Faith in Action

 

Exodus 1:8-2:10; Matthew 16:13-20

This story from Exodus is such a familiar story, I want to start with something you may not have noticed. The women in this story have names! Men often have names in scripture, but not women. If a woman is named, she is very important!

We know the names of the midwives who lied to Pharaoh: Shiphrah and Puah. In Exodus 6 we learn that Moses’ mother is named Jochebed. We even know the name of Moses’ sister, Miriam, who accompanies Moses and Aaron during the Exodus.  

Pharaoh’s daughter is not named in Exodus, but in Chronicles she is called Bit-Yah, which is Hebrew for daughter of God, because she became the mother of Moses and that made her part of the Israelite family. We often hear her name as Bithia, an adaptation of Bit-Yah.

 I am amazed by the faith of these four women, Shiphrah and Puah, Jochebed, and young Miriam. They all risked their lives defying Pharaoh because they feared God more than Pharaoh. Their fear of God, and their faith in God, led them to take action.

Bit-Yah, the Egyptian princess draws an Israelite baby out of the water and assumes responsibility for him. Why was it that Moses was allowed to grow up in the palace as Bithia’s child? Why wasn’t he cast out or even put to death when he was discovered? Instead, he was raised as an adored son. Was this also faith in one or more of the Egyptian Gods? If so, this, too, was faith in action.

… The Gospel story is about men who will soon put faith into action.

They are in Caesarea Philippi, where a mountain cave leads to a deep spring that seems bottomless. It is called the Gates of Hades, or the gates to the place of the dead. In the wall around the cave opening are niches that once held idols, gods. It is a very pagan, very non-Jewish place.

Jesus starts the conversation by asking what people are saying about him. The disciples list a few well-known prophets, including the recently executed John the Baptist. When Jesus pushes the disciples to tell him what they are thinking, they are all silent. Finally, Simon speaks up and says what they have all been thinking or saying privately. He alone has faith enough to blurt out the hope. “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.”  

 Jesus praises him. “God has revealed this to you! Because of that, I am going to give you a new name. From now on you will be called Peter, which means Rock. And on this rock, I am going to build my church.” Here scholars disagree. One group insists that Jesus means to build his church on the person Simon Peter (Rocky), while others insist that the church will be built on Peter’s rock-solid faith.

The Greek text helps us sort this out. Jesus says next “I give ‘you’ the keys to the dominion of heaven and the authority to make rules and change them. Any rules that you make on earth will be respected by God.”

 The ‘you’ in this section is plural in each case. Jesus will give the keys to “you-all” (or “y’all” or “youse-guys”), not just Simon Peter. The church Jesus builds through the disciples will be so strong that even the Gates of Hades will not defeat it, and it will stay strong because you will occasionally need to make changes in the rules. The first disciples will need strong faith, and to build the church, they will need to put faith in action.

… How do you put your faith into action? What are your passions? Are they based on a response to God’s love for you? Are they based on the gifts God gave you, like teaching or compassion or evangelism? Let me tell some stories:

In a previous congregation Kelly had always been passionate about justice for poor people. In her younger days, she walked in picket lines, she held signs on street corners. She told me in 2011 that if her health had permitted, she would go to New York for the Occupy Wall Street movement. She  spent her life putting her faith into action.

Many years ago Dan got involved in a church ministry using his passion for poor people as well. His church had a truck that was filled every week with food and diapers and cleaning supplies. On Fridays, they would go to a housing project and go door to door asking everyone if they needed anything. Dan loved doing this, working directly with people in need. He put his faith into action.

 Many years ago, in a galaxy far, far away, (actually, in southeast Michigan) there was a church secretary named Jane with a passion for making bulletins perfect and ensuring that everything in the church ran smoothly. She worked extra hours if needed, and helped me understand how the congregation operated. This was her faith in action.

I encourage you to find ways, even in this COVID mess, to follow up on your passions and put your faith into action. It may be by sending extra donations to causes you care about, like Lutheran Disaster Relief, World Wildlife Fund, or Hospice House. Invite friends to our online worship, to our Zoom gatherings and Bible studies. Write letters to the editor of the local newspaper. It may be that you are called to show up as an essential worker, facing the risk of Coronavirus every day.

Whatever your interests or passions are, I hope you look for ways to put them into action along with your faith. Amen