Hi everyone,
Welcome to worship for this 17th Sunday after Pentecost, landing on September 15th, 2024! We’re back after a week away, but it’s good to come back to our regularly scheduled programming!
The bulletin for this service can be found here. In it, you’ll find the order and words of worship, the hymn and page numbers out of the ELW, and the full sermon manuscript. As always the words that you need to know will also be on your screen and the sermon is included on this page below the video. You may use what you need to help you in your worship.
And for an enhanced worship experience, you are invited to have a candle in your space, lit for most of the service until near the end when the altar candles are extinguished after the sending hymn. You are also welcome to participate in communion if you are comfortable, by having something small to eat and drink prepared. Further instruction will be given at the appropriate time.
May God’s unending presence inform you with love, grace, and hope, this day and always!
Speak your wisdom to us, O Lord, and let your Spirit open our ears to hear and our eyes to see your truth, your grace, and your will, through Jesus Christ. Amen.
So anyone watch the US Presidential debate this past Tuesday? I didn’t get to watch it live, but through the magic of YouTube I was able to catch at least the highlights of said debate well after the fact, much like how many of you are using that YouTube magic to hear these words…
Anyway, in case you haven’t been keeping up with world events, there is an election coming up for our neighbours to the south, and it looks like it’ll be a doozy. But I guess if you think about it, their last few elections have been doozies. And in a way I was hoping that this debate would be civil, in that the candidates only talk about their policies and plans for what they’d do if they were elected. But if you saw it, you’ll know that isn’t exactly what happened. There was a lot of accusations and finger pointing on both sides, but at least the name calling was at a minimum.
Either case, in spite of my hopes of a civil debate, I tried to go in with an as open mind as possible. And to me, from what I saw there was a clear winner of the debate. So while my hopes of a civil debate were dashed, it turned into a hope that everyone would see what I saw, which might bring out a more unified and harmonious country, even if it isn’t the one where I currently reside.
Was I ever wrong. Not about where I live, but about the debate bringing more unity. Everywhere I went online showed me that the American people were more divided than ever. Whichever way they were already leaning, it seemed to me that they doubled down and started leaning in that direction with more fervor and tenacity than at least I’ve ever seen before.
The event did nothing to sway them, regardless of how I thought their candidate did or didn’t do. This debate did nothing to really change the minds of the masses. This display of such opposing people in both policy and politeness really only solidified in people what they had already determined they would think. And that is that their candidate is the best and their opposition is the worst, regardless of what evidence comes up to prove it otherwise.
And so we enter dangerous ground here, not just in politics but in all areas of life. Because when everything can be so predetermined in our minds, then there is almost no point in having any kind of discussion or opportunities for learning or growth. We already think what we think and already believe what we believe. It’s hard for us to see anything new when we’re already certain that we know what we know.
We do see this in politics, of course, whether it be American, Canadian, or otherwise. But we also see this in our interactions and relationships whenever there is any kind of disagreement or friction. We see this even between churches when we talk about different doctrine and sometimes traditions.
And we see this in today’s gospel reading. In this somewhat familiar passage, we see Jesus gauging what people know about him. And after the disciples tell him what they’ve heard, Jesus goes and asks them the dreaded question… “Who do you say that I am?”
I say that this is a dreaded question because how it’s answered would reveal what levels of observation and perception have been employed, and frankly how much the disciples have been paying attention. The question is almost a trap because whatever answer is given would put you in a certain camp or side of the political spectrum. The text isn’t clear if there was an awkward silence or not, but I like to imagine that there was as the disciples carefully worked out in their heads what an appropriate response would be. But then of course, it was Peter who blurts out an answer.
“You are the Messiah” which, in typical gospel of Mark fashion, is simply to the point and with no added fluff whatsoever. In Matthew’s gospel account however, Peter also says that Jesus is the “Son of the living God”. So at first glace, it would seem like Peter actually does know his stuff. We nod our heads in agreement to his statement, as that is who we too, would probably say that Jesus is. We might even hit the “like” or maybe even “love” button if Peter posted this up on his socials.
But as soon as Peter gets to puff his chest out with his accurate statement, he is knocked down a few notches. Right after he calls Jesus the Messiah, Peter gets called Satan. Peter, while being totally right with what he said, is somehow still totally wrong.
And so maybe we’re worried that perhaps we have it wrong as well. Maybe we second guess who we might say that Jesus is. Perhaps we want to go back to that status post and discreetly “unlike” it, in hopes that no one saw or will notice.
But again, Peter isn’t wrong in what he said. He isn’t wrong in saying that Jesus is the Messiah and in Matthew, the Son of the Living God. Peter isn’t wrong in who he says Jesus is.
But what he is wrong about is what all of that means.
See the title “Son of God” isn’t a unique one for just Jesus or the Messiah. In fact, the title “Messiah” isn’t really unique either. These were all terms that were known and used in those times, usually for royalty, strong political leaders, and social influencers. That is, of the culturally fundamental kind, not of the dancing TikTok kind.
And so Peter calling Jesus the Son of God, which again he isn’t wrong about, would have been tied to ideas of authority, power, and might. Peter, and the other Israelites, would have imagined a revolution, a rising up of the people, a reforming of what is into something that it should be, which usually would mean advantage and privilege for the eye of the beholder.
What it wouldn’t mean though to the culture of that time, is rejection, suffering, and death. Which incidentally is exactly what Jesus said will happen to him.
So what Jesus says about being the Messiah doesn’t fit into Peter’s preset worldview. It doesn’t fit in what the people of the time probably thought would have been the best for them. Quite truthfully it doesn’t even really fit with what we would want for a teacher, a leader, or even a messiah.
And to that discrepancy, Jesus calls it satan. As in the adversary; what stands in the way of what is just and righteous; a focus on human things. Human things such as authority, power, and might being the goal of all things good and faithful. Instead, Jesus points to the divine things such as service to others, grace, and humility. Service in seeing the needs of others. Grace in accepting those who are different. And humility in picking up the cross, the ancient symbol of rejection, shame, and suffering that is transformed into the ultimate symbol for community, inclusion, and God’s love seen in the world. These are the lessons that Jesus taught. These are the traits that he calls us to have. These are the virtues that he himself displayed with every ounce of his life.
And to be honest, I don’t see much of that in the world today. Not in Tuesday’s debate, not in the political elections and agendas in general, not in the reactions of the people that vocally state their political stance. All those are clearly focussed on human things.
But I do see it in the hearts of those that genuinely want to make the world a better place. Not just for themselves or those who hail the same colours as them, but those that see the world as worthy to be united, worthy to be loved, worthy to be saved. I see it in the actions that are done without worry about ratings, popularity scores, or attendance numbers. I see it in our passion to spread God’s love to all people, friend, stranger, and even foe, alike. These are divine things.
I’m not saying that we get it perfect. I’m not saying that we are exactly where Jesus wants us to be. I’m not saying that we’ve made it, reached our goals, and can hang up our crosses because we won’t be needing those things anymore. But what I’m saying is that there is hope in this fallen and broken world. There is still light in the overwhelming darkness. There is the presence of God’s Spirit seen and felt throughout our communities and right relationships, revealing to us grace, mercy, and welcome.
So as we continue to live in this world surrounded by people of different backgrounds, different opinions, and different political leaning, may we continue to focus on the divine things of service, grace, and humility, that we might be able to pick up our crosses to follow Jesus the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. Thanks be to God. Amen.