St. Paul’s Church in
Bergen, Jersey City NJ
August 27, 2017
Year A, Proper 16:
The Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost
Isaiah 51:1-6
Psalm 138
Romans 12:1-8
Matthew 16:13-20
Confess the Faith
If
you’ve been in church lately, you know that we’ve been hearing a lot about the
flawed but lovable Apostle Peter.
A
couple of weeks ago, we heard the story of the Transfiguration when Peter,
James, and John witness Jesus transformed on the mountain, getting to see Moses
and Elijah, getting a glimpse of heaven, and, if that wasn’t enough, getting to
hear the voice of God!
Appropriately
enough, Peter wanted to memorialize this event by building three booths right
there on the mountain, but it was not to be.
Instead,
Jesus and his friends had to come down off the mountain and face their destiny.
And
then we heard the story of Peter and the other disciples on a boat, at sea
during a terrible storm - a storm that sounded like it was scary even for an
experienced fisherman like Peter.
And
then in the morning, Jesus appeared – and appeared to be walking on the water –
which made no sense, right? So, an understandably frightened and confused Peter
says, “Lord, if it is you command me to come to you on the water.”
Jesus
says, “Come.”
And,
Peter takes a few bold steps out onto the water before he loses confidence,
loses faith, and reaching out to Jesus for help.
And,
now, today, Jesus asks his disciples those famous and profound questions:
First:
“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
And,
in reply, the disciples rattle off the usual suspects.
And
then, Jesus asks a more pointed, more personal question:
“But,
who do you say that I am?”
And,
of all people, it’s the uneducated fisherman Peter, the one who so often got it
wrong and who will continue to mess up in ways both large and small, it’s Peter
who gets the answer right:
“You
are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
In
the Church, this incident is called the “confession” of St. Peter – and it’s
considered such a big deal that every January we celebrate it as a major feast.
But,
it’s sort of an unusual use of the word “confession,” right?
Usually
when we think of “confession” we think of admitting wrongdoing and asking for
forgiveness. In church we make a confession of sin and some Roman Catholic and
Episcopal churches have confessionals where confessions take place, in private.
But,
there is another, in fact older, meaning of “confession” – to admit what’s in our
hearts, to declare what we believe to be true.
So,
yes, Peter confesses what he, by
God’s grace, has come to believe and know – the truth that he will give away
his life sharing with others:
Jesus
is the Messiah, the Son of the living God.
And,
you know, especially today, in our time and place, we desperately need to recover
this sense of “confession.”
We
all need to be “confessors.”
I
believe I’ve mentioned to you that just about my favorite priestly thing to do
is to baptize. And, I also enjoy preparing people for Baptism – either their
own or the Baptism of their child.
As
part of that preparation, we always go over the Baptismal Covenant, spending a
little extra time on the promise to “proclaim by word and example the Good News
of God in Christ.”
And,
when we talk about that I always say how, at first glance, it would seem that
the “example” is more difficult than the “word,” right?
After
all, we’ve all heard and know that talk is cheap.
Maybe
some of us have heard the quote attributed to St. Francis:
“Preach the Gospel at all times. If
necessary, use words.”
That
sounds right, or sounds like it should be right, but actually it’s not
right at all.
First
of all, St. Francis never said it – and, in fact, he spent plenty of time
preaching with words – even, we’re told, preaching to the animals!
Second,
in my time here at St. Paul’s, I’ve come to know that most, if not all, of us
do our best to live good and decent lives, trying to raise good children and
grandchildren, trying to be good friends and neighbors, trying to do our part
to make the world a better place.
And,
while that’s certainly not easy, I think for most of us living that way comes pretty
naturally.
But,
it’s not enough.
Unfortunately,
in our time and place, the loudest and most influential “Christian” voices are usually
the most intolerant, most ignorant, most hypocritical, and most hateful. And,
I’m sorry to say it, but many people out there think that’s who we are, that’s
what we believe, that’s what a Christian looks and sounds like.
So, whether we
like it or not, we need to actually say who we are and what we believe.
As
Paul asks in his letter to the Romans, “…how are they to believe in one whom
they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim
him?”
Like
Peter, we need to confess our faith
boldly.
So,
what might that look and sound like?
Well,
I don’t think it necessarily means we grab a Bible or a prayer book and go
stand at Journal Square confessing our faith to commuters as they make their
way to and from work – though, who knows, maybe for some of us that’s exactly
the ministry we’re called to.
But,
I think all of us are called to confess our faith in those everyday, seemingly
ordinary, moments of interaction and conversation.
So,
let’s imagine: it’s Monday morning at work or school or even just in your
neighborhood or building, and a co-worker or another student or a neighbor asks,
“So, whatcha do over the weekend?”
There
it is, right? A moment of decision. An opportunity to confess our faith – or not.
Do
you mention that you gave up a chunk of time on Sunday and went to church? Do
you say this knowing that it might make your friend look at you kind of funny,
like you’re a “holy roller” or some kind of religious fanatic?
Do
you admit that this wasn’t some one shot deal, either, that actually, you’re in
church most Sundays and that you come here because it’s meaningful and
important to you?
Do
you confess that, yes, although you sometimes
doubt and waver like everybody else, you try to put your faith in Jesus, that
you believe Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God?
Confession.
It
sounds kind of funny, sort of counter-intuitive, but we are meant to not just
walk the walk but also talk the talk.
Like
imperfect Peter, each in our own way, we’re called to confess our faith, to
actually tell people the Good News – the Good News that they so
desperately need to hear.
As
we say to brand-new Christians at the end of every Baptism, “Confess the faith
of Christ crucified, proclaim his resurrection, and share with us in his
eternal priesthood.”
May
we have the grace and courage to confess our faith.
Amen.
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