MATTHEW 16:13-20
Lead in: Jesus was aware that people were speculating about who he might be. Some were thinking he was John the Baptist or some other prophet from of old. So, Jesus pressed the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” It was Peter who spoke up, “You’re the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Peter’s answer didn’t come out of a book. It came out of his experience of coming to know Jesus. Like Peter, we come to know Jesus through
experiences that make Jesus real for us.
Prompt: Reflect on an experience that made Jesus real for you.
Lead in: Jesus entrusted to Peter the keys to the Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is not a faraway abstract realm we can only hope to someday reach. We celebrate in baptism the keys that open for us the pathway to God in the here and now.
Prompt: What have been the keys that have opened for you the pathway to God in the here and now?
Lead in: Even though Jesus singled out Peter as the one upon whom he would build his church, Peter still had a long way to go. His conversion would be a long, arduous, and sometimes painful journey. And so, for us. Even though God’s loving presence never leaves us, conversion in Christ most often comes with stops and starts along the way.
Prompt: As you reflect on your life and the journey of faith that has led to conversion in Christ, what have been the stops and starts along the way?
Lead in: In telling Peter he was the rock upon whom he would build his church, Jesus was affirming Peter as the leader he could count on to carry out his work in the world. As his disciples, we are all leaders that Jesus is counting on to do his work in the world.
Prompt: As you think about your life with its busy schedule and all the responsibilities that go with it, what is the particular work that Jesus is calling you to focus on these days?
Lead in: Jesus told Peter, “You are Peter, the rock upon whom I will build my church.” Does that mean that thereafter, Jesus’ nickname for Peter was “Rocky”? Who knows!
Prompt: So, what about you? If Jesus were to give you a nickname, what would it be? And why that name and not something else?
