Pressing on…, Philippians 3:4b-14

Posted on October 6, 2020 by patrick h wrisley

Sermon:        Pressing On

Scripture:     Philippians 3:4b-14

Preacher:      Patrick H. Wrisley, D.Min.

Location:      First Presbyterian Church, Fort Lauderdale, FL            

Date:             October 4, 2020; World Communion Sunday

            Last week we spent time looking at the need for genuine humility in both our personal lives and in the life of the congregation. Humility is one of those ongoing virtues and ways of living that as soon as you realize you’re humble, you immediately become aware that you’re not! Humility is the perpetual goal we are to strive for but on this side of glory, we will never attain it because pride gets in the way. We realize, “Hey, I’m acting pretty humble!” and then wham! We acknowledge our progress and automatically go back to square one. Hopefully, we come to realize the spiritual life is about our growth and depth along the spiritual journey towards Christ-likeness. It’s about our evolution along the way as we shed our old self and put on the simplicity of Jesus’ life of love. What we once thought was important in our spiritual life changes over time and becomes more, shall I say, simple? Paul speaks of this simplicity today.

            This morning we find Paul having just concluded a discussion about how some members of the church want to keep things like the good old, pure days of the faith where following Jesus was fine as long as you followed Jesus “my particular way.” For these folks, they were pushing the need for all males to be circumcised and follow the old Jewish rules. Paul would have none of this. The spiritual life is not about a pedigree or accomplishments; a spiritual life is finding our single, laser-focused love affair with Jesus and jettisoning anything and everything we have to embrace him. Listen to Paul in our text today from Philippians 3:4-14.

Philippians 3:4-14

4 …Even though I, too, have reason for confidence in the flesh. If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.

7 Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. 8 More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. 10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, 11 if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

12 Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.[1]

            Paul has simply stated that even though he grew up in the Mainline tradition and got his undergraduate degree from Harvard and his doctorate of religious studies at Yale, though he has been groomed from the day he was born to be a great spiritual teacher and leader himself, though he belongs to more spiritual societies and academies one could imagine, they are worth nothing and are as helpful as waste in the sewer if he not emptying himself and straining to become full of Christ. For Paul, it’s all about his passion to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and sharing in that rapturous resurrection experience himself.

            In the ancient church, it was a custom that on Easter a person joining the church would strip off their clothes and literally enter into the baptism waters to be cleansed.  They would emerge from the water naked and clean and then were redressed with new garments. This is what Paul is telling you and me. We are to strip away, do away with anything that hinders us from experiencing Christ.

            Beloved, are you stuck in your religious and spiritual past or are you straining to reach what lies ahead?  Are you and I smug enough to think we’ve spiritually arrived or are we humble enough to realize that as Christ’s pilgrims, we are slowly, steadily making our way under the strains of a world gone amuck with subversive politics, increased pride and bigotry, and illness that totally disregards the sanctity of our home address?

            This morning, for the first time since early March, we are gathering to take communion together.  You, this church, our nation, the world has leaned hard into the harness of this year called, 2020, and are straining to power through it and reach something different from what we are experiencing now.  We may not know what “that” is yet but it doesn’t matter. We just know that we will know what it is because it’s not going to be what we’ve currently got! We are living in a liminal time between the already and the not yet and this “pressing on toward the goal” can be a tiring, exhausting and scary thing!

            That’s why we are having supper this morning.  That’s why we are taking communion in ways we normally would not with our little cups with prepackaged wafers or sipping from juice and bread at home while digitally worshipping today. Desperate times call for desperate measures and all of us are feeling the effects of COVID-fatigue in our spiritual lives, family lives, business lives, or school lives. We come because our legs are tired from carrying the burdens we have hauled. We come because we know the only way ahead is to move forward. We come because we need the strength of the Spirit through this simple meal to build new dreams and visions for what’s to come instead of trying to rebuild castles out of yesterday’s sand.

            Ideally, Church, we would be together while sharing this meal. Ideally, I would hold the cup as you humbly come forward and dip your bread into the cup and eat of the meal. Ideally, we would come and serve you at home or at your bedside if you could not be here in person. Yet, these are not ideal times. We are on a difficult journey together. On the journey we learn to travel light. We learn to evolve our understanding of faith, of God, and what’s really important. We learn to jettison the spiritual baggage that weighs us down and return to Jesus’ side sitting at the dinner table.

            Today my friends, let us acknowledge that this year has been hard on so many levels and ways; yet, let’s not walk into the future facing backwards! Let’s turn around and confidently press on toward the goal!  It doesn’t mean things will get any easier; it simply means that with the nourishment from this meal and the Spirit of Jesus Christ, we will see the promises our Christ has waiting to be picked up and enjoyed.  Let us come to the Table.

Patrick H. Wrisley, D.Min.

Senior Pastor & Teaching Elder

First Presbyterian Church

401 SE 15th Avenue

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301

© 2020 Patrick H. Wrisley. Sermon manuscripts are available for the edification of members and friends of First Presbyterian Church, Fort Lauderdale, Florida and may not be altered, re-purposed, published or preached without permission.   All rights reserved.

[1] New Revised Standard Version (NRSV). New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States.

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Empty Shelves to Empty Selves; Philippians 2:1-11

Posted on September 28, 2020 by patrick h wrisley
Sermon:        Empty Shelves to Empty Selves

Scripture:     Philippians 2:1-11

Preacher:      Patrick H. Wrisley, D.Min.

Location:      First Presbyterian Church, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Date:             September 27, 2020

This morning we are picking up right where we left off last week in our reading of Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi. Paul has just implored the Church to live a life worthy of the manner of the Good News of Christ Jesus. We learned that the way we do that is when we live in unity with one another in our faith community. Today, Paul picks up on the key to this living in unity. See if you can hear and discover the key! Listen to the Word of the Lord!

Philippians 2.1-11

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, 2make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. 4Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. 5Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, 6who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, 7but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, 8he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross. 9Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.[1]

Did you hear and discover the key to living in unity?

For the last six months, our nation, indeed the world, has gone through the throes of a trying pandemic. The virus has totally changed what “normal” means and all those things we took for granted all these years have become scarce or have changed. I mean really, who would have thought a pandemic would cause grocery shelves to go bare? People began hording everything from toilet paper to Isopropylalcohol to make hand sanitizer! Fights have broken out at COSTCO over the last jumbo pack of paper towels on the shelves!  The empty shelves were not just because of hoarding; they were a result of the virus affecting food supplies and production as well as distribution across the nation. It’s at this point that something began to happen: The emptier the shelves became the grumpier people began to act. 

Soon there began a new display of unhealthy behaviors from certain people in response to being in lock-down and having to adopt new ways of living together like wearing a mask; you know who I am talking about, don’t you?  Karen and Kevin.

What I am sure will become new definitions in our dictionaries for 2021 are the terms “Kevin” and “Karen” which have become memes on the internet and social media that describes a person’s behavior when they act all full of themselves that they do not show regard for other people’s feelings or safety. All the empty shelves and lockdown orders have created a subset of people that act as though they are self-entitled to anything they want or care to do. Emotional filters that are typically used collapse and any sort of mental governor that filters out verbal flatulence or gives pause to acting out with a typically unsocially-accepted behavior are abandoned. 

This season of empty seats and shelves is a warning to us that if we are not careful, we will go quickly into the direction of empty SELVES. In other words, we have experienced financial emptiness from lost work and income. We have experienced a loss in our need for community because we have been isolated from not only everyday routines but physically from those people we love and who give us support. We have experienced spiritual emptiness as our long-held traditions have had to adapt and change, we have been separated from others in worship, choir, and in studies, and in our spiritual fatigue we look heavenward and ask, “Lord…are You still there?” In the process, Our nation has experienced a profound loss of civitas and unity among her people. 

 All this loss thrown at us and the world has caused many folks to come to me and say, “Patrick, are we in time of the Apocalypse?”  My answer is, “I don’t know but I think not; I don’t believe God is done with giving us a chance to work things out.”  I do believe, however, we are in a lower-case ‘a’ apocalypse which are cycles in history that cause major upheavals in politics, economics, civics, technology, medicine, spirituality and the environment; these cyclic little “a” apocalypses force people to look and relate to God, neighbor and the world in a different way.[2]  In these little ‘a’ apocalypses our human tendency is to focus solely on how bad everything is. For Christians, we must resist the temptation to view apocalyptic times as moments where we stop living in a manner worthy of the Gospel because God’s Glory Bus is soon coming to take us to our heavenly home.  No, these whirly, swirly times are the sounding bell for Christ-followers to put on their muck boots and get to work. Christians are made for these apocalyptic moments because we are the ones God calls to who venture out into the world’s storminess and demonstrate to others what it means to live a life worthy of the gospel! Church, it’s up to you and me to show the world there’s a different way!

The Apostle Paul reminds us that in order for the Church (that’s you and me) to show the world a different way is not about making judgmental pronouncements on other people; no, the Apostle tells us in verse 5 that we are to have the same mind in ourselves that Jesus had. Our text’s beautiful hymn says it so profoundly: 

5Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, 6who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, 7but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, 8he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death…

The man Jesus made the decision to empty himself of the rights and privileges of being God in order to be the pioneer showing us how to live with one another in a manner where our lives demonstrate the Good News of the Gospel. Friends, it’s all about humility!

It’s important to be reminded that in his ancient Greco-Roman world, humility was not seen as a virtue but rather as a weakness. Professor Elizabeth Bounds writes concerning the first century, “In societies organized by fixed structures of status, those with power could and should have pride, while those without power had to settle for humility. Paul’s championing of humility, his insistence on “regard[ing] others as better than yourselves” was a countercultural move, echoing Jesus’ words that “the last will be first, and the first will be last” (Matt. 20:16).”[3] Pride was seen as a virtue and humility was perceived more as a matter of life circumstances. So Jesus in Matthew, and Paul in our text today, are saying that in order to show the in-breaking of the reign of God, Christians and the Church are going to be required to live, work and play in cultural dissonance with the rest of the world.[4] And how do we accomplish that? The Church accomplishes this when it and her members live humbly.

Our English word for humble comes from the Latin root word we derive our term humus from which means the dirt and compost on the ground. To be a humble person, we have to empty ourselves of pride, bitterness, and entitlement and literally get down low on the ground. Humbleness leads to our serving each other, serving others in the world, and most importantly, serving God. This is what Jesus did in his life.  It’s what he and Paul are saying is vital for our individual lives and for our fellowshipped-community of the Church.  Humility is the engine that drives love.  Hear that one more time: Humility is the engine that drives love.

Humility is such a counter-cultural idea in our nation today; quite sadly pride has replaced it as a virtue.  So this week, our homework is to look at spiritually emptying ourselves in humility.  The words from 2 Chronicles 7:14 need to haunt us this week, Church. It reads,

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.[5]

Oh, how are nation, our communities, and our churches need to hear that! Remember, beloved, it’s only when we empty ourselves that we can get refilled and full of God. Jesus knew what he was talking about.

Patrick H. Wrisley, D.Min.

Senior Pastor & Teaching Elder

401 SE 15th Avenue

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301

© 2020 Patrick H. Wrisley. Sermon manuscripts are available for the edification of members and friends of First Presbyterian Church, Fort Lauderdale, Florida and may not be altered, re-purposed, published or preached without permission. All rights reserved.

[1] New Revised Standard Version (NRSV). New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

[2] This concept is attributed to Michael J. Christensen, Ph.D., former Director for Doctoral Studies at Drew University

[3]Connections: A Lectionary Commentary for Preaching and Worship (Kindle Locations 10941-10945). Presbyterian Publishing Corporation. Kindle Edition 

[4] Connections: A Lectionary Commentary for Preaching and Worship (Kindle Locations 10912-10913). Presbyterian Publishing Corporation. Kindle Edition.

[5] New International Version.

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We’re All in This Together!, Philippians 1:21-30

Posted on September 23, 2020 by patrick h wrisley

Sermon:        We’re All in This Together 

Scripture:     Philippians 1:21-30    

Preacher:      Patrick H. Wrisley, D.Min.

Location:      First Presbyterian Church Fort Lauderdale         

Date:             September 20, 2020

It’s something I still have tucked away in a little box. It’s a handwritten letter from my oldest daughter, Lauren, that she sent during her first semester of college. Lo was an independent, spirited child during middle and high school and did not mind letting Kelly and I know if she thought our parental instructions were incorrect. So, when I opened her letter that late fall of 2003, I just wept.  In it, she wrote that she claims the fact she was an independent, spirited child over the last several years. In it she shared how she was not always the easiest one to get along with at times.  She said, “Mom and Dad, thank you for not giving up on me and teaching me all the wonderful things you did which I am realizing now that I am on my own.” It was a love note written from a daughter to her mom and dad expressing her deepest feelings and appreciation.

Today’s text is a love letter shared between a pastor and one of his favorite flocks. The pastor, Paul, has full and rich memories of his time with them which interestingly have been unfolded to us in this week’s Daily Common Lectionary readings in Acts 16. Paul and the Philippian church have shared many experiences together that have bound them to one another. Some of those experiences were joyful like finding Lydia, a local businesswoman, who is baptized and helps network Paul and his companions to others in the community. Yet, some of those experiences in Philippi were painful like when Paul was publicly beaten with rods, flogged and thrown into jail. It was through their shared experiences, both good and bad, that have made an iron bond between them.

Think for a moment of a time when you have gone through a season of shared experiences with others that have forged a deeper relationship with them. This church has had many of those types of experiences in her past; this time of pandemic is yet another flowing of the seasons when we as a people are having our relationships tested and strengthened. Paul is presumably writing this letter from a prison cell somewhere and appears to be having a tough time in his own life but he still finds time to pen a letter. Our Story today gives glimpses of his struggles as well as his longing to see his beloved one more time. Listen to the Word of the Lord in Philippians 1.21-30: 

Philippians 1:21-30

21For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. 22If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer. 23I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; 24but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. 25Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, 26so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.

27Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, 28and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing. 29For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well— 30since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. [1]

Did you hear Paul’s fatigue?  Did you hear his longing? Paul is tired. His decades-long missionary life has been tough and demanding with several beatings, stoning’s, shipwrecks, and imprisonments simply for telling the life-giving Story of Jesus. Here’s the old Apostle whose body aches, whose eyes are going bad and he pines away that he knows that if he dies, he will be with Jesus; frankly, Paul would love just to die and be with the Lord but he realizes that would be selfish of him at this point; there is still vital work to do. The deep love for the members of his church is what keeps him living, hoping, and longing to see them again. Yet, if anything, Paul is a realist. He knows that he may not make it again to see his beloved church and so he gets right to the point of his love letter.

Since the pandemic began, we have been shooting a daily devotional that Nic calls, “This One Thing” where we look at the daily lectionary reading and try to pull one vital thing out of the text for the day. Well, did you know that “This One Thing” originally began with the Apostle Paul in our text today?  Slide your finger to verse 27.

Our English texts begin verse 27 with a simple word, “only” which does not grab the full gist of the meaning. In the original language, this word is an exhortation that can be translated, “Remember there is just one thing!”[2] Paul opens this new paragraph with a little word which is akin to my fifth-grade teacher, Ms. Parks, who would clap her hands and yell, “Children! Listen up!”

 What is this one thing Paul wants his beloved church to remember should he not be able to come and see them? The one thing he wants them to remember is, “Church, live out your Christian citizenship in way that is becoming for a follower of Jesus.” He exhorts them to live their lives in a manner worthy of the Good Gospel News.

He reminds us that living a life worthy of the gospel will have joys as well as sorrows. There will be times of easy sailing and there will be times of rough, violent seas. Just as this was so in the life and death of Jesus Christ, so it is in Paul’s life as a Christian and so he reminds them it will be for all of us in the church. The thing he wants us to remember is that regardless of our life’s condition, we are to maintain and display a consistent citizenship to the Kingdom of Heaven with Christ as our Lord.

It will be evident that we are standing in one Spirit together, not as a Republican spirit or a Democratic spirit but in the Holy Spirit that transcends both.

It will be evident because people will see the rich diversity of this church but note how we are serving, striving side by side to share the Good News, as we become an inspiriting Christ-centered presence in Fort Lauderdale transforming our local community and beyond! 

It will be evident when we actually display and live out the love of God to others instead of segregating people by race, religion, sexuality or party affiliation.

Returning to verse 27, the phrase “live your life” is from a cognate of a word that we get our term “politics.”  Paul uses a word that expresses the connotation that the gathered Church is  not a collection of Romans, Greeks, Jews, or Persians but is a collective group of men, women, and children from all the backgrounds who comprise the citizenry of the realm of God. Jesus has replaced the worship of the Law. Jesus has taken the place of Zeus or even the Emperor Caesar himself. For Paul, a person was a disciple and citizen of Jesus’ realm first and a member of the Roman Empire or Jewish community second. When a person becomes a Christ-Follower, Jesus displaces any political, national, or ethnic rank or economic privilege. 

What’s the natural consequence living in a manner worthy of the gospel?  Paul nails it in verse 30: Both he and the members of the Church will struggle being a light in a shadowy world. Like Paul, the Church will be made fun of, scoffed at, persecuted, ignored and made a pariah by the culture. The only way he, Paul, and the church will survive is if they stand unified together in and against the spirit of the world.  As scholar Cynthia Jarvis writes, “For Paul, the unity of the body is the “manner [of life] worthy of the gospel.”[3]

Paul enjoins us to remember and get this one thing: Each of us is to stand side by side, shoulder to shoulder, and live our commitment to God in Christ in a worthy manner where God is first, front and center in lieu of our politics, our economics, or our polemics.  

What I call the Two P’s of 2020 – the pandemic and the politics – have become our nation’s focus and as such taken our eyes off the mark which is a life focused on the gospel of life. I read the news and look around and lately I do not experience a whole bunch of unity and standing together in our world. The pandemic may have temporarily pushed the church underground, but Church, let our roots become revitalized in the soil and sprout new trees and fruit with the unity of purpose for Jesus the Christ and show a vibrant, tangible bond of solidarity for the Gospel. If the Church can’t do it, no one can! Church, let’s all of us live together in the manner worthy of the Good News of Christ. And all of God’s people said. Amen.

Patrick H. Wrisley, D.Min.

© 2020 Patrick H. Wrisley. Sermon manuscripts are available for the edification of members and friends of First Presbyterian Church, Fort Lauderdale Florida and may not be altered, re-purposed, published or preached without permission.   All rights reserved.

Senior Pastor & Teaching Elder

First Presbyterian Church

401 SE 15th Avenue

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301

patrickw@firstpres.cc

patrickhwrisley.com

[1] The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

[2] The New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume XI (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2000), 496.

[3] Connections: A Lectionary Commentary for Preaching and Worship (Kindle Locations 10370-10372). Presbyterian Publishing Corporation. Kindle Edition.

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Pastoral Prayer for Sunday, September 6, 2020

Posted on September 6, 2020 by patrick h wrisley

Resplendent God, full of Light, Justice and Love, we gather as your people and try once more to get it right. We come this day tired and worn out from both the physical and emotional strains we face as humble disciples; we come fatigued by relentless displays of both individual and systemic prejudice, acts of violence done in the name of justice, and wanton expressions of hubris towards those who think differently from the way we do. Holy Spirit, breathe into your people the healing winds of love and the bonds of authentic unity.

Lord God, throughout this difficult year the world has endured, we have become grumpy and impatient with people within your Church, with civic leaders and business owners, and with those who are trying to maintain our safety and security during these rankled times. The evil one has used current events to replace kindness with curtness, longsuffering with impatience, and love for neighbor with looking out for ourself. Holy Spirit, breathe into your people the healing winds of love and the bonds of authentic unity.

Jesus, our Savior, our Lord, and our Friend, we beg your healing touch as the loving physician to not only heal our nations and our countries, but that you would bring comfort and health to those who are undergoing or are about to have major surgery or medical procedures. Please calm anxious hearts and minds as your people await either diagnoses or treatment plans. Bring peacefulness to relationships that have unraveled or are strained between spouses, children and their parents, our adult siblings. Lift those in the dank darkness of depression, PTSD, or other mental illness out of despair and let them bask in the light of radiant joy. Spirit of Life, we pray for those isolated in rehab centers, nursing homes, retirement communities and hospitals who are bereft of the presence and touch of loved-one’s touches and friends. We pray for the everyday heroes in our midst – our teachers, grocery clerks who stock our food shelves, police officers, fire personnel, and EMTs, as well as our next door neighbor who practices patience in the presence of our impatience. Remind those who mourn the death of someone they love of the unbreakable promise of Easter hope.

Lord, Hear us as we pray together, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by thy name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the Power, Kingdom and the Glory, forever!

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Church, Who is Jesus?, Matthew 16:13-20

Posted on August 24, 2020 by patrick h wrisley

Sermon:        Church, Who is Jesus?

Preacher:      Patrick H. Wrisley, D.Min.

Location: First Presbybterian Church Fort Lauderdale

Scripture:     Matthew 16:13-20

Date:             August 23, 2020

Think for a moment: What is your identity? Is it solely your name and address? Is your identity defined by what you do for a living or are retired from? Is your identity expressed by who or what you are “for” or who or by what you are “against”? Perhaps one’s identity is wrapped up in body image or in the display of one’s wealth. What in this life shapes your identity?

You see, today’s text is all about this issue of identity. It’s about who Jesus is. It’s about who Peter is. It is about your identity, my identity, being displayed through who we are as a Church called First Presbyterian Fort Lauderdale.

Earlier in Matthew 16, Jesus is confronted by the religious establishment in order to prove his identity. They were demanding Jesus to perform miraculous signs to legitimate his teaching and works. Jesus didn’t bite at their baiting tactics but he did use the exchange between the religious old guard and himself as a way to teach his disciples about issues of identity. This is where we pick up in Matthew’s Story today at Matthew 16:13-20. Jesus and the disciples are located in the mountainous hinterlands of Jewish territory located some thirty miles north of the Sea of Galilee. Hear the Word of God!

Matthew 16:13-20

13Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. 18And 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. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. (NRSV)

Identity. Jesus has travelled to the very edge of the boundary of Israel to ask his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” He was as far away from Jerusalem as one could get when he asked his disciples this question of identity. Perhaps he thought it was safe to ask this question away from the prying ears of Jerusalem’s religious authorities. Then again, maybe he took them to the furthest cultural and religious boundary he could find in order to show them the boundaries they would have to break in the future both figuratively and practically.

“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” Is he a reincarnated version of his cousin, John the Baptist, or the great prophet Elijah who was whisked off to heaven in a chariot?  Some mused he was one of the ancient revered prophets of Hebrew Scripture fame like Jeremiah who were the speakers of hard truth to a corrupt people and government.

If Jesus posed that question to you and me, what would we tell Jesus about what others think of him today? Sadly, the first thing that comes to my mind is that I’d say is, “Jesus, people are not even thinking of that question today.”

Ouch.

You might disagree with me about that depending on what Christian circles you run in but I still argue that I’ve not seen a lot of evidence that people are asking who Jesus is even within the church itself.

Well, that’s a problem.

You see, what that means is that Western Church has lost its Jesus-bearing identity. Simply look at the declining influence Churches and communities of worship have on the larger culture today. Look at the empty parking lots on the Sabbath and the same tired faces of the people who serve on church teams and committees year in and year out because others will not step up to take their turn.

It’s at this crucial point Jesus asks disciples another question on identity: Who do you all say I am? The “you” Jesus uses is plural; he is speaking to all the disciples both then and now: Who do y’all say that I am?

Bless Peter’s heart. He steps up and speaks for all them and declares, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God!” and Jesus beams with delight! Peter highlights and correctly announces Jesus’ identity and then Jesus turns right around and pronounces Peter’s! “You’re blessed, Simon of Jonah! You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of the dead will not prevail against it!”

Peter expresses to Jesus how all of them understand Jesus’ identity to be the long expected Messiah to come and liberate the people. Yet, Peter also adds a twist to it: Not only is Jesus the Messiah, he is also the very presence of God in their midst. Jesus’ identity, his character, is wrapped up in the very character and identity of God that he has been displaying throughout Matthew’s Gospel: An identity wrapped up in the visible, patient, longsuffering, sacrificial love in order to reconcile people and society back to God making them whole once again. Peter nails and sticks the landing! Like gymnast Simone Biles executing a perfect floor routine, Peter scores a 10! The disciples understand who Jesus really is!

When Jesus tells Simon, “you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church!”, Jesus is referring to the proclamation and profession Peter made on behalf of his fellow disciples. It’s not so much the church is going to be built upon Peter per se; it’s that the gates of hell and the dead cannot overcome the proclamation that Jesus is Messiah and the Son of the Living God. The rock the church is built upon is the declaration that Jesus’ identity is that he is the very Presence of God in the midst of our swirly world! He is not some reincarnated prophet or some enlightened teacher but rather he is God’s Presence among us! This is Jesus’ identity. This is what Peter and the disciples professed that day in the remote safety of Caesarea Philippi.

Should Jesus pull you and me aside in Caesarea Philippi and ask us about what we thought his identity was, would we get it right? Are we still building on the rock of the church, which is the profound proclamation that Jesus is Messiah, the Son of the Living God, or is the Western Church building on the scattered rocks of discordant social issues trying to define who and what the Church actually is. The Western Church has at times let the issues of the day define Jesus instead of having Jesus define the vital issues; we have let the proverbial tail wag the dog. What Peter gets right is that he put Jesus first and Jesus’ very identity defines who Peter is and what the Church is to be about in its purpose and mission. The Church in America today suffers from an identity crisis!

The vital question for you and me is to ask what our part is in either contributing to the Church’s identity crisis or how we are helping to shape the Church’s healthy identity.

We contribute to the Church’s identity crisis when we withhold our spiritual gifts of leadership, giving, serving that Paul speaks about in Romans 12.

We contribute to the Church’s identity crisis when we hold on to nostalgic ministries of yesterday that do not meet the spiritual needs of the people in our community today.

We contribute to the Church’s identity crisis when we make our personal agendas or wish dreams drive ministry instead of letting Jesus’ identity permeate throughout the whole Body of Christ in a specific places, shaping itself to its community’s hurts and pains.

We contribute to the Church’s identity crises when we overlay cultural values onto the way we approach church business and ministry and raise them above the values Jesus would engender.

Friends, whenever the Church, whenever you and I as individual members of Christ’s Church, replace humility with hubris, sacrificial love with personal convenience, or adoration of God in Jesus with any other idol in the form of money, stuff, power or prestige, we know we have lost our Christian identity.

Who do people at your office, your Bridge game, your Bible study or sports group say Jesus is? Do they know who Jesus is to you? When they look at you and me, do they first see Patrick, Don, Laura, Chris and Margaret or do they first see the face and radiance of Jesus expressing your new identity?

Amen.

Patrick H. Wrisley, D.Min.

Senior Pastor & Teaching Elder

First Presbyterian Church

401 SE 15th Avenue

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301

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