GREETINGS TO THE HOLY PEOPLE OF GOD,
Who do you say that I am? That is the question Jesus asks his disciples (Matthew 16:15) in the district of Caesarea Philippi. It is an area that I visited in Israel. Banias, named after Pan the half-human, half-goat flute playing Greco-Roman god of shepherds and flocks. It is an area in northern Israel that had a reputation of pagan worship at the time of Jesus and is now not even a village but a tourist destination. This is where Jesus also tells Peter that he is the rock upon which Jeus will build his church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. And the gates of Hades did not prevail as I walked among the ruins.
Where is Jesus asking you, “Who do you say that I am?” Jesus comes into the context of our lives and invites us to join in God’s kingdom building efforts where we are. Jesus empowers us, give us the authority to be ambassadors, representatives and witnesses of what God is doing and promises to work with us where we are. Our youth this Sunday will share with us how they discovered Jesus in the midst of their mission work in Milwaukee in July. Our Women of the ELCA will be exploring the Holy Places of Israel and their holy places in their fall bible study.
Now I’m back and still thinking about places and the context and holiness of those places I walk among the ruins in my own environment as I grieve the loss of my brother in-law, Dale, and change hits me from more angles than I like. It is a strange place to be. I wonder if the disciples thought about the strange place that Jesus brought them to and asked them about what others were saying and what they were thinking. Who do I say that Jesus is?
On that same day of walking amongst the ruins, we also took a hike to the spring and stream that was diverted by an earthquake in 1033. The spring and stream that once flowed out of the mouth of the huge cave that now sits in ruins. We could see the trout swimming and the paths of animals that made their way to quench their thirst. And we were refreshed as we hiked along the stream with all its waterfalls.
Who do you say that I am? Peter says, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” What do we say? You are Jesus, God’s Son who keeps coming to us in the midst of our ruins, the changes, the grief, the earthquakes and fires and new beginnings. Jesus, you are the source of life and I find refreshment in the diversions and changes I encounter as I keep turning to you and trusting you.
What do you say when Jesus asks, “who do you say that I am?”
Bold Inquisitive Belief Loving Expansively,
Pastor Connie Spitzack
