“Who Do You Say Jesus Is, and Why Does It Matter? Part 2: Peter Gets It Right” by the Rev. Dr. Don Wahlig, August 23^rd, 2026, Year A / Proper 16 – I Peter 2:2-8a  ¨  Matthew 16:13-20

THEME:  Our experience of Jesus builds our faith and empowers our testimony to build on Peter’s foundation of the church.

One of the good things about social media is the opportunity it gives us to vicariously enjoy the experiences of others. This week, for example, I have been following friends who are posting pictures from their summer vacations.  I have been particularly struck by the stunning pictures of cathedrals. Several of them have been to Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. You probably remember that, after a fire gutted Notre Dame five years ago, it was completely restored and refurbished. It finally reopened last year. It looks better than ever. But you don’t have to go to Europe to see magnificent cathedrals. We have some of our own right here on this side of the pond. One of my favorites is the Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. Have any of you been there? St. John the Divine is in West Harlem, directly across the street from Columbia University.

Construction began in 1892. When I was in business school exactly 100 years later, I would sometimes walk over to sit in a pew after class. It was wonderful. What made it truly special was the stone yard outside the cathedral. After a 38-year lull following World War II, the Episcopal Diocese of New York created an extraordinary program there. They imported master stone masons from England to train local youth and young adults in the art of stone masonry. These young apprentices learned how to carve the stones that would eventually support and decorate the massive cathedral walls. 

Jesus is doing something similar with his disciples in our passage from Matthew. Peter and the other disciples have been following Jesus since his ministry began in Galilee. No one has more experience of being with Jesus than they do.  Like the apprentice stone masons at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the disciples have been Jesus’ apprentices. They have been learning at the feet of the master. Especially Peter. Peter is disciple number one. He has been with Jesus since the very beginning. He has witnessed firsthand the power and presence of Jesus. He saw Jesus heal the sick and lame with only a word and a touch. He heard Jesus confound the Pharisees and Scribes.

Peter stood among the crowds, spellbound by Jesus’ preaching about the Kingdom of God, and the love and justice it brings. He watched in amazement as the crowds grew bigger and bigger.  Twice he tasted bread and fish miraculously multiplied to feed thousands. And one stormy night on the Sea of Galilee, Peter and the other eleven watched in amazement when Jesus spoke the word that calmed the waves. Peter personally followed in Jesus footprints as he walked across the waves. Together with the others, Peter professed, “Truly you are the Son of God.”  

Now, Peter goes a step further. When Jesus asks the disciples who they say he is, Peter gets it right. “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”  It is a strong affirmation – in fact, the strongest faith affirmation possible. Peter is confessing that Jesus is both Lord and Savior. We call this a profession of faith.  We ask our Confirmands to affirm the same faith when they join the church. We ask our new members to make this profession of faith when they join the church. All of us are called to profess this faith, too.  Our profession of faith goes beyond words spoken in church. Jesus calls us to profess our faith in him, both in public and in private. 

We profess our faith not only in words, but in our actions.  You have probably heard the famous words of St. Francis of Assisi. He is often quoted as saying, “Preach the Gospel at all times, and use words if you have to.”  His point is that the way we live our lives, and especially the way we treat our neighbors, is our most effective testimony to our faith that Jesus is God’s Messiah, that he is the Lord we follow, and the Savior who leads us to new life.

But, in my experience, we Christians are sometimes hesitant to offer our testimony. I’ve been thinking about that this week. It seems to me that there are two reasons for that. First, we tend to bifurcate our faith. Too often, we consign our faith to our private lives. We seem to think that our testimony to Jesus Christ is appropriate for church on Sunday, but really ought to be kept under wraps the rest of the week. Second, we tend to doubt the impact that our testimony to Jesus will have. I saw this when I did my doctoral dissertation a few years ago. 

My topic was the intersection of faith and work. I focused on exploring the degree to which people see their work lives as a witness to their faith in Christ.  A number of the folks I interviewed did not believe they could offer any meaningful testimony to God’s love for us in Jesus Christ in their workplace. Nor did they believe it would make any real difference in the lives of others. Friends, there is clearly a power shortage in our faith. Peter shows us how to correct that.

The power of our faith is the very same power that inspired his faith. His trust that Jesus is the Messiah was not grounded in any theological doctrine.  It was not based on a rational premise, or an academic argument. The power source of Peter’s faith is his firsthand experience of walking with Jesus.  By following Jesus, day in and day out, he learned who Jesus was.  It changed his life profoundly. 

His new life in Christ was the basis for his powerful testimony.  The first half of the Book of Acts is filled with examples. Peter’s bold testimony of preaching and healing changed the lives of others. His words were effective not because he was eloquent. His testimony to Jesus was effective because it was grounded in his own firsthand experience of walking with Jesus. This is why Jesus calls him “the rock on which I will build my church.”

Jesus wants the same for you and me. He wants us to build his church as Peter did.  So, the question is how do you and I become the stones that add strength to Peter’s foundation? The place to start is by focusing on our own experience of walking with Jesus. SO, let me ask you, what sort of faith journey has brought you here today? In other words, how has walking with Christ changed you and shaped your life?  For may of us, that change happened some time ago. That leads to the second question. How do we rekindle the power of our experience of the living Christ? 

You have probably heard the old proverb that experience is the best teacher. But that is not quite right. Experience is only valuable when we evaluate it and learn from it. So, the question for us is are we reflecting on the way Jesus continues to intervene in our lives to draw us closer to God and our neighbors?

The final question to consider is how do we help others experience Christ? Do we recognize and name the ways we see Jesus active in their lives? Can we mirror this back to them to help build their faith and inspire their testimony? This is how we become disciples like Peter. Like Peter and the other eleven we learn to trust that Jesus is the Messiah by walking with him day by day.  That is how Peter and the first generation of disciples built the foundation of the church. They were Jesus’ apprentices.

You and I are like those fortunate apprentices who learned stone masonry from the masters in that stone yard at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.  As I was writing this sermon, I became curious about what happened to these apprentice stone masons after they graduated from the program. So, I did a little digging. What I found was simply wonderful. Some of these apprentice stone masons went on to open their own business. They built stone walls and patios. They restored stone fireplaces in historic homes. They created architectural decor, custom lettering, and stone sculpture. 

One former apprentice even became a college professor. He taught others the craft as he had learned it at the foot of the master stone masons at the cathedral. Friends, you and I have been in a spiritual apprenticeship program. We are apprenticed to the Master of our faith, Jesus Christ himself.   We have come to know him firsthand. Like Peter, we trust that he is the Messiah, Lord and Savior of all.

What Jesus wants from us now is to build on the foundation of his church. He wants us to rekindle our faith and share it in the way we live – both in what we say to others and how we treat them. That is our testimony. Our testimony has more power than we know. The question is will we share it?

May it be so.