who do you say that the Son of Man is?” If this question doesn’t strike the fear of God in you, well, I am not sure what will. This is the question for the week. On so many levels. What will you stand up for? What’s important? When do you say what you need to, want to, have to? Or when are you silent? This week’s texts instill a “come to Jesus moment.” Faced with faith decisions, on what will you stake your faith, how you live your life? There is just too much that we cannot say. That we are unwilling to say. Or we think if we do say, we will incur judgment. Which is why Jesus’ question is not requesting a mere response of confession. “Who do you say that the Son of Man is?” is about risk. Putting yourself out there. In full recognition of rejection. And judgment. And heartache. I mean, think about it. What is Peter thinking? “Holy … Now what do I say?”

Everybody needs to answer this question this week. Every parishioner. Every preacher. Because “who do you say that I am” has everything to do with who you are willing to be. This really is the question of life, isn’t it? Do you know who you are? Who you want to be? What are the demons that make reflecting on that impossible? Because there are many. The demons that tell you that you can’t. The demons that tell you that you are not good enough. The demons that insist you aren’t enough. Period.” (dear working preacher website, A “Come To Jesus” Moment – August 17, 2017, Karoline Lewis)

Our Church is not based on worship of a dead idol, but on belief in a living G-d who continually comes to us in Word, prayer, relationships and Sacrament. Our church is built on a ROCK, a faith in Jesus Christ, faith in a living G-d that has been professed, witnessed too, and proclaimed for centuries, and on this rock our church stands, even when we feel as if our life’s road continues to hit a dead end, even when our faith is weak or we slip off the rock in our sinfulness – Jesus is there to catch us, and hold us up when we fail, or life fails us, or gets too difficult…too painful. We have a living G-d who reaches down to us in Word and Sacrament and in the other means of GRACE.

And so, when we come to this One, Holy, Christian, and Apostolic Church, we hear words of grace, comfort and the promise of life now, and life for eternity. And then we leave this “sanctuary”, this “ship-shaped Nave” called Trinity Lutheran Church each and every Sunday and go out to the Caesarea Philippi’s of our community and society, places where there is so much death, or so much dead faith, and so many false idols. It is to the people of our community where we offer “cups of cold water”, where we proclaim this living God by sharing our gifts through our ministries, and sharing our faith through our stories with a world desperate to receive them.

Who is this Jesus? Who do you say Jesus is? Have you ask yourself that question lately? I think we need to remember that God will ask us that question from time to time? Do you believe that? Oh Jesus may say to his disciples “Who do people say that I am?”, but that quickly gets changed to “Who do YOU say that I am?” We tell people who Jesus is by how we live – by the choices we make. So who do you say that Jesus is? Is Jesus 1/7 of your life – meaning that you only think about him on Sundays? Is Jesus someone you give fleeting thoughts to, just like you think about politics, or road construction, or the price of milk? Is Jesus a true living presence in your life or is he as dormant in our lives as a mustard seed in frozen ground in the dead of winter? How foundational is Jesus Christ to every aspect of your life? Is he alive to you, a constant living presence? Or is Jesus dormant most of the time in your life, only to come out when the next tragedy hits your life?

Pastor Dave