When was the last time you took some time out to play the age-old children’s game, “Who am I? Well, after the sermon this morning you will be able to tell all of your friends that you last played it at church during the worship service.
That is how we are going to start out this morning, with a few rounds of “Who Am I?” The only rule of the game that is a bit different is, you have to wait until I completely finish the clue so that everyone will have a chance to say the answer at the same time.
Who am I? I am a cartoon character created during the 1900’s. My first movie took place on a steamboat. Since that I time I have entertained thousands, young and old alike in the movies, on television, in books and comic books, and even in theme parks. I was created by that genius of children’s animation, the late Walt Disney. Who am I?
That’s right, Mickey Mouse is the answer. That one was really easy. This next one is a little bit more difficult. See if you can figure out who it is?
Who am I? I was born in the late 1700’s. As an adult I was a congressman from Tennessee and served as the state’s governor. Later I loved with the Cherokee Indians who gave me two names. The first was “The Big Drunk” and the second was “Coloneh” or “The Raven.” After a particularly difficult period of my life, I moved from New Orleans to Texas where I was baptized into the Roman Catholic Church, a requirement for anyone living in Texas in those days. I fought during the Texas war for independence from Mexico. After the war, I became the first president of the Republic of Texas. After Texas became a state I was elected to congress and governor, making me the only person ever to be elected governor of two states. Who am I?
Sam Houston is the answer, now that one wasn’t too difficult. This next one is probably the hardest of all.
I was born in the early 1800’s and experienced the dawn of the 1900’s. As a young child, during an illness, I ran a very high fever. A doctor placed a mustard poultice over my eyes in an effort to help break the fever. While the treatment did seem to end the fever, it left me totally blind for the rest of my life. During my life, I was not bitter about my blindness and I never saw it as a handicap but rather as an enhancement to my faith. Though physically blind it was as though I could see God much more clearly than many sighted people. During my adult life, I shared my faith with many people through the writing of hymns. In fact the lyrics I wrote have allowed me to share my faith with many people through the twentieth century and now beyond though I have been dead for some fifty years. My work includes some of the favorite hymns of the church like “To God be the Glory,” “Blessed Assurance,” “Praise Him, Praise Him,” “and Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross.” Who am I?
Does anyone know? The answer is Fanny Crosby. We have two more but they are much easier.
I lived during the lifetime of Jesus. It was a privilege to be called one of his disciples, though I know I was far from deserving such an honor. During m time with Jesus I walked on the water. But I was not all I should have been. While walking on the water, my faith wavered and Jesus saved me. In this morning’s lesson, I gave the answer to who Jesus was. After Jesus’ arrest, I denied that I even knew Jesus. I am almost ashamed to ask this but, Who am I?
That one was easy to answer, Simon Peter. This last one is also very easy. See if you can figure it out.
I was born in a stable. I was the son of a carpenter. I lived only 33 years here on earth. I was crucified and on the third day I rose from the dead. Many people then didn’t believe in me. Others didn’t know who I was or what I was here for. Some did, however, and they shared my message with all the world. Throughout the centuries many people have believed in me. Many people have answered the question who am I, starting with Simon Peter. Throughout the ages, even today, people have said they know who I am, but they don’t live their lives like they know who I am. Do you? Who am I?
The historical answer to that question is an easy one. Of course it is Jesus. When Jesus asked Peter, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter said he was the Messiah, the Son of the Living God, and then turned around and fussed at Jesus because Jesus’ idea of a Messiah and Peter’s idea were very different.
Today, when we are asked the question, “who is Jesus?” it is very easy to say he is the savior of the world. That answer comes by faith. But the real question isn’t who Jesus is in our words, but who Jesus is in our daily lives.
We say that we live in a Christian nation, but in truth it is far from a Christian nation. I was talking to a friend not too long ago, who works on computers as I have been known to do. He said that he had read in a computer magazine that the largest industry on the Internet was adult entertainment, pornography. He went on to say that he went out on one of the search engines and for whatever key word he used there were in excess of 8,000,000 adult oriented sights on the net. I understand freedom of speech and all of that, but if we are truly a Christian nation, we wouldn’t have the kind of demand that would allow 8,000,000 plus Internet sights to stay in business.
We call ourselves a Christian nation but tales of scandal from many of our leaders at various levels of government and the military, not to mention the scandals that come from the Church itself from time to time. They all constantly hit us from the press.
We call ourselves a Christian nation but there are those who have made the comment with all seriousness that if God doesn’t destroy the United States for its sins, he has a lot of explaining and apologizing to do for Sodom and Gomorrah.
We call ourselves a Christian nation but can we truly say that our nation is Christian, can we even say that a simple majority truly knows Jesus Christ as Lord and lives that way?
Why is it that people say they know who Jesus is and live their lives in a way that says they don’t? It is quite simple really, we want Jesus to be Messiah on our own terms. We want a Messiah that comes and saves us, but then requires nothing of us. We don’t want to have to change our lives. We don’t want to have to love our neighbor. We don’t want to have to forgive each other. We don’t want to have to do anything in service. Simply put, we want a Messiah who saves us and we will repay him by showing up for church on Sunday morning, if we feel like it that is. We just want something easy.
We want to say, like Peter, Jesus is the Son of the Living God. I am a Christian, just don’t ask me to do anything in my role as a Christian. “God, you can be Lord, just watch out for me and keep evil from my path. Oh! And God, please stay out of my way. Worry about all those other people. Really, I can take care of myself. I will call you if I need you.”
That is how our society, and all too often, how the Church lives as Christians. But that my friends is what the German theologian Detrich Bonhoffer called, “cheap grace.” God gives and we do nothing in return. It is easy Christianity. It is also not real.
Truly, we can’t say with our mouths alone who Jesus is, we have to live it out with our lives. We can’t have God on our terms; we have to receive our faith and then live our faith on God’s terms. We have to confess with our mouths that Jesus Christ is Lord of all, but that confession is only the beginning of a real life in faith.
IV This morning we are beginning a new series called “Who do you say He Is?” Each Sunday this month we are going to be looking at this same text. This morning we are focused on the beginning. Jesus asks the disciples who people say that he is. They answered Elijah or Moses or one of the prophets. Then Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”
If our lesson were truly a story that stood on its own, we could talk about confessing Jesus as the Christ and then just leave it alone. We could do as we pleased. Cheap grace might have worked. But, we all know there is more to the story. Peter and the other disciples did start to live out that answer. After Jesus death and resurrection they did so even more.
Commitment with our mouths is one thing. I have heard it said, because we are Christians if we love God we can do whatever we want. The catch to that is, however, if we really love God we will do what God wants. That means living out our commitment not with our mouths alone, but with our actions, with our lives.
Our faith commitment is lived out in the faith community. That commitment is lived out in how we reach out into the world and our community.
We know the stories. Now Jesus asks each of us the question he asked the disciples so long ago, “Who am I?” It isn’t a question I can answer for you. No one else can either, but we will talk more about that next week. Yet for each of us the answer is important. If we say the Messiah, as is my prayer for each of us, we must be fully prepared to pick up our crosses and follow him.
I was born in a stable, lived 33 years, died on a cross, and on the third day I rose again. My blood was spilled for you. Who am I?
