The Confession of Saint Peter
Donna Joy

 

Psalm 23, 1 Peter 5:1-4, Matthew 16:13-20

Today we celebrate our 59th anniversary as a parish, and as is the case each and every year we do so within the context of our namesake, Peter. January 18th is that day in the liturgical year when we remember how Peter was led by God's grace to acknowledge Jesus as the Christ (as we heard in our gospel reading for today). So today we join with Peter, and Christians all over the world, in naming Jesus as the Messiah – the One who is to suffer for the whole of humanity, and restore our relationship with God so that all who follow will bring healing and wholeness to a broken world. And, as we were reminded in our Gospel reading, because of this bold confession, Jesus identifies Peter as the rock upon which his church will be built.

I have always thought that there begins here an expectation that the boldness found in Peter’s confession is a boldness that is expected of the church; this boldness is a significant part of the rock on which the church is built. As Anglicans, we believe in apostolic succession which is often viewed as the unbroken chain of Peter’s confession from one generation to the next. . . that is - the unbroken chain of commitment, beliefs and call to mission which started with Peter, carried on throughout the centuries, and continues here – with each of us – today. We – the whole people of God – striving to live faithfully according to the teaching and mission begun with Peter, are a sign of this unbroken apostolic succession. This is how we – as Anglican Christians – believe that God works from one generation to the next.

Through our baptism we are the continuation of this apostolic succession; we are intimately linked to Jesus and re-connected to God. This is an enormous gift, and one that comes with enormous responsibility. Responsibility, that is, to be bold enough to partner with God in restoring the world into the paradise that God had originally intended – a paradise that is rooted in love and made manifest through justice, kindness, and generosity.

So, today we celebrate Peter’s confession that Jesus is Messiah. We celebrate this Parish of St. Peter as the continuation of Peter’s confession. And we reflect on ways in which this parish is faithful in carrying on this unbroken chain.

Our Gospel reading this morning speaks of a time when Jesus is questioning Peter and his disciples about his identity. Many Jews of Jesus’ day believed (and many still believe today) that God would send an anointed king (Messiah) who would spearhead the movement that would – at long last - free Israel from oppression and bring justice and peace to the world… a Messiah who would then live on and through the generations yet to come. What – exactly – this Messiah would look like was anybody’s guess and there were many theories.

Everyone who believed in such a coming king knew that he would fulfil Israel’s scriptures, and bring God’s kingdom into being at last. But no one had a very clear idea of what it would look like on the ground. During that first century there were many would-be Messiahs (Messiah ‘wannabes’) who came and went, attracting followers who were quickly dispersed when their leader was captured and executed by the authorities. This, of course, emphasizes the point that to become known as a would-be Messiah was to attract attention from the authorities – the kind of attention that would most certainly lead to punishment and death.

So when Jesus wanted to question his followers about his identity, he took them well away from the hub of activity where their conversation would not be overheard. Caesarea Philippi is in the far north of the land of Israel, well outside the territory and authority of Herod, a good two days’ walk from the sea of Galilee. Although, in time, it becomes clear that Jesus’ suffering and death will be necessary for his followers to live within the new life of his resurrection, it seems that the time has not yet come for him to attract this kind of hostile attention, so he takes his followers into a remote area where they may explore this question in a rather more private setting.

Initially he asks them, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” In other words, “Who do people say that I am?” The disciples’ response tells us a lot about the way Jesus was perceived by the people in general. I think it is important to look deeper into the disciples’ response to this question, because they are not saying that people see him as ‘gentle Jesus, meek and mild’ or simply cozy and comforting. I sometimes think that these images for Jesus are attractive to his followers (his church) because they speak of a Messiah that demands less from those who follow. But no, they are suggesting that people see him as dangerous. People see him not as one in whom people may rest comfortably. People see him – rather – as one of the wild and demanding prophets of recent or ancient times, who stood up and spoke God’s word fearlessly against wicked and rebellious kings. People see him as one who fearlessly speaks God’s truth of fairness, justice and peace to worldly power. People see him as one who is aligned with the most dangerous of prophets; one who was God’s mouthpiece against injustice and wickedness in high places.

But, within that prophetic ministry there lay hidden another – perhaps deeper dimension – and it seems that SINCE Jesus dared to ask the question he may have believed that his followers had grasped what was at that point still kept a ‘secret’ from the people outside his immediate circle. And that is, he was not JUST God’s mouthpiece; He was God’s Messiah. As important as this may be, he was not simply speaking God’s truth to power; he was God’s king, who would overturn all the earthly power that was so much in place – both within political and religious systems. And Peter is the first to confess this truth, as he says, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

And this was as risky as it gets. With this, they were not only signing on to be part of a prophetic movement that challenged existing authorities in God’s name; they were signing on for a revolution that was to challenge all those who were wielding positions of power. What Peter is confessing is as risky and as dangerous as it gets. He is saying that Jesus is the true king; that Herod – and even faraway Caesar – had better watch their backs. And the Temple authorities… Yikes… Who knows how this may undermine their power and authority.

And with this confession Jesus initiates what was to become the beginning of this apostolic succession which is to continue – unbroken - throughout the centuries – and continuing through the worship, ministries and outreach here in this parish over the past 59 years and beyond. With this confession, Jesus identifies Peter as the rock (or perhaps stone) upon which his church is to be built. It was never Jesus’ intention to build an actual city, or an actual Temple. Starting with Peter, he is building a community, consisting of all those who confess their belief in him as God’s anointed king. This movement, this community of followers, starts then and there, at Caesarea Philippi, with Peter’s declaration. Peter – in time - was to reach the painful yet life-giving discovery that Jesus’ authority could only come to fruition through his death – allowing all his followers to live courageously and boldly in the light of a resurrection people. He – and the others – would discover that to follow him is to discover strength born out of weakness – to follow him is to make sacrifices so that God’s world may be restored.

This is not simply a story of long ago involving an exchange between Jesus, his disciples and Peter. This is our story. We are the continuation of this story. This parish has been the continuation of that story for 59 years. It is the continuation of that story today. And this story, through us, will continue into the future.

So, what does this mean – what does this look like – for this parish more than 2,000 years later? What does this mean – what does this look like – for each of us as we confess our faith in Jesus as Messiah and live out that faith daily within the context of our own lives and also within the context of this body of Christ here at St. Peter’s. I suggest that it means each and every one of us as individuals and together as the body of Christ every day – day after day after day – confess our faith in Jesus; name him as the very centre of our lives; and live our lives accordingly.

This past year St. Peter’s has been working diligently on an extensive and intense visioning process, during which we have identified what we believe is God’s purpose and vision for this community at this moment in time – in other words, how we are called to confess our faith in Jesus. Recognizing that our purpose is to be a Christian community seeking to love God, grow in faith and serve the world, this parish is in the process of identifying our priorities as we carry on the boldness of Peter. We are recognizing those priorities as: worship / hospitality / lifelong Christian education / stewardship / boldly seeking justice and comfort to each other within this parish family as well as throughout the world beyond ourselves / caring for God’s creation. Throughout this visioning process we have been focusing on our role – as followers of Jesus – to seek justice, love kindness and walk humbly with our God. This, indeed, is a bold move in a world that seeks to satisfy the insatiable wants of the individual, where revenge so often overcomes kindness, and where the elevation of the self makes humility a rarity. As we continue to work on this visioning process, the next step is to work diligently in developing and implementing S.M.A.R.T. goals (Specific. Measurable. Attainable. Realistic. Timely.) so that – with God’s help – we may fulfill these priorities in specific, concrete ways. The whole parish will continue to be invited to participate in the setting of these goals.

Beginning with Peter, Jesus has established a community that consists of those who give allegiance to him as God’s anointed king. And this movement, this community, which began with our namesake, Peter, continues through this Parish of St. Peter at this moment, in this time, in this place. The work of this visioning process will help to keep us on track as we continue the work of this unbroken chain.

This day is not remembered by the church merely as St. Peter’s feast day, but as what we call “the confession of St. Peter.” The church has decided to focus on a single incident in Peter’s life that could not have taken more than a few short moments. But the truth is that life is punctuated by such moments; moments when we decide to choose or to speak or to act in one way rather than in another, affecting the course of our lives and the lives of others for months or years or an entire lifetime or generations who are to follow. For Peter those fleeting few moments in Caesarea Philippi were such a time and such a choice. I pray that the purpose and vision God is calling us into will help us continue to build the community that began with our namesake, Peter.