Sunday Service 2nd March

Who do you say that I am?

2/3/25

Call to worship

Hymn 47(JP): For I’m building a people of power

Time for all: Elaine

Hymn 14(JP): Be bold, be strong 

Reading:  Matthew 16: 13-28

Prayer

Hymn 519: Love divine, all loves excelling

Sermon

Prayer

Hymn 448: Shine, Jesus, shine

Benediction

Welcome to our meditation for 2nd March.

We are beginning to move towards Easter with all the challenges that brings.

And in that journey we reflect that as Jesus began to move towards that first Easter things were coming to a head.

Jesus was performing miracles and teaching but where would it all end?

What were people’s expectations of Jesus?

What were Jesus expectations on them, on us?

We will reflect on that after our reading and prayer

Prayer

Loving God,

we come before you today,

called by your Son, our Saviour, whose life and teachings continue to challenge us and transform the world.

We remember and give thanks for his revelation,

showing us a glimpse of your love in words and actions we see that that his ways are not the ways of the world.

Jesus turned expectations upside down,

challenged the comfortable, challenges us, and called us to follow a path of self-giving love.

We pray today that we might begin to live up to this call.

Merciful God,

we confess that we often resist the radical message of Jesus.

We are drawn to comfort, to stability, and the familiar,

but Jesus calls us to a life of transformation,

to follow him in ways that challenge our assumptions.

Forgive us for the times when we have chosen the easy path instead of the one that demands courage, sacrifice, and faith.

Forgive us for failing to live as people transformed by your grace.

Forgive us for ignoring the cries of the poor,

for turning away from the outcast,

and for often being silent in the face of injustice.

Forgive us when we try to make Jesus fit into our lives rather than allowing him to transform us.

Loving God,

through the life of Christ and his example, you invite us to follow him into new life.

Transform us now,

so that we may walk in his path of love, justice, and compassion.

Renew our hearts and minds,

Help us to say in faith and with faith the words that Christ himself  taught us

Our Father,

Which 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.

Sermon

‘Who do you say that I am?’

I think that phrase haunts us, has haunted disciples throughout history.

It certainly challenges those first disciples.

The disciples, though they don’t know it yet, are starting their last journey with Jesus to Jerusalem.

Tension is beginning to build.

There have been some outright challenges from the establishment against Jesus.

Jesus is no longer an entertainment from the sticks, a novelty for the crowd to follow for a while.

Jesus is now seen as a threat.

It’s ok when Jesus is out there doing a few miracles and coming out with some wise words.

But when he starts to threatening the core beliefs....that is another matter.

God made the rules about working on the Sabbath, and he is breaking those rules.

God made the rules about cleanliness and who we should properly mix with, and Jesus is breaking those rules.

What is worse Jesus is encouraging others to break those rules.

When people question the authority of the temple, then they threaten the order God himself has set for the people.

And Jesus is threatening that order.

When Jesus is just a teacher we go to hear and reflect on, that is one thing,

but when he is asking us to pick sides, to make commitments, that is something else completely.

There is tension in the air.

Conspiracies are beginning to form.

Allegiances starting to be made.

‘Who do you say that I am?’

The very question redefines faith.

You see up until then faith was dependant on which school you belonged to.

Have you ever wondered how the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, Amos survived when the Temple fell?

History is more often than not written by the victors; usually because they have the opportunity to destroy the writing of the vanquished.

There are so many faiths that we know very little about, because when their people were conquered their temples were destroyed or at best desecrated, often their religious scrolls were destroyed, or over time just decayed and were never replaced. Over time their language ceased to exist.

We know some of the Egyptian faith because they wrote their language in stone, harder to destroy, but even then there are still debates about what it means and how it was lived.

Then look at what the Babylonian Empire did.

They destroyed the temple, the exiled the people, they destroyed the scrolls of faith.

Books like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, Hosea, written by the losers, should have been destroyed, probably were destroyed.

And yet we still have them.

Because these books were not written by just individuals, but by followers, or schools of believers.

Isaiah had a school of disciples, who learnt the passages off by heart because they believed in them, and then rewrote them and added to them so that the beliefs could be carried on, long after the prophet had died.

Jeremiah had a school of disciples, who learnt the passages off by heart because they believed in them, and then rewrote them and added to them so that the beliefs could be carried on, long after the prophet had died.

Amos and Hosea had schools of disciples, who learnt the passages off by heart because they believed in them, and then rewrote them and added to them so that the beliefs could be carried on, long after the prophets had died.

That was the way the traditions had developed.

John the Baptist had his followers who would keep on his teachings.

It was expected that Jesus would have his followers that would keep on his teachings.

And then Jesus says, ‘Who do you say that I am?’

John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah...which set of teachings do you follow?

Which set of teachings do you believe in?

And that is a problem.

Because the question Jesus asks implies that faith is not about belief, it is about relationship.

Think about it...what if it was myself that asked that question...

‘Who do you say that I am?’

Well that would depend on who you are and your relationship with me.

There are many in Alva and beyond who would say I am that nice man who takes their families funeral services.

There are so many children that would say that I am the really nice man that lets them play hide and seek in the church.

Some would say that I am their minister.

Few would say that I am their father.

Fewer would say that I am their brother.

One would say that I am their husband.

The question itself defines that the answer depends on our relationship.

And that is the question that Jesus asks, ‘Who do you say that I am?’

And the question changes everything about faith.

You see up until then faith was a destination, faith was where you travelled to.

You followed someone until you believed, you studied someone until you believed, and then you had faith.

Buddhism is all about reaching enlightenment; it is a destination that you get to.

And unfortunately many think Christianity is the same.

You go to a revival meeting, you make your way forward as a declaration of faith and you have reached your destination...you are saved, you are going to heaven, mission accomplished.

And in that system faith is a destination, it is somewhere that we travel to.

And that is never enough.

I was asked to speak in the secondary school to pupils on suffering and conflict.

It was very interesting because the questions reflected a belief that faith is a destination.

I had supposedly reached the destination so I had to have all the answers.

‘How can there be a loving God and there be suffering in the world?’

If I have faith, then I have the answers.

And if the answers are wrong then I obviously don’t have enough faith, or I have the wrong faith, or I have deluded faith.

It never dawned on them that in faith we do not travel to...we travel with...

That is what Jesus is getting at by the question.

‘Who do you say that I am?’

That is a relationship question and it has big significance.

And the very next passage reflects the difference.

Jesus starts talking about suffering.

Now if Jesus has belief then he prays to God and God helps him.

Suffering is avoided.

When faith is about a destination then everything is about belief.

Remember the distraught father who says to Jesus, ‘I believe, help my unbelief.’

So often that is exactly where we are.

Suffering hits us and we want to believe there is a loving God,

we want to believe that there is a God watching over us,

we want to believe that there is a point to it all.

And sometimes we do, and sometimes we struggle.

And when we struggle we feel guilty that our belief isn’t strong enough,

that only if we had enough belief then we could get through it.

And many often then stop believing, because they feel they don’t have enough strength and they can’t cope, so obviously they were wrong.

But that isn’t what Jesus says,

Jesus doesn’t tell them that only if they have enough belief they can conquer this world, or avoid the struggles of this world.

Jesus asks, ‘Who do you say that I am?’

Jesus asks them to have a relationship with him.

We don’t travel to a belief system in Jesus; we travel with Jesus through this life.

Jesus won’t avoid suffering; he will travel with his Father through the suffering.

Jesus doesn’t take our suffering from us, Jesus travels with us in our suffering.

Our faith is not dependant on how clever we think we are,

how academic we think we are,

how wise we think we are

Our faith has never been dependant on whether we understand the book of Romans or can quote scripture off by heart or can say with our hand on heart that we follow completely the Westminster Confession of Faith.

Our faith is dependent on our relationship with Jesus, are we walking this journey of life knowing he is beside us, and trusting on him?

That when we are confused, that he is there seeking to guide us?

That when we are hurting that he is there seeking to comfort us?

That when we are in a time of abundance that he is there seeking to remind us of others who are struggling and need our help?

That when we are doing well that he is there reminding us to be thankful?

That when we sleep he is there watching over the world?

That when we are awake that he is there seeking to show us the next step?

It is the wonder of the question

‘Who do you say that I am?’

Because it changes the nature of faith.

In faith we do not travel to... we travel with.

Wherever we go, whatever we face, in faith we travel with Jesus.

So I suppose when Jesus asks us; ‘Who do you say that I am?’

Our answer could be;

‘You are my companion as I journey through this life. You are my guide, my help, my inspiration.’

Let us pray

Heavenly Father

When Jesus asks us, ‘Who do you say that I am?’ What should we say, what would we say...

A miracle maker? A wonder worker? A healer? A teacher? A storyteller?

A rabbi? A Jew?

It forces us to reflect, and reflect on ourselves.

What would our neighbours say if we asked them who they thought we where?

What would they say?

A friend? A colleague? A leader? A listener? A busybody?

Would they say we are judgemental, or arrogant, or selfish?

Would they say we are insular or outgoing?

Would they say we are a good neighbour or always complaining?

And then there is the biggie.

What if we were to ask you who you thought we were, what would you say about us?

A follower? A churchgoer? A truth-seeker?

A grace-liver? A love-sharer?

A child of God? A witness?

Or…

A hypocrite? A sham?

No matter what we think, no matter how insecure, or secure, that we are in our beliefs, may we know that we are on a journey,

and on this journey you are with us,

and that if we are with you,

then your presence will change us over time to be more like you.

May that be our hope and our joy.

Amen.