Call to worship
Lord, where should we go if we did not follow you? You have the words of eternal life.
Let us come and follow the one who gives us life, who calls us by name, and delights in our presence, Jesus the Christ.
Let us join together in worship.
Candle Lighting
We light this candle in the name of the Maker, who lit the world and breathed the breath of life for us.
We light this candle in the name of the Son, who saved the world and stretched out his hand to us.
We light this candle in the name of the Spirit, who encompasses the world and blesses our souls with yearning.
An opportunity to check in and reconnect
Reading Scripture
Mark 8:27-38
Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”
And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”
He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.
Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life?
Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
Who do you say…what do you see?
This story of Peter’s amazing insight followed by his spectacular fall from grace offers a number of interesting openings for our reflection. First of all, I was fascinated to discover that the rebuke ‘Get behind me’ is a translation of the same word Jesus used to call Peter from his nets. Get behind me ….follow me…same word. I think that puts a much softer edge onto the rebuke and an interesting ‘returning’ aspect to it.
Nonetheless, the nose dive from top of the class to dunce is still quite dizzying.
What do you see? Jesus asks. And even though the answer – the Christ – is technically correct, if the follow up question was: What do you understand about the Christ? The answer to that would be: Nothing, apparently.
The many images of Jesus in Christian art show that what we see – what we have seen through the ages – has changed, is changing still.
What we see depends on who we are, and where we stand, and maybe also on what we need to see. Our view is always limited and surely it is also possibly – probably – as faulty and filtered as Peter’s.
Sometimes we, too, understand nothing, apparently.
The beauty of this is that there is always more to discover, more depths to be revealed, more mystery to dwell in and to ponder.
God remains unboxable and therefore as open to us as our capacity to hold what we think we know gently and with humility, along with a willingness to see more. It also means that when others share their perspective, our own view can be enriched. Other people can offer us a view we have never seen before, a facet of the Christ, of the cross, of the journey of faith that has been out of our experience and so out of our sight.
Show and tell
I wonder what images of God, what metaphor, story or symbol has been a significant piece of your journey of understanding? I wonder how those images have changed or your perspective shifted as you have matured and your faith has been shaped by your life experiences?
I know that for some, image and metaphor, story and symbol are more foreign language than flowing links. I understand that for those with a practical, action oriented approach to life and faith, this can all seem a bit airy fairy and unnecessary navel gazing. So, although I freely admit my bias in favour of artsy story stuff, I also am convinced that story can be a shortcut to the most gutsy reality of being human , that art cuts to the very heart of superficial ‘busy’ things and often shows us the most effective way to act, change or serve.
For the journey
The quote below is for you to consider over the week- what helps you to see? What teaches you to slow down and pay attention? How are you learning to look at your failures and successes with perspective?
The arts don’t just fill our time with uplifting stories and pretty pictures. They don’t just distract us with things to look at; they teach us how to look.
Art can teach us…. how to see a suffering world in the context of grace. How to recognize the humanity of a character who seems like an irredeemable villain. How to slow down. How to pay attention not just to the notes but the silences between the notes…… How to look at our own failures and successes with perspective, even laughter. The arts ask us to use the full range of our senses. And they can restore us to our full, God-given humanity.
Greg Pennoyer
Prayers for the world
Blessing
May you awaken to the mystery of being here and enter the quiet immensity of your own presence.
May you have joy and peace in the temple of your senses.
May you receive great encouragement when new frontiers beckon.
May you respond to the call of your gift and find the courage to follow its path.
May the flame of anger free you from falsity.
May warmth of heart keep your presence aflame and may anxiety never linger about you.
May your outer dignity mirror an inner dignity of soul.
May you take time to celebrate the quiet miracles that seek no attention.
May you be consoled in the secret symmetry of your soul.
May you experience each day as a sacred gift woven around the heart of wonder.
~ John O’Donohue ~
