1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,480 I speak in the name of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 2 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:04,440 Amen. 3 00:00:04,440 --> 00:00:05,120 Please be seated. 4 00:00:12,200 --> 00:00:15,920 So several years ago, I helped teach a series of classes 5 00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:17,840 on the apostles of Jesus. 6 00:00:17,840 --> 00:00:20,160 And I think we're so used to thinking and speaking 7 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:23,300 about them as sort of a monolithic unit, a group 8 00:00:23,300 --> 00:00:25,760 of people that we sometimes forget 9 00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:29,240 that they were their own individuals within that group, 10 00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:33,160 that they all had their own opinions and fears and hopes. 11 00:00:33,160 --> 00:00:35,160 They were Jesus' closest friends, 12 00:00:35,160 --> 00:00:38,000 his confidants through all the victories and tragedies 13 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:42,080 of Jesus' life, firsthand recipients of the good news 14 00:00:42,080 --> 00:00:44,480 from heaven that would reshape the world 15 00:00:44,480 --> 00:00:48,640 due in no small part to their continued ministry and witness 16 00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:51,600 after Jesus ascended into heaven. 17 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:54,920 We're here today because God called those people 18 00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:58,760 to tell the world what they had seen and heard through Jesus. 19 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:01,640 We're here today because they said yes. 20 00:01:01,640 --> 00:01:05,200 And nothing in the world has been the same since. 21 00:01:05,200 --> 00:01:07,320 But the 12 apostles got in their own way 22 00:01:07,320 --> 00:01:10,480 and made mistakes far too often. 23 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:14,720 On the way to changing the world, they made many detours. 24 00:01:14,720 --> 00:01:15,880 They fought. 25 00:01:15,880 --> 00:01:16,680 They disagreed. 26 00:01:16,680 --> 00:01:17,480 They doubted. 27 00:01:17,480 --> 00:01:19,800 They attempted to turn people away. 28 00:01:19,800 --> 00:01:21,560 They make snap judgments. 29 00:01:21,560 --> 00:01:25,720 They are soundly rebuked by Jesus more than once. 30 00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:27,840 They get it wrong frequently. 31 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:29,440 They attempt to one up each other. 32 00:01:29,440 --> 00:01:32,280 And they even abandoned Jesus, leaving him 33 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:37,840 to face his darkest hour alone, fleeing the cross and persecution 34 00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:42,840 that Jesus has so often warned them was coming. 35 00:01:42,840 --> 00:01:45,680 In other words, the disciples were only human. 36 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:48,200 One day they make great choices and decisions 37 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:49,160 that make them proud. 38 00:01:49,160 --> 00:01:53,840 And the next, they fall flat, failing spectacularly 39 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:57,480 and having to learn how to get back up and try again. 40 00:01:57,480 --> 00:01:59,880 And perhaps no one more fully encompasses 41 00:01:59,880 --> 00:02:02,840 the highs and lows of being a human being, 42 00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:04,920 trying their best in a broken world 43 00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:09,480 to follow a perfect God than Simon Peter. 44 00:02:09,480 --> 00:02:13,160 Peter exemplifies what it means to live a life of faith. 45 00:02:13,160 --> 00:02:16,240 Peter, in his unique role and divine calling, 46 00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:18,960 becomes a model for walking closely 47 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:21,720 with God of how that walk changes us 48 00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:24,800 over the course of our lives, of how it makes us better 49 00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:29,520 and kinder and more just and braver. 50 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:32,000 Peter, with his stunning professions of faith 51 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:34,520 and his striking mistakes, captures 52 00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:37,480 the whole human endeavor of learning 53 00:02:37,480 --> 00:02:41,560 to follow God more closely. 54 00:02:41,560 --> 00:02:44,360 In today's Gospel reading, Jesus and his disciples 55 00:02:44,360 --> 00:02:46,720 have come to Caesarea of Philippi. 56 00:02:46,720 --> 00:02:49,040 And it is here, alone with his followers, 57 00:02:49,040 --> 00:02:53,040 that Jesus asks them who people say that he is. 58 00:02:53,040 --> 00:02:55,720 This is a constant question that Jesus poses 59 00:02:55,720 --> 00:02:57,560 to his followers, his disciples. 60 00:02:57,560 --> 00:03:01,480 On more than one occasion, Jesus will ask this question. 61 00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:02,880 When the disciples give an answer, 62 00:03:02,880 --> 00:03:05,640 Jesus will push them to go further. 63 00:03:05,640 --> 00:03:08,360 Who do you say that I am? 64 00:03:08,360 --> 00:03:10,640 And in this chapter, Peter will name Jesus 65 00:03:10,640 --> 00:03:15,200 as the Messiah, the Son of the living God. 66 00:03:15,200 --> 00:03:17,600 In Mark's Gospel, this scene plays 67 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:19,640 the role of becoming the first time 68 00:03:19,640 --> 00:03:22,560 that Jesus is named as the Messiah. 69 00:03:22,560 --> 00:03:25,360 And Peter will be the first person brave enough 70 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:27,920 to name him that. 71 00:03:27,920 --> 00:03:30,760 The narrative is a little bit different in Matthew's Gospel. 72 00:03:30,760 --> 00:03:32,400 Today, the disciples have already 73 00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:34,520 named Jesus as the Son of God. 74 00:03:34,520 --> 00:03:37,440 They've already begun to worship him as the Messiah. 75 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:41,720 But that does not diminish Peter's profession of faith. 76 00:03:41,720 --> 00:03:44,120 Peter sees Jesus for who he is. 77 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:48,000 Peter recognizes just how special this ministry is. 78 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:51,880 Peter believes and he voices that belief aloud, 79 00:03:51,880 --> 00:03:55,640 both with his words and his actions. 80 00:03:55,640 --> 00:03:59,440 Jesus's response to Peter in this scene is incredible. 81 00:03:59,440 --> 00:04:02,120 It is here that Jesus reveals the full scope 82 00:04:02,120 --> 00:04:04,400 of Peter's calling. 83 00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:07,720 Peter, in a long line of faithful followers of God, 84 00:04:07,720 --> 00:04:12,240 from Sarai to Abram to Jacob, will receive a new name. 85 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:14,120 He will no longer be called Simon, 86 00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:18,200 but he will be Peter, the rock, the foundation. 87 00:04:18,200 --> 00:04:20,120 And through his actions and ministry, 88 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:23,960 the church will be born, the living body of Christ, 89 00:04:23,960 --> 00:04:27,000 still at work in the world today. 90 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:29,320 Thousands upon millions of people 91 00:04:29,320 --> 00:04:33,240 will take up the work that Peter began. 92 00:04:33,240 --> 00:04:35,520 To Peter will be given the keys of the kingdom 93 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:40,160 and the unique power to bind and to lose things. 94 00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:43,280 Peter will begin the church and the powers of evil. 95 00:04:43,280 --> 00:04:48,720 And death and destruction will never prevail against it. 96 00:04:48,720 --> 00:04:52,280 This is a high point for Peter, a moment of joy and glory, 97 00:04:52,280 --> 00:04:56,280 where Peter gets it right, where his loyalty and his faith 98 00:04:56,280 --> 00:04:59,400 are seen and commended not just by the people around him, 99 00:04:59,400 --> 00:05:00,640 but also by God. 100 00:05:03,280 --> 00:05:06,880 Peter is one of my favorite people in the Bible, 101 00:05:06,880 --> 00:05:11,800 but I don't love Peter because Peter gets things right. 102 00:05:11,800 --> 00:05:14,680 I don't love Peter because his faith was always strong 103 00:05:14,680 --> 00:05:17,800 or his actions were always good. 104 00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:21,520 I love Peter because Peter so very often 105 00:05:21,520 --> 00:05:23,520 does not get it right. 106 00:05:23,520 --> 00:05:28,400 I love Peter because he so frequently misses the point. 107 00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:33,640 He fails time and again, publicly, spectacularly. 108 00:05:33,640 --> 00:05:39,720 And yet Peter walked with Jesus, and Jesus loved him anyway. 109 00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:42,800 While this week we get the story of Peter's fantastic profession 110 00:05:42,800 --> 00:05:46,680 of faith, here's a spoiler alert for next week's gospel reading. 111 00:05:46,680 --> 00:05:49,440 Peter will have a unique and different experience 112 00:05:49,440 --> 00:05:50,720 all together. 113 00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:54,240 In the direct continuation of this story, 114 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:57,200 Jesus will tell his disciples what comes next, 115 00:05:57,200 --> 00:06:00,000 the cross and Jerusalem. 116 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:04,840 And Peter, unable to bear the thought, decries this warning. 117 00:06:04,840 --> 00:06:09,200 To Peter's protest, we hear one of Jesus's sharpest criticisms 118 00:06:09,200 --> 00:06:11,480 directed to Peter. 119 00:06:11,480 --> 00:06:15,600 Jesus says, get behind me, Satan. 120 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:18,440 Jesus tells his closest friend this. 121 00:06:18,440 --> 00:06:22,280 In the span of five verses, just five verses, 122 00:06:22,280 --> 00:06:26,440 Peter goes from blessed are you to Satan to stumbling 123 00:06:26,440 --> 00:06:29,080 block to hindrance. 124 00:06:29,080 --> 00:06:32,160 And this will be far from the only time that Peter fails. 125 00:06:32,160 --> 00:06:34,320 Only two weeks ago, we heard the story 126 00:06:34,320 --> 00:06:36,800 of Jesus walking on water. 127 00:06:36,800 --> 00:06:39,040 Peter, overcome with a moment in joy, 128 00:06:39,040 --> 00:06:43,280 he gets out of the boat himself and tries to walk to Jesus. 129 00:06:43,280 --> 00:06:46,920 And he does for a brief second. 130 00:06:46,920 --> 00:06:49,280 And then he has fears which turn to doubt, 131 00:06:49,280 --> 00:06:51,720 and he begins to sink. 132 00:06:51,720 --> 00:06:55,240 And he needs to be saved by Jesus. 133 00:06:55,240 --> 00:06:57,240 Too many times we hear Peter's name mentioned 134 00:06:57,240 --> 00:06:59,160 as part of a group that misunderstands, 135 00:06:59,160 --> 00:07:02,880 who disagrees with Jesus, who misses the point. 136 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:06,160 And perhaps Peter's worst moment, surely one of his worst 137 00:07:06,160 --> 00:07:10,600 recorded in scripture, Peter will desert Jesus. 138 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:13,040 He will deny any knowledge, any love, 139 00:07:13,040 --> 00:07:15,520 any relationship with Jesus. 140 00:07:15,520 --> 00:07:20,800 Not once, but three times, again and again and again, 141 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:25,120 rejecting and abandoning Jesus, his friend and his teacher, 142 00:07:25,120 --> 00:07:26,040 out of his own fear. 143 00:07:28,720 --> 00:07:31,800 But Peter's story does not end there. 144 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:35,040 Peter is not defined by his worst mistakes, 145 00:07:35,040 --> 00:07:38,520 and neither, blessedly, are we. 146 00:07:38,520 --> 00:07:40,720 Peter will go on to do his share of spreading 147 00:07:40,720 --> 00:07:44,760 the gospel of Jesus Christ in those early days of the church. 148 00:07:44,760 --> 00:07:46,600 Peter will do his part to change the world. 149 00:07:46,600 --> 00:07:49,720 And in the end, Peter will quite literally 150 00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:53,840 find the faith and the courage to face his own cross, 151 00:07:53,840 --> 00:07:56,800 as he is killed by the very powers 152 00:07:56,800 --> 00:08:00,120 that he sought to overthrow with the gospel. 153 00:08:00,120 --> 00:08:02,920 In the end, he will find the bravery and the faith 154 00:08:02,920 --> 00:08:07,720 that he has spent a lifetime growing into. 155 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:10,720 Peter is an example of a faithful follower of God, 156 00:08:10,720 --> 00:08:15,560 not in spite of his mistakes, but precisely because of them. 157 00:08:15,560 --> 00:08:18,680 We are all of us, only human, living 158 00:08:18,680 --> 00:08:21,160 in a deeply hurting world, doing the best 159 00:08:21,160 --> 00:08:24,360 we can to live our lives in a way that makes us proud, 160 00:08:24,360 --> 00:08:27,840 in a way that makes God proud. 161 00:08:27,840 --> 00:08:31,560 Peter reminds us that God is not seeking perfection from you. 162 00:08:31,560 --> 00:08:34,160 God isn't waiting for us to get it right. 163 00:08:34,160 --> 00:08:36,120 He's not waiting for us to say the best things 164 00:08:36,120 --> 00:08:38,520 or to make perfect choices. 165 00:08:38,520 --> 00:08:42,080 God wants to work with us right now. 166 00:08:42,080 --> 00:08:46,720 God wants to have a place in our lives right now. 167 00:08:46,720 --> 00:08:51,680 God is calling you to take up the work exactly as you are, 168 00:08:51,680 --> 00:08:53,560 with everything that you have and everything 169 00:08:53,560 --> 00:08:58,160 that you will be, everything you want to be. 170 00:08:58,160 --> 00:09:02,280 Very few of us will mess up as stunningly as Peter does. 171 00:09:02,280 --> 00:09:04,000 And yet, to him, we're given the keys 172 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:06,600 to the kingdom of heaven. 173 00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:08,400 And I'm so very confident that God 174 00:09:08,400 --> 00:09:11,680 wants to do wonderful and amazing things through us 175 00:09:11,680 --> 00:09:14,040 as well. 176 00:09:14,040 --> 00:09:17,360 God chose Peter with all of his flaws and his shortcomings. 177 00:09:17,360 --> 00:09:21,080 And God loved Peter through all of his catastrophic failures, 178 00:09:21,080 --> 00:09:25,800 just like God loves us through our failures, too. 179 00:09:25,800 --> 00:09:28,800 Like Peter, our lives are changed and made better 180 00:09:28,800 --> 00:09:32,800 by walking with God, by learning to more fully and closely 181 00:09:32,800 --> 00:09:35,120 follow God. 182 00:09:35,120 --> 00:09:40,040 God is calling you now, exactly as you are. 183 00:09:40,040 --> 00:09:42,720 And like Peter, you will not be the same 184 00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:45,800 when you choose to say yes. 185 00:09:45,800 --> 00:10:03,160 Amen.