Being Bold Like Peter

Happy Feast of the Confession of Saint Peter! Today we pray, ‘Almighty Father, 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 this faith, so that in unity and peace we may proclaim the one truth and follow the one Lord, our Savior Jesus Christ.’  

This prayer has so much to teach us.  First, Peter was inspired by God to confess Jesus as Lord. As much as I want my children, and all children, to make a similar confession, I cannot force them to do so. It can be hard at times when faced with a young person’s agnosticism to know how to best serve them. This prayer reminds us to trust in God, and that in God’s time all tongues shall confess that Jesus is Lord. 

Second, this prayer reminds us that Christ’s Church rests solidly on the foundation of faith in Jesus: not in outreach programs, good preaching, or excellent children’s programs. All of these are wonderful ministries of the Church (if there are resources and people to offer them), but the Church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ our Lord. 

And finally, this prayer calls us to unity and peace in our proclamation of Jesus as Lord. While there are so many denominational differences, and it is easy to become forceful in our conviction of faith, neither division nor force will bring others into the light of God’s love made known in Jesus Christ. 

My favorite characteristics about Simon Peter are his honesty, his naivety, and his trust in Jesus. Sometimes Peter seems to ‘get it’ and other times he misses the mark. I can relate. Today we celebrate the confession by Peter that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. Today, we also remember his amazing acts of faith and the serious consequences of taking our eyes off of Jesus. Peter walks on water! And then, upon noticing the wind, in fear, begins to sink (Matthew 14).  

After Pentecost, Peter becomes a leader. He learned from our Lord how to teach, preach, heal, and to believe in the power of the Holy Spirit. In Acts chapter 3, Peter and John go to the temple at the time of prayer when a man lame from birth asks them for money. I love Peter’s response! He tells the man to look at them! Then says, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Peter then helps him stand up and the man begins walking toward the temple. 

The people who witnessed this miracle were astonished. Acts 4:13 reads, ‘Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized them as companions of Jesus.’ In our boldness of faith and confession of Jesus as Lord, even ordinary folk, like me, like my family, can amaze others through God’s grace and be recognized as companions of Jesus. 

Incredible, right?! But as the story continues, we read about people who question and give Peter a hard time after he does a good deed. This miracle will result in John and Peter’s imprisonment. 

One of the questions we discuss regularly as a family is why some people get upset when good things happen to other people. Is it out of fear? Perhaps jealousy that it didn’t happen to them or jealousy that they didn’t do the good deed themself? In our lives, when we encounter this frustrating behavior, we need to know how to respond in love and peace. 

Some lessons to help commemorate this feast day with children:

1. Following Jesus has its ups and downs. Sometimes we get it right, and sometimes we fail. God is always faithful to us, always ready to forgive, and always desiring to gift us with whatever we need for our ministry and vocation.
2. Jesus promised that his followers would do the things that he did and even greater things. Peter shows us this throughout the Acts of Apostles. We too are called to serve the world as Jesus did and through the power of the Holy Spirit can do even greater things. 
3. Following Jesus can sometimes lead us into hot water. Not all people will see or understand our faith and actions. They might even cause us some difficulty or pain. Healing a man who could not walk caused Peter to end up in prison. But it also gave him the opportunity to proclaim all that Jesus had done for him and for the world. 
4. Watch this short video of Brene Brown discussing ‘candle blower outers’ and then wonder aloud with children how we might instead flame protectors.

[Collect for the Confession of Saint Peter used with permission.]