August 23, 2020 | Scripture, Sermon, & Prayers

            What do you know about rocks? Without being a geologist, or having ever gotten higher than a C grade in any sort of natural sciences class, I can offer a few of my observations on rocks. Rocks are hard, even though some are softer than others—there is quite a difference between soapstone and a diamond. The differences in shape and smoothness, the color variations, the ways the rocks were formed in the beginning and the ways the elements they were exposed to shaped them, mean that rocks can be quirky as people are. Some have impossible angles, others shimmer like there’s a light from within them. Some end up in Charlie Brown’s trick-or-treat bag, others wind up skipped across the glassy surface of water. They’re pretty sturdy, until they aren’t. Sometimes you’ll find a gigantic boulder split in half, a tree growing in the middle of it. Sometimes you’ll be hopping across a creek from rock to rock, thinking they all look pretty solid, only to find the base of the rock was not well-gummed into the mud and you’ll end up with soaked hiking shoes.

Our reading from Isaiah says, “Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug.” Rocks, like people, have places they came from. Archaeologists can trace ancient travel routes based on finding a rock in an archaeological site hundreds and hundreds of miles away from where it should be. Rocks can be neatly arranged in a geometric grid to help assist in cultivating and maintaining certain types of energy, they can be laid in slabs across kitchen countertops, and worn on necklace chains. They find your big toe when you walk around outside barefoot, they provide a place to sit when you’re weary on a hiking trail, they are tiny pebbles and they are mountains.

            So when we hear that Jesus has called Peter the Rock, which is gonna be the foundation for the church going forward, with all of these thoughts about rocks, how does that all work out? What kind of rock, anyway?

            We remember Peter is a nickname given to Simon by Jesus. The name “Peter” means stone. Nicknames are a funny thing, they can convey affection and irony all at once. I have a super laid back uncle who moves…at his own pace, and his nickname from my dad since they were young men has been “streak,” no, not because it was the 70s and steaking was en vogue, but instead as an ironic ode to the relaxed pace at which he moves through the world. So when I think about Jesus latching onto calling Simon Peter, I have a lot of fun working through the possible scenarios leading to that nickname. Simon called Peter was Jesus’s first disciple. He has followed Jesus through every single moment in his ministry, has been a witness to incredible miracles, has watched Jesus’s own arc of personal growth in his ministry. Simon called Peter was also the disciple to step out of the boat and take a few steps toward Jesus on the water before he panicked and sank…like a rock. Did Jesus know this would happen? Was Peter a pre-emptive nickname knowing this would happen?

Peter will also famously deny knowing Jesus three times. Rocks are considered to be steady, unflinching, and solid in their place. A guy who follows Jesus from day one, knows his ministry and teachings better than anyone, giving into fear, collapsing into grief, and denying any association with Jesus doesn’t seem super rock-like.

And yet, it is in this story that we hear Jesus ask “What are people saying about me?” and then pressing further, “Okay, but, who do you say that I am?” Peter is the first to blurt out “YOU’RE THE MESSIAH!” because how could he not, after all he’s experienced? After spending so much time in the transformative presence of Jesus. Even though Jesus wasn’t quite the messiah that had been expected based on the piled up hopes of a people wanting a strong warrior to deliver them from evil. Jesus was not a grand king, instead he lived in near-poverty, constantly moving from place to place without putting down roots. This confession that escaped Simon Peter’s lips must have been dancing through his mind, constantly flashing “messiah! Messiah! Messiah!” but he hadn’t had a chance to confirm what he believed, until now, suddenly, when Jesus decides to do some market research about what his target audiences think of him.

And so Simon Peter, “The Rock,” is met with approval by Jesus. Furthermore, Jesus puns on his name, saying “I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church…” and we hear Jesus talk about the Church, Ecclesia, for the first and only time, indicating that a distinct community of believers was to come together.

But it still doesn’t breed much confidence that the rock on which the church would be built was the same guy whose bravado pulled him out of a boat, nearly drowning him when doubt crept in, or who would deny every knowing the man he just proclaimed to be the messiah. It seems like a, well, rocky start.

The beauty of the Gospels is that we don’t get one dimensional characters and tropes whose actions we’ve already got figured out, and whose fates are neatly and predictably wrapped up by the end of the play. We experience these precious and brief years of Jesus’s ministry and life through the lens of real people, flawed people. Simon called Peter was not the bravest, he had real-life fears and quirks, his faith was great, and yet he also recoiled and avoided painful or dangerous situations. What does it mean that the Church—capital C—is built with a foundation like Peter, flawed but always learning?

When we go back to my earlier listing of the entirely unscientific qualities of rocks, we see a few things. One, that rocks are so unique, they have their individual qualities and quirks, flaws and all. Another thing to consider is that rocks are not nearly as solid or as unchanging as they appear if we stare at one for a few minutes. Years of water passing through a rocky area change the shape of the rocks, elemental changes, earthquakes, and little saplings becoming mighty trees in a small fissure can also change a rock from it’s initial forming. The church’s foundation is not rickety because it is built on an unlikely hero like Simon called Peter, whose legacy was written faults and all—because let’s face it, if it was important that all the apostles looked like they were the smartest, bravest, most confident people ever then it would have been written that way—it is a strong foundation because it is built on the assumption that change is part of life, that the church, and we the faithful, as we weather storms and are changed by our environment, that the church will also continue to be formed and shaped over time, ever true and ever relevant in each new age.

God, as we your faithful, quirky, sometimes craggy people ponder the scriptures, we appreciate the stories where we can see the great love and trust you have for faithful, quirky, sometimes craggy people, and we pray that we never question our ability to be the Church just because we don’t fit the mold of what we think we need to be in order to be followers of Christ. We are your Church, quirks, flaws, learning curves, and all, and that is a powerfully redemptive understanding for us to have. We thank you for your grace. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.