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The Confession of Saint Peter
Almighty Father, who didst inspired Simon Peter, first among the apostles, to confess Jesus as Messiah and Son of the living God: Keep thy Church steadfast upon the rock of this faith, so that in unity and peace we may proclaim the one truth and follow the one Lord, our Savior Jesus Christ; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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The Confession of Saint Peter
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A Sermon by
The Rev. Prisca Lee-Pae
✛
The weightiness of our Confession
audio_file: 354309
Today, as we gather on this special feast day to celebrate the Confession of St. Peter, our hearts and minds are drawn to the profound questions of Jesus. He asked to his disciples: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” Then He asked, “But who do you say that I am?” Did Jesus ask because He was curious about who people say He was? Was Jesus a person who cared about people’s evaluations? Or maybe He asked because He was concerned that other people’s opinions might get in the way of His disciples’ ability to truly know Him? We do not know exactly what Jesus intended to ask these questions. But what is clear is that He cared not about who people thought He was, but who His disciples thought He was. It is commonly recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke that He even sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that He was the Messiah.
In fact, it may not be such a big deal to Jesus who His disciples think He is. No matter who they think He is, He is still the Messiah, the Son of the living God. But it is a very important issue for the disciples. This is because knowing it and not knowing it will create a huge difference as big as heaven and earth in their lives. With this confession, Peter became the rock of the church that the gates of Hades would not prevail against it. He also received the keys of the kingdom of heaven, which can bind or loosen anything in heaven. We need to reflect on ourselves: who do I think Jesus is, how important are my confession to me, and how sincere am I about my confession of who Jesus is to the extent that it creates a gap as big as heaven and earth in my life?
How amazing is it that one person’s confession can become the rock of the church? When we think of this, we should never take lightly our answers to Jesus asking, “Who do you say that I am?” Of course, Jesus has built His church on the rock of Peter’s confession. But He will not regard your answer and my answer as lighter than Peter’s. As we contemplate the weightiness of our confession, let us not underestimate the significance of our individual answers to Jesus’ question, “Who do you say that I am?” Just as Peter’s confession was foundational, Jesus holds our responses with equal seriousness.
Now we need to ask ourselves how serious we are about our own answers. ‘Do I truly confess that He is the Messiah, the Son of the living God?’ If we confess that He is, we must know that it is not a man but the heavenly One who revealed it to us. If we are not sure who He is, we will have to ask the One in heaven who can tell us. This is because flesh and blood cannot reveal this to us, but the One in heaven.
Just as Peter became the rock of the church with his confession, each of our confessions serves as a building block for the church. The more solid our confession is, the more solid the church of this era can be. It may not matter who people say Jesus is. Remember again that all three Gospels record that Jesus firmly warned them not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. If we are worried about the church of this era, it is not a question of what people say about Jesus, but a question of what we think of Jesus, how serious our confessions are, and how faithfully we live to our confession.
Of course, we are aware that Peter, who confessed to Jesus that he was the Messiah and earned the title ‘rock of the church,’ denied Jesus three times at the crucial moment. Jesus, who must have known that Peter would do so, nevertheless called him as the rock of the church. As humans, none of us can be perfect, and there are moments when we confront our own weaknesses, unable to uphold an oath that we should keep even at the risk of our lives.
Just as Jesus called imperfect Peter to be the rock of the church and entrusted the keys of heaven to him, we need to understand that when he calls us to be his disciples, it’s not because we are perfect. Therefore, if you find yourself asking, ‘Can I be baptized? Am I worthy of baptism?’ – stop worrying now and make sure to get baptized this Easter.
Jesus values each confession, each life lived in acknowledgment of Him as the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Our lives are a continuous confession, and living it out makes our existence inherently precious, beyond the assessments of this world.
Why are we gathered here at this very moment? What brings us together?
We are here because we believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God, and our purpose is to confess this truth
.We are blessed! For flesh and blood has not led you and me to here, but the One in heaven.
