Active faith

Genesis 45:1-15; Exodus 1:8—2:10; Romans 12:1-8; Matthew 16:13-20

I want to start with this verse from Romans: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Throughout our readings today, we find people who are refusing to be conformed to the norms of the culture, but are willing to risk everything to follow where God leads.

… Since I was gone last week, I watched the video of the service, and so I know that Pr Wayne did not talk about Joseph. Today’s reading from Exodus makes more sense if we remember who Joseph is, so here’s a quick summary.

Joseph was sold to the Midianites, and sold again to some Egyptians. He became a servant in Pharaoh’s household. His skills brought him into leadership in the capitol, and apparently he was good-looking enough for the wife of a Cabinet member to be interested in him. He declined to be involved with her, and he ended up in prison. After some years, he interpreted some dreams, including for Pharaoh. Soon, he is named the chief of staff, and manages the ingathering of a lot of grain before a drought occurs. It is during the drought that Joseph is reunited with his family.

Joseph is famous for a long time for his management of feeding the people during the drought, but by about 400 years later, no one remembers him. The family that came to be with Joseph is more numerous than the Egyptians in a similar region; the land of Goshen is fertile, and Pharaoh is concerned about homeland security. New laws force these immigrants to be disrespected, persecuted, enslaved. Even so, the population of Israelites grows, and Pharoah tries a different approach – get rid of the newborn baby boys.

In today’s reading, we have the story of the daring midwives Shiphrah and Puah. Pharaoh calls them to account: why are there still so many baby boys being born alive? The midwives have figured out beforehand how to respond to him. Knowing the way he thinks about their people, they use a term he will appreciate: Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are more like animals and deliver quickly, before we can get there. Pharaoh gives them a new order: throw all the baby boys into the river. The story doesn’t report the response of the midwives to this order.

However, one particular mother ends up doing just that. Jochebed makes a sea-worthy basket for her son. His big sister Miriam watches as he floats down the river, and sees Princess Bithia lift him out and see to his nurture.

… Think how much faith it took for Joseph to patiently wait for release from prison, and how he trusted in the God-given ability to interpret dreams. Think how much faith it took for the midwives to resist Pharaoh’s orders. Think how much faith it took for Jochebed to put her baby boy in the river, and how much faith -- in different gods -- it took for the Egyptian princess to draw the baby out of the river and see that he lived well.

… In Matthew, Jesus has led the disciples to Mount Hermon, in today’s Golan Heights in northeast Israel. The headwaters of the Jordan River are here. The region borders Syria, and evidence of the 1973 war still exists as a reminder to protect the border at all costs. In Jesus’ time, the area was the seat of Roman control dominated by the city Caesarea Philippi.

At the base of the mountain is an ancient Ba'al, Greek, and Roman worship center. In Jesus’ time, the main god there was Pan, a half-man and half-goat deity. It’s a huge rock face with numerous niches for idols of various gods. At the center is a gaping hole that leads to a deep pool of water. In the past, a torrent of water flowed from this hole. Since the pool seemed bottomless, it was thought to be the entrance to Hades – the pit of hell. The place was named “The Gates of Hades.”

It is here that Jesus takes the disciples to make a point. First, Jesus asks the disciples, what is the gossip? What are the rumors about me? And the disciples give a list of the popular ideas they have heard. Next, Jesus asks who they, the disciples, say Jesus is.

Simon-Peter utters the words the other disciples have whispered about, but not said aloud to anyone. I imagine they all have long thought Jesus was the messiah, the anointed one, who would be the new King David. But Peter’s words go farther, even though he doesn’t yet understand what they mean.

Peter declares that Jesus is the son of the Living God. At this moment, Peter is envisioning a political messiah who will end Roman occupation and re-establish the glory of God’s people. Jesus is the son of the all-powerful, living God.

Does Peter understand what he has said? Or what it means? No, because Jesus hasn’t completed his mission yet. And in next week’s reading, it will be obvious that Peter doesn’t fully get what Jesus is there to do.

For today, Peter’s words are enough for Jesus. He praises God for Peter’s words and wisdom and goes on. Peter has rock-solid faith, and on the strength of that faith, Jesus will build the community that becomes the church. And nothing, not even the Gates of Hades, the strength of Roman power and faith, will prevail against the church.

Peter and the disciples will lead the Jewish people into the future with their faith. They will live out Paul’s words: Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.

… What does this look like today? Here’s one story. Last Sunday, I worshiped at First Lutheran Church in Cincinnati. It’s a downtown church, where many of the other 150-year-old buildings have been torn down and replaced with modern apartment towers. A couple years ago, they discovered that the bell tower made the building unsafe, and they had to worship elsewhere while conducting capital campaigns and repairing the building.

That Sunday there were about 30 people present, and we were told four of those were visitors, including Mike and me. The congregation included a mixture of skin colors, half a dozen children, and a developmentally challenged man who handed out bulletins.

With such low attendance, they wonder how it will be possible to continue being church. Members left during Covid. Members left when the requests for giving to repairs continued. But they have persisted. New members have joined. Their building is vital to the community, where groups meet for a nominal charge, food and other goods are donated and distributed, music rehearsals and performances happen, and their persistence is a witness to the community that God is present and active there.

As a small community of faith, they have chosen to not be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of their minds, so that they may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.

… We are descendants of Abraham and Sarah and Joseph and Moses and Shiphrah and Puah. We are descendants of Simon-Peter and Paul and millions of faithful persons who have gone before us in faith. We are companions, siblings, members of the same body of Christ as the faithful church members of First Lutheran in Cincinnati. What does their witness say to us?

It says: It’s Christ’s Church, Jesus’ Church, no matter what happens, and there is no earthly power that can overcome it. Congregations change, grow, close. People choose to worship differently, or not at all. But Jesus will make sure that nothing will bring the Church (capital C) to an end.

How much faith do we have? Are we at UELC as willing as the people of First Lutheran, as Peter, as the midwives, as Joseph, as Abraham and Sarah to trust in God? Do we choose to not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds, so that we may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect? I pray this is so. Amen