8-20-14 - Built on Rock

I don’t think this is the time Jesus gives Simon his nickname “Petros,” meaning “rock.” In other gospels he does that when they first meet, possibly teasing him about his hard-headedness. But in this scene, when he is commending him for the spiritual insight he has just confessed, he uses his given name, “Simon bar Jonah,” perhaps underscoring the gravity of this moment.

“And Jesus answered Peter, ‘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.”

Then he brings in the nickname and alludes to other qualities of rock: as a sure foundation for building. Jesus once told a story about a person who built a house on sand and another who built on rock; the house built on sand washed away, while the one on rock stood firm. Now he takes that image to describe a spiritual edifice, the community of those who call him Lord, a community that will endure in the face of all that Hell can throw its way.

Does it change our view of “church” when we look at it as a mystical institution ordained by Jesus himself, meant to last for all time, not just our little communities struggling to sustain themselves?

How might it alter our critique of its failings when we remember that this community represents a threat against the forces of evil, and it is the object of spiritual opposition? Might that remind us to be more faithful in praying for the church itself, that it be protected and true to its mission to make the transforming love of God known in the world?

How might it strengthen our commitment to mission when we remember that we are meant to be a threat to the forces of evil – we should be stirring up trouble!

Calling Peter the rock on which the church will be built means, in part, that we stand on the foundation of the apostles, those who walked and worked with Jesus in his earthly life, and witnessed to his resurrection life. That’s why we read the teachings and stories and letters they left behind, and give these more weight than later ideas.

Today I invite you to pray for the church in specific ways.

• Pray for your own community/ies of faith – pray for its ministry and its clarity about where it fits into the larger scheme of God’s mission.
• Pray for the churches in your community, especially how they might work together more effectively.
• Pray for the church in the world, where it is persecuted, and where it is lukewarm and complacent (in many ways the latter is a far greater danger). Right now we are seeing particularly virulent anti-Christian activity in Iraq – pray for those who face torture and pressure to convert.
• And pray for Christians who perpetrate violence against other religions; unfortunately there are many of those instances in our world too.

And pray for yourself as a part of the worldwide body of Christ. Don’t hold yourself apart, no matter how corrupt or irrelevant it may seem at times. If you do that, you withhold gifts that the church needs to be the agent of transformation and healing Jesus intends it to be.