Who do you say Jesus is?

Sermon for August 27, 2017

Proper 16A – RCL Track 1

Exodus 1:8-2:10
Psalm 124
Romans 12:1-8
Matthew 16:13-20

When Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

Today we hear in the Gospel Jesus quizzing the disciples on who people say he is.  What is the scuttlebutt around Israel as to the identity of this strange itinerate rabbi?  And I am sure that Jesus knew the grumbling or mutterings around his identity just as much as the disciples did.  The people are convinced that Jesus is a holy man and perhaps even one of the prophets come back to get the people’s attention.  Prophets are not popular people because they tend speak truth to power.  They have a tendency to show up when the kingdom is out of whack and bring the injustice of the power structures to the forefront.  And those in power usually don’t like being told that they are the problem.  They don’t like it when people like John the Baptist call the assembled leaders a brood of vipers!  And Jesus is doing things that calls into question the power structures.  He is hanging out with the wrong people and calling out the hierocracy of those who say they follow and worship Yahweh. 

Jesus follows up with the logical question – Who do the disciples think Jesus is?  Do they too think that he is some reincarnated or resurrected prophet?  And dear Simon Peter steps forward and blurts out “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God”.  Peter gets the right answer – at least for now.  But it is an answer that when he learns more about what being a messiah entails will find it hard to believe.  Later in this same section of the Gospel – in the very next set of verses, which we will read next week – Peter has a problem really understanding what it means to be a messiah.  But this week we get to stop at Peter making a bold and perhaps dangerous confession.  Jesus is the Messiah, the son of the living God.  Not some dead prophet come back.  God is doing better than sending back one of the prophets.  God is incarnate.  God is walking with them.

And Jesus says that it is on the confession of the Living God that we are to build the church.  And that is where it can get rough.  When we confess that we are part of the Episcopal Branch of the Jesus people we are confessing a living God.  Not a dead God.  And if we really do believe that we will have some of the same problems that we will hear Peter having next week.  If we build the church on a living god and not a dead Prophet than we will be asked to take some uncomfortable actions.

Who do you say Jesus is?  And the corollary for me is What is Jesus asking us to do if we really do confess a living God?  I think from the outside people around us may think that we have built museums to worship a distant God.  That we remember the acts of Jesus and that it makes us feel good to know that we can be forgiven. That is how we frequently read the promise to Peter when Jesus says that what is bound on earth is bound in heaven and what is loosed on earth is loosed in heaven. 

Another way to read this passage is that when we confess God to be a living God then what we do on earth matters in heaven.  That what we do matters.  And in a country that seems to become more and more polarized it is good to remember what our call is to do on earth. 

Our call is not to go to a museum on Sunday and listen to fabulous music and admire the work of stained glass artists but it is to do.  I was just in Russia and during the Soviet period many of the great churches where turned into just that – museums.  And some of them remain museums.  But many of them have been returned to worshiping communities. And while the great interiors that where preserved by turning the churches into museums are awe inspiring there is a totally different feeling when you enter a church where there is a worshiping community.  The prayer that continually soaks into the walls and the care of the community is palpable.

Jesus as incarnate showed us what God cares about.  God cares about the vulnerable and those who society sees as outcasts.  Jesus shows us that it greaves God’s heart when people are hurt and abused.  It greaves God’s heart when people are hungry.  It greaves God’s heart when people are sick or in prison.  It greaves God’s heart when people do not have shelter.  It greaves God’s heart when people are thrown out of homes because of who they love.  It greaves God’s heart when we do not Love God and Love our neighbor – all of our neighbors.  Our homeless neighbors, our Muslim neighbors, our Jewish neighbors,our black neighbors, our GLBTQ neighbors. 

Our call is to continue the good news of the incarnate Jesus by doing.  And thanks be to God I see people around here doing as well as worshiping. We follow Jesus when we open our church to people no matter their place or their appearance.  We follow Jesus when we help sponsor safe ground for homeless youth.  We follow Jesus when we feed people who otherwise would go hungry – and I see us doing that so often with both our sack lunch program and with the wonderful meals served after the weekday services.  We follow Jesus when our parish hall is opened up to people when it is hot outside as a shelter and safe place.

And I know many of you do much behind the scenes to work for justice in our society.  To demand that if we really think we should ban people living along our Rivers than we need to find a way to offer them someplace else to live.  It absolutely grieves God’s heart when we treat our homeless neighbors as the problem instead of looking at a society that has priced people out of the housing market.  It greaves Gods heart that instead of confronting a society that turns a blind eye to mental illness we blame those we see for their illness and addictions.

If we believe that we still worship a living and incarnate messiah then we are called to action.  We are called to make decisions and take actions in accordance with our faith.  The good news is that Jesus built his church and continues to build the church on people like Peter.  And people like you and me. 

I say good news because Peter shows us that we don’t always have to get it right.  This same Peter who boldly proclaims Jesus as the incarnate messiah will in almost the next breath deny what being a messiah really means.  This is the same Peter who will deny Jesus three times after his arrest.  But his is also the same Peter who after the resurrection confesses his love to Jesus three times – and each time he is told to feed God’s sheep.

So when we don’t always get it right – when we occasionally stumble and don’t love our neighbor.  When we occasionally – and I pray it is only occasionally – when we take actions that grieve God’s heart we are not lost.  We can confess our love for God and for all of God’s creation and then there will be rejoicing in heaven as we take right actions towards our neighbor and towards preserving all of God’s wonderful creation.

When we care and show love to the vulnerable as Jesus did then we are doing what Paul called the Romans to do.  We are presenting ourselves as a living sacrifice.  Not a dead sacrifice but a living sacrifice – one that continues as we work to bring justice and peace to our hurting and hurt filled world.  And that is what we are called to do as crazy Jesus people.  We are called to serve those who society would be happy if they disappeared.  We are called to affirm that racial hatred and white supremacy have no place in our churches or in our society.  We are called to bring a radical peace and a radical love to our corner of God’s creation.  We are called to pray for the reconciliation of those who grieve God’s heart by spreading hate. 

We are called to follow a messiah that upset a society that was focused on worshiping the cult of Caesar and the cult of many God’s by upsetting our society that so often seems to follow an economy built on the destruction of people and the environment.  We are called to show a different way.  To show an economy that can be built that values people and values our environment.  We are called to turn a society that has many of its values upside down right side up.

So I will ask you the same question that Jesus asked his Disciples – who do you say that Jesus is?  Is Jesus a living, incarnate God for you calling you to action?  Or is he one of the prophets come back and now gone?  Or??  It is by our very actions that we answer that question.

I pray that we may show the world that this place – this corner of 15^th and J streets – houses a worshiping community that believes that Jesus is an incarnate living God who grieves at the meanness in our society and that this community is working to Love God and Love our neighbors, all of our neighbors, and that we continue show that by our actions. 

Amen.

The Barbecue on the Beach

Easter 3C – RCL

Acts 9:1-6, (7-20)

Psalm 30

Revelation 5:11-14

John 21:1-19

Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will go with you." They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, "Children, you have no fish, have you?" They answered him, "No." He said to them, "Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.

When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish that you have just caught." So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?" because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs." A second time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go." (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, "Follow me."

Alleluia!  Christ is Risen!

This is one of my favorite post resurrection stories.  Scholars contend that it is an epilogue – an add on – to the original Gospel of John.  But all of the scholarly comments aside I really don’t care.  I love this story.  There is so much going on here and folks usually focus in on the story line between Simon Peter and Jesus.  It is the part of the story that lends its name to the holy site on the Sea of Galilee where tradition says this story took place.  The holy site is called Peter’s Primacy. 

The site of Peter’s Primacy is a lovely site today.  There is a wonderful little chapel built around the rock where it is said Jesus barbecued the fish.  And there is a very nice sculpture depicting Jesus telling Peter to “feed my sheep”. 

But to be honest I don’t like the name Peter’s Primacy.  The focus on Peter three times expressing his love for Jesus completes a story in John.  Without this story we are left with our last real experience of Peter denying Jesus in the courtyard of the High Priest.  And there is certainly much sermon fodder in the second half of our story – the Peter centric part.

But really I like to call this story “The barbecue on the Beach”!

In this story the disciples are finally out of the locked room.  But they are not off making new disciples. They are back to someplace familiar.  They are back to the sea of Galilee where Jesus found Peter.  Perhaps they are looking for some comfort in the familiar.  They are back to their boats.  And Peter says “Lets go fishing!”

There is comfort in the familiar.  I know when my world is rocked I go to the familiar.  I find a spot or an activity that is familiar and comforting.  For me it frequently involves music.  Certain musical numbers have the ability to comfort me.  And certain places have the ability to comfort me.

So we find the disciples heading out to fish.  Heading out onto the Sea of Galilee - which they know so well.  They know every shallow spot. They know the places where the fish like to hang out.  It is familiar and comforting.  But they catch nothing.  They fish all night and the nets are empty.  As my fisher friends like to say that is why it’s called fishing and not catching.

So at dawn they head back in.  Empty.  Empty nets like their empty hearts.  This going back to the familiar didn’t seem to help.  And they see a stranger in the distance.  Standing on the beach.  Jesus asks them – well really he tells them – that they have no fish and they should put the net down on the other side of the boat.

Really!  Just put the net from one side of the boat to the other.  That won’t work.  I am sure that is what the disciples thought.  They know how to fish and it just doesn’t work that way.  But they do. They trust this stranger for some reason.  And the result is so many fish.  153 fish.  The nets are so full that they have trouble getting them to shore.

And when they get to shore they find Jesus had been having a better time fishing than they had up to that point!  Jesus already has fish cooking over the fire.  And bread.  Jesus invites them to breakfast.  “Come and have some breakfast!”  No rebukes.  No scolding.  Just come warm yourselves on the fire.  Come eat. 

Jesus is like that.  Grace is like that.  Resurrection is like that.  The invitation is out there to us.  The invitation to eat.  To warm our souls at the fire.  It just keeps coming. 

That is what I like about this story.  God’s grace is not always where we expect to find it.  We can go looking all day long and think we know best.  We are in church so of course we know where God’s Grace is!  Its right here – right?

Unfortunately so many people think that God’s grace only can happen in certain ways in certain places.   God’s grace only happens in a box on Sunday morning.  And we tend to think that God’s grace is limited.  Or we act that way!  People act that way because it is too scary otherwise.  And because we don’t act that way we imagine that God won’t act that way.

We create laws that put limits on grace.  We think in the terms of three strikes and you are out.  You are to be put away.  Our society wants to limit the amount of time someone can be on assistance – because otherwise they are milking the system.  We hear on the news that whole states cannot imagine LGBTQ persons having equal rights – so instead of recognizing the grace that is built up all when we build up one – instead of that state’s are passing discrimination laws wrapped in the flag of religious freedom. 

To think that God’s grace is so super abundant that it will come to us on the banks of our despair over and over and over again – runs counter to our way of thinking!  But it does.  God’s grace does not set a three strikes limit.  God grace does not say when or where it is available.  It just requires us to open our hearts.  To turn away from whatever activity that we are doing that separates us and accept God’s grace.

That is what is happening in John’s Gospel.  Jesus is offering an abundance of grace so large that we cannot imagine it – if we keep thinking in terms of limitation. 

Jesus gives God’s grace when he asks Peter if he loves him.  Peter is given the chance to say yes after saying no.  And Jesus keeps after him – Peter – do you love me – over and over again – to the point of annoyance.  Jesus is showing us that God’s grace is offered again and again. And there is only one payment for that grace.

The payment is to say yes.  And the payment is to feed God’s sheep.  All of Gods sheep.  Not just he ones we like.  Not just the ones like us.  Not just the ones who come to church. 

Feed my sheep.  Everywhere and everyone is worthy of being fed and offered God’s grace.  And we as the crazy Jesus people that we are are called to be examples.  We  are called to feed God’s sheep.  We are called to show that God’s grace is available.  Its available over and over and over again.  God does not limit God’s grace and neither should we.

Jesus said to Peter and says to us “Feed my sheep!”

Alleluia!  Christ is Risen!