RVCC Pastor's Sermon

Sermon - September 13, 2009

“Who Do YOU Say That I Am?”

By Rev. Nancy Foran
Mark 8:27-38

Who are you, Jesus? That is the question for this morning. Who are you? In time and space as we know it, of course, you are someone who wandered the Galilean countryside more than 2000 years ago. We name you the Messiah. We name you the Christ. But what does that mean?

Who are you, Jesus? What is your vocation, and what is your identity? Is it just us who ask that question – or did you once ask it of so long ago? Who are you, Jesus – and who is it really that we seek?

“Who do people say that I am?” Jesus asked his disciples. “Who do YOU say that I am?” Who are you, Jesus?

This passage that we read this morning is a significant one. It serves as the midpoint, the hinge point, in Mark’s gospel. Before the big question, Jesus traveled across Galilee and into Gentile territories. Now that the question has been blurted out, the geography and theology move toward Jerusalem. And just so we do not lose sight of that shift in movement and perspective, in this passage we also find the first of three predictions Jesus makes about his own inevitable demise.

The setting for this passage near Caesarea Philippi is intriguing. Here we find Jesus and his closest friends and followers in a bit of space found sacred by many of the pagan cults and sects that dominated the Roman Empire. One source of the Jordan River flows out of a cave nearby. This spot served over thousands of years as a shrine of worship for various deities known by various names. It was not a Jewish place, but it was a broadly spiritual oasis where many gods were invoked and praised.

And there in the midst of all that holiness, Jesus poses his question. Who do the people say that I am? Am I like the animistic gods and goddesses thought by many to be behind everything from fertility to thunderstorms? Am I something else? Something more?

Oh, the disciples were quick with their answers. “How about one of the prophets?” one of them suggested. They all paused, and the feeble stab at truth hung in the silent air.

They got bolder in their response. Some say you are John the Baptist. And bolder still. Perhaps Elijah himself? After all, both historical figures were said to be forerunners of the Messiah himself.

And then Peter – always Peter – uncorked the big one. Forerunner? Hah! You – Jesus - are the Messiah! You are the one who will deliver this land – our ancient land - from oppressive Roman rule. You are the triumphant warrior king.

Get behind me, Satan. You have no clue what it means to be the Messiah – or even to be a disciple. Who do you say that I am?

VOICE ONE
I know who you are, Jesus. You are a storyteller, and a wide-eyed lover of life. You tell those parables about mustard seeds that grow to be such big plants that birds nest in their branches. You tell stories about lost coins and pearls of great value. You tell stories about good neighbors who deep down inside love each other so much that they open their homes and hearts at midnight. You tell stories about long lost sons and brothers who are welcomed home. You tell stories about people who do not even know each other but who stop to help when there is a need anyway.

You are a storyteller, Jesus, and through your stories we learn about God’s Kingdom. We learn about what God expects from us - we who are sons and daughters made in the sacred image itself. I know who you are, Jesus.

(PLACE BIBLE ON TABLE)

VOICE TWO
I know who you are, Jesus. You are the one who prayed to God. You are the one who knew that there was something bigger than yourself and more important than what you might have wanted. When you taught us that prayer, you knew what it meant to say “thy will be done” and how it felt to give yourself over to God. You trusted God always and prayed often for guidance and intercession.

Sometimes you prayed alone – in a rowboat, on a mountainside, in a garden. Sometimes you prayed with your friends and even with people you did not know. Sometimes your prayers were eloquent and so articulate. But, at other times, they were little more than ragged groans, and we could scarcely make out the words you spoke. You prayed to God, and you taught us to pray. “Give us this day our daily bread.”

You taught us never to give up on praying because praying is like beating a path to God’s door and down the path you beat you will always find the One you seek, perhaps not with the answer you wanted or expected but with the answer of God’s presence, which perhaps is what all of our prayers are all about anyway.

You, Jesus, are the one who prays – for us and with us always. “Give us this day our daily bread.”

(PLACE LOAF OF BREAD ON TABLE)

VOICE THREE
I know who you are, Jesus. You are the one who always cares about others before you care about yourself. You are the one who intuitively knows that it is only when you give that you find it within yourself to give some more. Love multiplies. Love heals.

People came to you from near and far. “Please help my friend….Come pray for my little girl.” You prayed for people with fevers and hurts. You sought out the blind and the lame. You reached out and hugged the untouchables, even the lepers with their open sores. It did not matter to you that someone was a tax collector or prone to adultery. You cared about all of them. Your love ran deep and unfettered.

Jesus, you are the one who always, always put love first. Oh, Jesus, did you write the Book of Love?

(PLACE HEART STONE ON TABLE)

Peter had this Messiah business all wrong because he presumed a very traditional paradigm – the Messiah who would amass a great and powerful army and overturn Roman rule. He did not get it, and Jesus realized it. Peter did not know – or – believe – or trust that it would not be military might that would conquer the world. In the end, it will be this: Love conquers all.

Who do you say that I am?

VOICE ONE: You are storyteller and teacher. You are a lover of life and all that it offers.

VOICE TWO: You are the one who teaches us to pray, who prays for us and with us. You are the one who teaches us to trust in God, to share our burdens with the Holy One. You are the one who tells us it is OK to let go and let God.

VOICE THREE: You are the one who loves us, not matter how unlovable we may be. You care for the littlest and weakest among us. You are the healer and caregiver of the world.

And you, Jesus, are even so much more. You are comforter, challenger, pot stirrer and revolutionary. You are prophet, Messiah, Christ, and Master. You are servant, brother, and friend.

Who do YOU say that I am? Who are you, Jesus? Who are you for me? That is the question this morning. Take a few minutes and write down your thoughts. The Deacons will collect them and bring them forward as a special offering.

Sermon - September 13, 2009

“Who Do YOU Say That I Am?”

By Rev. Nancy Foran Mark 8:27-38

By Rev. Nancy Foran
Mark 8:27-38