Daily Devotion

[Pastor Joelle]

January 18, The Confession of St. Peter

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked
his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" And they
said, "Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others
Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say
that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the
living God." And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon son of
Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father
in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will
build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I
will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind
on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will
be loosed in heaven."

Matthew 16:13-19

January 18 which commemorates the Confession of St. Peter, is also the
first day of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity which ends on
January 25, the Commemoration of the Conversion of St. Paul.

Jesus promised that the gates of Hell would not prevail against the
church. Surely it seems at times that evil and hell has made some
pretty deep inroads into the church. Of all the discouraging things
we see in the church perhaps the most disheartening is our
division. Christ came to draw all people to Himself, and commanded
us to love one another and yet we still insist on naming who is the
true Christian and who needs to stay out.

Much of this division is in the name of “protecting the church”. We
want to make sure the church stays pure and only believes the “right”
things about Christ. And yet Peter’s great confession is not a
complicated theological dissertation. “You are the Messiah, the son
of the living God”. And are not our efforts to protect the church
evidence of our lack of trust in Christ’s promise that HE would
protect the church and that the “gates of Hades will not prevail
against it”?

Almighty God, who inspired Simon Peter, first among the apostles, to
confess Jesus as Messiah and Son of the living God: Keep your Church
steadfast upon the rock of faith, so that in unity and peace we may
proclaim one truth and follow one Lord, our Savior Jesus Christ; who
lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God now and
forever, Amen.