Do you have a pencil or pen? Would you get it out, please. And you'll need your bulletin to write on. I'm giving a test this morning! Just kidding, of course, but I do want you to write down your answers to the questions I'm about to ask. I want you to do more than simply think of the answers. I want you to particularize them enough to actually put them into words … no one else will see it, however.

Who is Jesus to you? Define and particularize your answer, if you will.

How do you know Jesus? Can you remember what events or circumstances surrounded your most profound "knowing." Try to be very specific. Not just when you "believed," but when you KNEW for certain.

Let's look at the story from the Gospel …

Jesus' question is a challenge to the disciples which Simon Peter answers for them all. The answer reveals a belief in a unique relationship of Jesus with God even though they did not fully understand all its implications yet. When Peter answers that Jesus is the Messiah, this is the first time this title is used. This confession by Peter on behalf of all the disciples marks a turning point in the Gospel. From then on Jesus begins giving explicit details of the coming Passion. Jesus tells Peter that his answer is a divine revelation or insight. The Spirit of God inspires with a knowledge about the message of Jesus so that it may be interpreted according to the growing needs of life.

Jesus tells Peter that no human convinced him of the identity of Jesus, but that it was revealed to him by God. Look at your paper … how do you know who Jesus is? Did someone tell you or did the events of your life convince you? What caused you to know it? When did you experience it? How do you know Christ? How has God searched for you and found you? How does the church continue to be built in this day and age?

And who is the church? It appears scriptural that the church is the company of the committed or the covenant community … often called the Body of Christ.

According to the way the biblical story unfolds it appears that there is event (some call it born again – Peter and the disciples had a moment of revelation) and then a process that is not always immediately apparent, but a growing or journey. Some experience the "process" or "journey" without being able to recall any specific "event." In either case, when we accept Jesus and confront a living God, then we begin to encounter God in the tapestry of our lives. We begin to see a design to it all that will emerge even or in spite of the fact that life is full of surprises. In retrospect we realize that our stories are not accidents … neither the good nor the bad. That everything ultimately brings us to where we're supposed to be.

Look at what you wrote. How many of you had your most profound experiences in tough times? How many in mountaintop experiences? How many are pretty evenly divided?

Peter, the impetuous one, the risk-taker, the bumbler, the big-talker, the one who made lots of mistakes but who never gave up, got it right this time. "You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God!" Is that what you believe? That was a huge statement for Peter. He was risking the accusation of blasphemy and treason which would have meant certain death when he called Jesus the Anointed One … the Christ. Somehow he knew that a new regime was coming in and it was time to move on to a new order. He could see that history was changing right before his eyes as it has been in our world in recent years.

How similar that period of history was to our own. In Peter's world the cross loomed before them and it seemed for a few dark days that evil had won. Even the faithful Peter began to falter, but then something happened that so shocked the world that it changed history forever. Evil was defeated, and the people rose up for their leader was alive and had come back among them and there was no turning back. That's what Peter knew when he saw the empty tomb and saw the risen Lord and heard his command to "Feed my sheep." He knew that from this day forward the world would never be the same.

Nothing would stop him now. Nothing. Nothing at all. Not even his own bumbling or his own big mouth. Now he was ready to risk his life if need be, because in doing so he could help bring in the new order that God was inaugurating right before his eyes. Now was the time to stand up and be counted for a cause greater than himself. No more timidity. No more denial. No turning back. Just the recognition that his strength came only from Christ. And on that strength Peter started a new life. And on that life and faith Jesus started a new church and a new era in world history.

So in the end Peter "Rocky" came through and so did the other disciples. They "got it!" They understood at last the enormity of the truth … the possibilities … the opportunities.

The question still looms for us. Jesus still asks each of us, "Who do you say that I am?" And that also begs the question: What will you do about it? How important is it? What does it mean to say, "You are the Messiah, the Christ!"

Evil is still at work in the world. But we have read the book and we know the end of the story. God is going to win … and as in days of old, God will use God's people, the convicted ones, the ones who "get it" to help bring about the new era in history that began 2000 years ago and will culminate in the Kingdom of God when he will reign forever and ever!

Paul tells us in Romans not to be conformed to this world but to be transformed by the renewal of your mind … and then goes on to assert that we each have different gifts that we are to use in the building of the Body of Christ that the Kingdom might come.

Jesus' question hits us, as they say, "right between the eyes": "Who do you say that I am?" If Jesus was not important, if his message had no relevance for us, then we would have no responsibility; we would have no privileges either. If the mystical body, the community of faith which is the Church, had no significance for us, then again we would have no responsibility to one another or to God. But the fact is that there is not one person who bears the name Christian in this category, for whether it was many years ago or just yesterday we have all declared that Jesus Christ is Lord. Our profession of faith requires us to be responsible people.

Young people, what is your responsibility if you profess Jesus as Lord? Youth need to bring Jesus to the situation in which they find themselves. Bring Christ to the classroom; bring him to the athletic field. Bring Christ to your relationships with family and friends. Refuse to give in to the ideas of society which promote violence and other forms of behavior that lead away from Christ. Do your best to promote the message of Jesus – one of peace, justice, and compassion.

Working people and parents, what is your responsibility? They say that the workplace is a jungle, and it probably is. The jungle promotes an un-Christian work ethic. Refuse to give in to such pressure, but rather find alternate ways of doing the job, methods that are in line with the teachings of Jesus. Moms and dads – you have the most difficult task in the world. Do not take the responsibility of being Christian parents lightly. Be parents as Christ would have you be. Jesus gathered the children around him; he asked us to have the attitude of children.

People whose children are grown, those who are retired – what is your responsibility? Possibly the greatest contribution you can make is to use wisely the extra time you might have. Retired folks can use their time, expertise, and resources for the betterment of all, as a means of exercising their Christian responsibility.

Jesus' question continues to stand before us, "Who do you say that I am?" We have been baptized in the waters of salvation and have feasted at the Table of the Lord. In other words, we have all professed that Jesus is Lord, just like Peter did! That profession of faith gives us the privilege of being children of God; it also asks something of us. Let us never be sidetracked from this most important of all responsibilities. Let us also remember that we do not walk the Christian road alone. We have the one person we need, for as Jesus says at the end of Matthew's Gospel, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations. Baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to carry out everything I have commanded you. And know that I am with you always until the end of the world!" (28:19-20). One of the greatest dangers we face is apathy. Lukewarm Christians whose faith doesn't get expressed in the living of their lives. Remember Edmund Burke who said, "The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good (people) to do nothing!"

Proclaimed by prophets, heralded by angels, worshiped by saints, feared by devils, he still asks, "Who do you say that I am?" What's your answer? This is our time to stand up and be counted. God knows this broken world needs it. Do you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, the Messiah, the Son of God? If so, there is a good chance your life will show it!

So GO … DO IT!!