March 3, 2024, Lent 3
The Wandering Heart 

Lighting the Christ Candle

Welcome and Announcements 

Call to Worship
If you ask the sky who God is,
the sky will tell you of God’s reach.
If you ask the day who God is,
the sun will tell you of God’s warmth.
If you ask the night who God is,
the moon will tell you of God’s comfort.
“The heavens are telling the glory of God” Are you listening?
We are listening!   We will sing of God’s glory.
Let us worship Holy God
We will worship God together. 

Hymn:  Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

(See projection screen) 

 

Prayer of Adoration 

Holy God, For generations people have gathered in this place, have bowed their heads, have prayed together, and have asked for your presence in their lives. For generations people have desired that our worship would be acceptable and pleasing to you, O God.” We are grateful for the steadfastness of your grace through all those years.
Today we have gathered again, we have quieted our minds, and we long to feel your presence in our midst. As we worship you today, we ask you to still our busy minds so that we might truly comprehend what you have to say to us today. With joy and hope we pray, Amen. 

 

Call to Confession: 

In our scripture for today, Jesus asks the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter said, “You are the Messiah.” Have you ever wondered if his voice faltered when he answered? Did he respond loudly and with confidence, or with a tentative whisper? We’ll never know. The text doesn’t provide those details. But we can trust that, no matter how we speak to God, when we speak, God is listening. So let us join together in the prayer of confession. Whether you whisper these words or speak them with conviction, may you trust that our gracious and merciful God is listening with love. Let us pray together: 

Prayer of Confession:
Holy God, some days, we are quick to declare your goodness. Like Peter, we see you in our midst and we are confident in our faith. Other days, we are distracted and uncertain, desperate for answers.
Forgive us for losing sight of you.
Some days we are quick to trust your blessings— trusting that we are called, that we can make a difference. Other days, our praise falls silent and doubt creeps in.
Forgive us for losing sight of ourselves. 

 
We know that fear and doubt are part of the journey of faith. But for the days when we are far from you and far from ourselves, we ask for your tender grace. Pull us closer toward you. Remind us of the mountaintop moments of our faith. Amen.
 

Assurance of Pardon 

Whether you speak to God in a whisper or with clear conviction; with questions or with answers; with hope in your heart or with doubt in your throat— God will always listen with love and mercy. So, rest in this good news: you belong to God. You are loved. You are claimed. You are forgiven. Amen 

Passing the Peace 

May the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.   

Hymn:  324 Great is thy faithfulness

Scripture:

Psalm 19  p 858
Matthew 16: 13-20  p 1524
 

 

  

Sermon:  Peter:  You are the Rock 

The commentators this week kept emphasizing that we could not detach Peter’s confession of faith from the location in which the question was asked.   

Jesus posed the question in Casearia Phillipi, not Casearia—Casearia Phillipi.   It has been a place of political importance, and remained so for the life of Jesus, as many of the players worked against him in many ways.   

These relationships are as complicated as any soap opera.  As near as I could figure it out by tracing the history, these are the connections that affected Jesus.   

 This region was given in 20 BC to King Herod.  The same Herod that ordered the massacre of all the male babies in Bethlehem.  After his death in 4 BC it passed to Herod (also known as Phillip 1) who renamed it Philip’s Casearville:  Cesearia Phillipi .  This Herod  was the husband of Herodias, who had previously been married his brother.  This begins his connection with the unfolding of the story of the Messiah.  The area later passed to Herod Phillip II (a descendant from a different branch in the family) who would marry Salome, whom, as we know, was the daughter of Herodias, who at her mother’s request ordered the beheading of John the Baptist. 

 

To say that there were political and militaristic undertones in Jesus and the disciples to be in the region is to state the obvious.  They would be in danger if Herod heard of them being in his territory.   

Also, holding this conversation in this particular location would, naturally evoke a political and militaristic interpretation of the question and the answer.   

 

One long held expectation of the Messiah was that he would restore the throne of King David.  That, in human terms could mean to wrest it back from the Herodoic dynasty, through violence, and war and at the same time defeat the oppressive Roman occupation. 

Some would view the inclusion of Judas Iscariot (Judas of the Knives) among the disciples as evidence that an uprising could be expected. 

Here in Casearia Phillipi Jesus asks two questions.  The first question that Jesus asks could be seen to direct the disciples to think of that militaristic function of the Messiah.  He asks:  “Who do people say that I am?” 

The answers varied: 

The one that comes before the Messiah. 

John the Baptist 

Elijah 

Jeremiah 

One of the prophets 

 

Many of the prophets have been the ones who boldly stood up to the occupation armies.  These prophets were known for their miracles as much as for the ways in which the stood toe to toe with kings and generals and often delivered messages of doom, opposition, even as they expressed their hope in God.   

When Jesus asks the second question, who do YOU say that I am, Peter answers, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”  Matthew 16: 16 NIV 

This answer could be seen to have more than a touch of revolutionary zeal and expectation.  This may not be right, but it is also not entirely wrong.  That belief was what underpinned the actions of Peter that we will explore in the weeks to come.    

Actions such as: 

Telling Jesus off for travelling to Jerusalem to die, what kind of king does that?. 

Pulling a sword and cutting off the centurion’s ear in the Garden of Gethsemane. 

The commentator Hoezee says that Peter got it right, and that it was true, but not exactly in the way he thought.  Hoezee points out that there are two sides to this statement:  the political and militaristic and the emphasis on radical grace. 

Ironically both those sides are exemplified by Jesus on the cross.  The militaristic triumph Jesus secured will not be revealed on earth for a while yet to come, but at its core is that truth that the power of God outstrips all the political and military powers in this world.   

First of all, comes the radical grace, which has been well established and is the life to which we are called.  The great power of Jesus is that he was and is a gracious lifegiving force that no one in the universe will be able to stop.  Many have tried, none have succeeded. 

 

When we acknowledge Jesus as Lord, it is a knowledge that is born of the revelation of God.   

None of us knows Jesus, until God speaks to us about the love and grace, he has given us in Jesus.  Our lives depend on divine revelation,  

not on what we think,  

or what others say,  

or even what preachers teach.   

All that we know and can know comes from the revelation of God. 

Jesus acknowledges the truth that Peter speaks, is a revelation that has come to him directly from God.  Because of this revelation, Jesus announces that Peter will now be known as Petros, the rock.   

Then Jesus says on the Rock—the Rock, not Peter, is where he will build his church.  What Jesus is saying that he will build his church on the Rock of Divine revelation. 

What Peter and the others did not fully understand is that although they would be instrumental in building the church, it was, and always will be, Jesus who builds the church.   

 

In that process, Peter—and we—are given the keys to the kingdom.  What we bind and what we loose are the radical gracious gifts that we are called to live into the world.   That means we loose people from bondage and free them to just and peaceful living.   

All of us who name Jesus as Lord, the son of the Living God, are called to live and exemplify radical grace.   

Do we appreciate how much flows out of this radical affirmation of faith? 

Do we realize how often we fail to live radical grace?   

 

That question alone, should be a corrective to the harsh thoughts we may often have about Peter’s frequent lapses in spiritual understanding.   

 

In fact, Hoezee points out that we are as guilty of wanting to go to war for God’s kingdom as Peter.  He writes:  “we still want to utilize Jesus as a pawn in power politics, still want to receive some perks and privileges that are not accorded to other religious faiths, and [why we] still think that we can legislate and strong-arm people into behaving better.”  Hoezee, commentary of Matt 16. 

We are asked to consider how we attempt to impose our will or understanding? 

We observe the controversy on college campuses to say that only Christians can gather to pray at the chapel. 

We see those who protest and proclaim we must return prayer, meaning the Lord’s Prayer, back into the start of every school day. 

We see those who are known more for what they are against than what they are for. 

Actions that alienate others and fail to bring about the radical grace of God’s kingdom.  

 

What is important is that we need to hear Jesus speak, and to listen for the revelation of God.  Hoezee points out that what is most important for the sake of the Gospel is that we do our spiritual best to be the “things of God” and not the things of the usual business of politics. 

Yes, we still speak to the actions of big business and politics as usual; because we all have a prophetic role.  However, what is far more important is that we apply radical grace to what we say and how we say it.   

Jesus tells us to pray for our enemies.   

Paul tells Timothy to pray for Kings and governments. 

 

This is where it starts.  It starts in prayer because prayer keeps our hearts engaged in seeking God’s will and revelation. 

That revelation is crucial for all the ministry in which we engage, especially the ministry of radical grace.  Calvin writes:  “Peter’s confession is short, but it embraces all that is contained in our own salvation.” 

The most important thing in our own salvation is that we are sinners saved by the glory and grace of God.   

So, as we watch Peter figure out what that means and how to live in it, we need to hold back our judgement of him.  Instead we need to recognize that he is an example to all of us that we can completely fail Jesus, and yet still be all that Jesus calls us to be. 

That will happen when we allow Jesus to impact the ways that we interact with each other.   

 

This brings us back to the ultimate truth—we cannot know anything unless God reveals it to us.   

We see Peter vacillate in his understanding of who the Messiah is, he often acts out of his own understanding of what he thinks the Messiah should be and what the Messiah should do.   

 

 

But so do we. 

And just as Jesus corrected Peter, he also corrects us. 

 

Peter is reminded that he needs to remember that if he calls Jesus Lord, he should not question the decisions and actions that Jesus makes.  Neither should he question the ministry to which Jesus calls him.  

We are reminded that how we identify Jesus, should be based on our encounter with God.  We can only know what God reveals to us.  We can only act on what God reveals to us and asks of us.  

This revelation comes to us bit by bit as we have daily conversations with God, whereby we adjust what we think we know and bring it into line with what God is teaching us.   

 

The commentator Smith points out that this is the only way that we can be a part of joining Jesus to build the church.  Not the church we want to see; but rather, the Church we are called to be in Christ. 

 

That Church is called to live a life of love for God and for others. 

That Church is called to live a life in the pursuit of justice and peace. 

That Church is called to build a world where children do not go homeless and hungry. 

That Church is called to build a world that embraces and heals those who are suffering. 

 

When we read the Epistles, we can see how Peter grew to embrace that calling.    

Preaching grace for salvation.   

Holding all things in common so that all could be fed and clothed. 

  Arranging for deacons to care for the widows.   

Reaching out to draw others in.   

Peter learned and grew in his walk with God, and in how he learned to be a servant of Jesus, as he joined Jesus in building the Church. 

We are called to join Jesus in the work of building the Church on this same Rock of the revelation of God. 

 

The Rock of faithfully hearing what God reveals to us is how we will demonstrate our belief in a living, speaking, incarnate God.   

The God of freedom.   

The God of infinite grace.   

The God of justice and love and peace. 

The God who welcomes us back again and again and renews our calling to be his servants and coworkers in building the Church. 

Glory be to God for the truths he reveals to us.  Amen 

 

Hymn:   372 Praise Him, praise Him

Offering and Doxology 830

Offertory Prayer
Holy God, we pray that in this Lenten season, by prayer, study and self-giving, we may penetrate more deeply into the mystery of Christ’s journey;
so that, his journey may become our journey.  As we offer to you our wealth, our talents and our lives, may we come to share in the healing and restoration that flows from Jesus and into the world.  May all that we give, be used by you, to share the mercy and justice of Christ, for the glory of your kingdom. Amen. 

 

  

Gathering Prayer Requests 
Prayer of Thanksgiving and Intercession 

We give you all thanks and praise, O God, for you have made us your own, through Christ Jesus, and given us a new righteousness based on faith.   We sing our praises to you.  Holy, Creating, Creative God, We sing from the depths of our sorrow. We sing in spite of our doubt and despair.  We sing when the way is plain before us.  We sing when the path is obscure.  We sing from the abundance of our joy. We sing in voices separate and unique. We sing with one voice as your body, recognizing you as the wind the lifts us and the rock to which we are secured.   We sing because we know the joy of being your people.  

JOY 

 

 

 

  

God, You have called us to be a people of prayer—to continue the ministry of intercession handed on to us by Jesus Christ Himself. 

And so we come before You with confidence, bringing our prayers for the world You love. In Your mercy, hear and answer.  

 

We pray for those who are ill, those in pain, those under stress,  

 

 

 

 

We pray for those who have died, (especially Charlie Ewing giving you thanks that he has entered into the land of eternal Light and your abiding peace.  We pray for Winnie, and their whole family that they may know the comfort and peace of your presence.   

 

 

 

 

We pray for those who hunger, those who thirst, those who cry out for justice, those who live under the threat of terror, and those without a place to lay their head.  We remember especially: 

 

 

The Ukraine/Russia                                                Palestine/Israel 

Those who are underhoused                                 

The food bank/Second Harvest 

Those displaced by fires in Texas  

Those who are oppressed by their own governments 

We pray for our nation, for all the nations of the earth, and for all who govern and judge.  For the Mayor and Council, for our premier and the Legislature, for our Prime Minister and Parliament, NATO, the UN and the World Court may all be led by your spirit and lead with wisdom, compassion and a longing to bring about true peace and your rule of justice.   

God, we have called upon You because we know You will answer.  You have turned Your ear to us heard our prayers.  Fill us now with the wonder of Your unfailing love, for You save those who take refuge in You. 

We thank you for the grace and mercy given in Jesus who taught us to pray, saying: 

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, for ever.  Amen 

Hymn:  472 We are God’s people

 

Benediction Unison
Beloved wanderer, as you leave this place, may you carry your curious heart on your sleeve. May you look for God in every face. May you find the courage to get out of the boat, to run to the tomb, and to speak of your faith. And when the world falls apart, may you hear God’s voice deep within, saying, “Take heart, it is I, be not afraid.” You are called. You are blessed. In both your ups and your downs, you always belong to God. Go now in peace. Go trusting that good news. Amen. 

Blessing Song:  209

O love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee
I give thee back the life I owe
that in thine ocean depths its flow
may richer, fuller be.
Public Domain