Mathew 16:13-20, "Who do you say that I am?"

            Have you ever found one of those statements that has been so profound…so deep that it sticks in your brain for days, maybe weeks; how about months or years? I had an experience like that many years ago. I was finishing my time in the military and transitioning to civilian life. A very significant relationship also ended and so I felt pretty much alone. I woke up this one morning in a panic attack. I felt disoriented and also felt like there was something that I was supposed to do but I didn’t know what it was. I was trying to figure it out and I just couldn’t understand what was going on. I kept hearing this phrase in my head; “thou art Peter and upon this rock, I built my church.” The language is a little dated but I kept hearing it in my head.
            It’s important to understand what is going on this Gospel reading. Jesus and the disciples have been travelling now for 16 chapters. Last week they were up on the outer fringes of the border of Israel. They are still pretty far north of Jerusalem. They are in Caesaria Phillipi which was a place named for Tiberius Caesar. It is where the Roman Emperor would come for vacation after the Roman’s conquered Israel. Just a reminder that Roman Emperors has statues built in their own image and they were to be treated as Gods and you worshipped the emperor.
            Despite being in this area, this dangerous area, Jesus asks the question. “Who do the people say that I am?” The answers are not too shocking. Some think he is John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah and it makes pretty good sense because they were prophets. They (John, Elijah, Jeremiah) went into the world and were given a calling to proclaim God’s word to God’s people; they spoke to rulers about what God had told them, they were relied upon to accurately state God’s Word and they were called upon by leaders as to what God would think about their actions or lack of action.
            That all makes sense, because what has Jesus been doing? He has been walking around telling people and leaders about God’s Word. He has been teaching God’s people about the many aspects of God and God’s love. He has shown God’s love through his words; he shows God’s love through healing, sitting with people that were considered unclean or the least likely people in society. When it comes to God being happy or unhappy, Jesus does not mince words. Just like the prophets, Jesus tells people when they are wrong and tells them to repent for the Kingdom of Heaven draws near. So, it would make sense that people might see Jesus as John, Elijah, or Jeremiah).
            Then Jesus asks that all important question; “Who do you say that I am?” That question is a whole different ballgame. That is one of those questions where we think “man can’t I just stick with what the other people say?” I mean, it is easier to be faced with the question of “who do they say that I am?” Now Peter has to come up with an answer to this question. It is time for Peter to declare…to confess who this Jesus; who this man is that he has been following for some time. He is called upon to state who this person is that we know just two short weeks ago was calling to Peter to come to him on the water, despite the crashing waves and wind; AND who plucked him out of the water when he was drowning because of his lack of faith.
            So, Peter makes this bold declaration. He says to Jesus “you are the Messiah, son of the living God.” Alright! Peter finally gets it doesn’t he? He knows who Jesus is and is ready to move on and so are we, right? NOT SO FAST! There is one little surprise in this Greek of the New Testament; and that surprise is that Jesus’ question and the verb “SAY” is in the present tense; which means that it is an action that happens in the present and continues on. Meaning, that it is the equivalent of Jesus saying, “who do you say, and continue to say…keep on saying….that I am?
            Now the question becomes a little bigger than a “one and done” type question. Jesus’ question becomes more like an understanding than just a nice to know information type question. Our reading might make this look like an easy answer because there is no indication that Peter said “let me get back to ya on that one.” Peter answers and Jesus tells him the reward…”the keys to the Kingdom.” Although it seems pretty cut and dry, I would ask you to remember two things: First, Peter is making a bold statement in an area that is dangerous. He is in a Roman town with all kinds of Roman statues as Gods and if anyone that is a Roman heard this declaration, it could mean the end for them all, so Peter is brave. Second, Peter may not fully understand what he is saying. Although Peter may have taken into account what Jesus showed him up to this point, we know what happens when Jesus is arrested. Peter does not continue proclaiming Jesus “the son of the living God.” In fact, at one point he denies knowing Jesus.
            So where do we fit into this picture? We can relate to Peter. We can sit in this sanctuary and proclaim Jesus as the son of the living God, and we do! Outside these doors it is not so easy. Although we may not have to fear the wrath of a Roman emperor, we do face backlash because we believe that Jesus is the Son of the living God. We face times when it may not seem like a good idea to say thanks be to God; and there are times when the secular world would rather we not pray, identify our faith, or make the slightest reference to God. Frankly, it may be the easiest thing to do to not mention our faith or make any references to God, just so we don’t have to hear the backlash.
            But we are asked the same question by Jesus. Jesus asks us “who do you say that I am?” We are called to answer that question in the present and continuing into the future. Ever since the day that I experienced the words of “Thou art Peter and upon this rock, I build my church I began getting more involved in my church and seeking out what it meant for me to be a child of God. We make the creed statement every Sunday as to who Jesus is collectively. BUT, who is Jesus to us personally? That is a much deeper question because it calls us to think about this question, not just today, but every day.  The good news is that we all may have different answers because the question calls us to think about what God has done for us in our lives; it calls us to remember where Jesus…God has been active in our lives. The motto of the ELCA is “God’s Work, Our hands.” This means that Jesus question calls us to see the Christ and to be the Christ in ourselves…as well as seeing it and bringing it out in others.
            Thanks be to God: AMEN!

 

Matthew 14: 22-33 Only when the Boat is about to sink? I hope not!

             Could you put yourself in this situation? Imagine that you’re walking along with Jesus and he says, “Head on over to the other side. I’m going up the mountain. I will catch up with you later.” Is that something you could really imagine; maybe? Then imagine you agree, you get in the boat and head off…not thinking about what he meant with “I’ll catch up with you later.”

            You are in the boat and out of nowhere, this storm kicks up, the wind is blowing, and the water is almost taking the boat all the way over. That is not a fun place to be, is it? It is not something that a person plans for but yet storms can come up pretty quickly whether it is on land or water. This storm has gotten the disciples thinking “this is it! We’re not going to make it through this!”
            I think there is something that needs to be explained about this particular story of Jesus. This sea or any large body of water was to be avoided by the people of Jesus time. They would go out to fish, but it was not anything like deep sea fishing excursions we might tend to think about. They stayed close to the shore. One of the reasons is that the sea represented chaos. Waves crashing was part of the unorganized nature of things; it was the place where dangerous and deadly creatures lurked; some might say it was where evil resided. So this place that could cause so much hurt, pain, and disruption was to be avoided whenever possible. That would make sense to avoid it, wouldn’t it?
             So, they are in the boat and they see this shadowy figure coming out to them. Through the waves crashing, the wind blowing, and all this fear they see Jesus coming to them. He tells them “take heart, it is I (sidenote: the original Greek language of the New Testament uses the phrase “I am” not “it is I;” where have we heard that before?). “Do not be afraid,” Jesus says. I don’t know about you but those words would be little comfort to me when I think a wave is going to throw me over the side!
            Then we have “brave Peter.” Peter tells the Lord to command him to come, that happens and when Peter is almost there, he gets frightened and begins to sink. Peter cries out to the Lord “Save me!” and Jesus does. Jesus plucks him out of the water and we hear those words “you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
            Brothers and Sisters, I do believe that we can imagine being in this story; in this boat. I am sure there have been at least one time where we can relate to this story. I believe that we have all experienced the chaos and uncertainty of our world; whether it is the loss of a job, a loved one, being stressed out because there is not enough time in the day to do what needed to be done, work piling up and being asked to do more with less. We can all relate to that storm that pops up on the disciples. We can recognize it as individuals and we can recognize it as a congregation. Congregations are not immune from having these feelings at times; feeling lost or trying to figure out a future. These are real feelings that every person and congregation will go through in our lives.
            When those times come, how do we react?  These circumstances can bring us to a bad place where we may say or do things that can be hurtful, say things we don’t mean or do things we would not normally do. We do them because we are just trying to figure out how to survive amid all the turmoil and, to be honest, sometimes our faith gets so shaken that we cannot possibly think that God is present or walking with us through all this.
            This is when God calls us to hear, “Take heart, I am.” When the storms come up, we can take Peter’s lead with a twist. Instead of waiting till we think we’re going to get tossed over the side, how about, we ask for the Lord to be with us…to save us before things, anything happens?! It may sound a little drastic but why not ask for God to be present in all that we do? It doesn’t have to be some dramatic crying or wailing and gnashing of teeth, but maybe it is a simple statement like “God be with me today.” OR “I’m gonna need your help with this one, God.” Or simply say “hi” to God.
            The Good news is that through this scripture reading we hear Jesus continuing God’s promise to be with us. We know that because Jesus doesn’t say “you of little faith, how could you and I am out of here!” Instead, Jesus gets into the boat. He takes Peter back to the boat and they get in! If that were not the case then the Gospel of Matthew would or should have ended right then and there; BUT IT DOESN’T!!!!
            The Gospel continues on because there is more to the story. And part of that more is that Jesus saves Peter from the chaos, he does not let the wind or the water consume the people that are following him. Despite their lack of faith, he does not give up on them. He continues to invite them to hear the Word of God, Learn the Word of God, and live out God’s love for the disciples.          Just as they are invited to all of this, so are we. We are invited to hear, learn, teach, and live out the Word of God in a world that is so broken; where that chaos of the ocean can be seen, where our lives can be disrupted by so many things and so many events that it can rattle our faith.
            BUT, Jesus still invites. He invites to continue learning about the Word of God, the love of God and the promise that death does not have the last word and that nothing can separate us from God’s love. Jesus also invites us to invite others to hear, learn, teach, and live out the word of God. We are called to share all the blessings that God has given us and share them with strangers, with communities, and among others who believe in Jesus Christ; as well as those who may have never heard the Word of God before; to share God’s love with those who need to know that they are cared for and loved.
            Today, we know the chaos in our own lives and in our world. My prayer is that we all call on our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ to save us when we need saving, to pray with us, and to be with us at all times: Thanks be to God: AMEN!

Matthew 14:13-21 "You feed them" What does that mean for us?

            Good Morning! I am excited to be here with you and to worship with you. This week’s scripture seems to be highly appropriate for this the beginning of our ministry together. It is so good because Jesus tells the disciples what they are supposed to do while they are with this crowd of 5000 + people.

            Before I get to that, I would like to tell you a little about this disciple. I was born and raised in Hagerstown, Maryland. I joined the Md. Army National Guard while I was a junior in High School; went to boot camp at the end of Junior year and returned for my senior year of high school. Couldn’t find a job after high school so I moved to New York and lived with my sister; worked in a warehouse and decided that wasn’t what I wanted to do so I joined the Navy. I spent 8 years in the Navy and felt this urge to continue to serve people. While in the Navy, I went back to school. I wanted to be a lawyer so I began studies in law and became a paralegal. I worked at the Rhode Island Attorney General’s office for 13 years.

            During that 13 years, I was attending church and my pastor and I began chatting. Then it turned into meeting for coffee once a week. He started talking to me about ministry. As time continued, he would tell me that he and I were doing the same job. You see, I worked with a lot of witnesses, victims of crimes, law enforcement officers, and lawyers. I loved what I was doing. This job had its ups and downs. There were days when you could help people and there were days when I just wasn’t feeling that I helped anyone.

            This scripture reading from Matthew is one that I can relate with quite easily. First off, the disciples want to send the crowd away. It sounds like that 5:00 whistle is about to blow. “its late and these people need to go into town and get some food. The disciples have had enough of the crowd and now they want some Jesus time. At least, that is how it sounds. Now they want to be left alone with Jesus to eat some dinner and let the teaching resume tomorrow. I think we can all relate to that.

.           Jesus says something a little out of character. “Don’t send them away,” he says. He then tells the disciples “you feed them.” Could you imagine the look on their faces when Jesus said that? Stunned might be an understatement. Here is this crowd and now Jesus says, “You feed them.” That would be like going to a concert with your picnic basket and all the sudden the people on the stage say “well, I hope you brought enough for everyone!”

            There is something more than what you see here. This is the first time in Matthew’s Gospel that Jesus tells the disciples to do something. Not just anything but you feed these people who have been following us for days; feed this crowd of people…these 5000+ people…you feed them. They all have left the boats and now they are in the wilderness. They did not drop the nets from the boat to catch as much fish and then hold a party. They left the boat and now are in a “deserted place” All they have is the five loaves of bread and two fish; now they have to feed all these people.

            The something bigger here is what we are called to do as disciple’s of Christ. We acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God; so the Son of God is telling the disciples to do God’s work of feeding this huge crowd of people. Sure they are scared, nervous, worried, that they won’t have enough to feed them all. But Jesus doesn’t want to hear it. HE blesses the food and gives it back to them; AND they don’t resist. They go about what Jesus called them to do and feed. Isn’t that amazing?! AND it is a miracle that there was enough for everyone to eat and there was even some left over. What a miracle that is and what a blessing!

            Just like the disciples were called we, too, are called by Jesus. We are called by Jesus to do God’s work that has been taught to us by the Son of God, Jesus Christ. One of what I would call the “funny things” is that we think we have our lives all planned out. For me, I thought I would be content to be the Navy for 20 years. Well, that did not happen. I thought I was going to be a lawyer and that did not happen. Becoming a pastor was not even on my radar. If someone would have told me that I was going to be a pastor 10-15 years ago, I would have laughed and I do remember laughing.

            Through all that laughing, God continued to call me to do God’s work in different ways. I do believe that in each of those jobs that God was the one who called me to do them. I am not the only one that God calls to do God’s work. God calls us all to do God’s work. In this story of feeding, Jesus is telling us to feed this crowd and there are many ways to feed. There is actual feeding, feed through sharing the Word of God, through our words, actions, and through our jobs and connections with one another.

            That is why I am so excited to be here and in this place. There are wonderful ministries that are going on here of teaching about God’s word and caring for one another and reaching out through the Carroll Lutheran School to some of the youngest of Jesus’ disciples. I am excited about hearing your stories of discipleship and being in conversation with you about what it means for us to be disciples of Christ and the journey that we will be taking together.

            In a few moments, we will be fed with the body and blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ. We will be fed with God’s gift and God’s miracle of salvation for you and for me. We will receive the gift of forgiveness through the sacrifice and crucifixion of God’s only Son on the cross; and we will witness the miracle of resurrection and new life. We are the recipients of God’s work through Jesus words, hands and feet.

            We have heard the words “God’s Work, our hands” haven’t we? That is why this is an exciting time because God is calling us together on this new journey, God promises to be with us every step of the way and Jesus taught us that God keeps God’s promises and that is something to be excited about.