LIFE ON THE “D” LIST: DECLARATION

1 Peter 2: 1-10

In the first century A.D. Jesus of Nazareth took a band of chosen disciples north from their native province of Galilee (an area controlled by Herod Antipas who wanted to stop Jesus) to an area known as Caesarea Philippi, an area tolerant of all faiths and overseen by Herod Phillip. Our Holy Land trips have helped me understand that geography matters. There was a place in that region with a seemingly bottomless cave that natives believed was the entrance to the underworld. To them it was known as the gates of Hell. As Jesus took his followers away from the crowds that hounded them back in Galilee, and from the ruler who pursued him, he likely stopped, according to Matthew 16, at the place known as “The gates of Hell.” It was there that he asked the most important declaration of faith in his ministry:  “Who do others say that I am?” he asked them. And several of them answered: “Some say that you are John the Baptist; others say you are Elijah; still others say you are Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” Then I can imagine Jesus pausing and looking each of his apostles straight in the eye: “And who do you say that I am? It was then that Simon, whom Jesus called Peter, first spoke and said words that would change the world.  He said: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” No greater words have ever been said for Christians. Jesus must have beamed as he said, “Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jona! My Father in Heaven revealed that to you. You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church” and then perhaps motioning to the deep opening in the ground, said “and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it!”  Roman Catholics believe Jesus meant his church would be built on Peter himself because he said Jesus was the Christ, so he is regarded as the first Pope and St Peter’s basilica is in his honor. Protestants believe that Jesus meant he would build his church on the declaration that Peter made that Jesus was the Christ. The Christian Church, therefore, was built on that declaration of belief. Later in the Bible, readers can find an ancient hymn written or quoted by the Apostle Paul, in Philippians where he said of Jesus: “God has highly exalted him, and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess (or declare) to the Glory of God the Father, that Jesus Christ is Lord.” (Philippians 2: 9-11) Did you hear who was to declare that: Those in heaven above the earth, those on earth, and those under the earth! Jesus’ words mattered to his disciples in Caesarea Philippi! Even the gates of Hell would not prevail against the church! Jesus apparently will not rest until those above, those on earth, and those below the earth one day call him Lord! Paul’s words matter to us as well, and to all who followed Jesus: Jesus Christ is Lord! The shortest … and most agreed upon creed in Christendom is the one that appears on the crosses I gave to the children: Jesus is Lord. Not everyone agrees with the Apostles’ Creed; not everyone believes in the Nicene Creed; but all Christians believe Jesus is Lord. That is the definition of being a Christian! A declaration started it by Peter, and a declaration continued it by Paul.  Then in about 95 AD, John wrote his Revelation in a time of great torment for Christians. He told them to stand firm but not to take up swords. At one point the Roman Government had been a tolerant empire for those who honored God, and for those who didn’t. But by the end of the first century and into the second century, new leaders put Christians to death who did not call them—human beings—Lord and God. A Christian named Polycarp was among many who would not renounce God. They say he died with these words about Jesus: “Eighty-six years have I served him, and he has done me no wrong; how then can I blaspheme my King who saved me?” Would you have declared your faith in Christ and stood firm as your feet were about to be put to flame? Would you have compromised; or would you have called a dictator your god? Such questions are not asked … or answered lightly. With your own life or the lives of loved ones at stake, where would you take your stand?  Years later the Protestant Reformation started when a priest and religious professor named Martin Luther put out a document on the local college version of email called the Wittenberg Door, and on it he tacked 95 statements he had written that challenged the church leaders of his day. The newly invented moveable type printing press allowed his words to be spread farther and faster then was ever possible before. According to historian John Dillenberger, “When Luther was finally summoned before [a major church court,] he was asked to [recant] his writings and he replied with these words; ‘Since [you] seek a simple answer, I will give it in this manner….Unless I am convinced by the testimony of Scriptures, or by clear reason, I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not retract anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience …. God help me. Amen’” [MARTIN LUTHER, Anchor Books, 1961, p. xxii – xxiii.] Taking stands is one of the foundations of Christianity. It has also been the foundation of nations.

In the United States, we cherish the fact that a forefather named Thomas Jefferson, and other leaders in the Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia, decided they no longer wanted to be a colony of England. They no longer wanted “taxation without representation.” And so, with the skillful writing of Jefferson, with a few amendments from their Congress, they took their stand too. Today it is called “The Declaration of Independence.” Its title and the day it was going to be passed were never certain until it was finished in those first hot days of July in 1776. But declare they did. Those leaders knew, however, that they did not want another monarchy as England had, and they didn’t want the state having authoritative power over the church. As the conversation grew among them, they asked who had an idea of a different kind of government. Presbyterians such as the Rev. John Witherspoon, the only clergyman to sign the Declaration of Independence, raised their hands. “We know a government that John Calvin proposed” they said. “It is a government by the people and for the people.” In their proposal, power would not be given to one person, such as a king or a bishop. It would be shared power such as Calvin promoted, with people helping to choose their leaders and vote on their destiny. It was a representative form of government such as with a Session, a Deaconate, and a Moderator.” The suggestion was worked on and put in the form of motions, finally creating what we now know as the President, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. And it was a nation with a separation of church and state: not that people of religious fervor could not lead or speak, because that was encouraged as it is today. It simply meant that the state would not mandate or dictate a particular faith as the only sanctioned belief, nor have power to control religious beliefs. Our great nation, with its checks and balances, started from a declaration of independence. Even though our government has since had the introduction of paid lobbyists, in its purist form it was the work of Presbyterians. In fact, in those days the American Revolution was often referred to as “The Presbyterian Revolt!” Taking stands can change things: they can change governments, they can change the way human beings are treated or animals are treated; they can save a building, or a forest, or even a tree. Taking stands is as old as recorded history.

Today ten boys and girls are moving toward an age of maturity. Their minds and bodies are developing and this is a time when they start to say what they believe, not just say what mom or dad believes. It is for people like that that our text today from 1 Peter 2 was written in part. If you have already taken a stand on what you believe, try to think back to that time; if you have not yet done so, hear these words and see if they inspire you to, one day, do what ten young people have decided to do today: to take a stand. Hear this charge to you, and you, and you from 1 Peter 2: (paraphrased) “Like very young children, long for the milk of pure spirituality, that by it you may grow in and understand your salvation, even as you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. Come to the one whom others rejected; he is precious in God’s sight; build yourself into a spiritual house and a holy group of people…. For you are chosen by God and precious, a holy nation, God’s own people. Declare the wonderful deeds of Jesus, the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

Today can be a day of new beginnings, a new lease on life, not just for ten people, but for tens of hundreds of you! You too can reclaim, or renew, and restate to the world that your allegiance is with God, your salvation is from Jesus, and your stand is with your Lord and God. What a day this could be!

Jeffrey A. Sumner         May 22, 2011