Confessions.
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Dear friends and members of St. Matt's,
When things are uncertain in the world around me, in our community, or even within me, one of the places I always turn is to scripture. I turn to our story of salvation, our story of hope, and God's promises of peace. And inevitably, no matter how uncertain I am, how much discord swirls around, or how reluctant I may be to see it: the text always has something to say to me. Whether I want to hear it or not.
Now, I can hear some of you saying, "Yea, okay Marissa. I get it. But you're the Priest, you're supposed to say that!" Yes, that's true. I am supposed to say that. But that doesn't make it any less true. Our scripture is living, speaking, and constant in offering a glimpse of God's good plans, our part in those plans, and what to do when we don't understand how the plans are unfolding. We're fortunate that we have so many stories to return to, so many faithful who went before us, so many examples to learn from and lean into.
So, this week I've been looking ahead to a Feast that actually happens next week. January 18th is the day we remember the Confession of St. Peter. This is the first time one of the 12 confesses his faith in Jesus as Messiah. (Mind you, this is not the first disciple who confesses this faith, but it is the first of the group we think of as the twelve.) You can read the Gospel by clicking here and scrolling down to the bottom. In it, Peter makes a statement that seems simple to us at first glance. "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." But if it was so simple...it wouldn't be so notable that Peter makes this confession.
See, by now, lots of people thought they had ideas about who Jesus was. There were stories, accusations, gossip, and rumors. And even among the twelve disciples, there was disagreement about whether he was the Messiah or not. Does he check all the boxes? Does he look like the Messiah we were expecting? Can we believe in someone who is different than our human ideas of who he should be? After all, he rejected the piety and pride of the religious elites. He overturned tables in the temple. And he chose to spend most of his time with the poor, the sick, and the outcast. He didn't come on horses blazing to overthrow the Roman Empire as he was supposed to. Instead, he reached across boundaries, valued every human being, and sacrificed himself willingly and without hesitation.
So, Peter's confession is actually a crucial moment when Jesus is identified. And it begins to bring the disciples to unity around their belief in Jesus. Not perfect unity, they still fall apart and make mistakes and get a lot of things wrong between now and the crucifixion. But this word of truth brings them into a new space, a new chapter of their faith, a new understanding of their master.
As Episcopalians, we make this confession in our Baptismal Covenant (begins BCP p304), like we did in our worship on Sunday. We confess our faith in Jesus, the Son of God, and we go on to make a series of important promises about what this truth means for us. And in this way, we hope to participate in the same tradition as Peter: speaking truth into the world that brings us and each other into new space, new understandings, and new seasons. Based on the language of our Baptismal Covenant, that's a new season of justice, of respect, of goodness, of peace.
Nothing about that is simple. Not in the world that we live in. Not while there is so much uncertainty within and around us. And yet...if we, like Peter, can turn our eyes to the One who saves, if we can find our way to him even in the midst of the discord - that little bit of truth, that confession of our belief in the Prince of Peace, can save us.
Not all of us will have the chance that Peter had, but each one of us has the chance to make many confessions - some big, some small - every day. Multiple times a day. To confess our faith in him and in his love that teaches us how to live. So, how do you confess your faith in this Jesus who is the Messiah? Where and how do you confess with your words, your actions, your time, your money, your heart, your attention, and all that you are that you are a disciple of this Messiah who we call the Prince of Peace?
Faithfully,
--Marissa +
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