First Reading: Isaiah 51:1-6
1Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness,
you that seek the Lord.
Look to the rock from which you were hewn,
and to the quarry from which you were dug.
2Look to Abraham your father
and to Sarah who bore you;
for he was but one when I called him,
but I blessed him and made him many.
3For the Lord will comfort Zion;
he will comfort all her waste places,
and will make her wilderness like Eden,
her desert like the garden of the Lord;
joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and the voice of song.
4Listen to me, my people,
and give heed to me, my nation;
for a teaching will go out from me,
and my justice for a light to the peoples.
5I will bring near my deliverance swiftly,
my salvation has gone out
and my arms will rule the peoples;
the coastlands wait for me,
and for my arm they hope.
6Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
and look at the earth beneath;
for the heavens will vanish like smoke,
the earth will wear out like a garment,
and those who live on it will die like gnats;
but my salvation will be forever,
and my deliverance will never be ended.
Psalm: Psalm 138
O Lord, your steadfast love endures forever. (Ps. 138:8)
1I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart;
before the gods I will sing your praise.
2I will bow down toward your holy temple and praise your name, because of your steadfast love and faithfulness;
for you have glorified your name and your word above all things.
3When I called, you answered me;
you increased my strength within me.
4All the rulers of the earth will praise you, O Lord,
when they have heard the words of your mouth.
5They will sing of the ways of the Lord,
that great is the glory of the Lord.
6The Lord is high, yet cares for the lowly,
perceiving the haughty from afar.
7Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you keep me safe;
you stretch forth your hand against the fury of my enemies; your right hand shall save me.
8You will make good your purpose for me;
O Lord, your steadfast love endures forever; do not abandon the works of your hands.
Second Reading: Romans 12:1-8
1I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.
3For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, 5so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. 6We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; 7ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; 8the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.
Gospel: Matthew 16:13-20
13Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17And 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. 18And 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. 19I 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.” 20Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
CHILDREN’S SERMON: What makes the zebra different from the horse and the donkey? I still love this story that tells how the zebras came to be unique.
At creation God decided to let the animals choose how they wanted to look. The elephant chose a long nose. The giraffe chose a long neck. The rhino chose horns on his nose. The lion wanted a huge voice and big claws. The parrot chose colorful feathers. Zebra, though, was undecided. He wanted to be white and then he changed his mind to be black. God granted both wishes and so the zebra has black and white stripes that make them different from the horse and the donkey!
Let us pray. Lord, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, my Rock and my Redeemer.
SERMON
This week I had a fun chat with my doctor as we finished up. She had had a rough week being a single parent. I was surprised, as I had understood that she had a small baby and had talked about her husband and I assumed she was married. So I asked if she had just divorced. She laughed. No. Their house had flooded and so they had gone to stay with her husband’s family during the repairs and he had an identity crisis trying to be the obedient son, the attentive husband, a father and of course a professional. I could identify as we had stayed with my parents on an emergency trip to the States for my mother-in-law’s health. We stayed with my parents for a month with our two little ones. I said, “Never again!” Trying to be daughter, wife, and mother I found stressful. I do not like to think of myself as a chameleon that presents different faces to different audiences but sometimes I feel like our zebra as I juggle the various roles and expectations that swirl within me. Perhaps “integrity” is the word we use to explain the core of our identity that we pray is always there in any situation we find ourselves. Is the zebra white on black or black on white and what is its core identity? Our text challenges us with these questions today.
We are at a pivotal point in Matthew’s gospel. We have been building up a resume of Jesus. John the Baptist said it, “Are you the one or should we look for another?” At the beginning of chapter 16, the Pharisees ask for a “sign from heaven.” Perhaps we come to church today asking God to prove he is really there by showing us a sign, answer our prayer the way we want it answered. Perhaps we are like the disciples, following as normal and the question Jesus asks us today is, “Who do you say I am?” Let’s dig in!
“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
A zebra is black and white. Jesus has several major titles but like the zebra that is black and white, two titles stand out. He is called Son of Man and Son of God. We see Jesus in his incarnation, his humanness, and yet he does these remarkable things like healings, walking on water, and calming storms that indicate he is not just a normal person. The disciples answer his question of who people say the Son of Man is by pointing to other greats that people put Jesus in the same category with. They name John the Baptist, Elijah and Jeremiah. He is like a prophet. Today people might compare him to Mohamed, Confucius, or Buddha. Youth might consider him like Martin Luther King Jr., JFK, Superman or some other deeply admired and inspirational leader that inspired movements.
Think of some of the people in your life. How would they explain Jesus? Do you know? Perhaps you have never talked about it? Ouch! Christianity today has developed communication problems as it is linked to “right wing” politics, causes like abortion, and marches on cities. It has also been linked to abuse of children by pastoral people, hateful groups that kill “the other,” and many unpopular causes. Of course we could mention TV personalities raking in money and flying personal jets. The name of Jesus, Son of Man, has been smeared. It is a dicey deal to try and talk about faith because we do not know all the unspoken assumptions floating in the culture and the answer to what people think about Jesus is as blurry as trying to explain if a zebra is black or white. A zebra is like a horse and like a donkey. So who do the people you relate to think Jesus is? Perhaps that is an interesting conversational opener when you next meet.
“But who do you say that I am?”
Jesus begins to tighten the focus of the conversation. For 15 chapters of Matthew we have looked at Jesus. Since Advent we have had sermons on Jesus’ birth, childhood, life, death and resurrection. During Pentecost we have reviewed some of those stories. The stories of our life, the roles we play do not get to our core identity. They are the masks we wear in public. Jesus was a healer. He was a teacher. He was from Nazareth. He was the son of Mary. But at the very core of his identity, who was he? He turns to Peter and to us and asks, “And who do you say that I am?” THAT is a conversation stopper. We are no longer talking about parables and miracles; we are talking about Jesus’ core identity and our core beliefs.
Peter ticks the right box: ”the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Please note that even as Peter confesses Jesus as Son of God, he still does not fully understand. Many of us feel unqualified to speak about our faith and leave it for a pastor or trained professional but we note that Peter did not really understand either. Jesus has not died on the cross yet. Peter does not know Jesus as Savior, but only as the promised Messiah that he thinks will defeat Rome. We need to be gentle with ourselves and tolerant with those who see faith slightly differently than ourselves. We are only called upon to confess what we have experienced, not explain all of theology. Christ’s death on the cross saves people, not our testimony. The Holy Spirit is working. So who do we understand Jesus to be?
This also reminds me that faith is a journey. Many come to the church with a partial understanding of who Jesus is, perhaps warped in some ways, perhaps wrong in some ways, and it is through relationship that we grow to know Jesus more and more and to appreciate the meaning of his role in our lives. Faith is a journey and the church is one of the places this takes place.
Soooo, forgiveness becomes key as we each have blind spots and places where we do not understand fully. We see through a glass dimly. Jesus declares that on this confession of Peter, this partial understanding, on this mustard seed of faith, he, Jesus, will build his church. Jesus is the builder and we are a starting point for him as we learn to share our truth. I know the Catholics believe that means that Peter himself, was the first Pope, and Protestants believe it to be a more general promise but really it doesn’t matter. Faith is a journey of understanding more and more whom Jesus is and who I am in relationship to him. As you turn your heart to God today, “Who do you say Jesus is?”
Jesus’ next words confirm that it is God who makes this truth real in lives. “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.” Peter is a zebra too. He is Simon, son of Jonah, and he is Peter, child of God, a rock upon which God will build his church. Our job is to share the truth as we know it but it is God who reveals the truth to the heart about the identity of Jesus. God chooses the time and place, not us. It is our role to testify and God’s role to reveal, to save.
19I 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.”
The zebra’s black and white stripes are what identify it as a “zebra.” But “zebra” is not just a name or title. It automatically tells us that the zebra is found in Africa or in a zoo. It automatically tells us a zebra is an herbivore and not a carnivore. Our identity tells about our relationships. “Christian” automatically means I am in relationship to the Eternal and have been given permission to speak with him. My human identity tells you something about whom I relate to socially or professionally and especially spiritually. I am a connection between the eternal and the present. I have “voice and vote” in the affairs of the universe. That does not put me in control but it does mean our lives are important.
Jesus is giving a very practical explanation of faith. Faith is more than that marvelous moment when we believed or when we were carried to the font or when the reality of God touched our lives. Our faith is also like an electrical current, a power line between heaven and us.
“whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven”
Faith dynamically connects heaven and earth. When we come to the baptismal font, pray over a person, baptize them in the name of God, and anoint them with the cross, we are binding them to the God of the universe. We believe something sacred happens. We call it a sacrament. Jesus is here saying that our faith, our prayers are answered in heaven. When I pray for my wayward child, grandchild, or my struggling friend, or my sick neighbor, that prayer “binds” God’s hand to the situation. That does not necessarily mean the results will be happy-ever-after but it does activate a spiritual dynamic in the situation. I believe prayer is power!
“whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus expresses this reality when he encourages us to pray, “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” When we harbor and cherish hate, bitterness, and spite in our hearts, God cannot, well has difficulty, working in the situation because we are unwilling to allow his healing presence, his perspective, his power to be present there in us. We are only focused on getting what we feel is right, not any bigger picture. It is not until the prodigal son “comes to himself” and is willing to go to his father, that restoration happens. The older brother who is so bitter does not experience the banquet but sits outside. The father is willing to work with both but their attitudes, their ability to loosen their attitudes, affects the whole story. When we confess our sins, our mistakes, our shortcoming at the altar and the words of absolution are pronounced – we are forgiven. We need not carry that burden any longer. We are free in God’s eyes and free to be his agents.
Who?
Who others say Jesus is often is answered by his identity as “Son of Man.” He is grouped with cultural heroes and great people. He is identified by all the stories of his marvelous actions. But then again that may just make him one of the Super Heroes in the movies. What others say opens an interesting conversation. When the question changes to who Jesus is to us, then we enter sacred territory for we must ponder his title “Son of God.” He becomes more than an historical Messiah. We must answer if he is our personal Savior. We have been gifted to know the whole incarnational story including the cross and the resurrection. We are challenged to move from being one of the gang during the week and then donning our Christians identity on Sundays. For in truth is we are all both white and black. We are in the world but not of the world. We are all like that zebra. We connect two kingdoms, the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of earth. Through us blessings from God flow and through us forgiveness flows. I pray Bethany will be a place where heaven and earth meet so that you leave today ready to face the challenges God has for you.
Let the people of God say, “AMEN!”
Posted by srwantabee 
On the Way to Wonder 