Peter The Rock
Stories
Object:
Contents
What's Up This Week
A Story to Live By: "When the Rock Cracks"
Shining Moments: "Help in the Name of the Lord" by Sandra Herrmann
Sermon Starter: "Peter the Rock" by John Sumwalt
Scrap Pile: "Here Are the Keys" by John Sumwalt
What's Up This Week
This is the Sunday to play the Rocky music in the background as you begin a sermon on "Peter the Rock." Rockhounds will enjoy John's riff on rocks and all things rocky in this week's Sermon Starter. In Shining Moments, Sandra Herrmann tells about a miraculous deliverance during a moment of absolute panic while she was visiting Leningrad. She concludes: "...there is One who speaks our language always, and who has said, 'I will give my angels watch over you, lest you dash your foot against a stone' (Psalm 91)."
A Story to Live By
When the Rock Cracks
"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it."
Matthew 16:18
And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you." But he turned and said to Peter. "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."
Matthew 16:22-23
There is a meditation master in Thailand by the name of Achaan Chaa, who in his early years became a monk because his priority, more than anything else, was to try to understand what it is that sits here, who it is that exists -- to understand, as he puts it, "just this much," just this moment of being as it unfolds. After practicing for a few years, he heard rumors about a meditation master in the northern part of Thailand who was reputed to have no anger. No anger is quite an accomplishment; think of what that means. It means a mind that clings nowhere. It means the being has tuned into its original nature to such an extent that it sees no object in mind, even anger, as who it really is. It doesn't identify with anything that comes up as being separate from the truth.
When Achaan Chaa heard of this great teacher, he left the monastery where he had been practicing and went to ask the teacher if he might become his student. He spent about a year and a half with this teacher, and the fellow never became angry. (Very impressive.) Then one day he was out of the sight of the teacher in an L-shaped kitchen where they were both working. He looked over as a dog came into the room and jumped up on the counter to grab some tasty morsel. The meditation master looked both ways, and then kicked the dog. Achaan Chaa got the teaching!
There are no human "rocks" that do not crack from time to time.
Shining Moments
Help in the Name of the Lord
by Sandra Herrmann
Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us as prey to their teeth. We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 124:6-8
In 1972, I had the opportunity to go to the Soviet Union and get educational credit for the adventure. The University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire had build a class around the travel event, teaching us a few words of Russian ("Excuse me"; "Where's the bathroom?"; "How much does it cost?"; and so on), an outline of Russian history, some exploration of the current culture, and the basic tenets of communism as we would see it. The trip to get into the Soviet Union was exhausting, especially since a man in our group turned out to be smuggling letters to families from their relatives in America, and we were held for hours while our bus was searched and all of our luggage gone through. It was not a gentle introduction to the Soviet Union, and some of the excitement of being in such a strange place was drained out of me.
The next few days were spent sightseeing and meeting fellow students at the university. My attitude toward the Soviets was on a rollercoaster. We learned how much they had suffered in World War II, and that they had lost most of their young men in that conflict. All of the rebuilding that took place after the war had been done by unskilled laborers, men and women, under the direction of the few men remaining who had been trained in architecture, concrete mixing, and bricklaying. Many of the buildings showed that they had been built that way, with cracking concrete, crumbling cement and mortar, and a gray sort of look.
But the pride and joy of Leningrad (now known again by its pre-Soviet name of St. Petersburg) is their subway system. It was not a good place to build such a system, because the city had been built over 200 years previous on a marshland. Rocks and boulders were the tax that had to be paid by every peasant and craftsman bringing work into the city to sell. The rocks had been dropped into the swamp until it was firm enough for buildings to be erected.
In order for the subway to be built, they had to go down to the bedrock underlying the swamp -- and the erection of a ceiling and walls was more of an effort than I could imagine. They took such pride in the result that they had painted and tiled the various stations as beautiful works of art. So of course, the students we met wanted to know what we thought of the subway. We had to admit that because there were so many of us in the tour group (70 all together) we had taken ground transportation. The last night we were in Leningrad, a student we had met two days earlier met us at our hotel to take us to a club downtown. We would, he announced, take the subway.
But when we arrived at the station (having walked a mile in a snowstorm to get there), it was packed with people! "It's the end of the weekend," he said. "Everybody likes to go to the country to visit, and now they're all coming back. It will be OK. Just look for the sign overhead and you will see where the escalators are. I will meet you at the bottom if we get separated."
I was in a panic. I hate escalators -- they are one of the few things that truly frighten me. When I was a child I'd had an accident on one, and I had always been afraid of them since. The only other thing I dislike is a crowd -- and this was a crowd the likes of which I had not seen in my life, not even when I had visited in New York City! How could I do this? Worse, I had to do this, because I had no idea how to get back to the hotel by myself, and besides, I really wanted to enjoy this evening with the very friendly student who was disappearing into the crowd as I watched.
Trembling with fear (I had never been so afraid!), I did as he had instructed and aimed for the sign that pointed downward. But when I got to the top of the escalator, I found that I couldn't see the bottom! Nor could I possibly stop at the top, as I usually do to be sure my foot is on the tread and not the crack. Suddenly, someone grabbed my arm and said, "Don't be afraid. I have hold of you. Just step when I tell you. Now!" -- and I stepped forward, onto the tread and safety.
I took a deep breath and in gratitude turned to thank the woman who had helped me. But in that crowd the only people close to me were men, except for a little babushka (grandmother) who clearly did not understand a word of English. But I had been addressed in English -- and as I thought about it, midwestern English at that. There was no hint of an accent of any kind to my ears. Bewildered, I turned around and scanned the crowd, but no one returned my glance.
The next day, I told others in my group about the experience. One of the men offered the observation that many Russians were learning English, and they perhaps didn't want others in the crowd to know this. But I knew this did not explain my adventure. I knew that no one near me was tall enough to have grabbed my arm the way I was grabbed, and none of them would have sounded like a woman from my part of the world. But there is One who speaks our language always, and who has said, "I will give my angels watch over you, lest you dash your foot against a stone" (Psalm 91).
Sandra Herrmann is pastor of Memorial United Methodist Church in Greenfield, Wisconsin. She is the author of Ambassadors Of Hope (CSS).
Sermon Starter
Peter the Rock
by John Sumwalt
Text: Matthew 16:13-20
Jesus says to Simon: "...you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church."
The name Peter means "stone" or "rock." It is Cephas in Aramaic, Petros in Greek, from which the English word "petrified" is derived. In Western countries influenced by the Christian tradition Peter is now a common name, but this simply reflects the influence the nickname has had in Western culture. There are no documented instances of anyone ever being named "rock" in Aramaic or Greek prior to Simon. Thus it would be better if our English translations read "rock" or "stone" instead of Peter -- which gives the false impression that the word represents a common name and causes us to miss the wordplay which would have been evident to anyone hearing Jesus speak that day.
Simon, you are rock, and on this rock I will build my church.
Simon is given a new name. Before he is Simon, son of Jonah; now he is Simon, the rock. Like Abram who becomes Abraham, and Jacob who becomes Israel, and later Saul who becomes Paul, Simon becomes Rock.
Have you ever been given a new name? Perhaps a nickname?
Sports heroes always have nicknames which have to do with their roles as superstars, like Air Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Hammerin' Hank Aaron, the home run king.
Peter's new name points to a new role and increased power. He is the new Abraham. Jesus is forming a new community of called-out people, those who recognize him as the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Called out -- ecclesia -- church. Upon this rock I will build my church.
Simon, you are a rock, and on this rock...
Do you know about rocks? Do we have any rock experts here today? Geologists? Rock collectors? Rockhounds?
A rockhound is someone who can't go anywhere without bringing home a pocketful of rocks -- or perhaps a trunk full of rocks. I don't know how many times I've said to our son, "We don't have room for all of those rocks!"
When we lived in Montello, Wisconsin, I learned about granite rock. The granite quarry sits in the center of Montello. It is no longer operational, but in its day it was very popular. Montello granite was selected for Grant's Tomb in New York City over 282 other samples submitted because it is the hardest granite in the world. It is over 75% silica and its crushing strength is over 44,000 pounds per square inch, almost double that of any other granite. It weighs over 200 pounds per cubic foot. When I hear someone say something is hard as a rock, I think of Montello granite.
Jesus said Simon, you are rock!
The scriptures are full of rocks. The Jews sang "like a rock" long before Chevy borrowed it for their truck commercials:
* "There is no rock like our God" (1 Samuel 2:2).
* "The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge" (Psalm 18:2).
* "For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble... He will set me high upon a rock" (Psalm 27:5).
* "To you, O Lord, I call; my rock, do not refuse to hear me..." (Psalm 28:1).
* "God alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall never be shaken" (Psalm 62:2).
* The prophet Isaiah says, "Look to the rock from which you are hewn, and to the quarry from which you are dug" (Isaiah 51:1).
"Simon, you are rock, and on this rock I will build my church."
Simon Peter, Simon the rock, was the first person on earth to recognize fully who Jesus was: the Messiah, the Son of the living God. On the faith of Peter the whole church is founded. He was the first person to take this leap of faith. Peter is the first stone, the first of many living stones that make up the church of Jesus Christ.
What a great honor for Simon. What a great responsibility, to be the rock on which the church will be built. Can you imagine yourself in Simon's place? Imagine introducing yourself as Rock: "Hello, I'm Rock ____________" (substitute your own last name). A great honor. A great burden.
And perhaps that is why we know so much about Peter's un-rocklike qualities. Peter, the rock of the church, was a deeply flawed human being, like each one of us. The rock cracked many times. It was Peter who went to meet Jesus walking on the water and didn't have faith enough to stay afloat. It was Peter who fell asleep while Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane during that fearful hour when Jesus needed him most. Could you not stay awake one hour? No, Peter could not. It was Peter who drew his sword and cut off a guard's ear in the garden of Gethsemane when they came to arrest Jesus. It was Peter who on that same night denied Jesus three times in the courtyard of the high priest -- the rock cracked.
Who is the rock in your life? And how did you feel the first time your rock let you down? (This is where I tell the "When the Rock Cracks" story above.)
There are no human rocks who do not crack from time to time. Immediately following the scene where Peter professes his faith that Jesus is the Messiah, and Jesus responds by naming him "Rock," Peter protests when Jesus tells them of his impending suffering and death. Peter exclaims, "No, God forbid it, Lord!" and Jesus calls him a "stumbling block" and says, "Get thee behind me, Satan."
From rock to stumbling block in a matter of moments. But it is as the "rock" and not the "stumbling block" that Peter is remembered.
Excerpts from a sermon preached at Wauwatosa Avenue United Methodist Church in Milwaukee on January 18, 1998.
Scrap Pile
Here Are the Keys
by John Sumwalt
Text: Matthew 16:13-20
On a Sunday morning, Jo and I worshiped in a Roman amphitheater in Caesarea Philippi, the city on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea near where Jesus took his disciples to prepare them for what was to come in Jerusalem. We could see the beautiful blue Mediterranean waters from our seats in the amphitheater. The view was breathtaking.
Lyle Schaller preached a wonderful sermon that morning to our group of about 60 pastors and spouses. I don't remember a word he said. What I remember is the view, and the feeling of awe I had at being in that ancient place where Roman and Greek plays had been performed.
Later that day we visited the aqueduct which brought water to the city from miles away, a remarkable engineering feat in its day, and all the more remarkable because it was still standing after 2000 years.
The whole region of Caesarea Philippi is rich in religious history. There are 14 ancient Syrian Baal temples and worship centers. There is a deep cavern which is believed to be the birthplace of the great god Pan, the god of nature. This cavern contains the springs that are the source of the river Jordan. It was a sacred place for all in Judaism who revered that holy river.
Not far from the springs Herod the Great had erected an enormous temple of white marble dedicated to the godhead of Caesar. Its glistening white walls, set high on a hill above the springs, could be seen for miles, a powerful symbol of the might and glory of Rome.
Here, indeed, is a dramatic picture, William Barclay writes in his commentary on this passage:
"Here is a homeless, penniless Galilean carpenter with twelve ordinary men around him. At the very moment, the Jewish authorities back in Israel are plotting to kill him. He stands in an area littered with the temples of the Syrian gods; in a place where the ancient Greek gods look down; in a place where the history of Israel crowded in upon the minds of men; where the white marble splendor of the home of Caesar worship dominated the landscape and compelled the eye.
"Here of all places this amazing carpenter stands and asks his disciples who they believe him to be. The setting is not accidental. It is as if Jesus deliberately set himself against the background of the world's religions in all of their history and their splendor and demanded to be compared with them."
Who do people say that the son of man is?
This was the question on the minds of everyone in Israel. Jesus was the kind of person that made people take notice and wonder.
Who is this man that heals the sick, casts out demons, raises the dead? Who is this man, that even the wind and the sea obey him?
They said, some say John the Baptist, risen from the dead... Elijah, the greatest of the prophets, believed to be the forerunner of the Messiah... or the great Jeremiah.
It was a high honor to compare Jesus to Elijah and Jeremiah. When they returned, the Kingdom would be very near indeed. He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" It is a question for all time, for disciples and non-disciples and all other human beings in every age. Who do we say Jesus is? Who do you say he is? The way you answer that question will determine the direction of your life.
There is a well-known story about a "double rude awakening" that took place in the computer industry back in 1983. A man by the name of Steven Jobs was the co-founder of Apple Computer. He realized that the company had grown too large for him to manage. He wasn't really a businessman, he was a computer geek. So he began a search for a "high-powered" CEO to come in and take over Apple Computer's daily operations.
He recruited a man named John Scully, who in 1983 was a senior vice president at Pepsi and was in charge of the worldwide marketing of Pepsi Cola and other beverages. People expected him to rise even higher. Scully didn't want to leave Pepsi and go to Apple. It would mean less money, less prestige, and uprooting his family.
But Scully did in fact do all those things. He later revealed to the world that at a dinner meeting with Steven Jobs he told Jobs all the reasons he was not going to leave Pepsi. He said Jobs didn't talk about any of those reasons. Jobs just leaned across the table and said, "John, what are you doing with your life? Are you going to spend it making colored sugar water, or are you going to come to Apple Computer and change the world?" Scully said that at the moment he heard those words he knew he would never draw another paycheck from Pepsi. His challenge was to change the world! It was a rude awakening for him to recognize where his talents were really needed.
Jesus says, "Who do you say I am?" It is a moment of truth. What are you going to say?
Simon Peter answers, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God!" And Jesus answers him (notice how personal he gets here), "Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah!" When someone says your full name, you pay attention, do you not? Either you are in trouble or something important is about to be said. When my mom said "John Eugene Sumwalt," I knew I had better listen.
"Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my father in heaven."
This is a profound declaration that Jesus makes here. He tells Peter and the others who are listening that this is not something that Peter has figured out by himself. It wasn't that he was so smart, that he had been a good disciple or paid attention more than all the others. Peter knew that Jesus was the Messiah because God had revealed it to him.
Not all knowledge comes from books or from experience or from disciplined study. Some knowledge comes directly from God.
Have you had the experience of knowing something ,and you don't know how or why you know it, just that you know it? And you are just as certain that you know it as you would be if you could prove it with a mathematical formula? Some people call that intuitive knowledge.
This knowledge (faith) of who Jesus is changes Peter forever. He is now on the threshold of a new level of existence. God has provided Peter with a doorway; God has given him important knowledge. But just as important, Peter has chosen to walk through the doorway. He has received the knowledge and acknowledged it publicly.
"You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."
Having something revealed to you is one thing, but believing it, receiving it, acting upon it, incorporating it into your everyday understanding of reality is quite another thing. God had revealed, and Peter has believed. His life will now change profoundly.
Hank Wesselman tells in his book Spirit Walker about a young man in a primitive tribe of hunter-gatherers who is becoming a shaman. He has had some experiences of the spirit world. His mentor tells him that his life is going to be different because of this. He says to him:
"You have been called, and you cannot refuse the call. Once the spirits have chosen a person to become a shaman, the invitation cannot be denied. To do so is dangerous. There is a pattern within the mystery of life of which we are all a part, and the spirits have decided that the time has come for you to become that which you are destined to be" (p. 307).
Peter's time for mature discipleship had come. Jesus says to him, "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it." How would you feel (point to someone)? You are the rock -- build my church.... Who would you choose as a rock?
Then Jesus says to Peter, "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
This is a big moment. Jesus has given Peter the keys to the kingdom. Like when you get your own car keys, this represents power, authority: "Here are the keys, son, take her for a spin!"
It is this verse that has given us all the jokes about Peter at the Pearly Gates. I heard a couple last Sunday after the service:
A man dies in a car accident, comes up to heaven, and as Peter greets him at the Pearly Gates, the man asks what he has to do to get into heaven. "It's easy," Peter says, "just spell one little word." "What's the word?" the man asks. "Love." Oh, that's easy. So the man spells "love" and the gates open for him. After he gets in, Peter says to him, "I need to go downstairs for a few minutes. Would you watch the gate for me? Just remember, if anyone comes, the word is 'love.' If they can spell 'love' they are in." So Peter goes, and in a few moments the man's wife shows up. She had been injured in the same accident, but had lingered. She says to her husband, "What do I have to do to get in?" "It's easy," he says, "you just have to spell one little word." "What's the word?" she asks, and he says "Czechoslovakia."
Three doctors died and all showed up at the Pearly Gates together. Peter asked the first what his work had been, and he said that he worked with the poor, providing a nutrition program for children in developing countries. Peter said, "You can come in." He asked the second doctor what he did, and the doctor said he did research to develop new drugs, working on a cure for cancer. Peter said, "You can come in." When the third doctor was asked what his work had been, he said, "I developed a new health care plan called HMO. It's more efficient, it reduces costs, and it is a better use of resources." "OK," St. Peter said, "you can come in, but you can only stay for two days."
The image of Peter with the keys is not the one from popular piety and cartoons of a doorkeeper to heaven. Peter's function is not to decide in the afterlife who is denied entrance to heaven; Peter's role as keeper of the keys is fulfilled now on earth, as chief teacher of the church.
The keeper of the keys has authority within the house as administrator and teacher.
The language of binding and loosing is Rabbinic terminology for having the authority to interpret the Torah, and apply it to particular cases, declaring what is permitted and not permitted.
Jesus, who has taught with authority, has given authority to his disciples to teach in his name and make authoritative decisions pertaining to Christian life.
Peter was the first to recognize that Jesus is the son of the living God. With that insight comes a new identity, new authority and power -- a gift of the Spirit which all of those who know Christ share with Peter.
In the moment that you know who Jesus is, you too are given the keys of the kingdom.
Excerpts from a sermon preached at Wauwatosa Avenue United Methodist Church in Milwaukee on August 25, 2002.
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How to Share Stories
You have good stories to share, probably more than you know: personal stories as well as stories from others that you have used over the years. If you have a story you like, whether fictional or "really happened," authored by you or a brief excerpt from a favorite book, send it to StoryShare for review. Simply click here share-a-story@csspub.com and e-mail the story to us.
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New Book
The third book in the vision series, Shining Moments: Visions of the Holy in Ordinary Lives (edited by John Sumwalt), is now available from CSS Publishing Company. (Click on the title for information about how to order.) Among the 60 contributing authors of these Chicken Soup for the Soul-like vignettes are Ralph Milton, Sandra Herrmann, Pamela J. Tinnin, Richard H. Gentzler Jr., David Michael Smith, Anne Sunday, Nancy Nichols, William Lee Rand, Gail Ingle, and Rosmarie Trapp, whose family story was told in the classic movie The Sound of Music. The stories follow the lectionary for Cycle A.
Other Books by John & Jo Sumwalt
Sharing Visions: Divine Revelations, Angels, and Holy Coincidences
Vision Stories: True Accounts of Visions, Angels, and Healing Miracles
Life Stories: A Study in Christian Decision Making
Lectionary Stories: Forty Tellable Tales for Cycle A
Lectionary Stories: Forty Tellable Tales for Cycle B
Lectionary Stories: Forty Tellable Tales for Cycle C
Lectionary Tales for the Pulpit: 62 Stories for Cycle B
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About the Editors
John E. Sumwalt is the pastor of Wauwatosa Avenue United Methodist Church in Milwaukee, and is the author of eight books for CSS. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary (UDTS), John received the Herbert Manning Jr. award for Parish Ministry from UDTS in 1997. John is known in the Milwaukee area for his one-minute radio spots which always include a brief story. He concludes each spot by saying, "I'm John Sumwalt with 'A Story to Live By' from Wauwatosa Avenue United Methodist Church."
John has done numerous storytelling events for civic, school, and church groups, as well as on radio and television. He has performed at a number of fundraisers for the homeless, the hungry, Habitat for Humanity, and women's shelters. Since the fall of 1999, when he began working on the Vision Stories series, he has led seminars and retreats around the themes "A Safe Place to Tell Visions," "Vision Stories in the Bible and Today," and coming this spring: "Soul Growth: Discovering Lost Spiritual Dimensions." To schedule a seminar or a retreat, write to jsumwalt@naspa.net or phone 414-257-1228.
Joanne Perry-Sumwalt is director of Christian Education at Wauwatosa Avenue United Methodist Church in Milwaukee. Jo is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, with a degree in English and writing. She has co-authored two books with John, Life Stories: A Study In Christian Decision Making and Lectionary Tales For The Pulpit: 62 Stories For Cycle B. Jo writes original curriculum for church classes. She also serves as the secretary of the Wisconsin chapter of the Christian Educators Fellowship (CEF), and is a member of the National CEF.
Jo and John have been married since 1975. They have two grown children, Kathryn and Orrin. They both love reading, movies, long walks with Chloe (their West Highland Terrier), and working on their old farmhouse in southwest Wisconsin.
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StoryShare, August 21, 2005, issue.
Copyright 2005 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., P.O. Box 4503, Lima, Ohio 45802-4503.
What's Up This Week
A Story to Live By: "When the Rock Cracks"
Shining Moments: "Help in the Name of the Lord" by Sandra Herrmann
Sermon Starter: "Peter the Rock" by John Sumwalt
Scrap Pile: "Here Are the Keys" by John Sumwalt
What's Up This Week
This is the Sunday to play the Rocky music in the background as you begin a sermon on "Peter the Rock." Rockhounds will enjoy John's riff on rocks and all things rocky in this week's Sermon Starter. In Shining Moments, Sandra Herrmann tells about a miraculous deliverance during a moment of absolute panic while she was visiting Leningrad. She concludes: "...there is One who speaks our language always, and who has said, 'I will give my angels watch over you, lest you dash your foot against a stone' (Psalm 91)."
A Story to Live By
When the Rock Cracks
"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it."
Matthew 16:18
And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you." But he turned and said to Peter. "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."
Matthew 16:22-23
There is a meditation master in Thailand by the name of Achaan Chaa, who in his early years became a monk because his priority, more than anything else, was to try to understand what it is that sits here, who it is that exists -- to understand, as he puts it, "just this much," just this moment of being as it unfolds. After practicing for a few years, he heard rumors about a meditation master in the northern part of Thailand who was reputed to have no anger. No anger is quite an accomplishment; think of what that means. It means a mind that clings nowhere. It means the being has tuned into its original nature to such an extent that it sees no object in mind, even anger, as who it really is. It doesn't identify with anything that comes up as being separate from the truth.
When Achaan Chaa heard of this great teacher, he left the monastery where he had been practicing and went to ask the teacher if he might become his student. He spent about a year and a half with this teacher, and the fellow never became angry. (Very impressive.) Then one day he was out of the sight of the teacher in an L-shaped kitchen where they were both working. He looked over as a dog came into the room and jumped up on the counter to grab some tasty morsel. The meditation master looked both ways, and then kicked the dog. Achaan Chaa got the teaching!
There are no human "rocks" that do not crack from time to time.
Shining Moments
Help in the Name of the Lord
by Sandra Herrmann
Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us as prey to their teeth. We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 124:6-8
In 1972, I had the opportunity to go to the Soviet Union and get educational credit for the adventure. The University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire had build a class around the travel event, teaching us a few words of Russian ("Excuse me"; "Where's the bathroom?"; "How much does it cost?"; and so on), an outline of Russian history, some exploration of the current culture, and the basic tenets of communism as we would see it. The trip to get into the Soviet Union was exhausting, especially since a man in our group turned out to be smuggling letters to families from their relatives in America, and we were held for hours while our bus was searched and all of our luggage gone through. It was not a gentle introduction to the Soviet Union, and some of the excitement of being in such a strange place was drained out of me.
The next few days were spent sightseeing and meeting fellow students at the university. My attitude toward the Soviets was on a rollercoaster. We learned how much they had suffered in World War II, and that they had lost most of their young men in that conflict. All of the rebuilding that took place after the war had been done by unskilled laborers, men and women, under the direction of the few men remaining who had been trained in architecture, concrete mixing, and bricklaying. Many of the buildings showed that they had been built that way, with cracking concrete, crumbling cement and mortar, and a gray sort of look.
But the pride and joy of Leningrad (now known again by its pre-Soviet name of St. Petersburg) is their subway system. It was not a good place to build such a system, because the city had been built over 200 years previous on a marshland. Rocks and boulders were the tax that had to be paid by every peasant and craftsman bringing work into the city to sell. The rocks had been dropped into the swamp until it was firm enough for buildings to be erected.
In order for the subway to be built, they had to go down to the bedrock underlying the swamp -- and the erection of a ceiling and walls was more of an effort than I could imagine. They took such pride in the result that they had painted and tiled the various stations as beautiful works of art. So of course, the students we met wanted to know what we thought of the subway. We had to admit that because there were so many of us in the tour group (70 all together) we had taken ground transportation. The last night we were in Leningrad, a student we had met two days earlier met us at our hotel to take us to a club downtown. We would, he announced, take the subway.
But when we arrived at the station (having walked a mile in a snowstorm to get there), it was packed with people! "It's the end of the weekend," he said. "Everybody likes to go to the country to visit, and now they're all coming back. It will be OK. Just look for the sign overhead and you will see where the escalators are. I will meet you at the bottom if we get separated."
I was in a panic. I hate escalators -- they are one of the few things that truly frighten me. When I was a child I'd had an accident on one, and I had always been afraid of them since. The only other thing I dislike is a crowd -- and this was a crowd the likes of which I had not seen in my life, not even when I had visited in New York City! How could I do this? Worse, I had to do this, because I had no idea how to get back to the hotel by myself, and besides, I really wanted to enjoy this evening with the very friendly student who was disappearing into the crowd as I watched.
Trembling with fear (I had never been so afraid!), I did as he had instructed and aimed for the sign that pointed downward. But when I got to the top of the escalator, I found that I couldn't see the bottom! Nor could I possibly stop at the top, as I usually do to be sure my foot is on the tread and not the crack. Suddenly, someone grabbed my arm and said, "Don't be afraid. I have hold of you. Just step when I tell you. Now!" -- and I stepped forward, onto the tread and safety.
I took a deep breath and in gratitude turned to thank the woman who had helped me. But in that crowd the only people close to me were men, except for a little babushka (grandmother) who clearly did not understand a word of English. But I had been addressed in English -- and as I thought about it, midwestern English at that. There was no hint of an accent of any kind to my ears. Bewildered, I turned around and scanned the crowd, but no one returned my glance.
The next day, I told others in my group about the experience. One of the men offered the observation that many Russians were learning English, and they perhaps didn't want others in the crowd to know this. But I knew this did not explain my adventure. I knew that no one near me was tall enough to have grabbed my arm the way I was grabbed, and none of them would have sounded like a woman from my part of the world. But there is One who speaks our language always, and who has said, "I will give my angels watch over you, lest you dash your foot against a stone" (Psalm 91).
Sandra Herrmann is pastor of Memorial United Methodist Church in Greenfield, Wisconsin. She is the author of Ambassadors Of Hope (CSS).
Sermon Starter
Peter the Rock
by John Sumwalt
Text: Matthew 16:13-20
Jesus says to Simon: "...you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church."
The name Peter means "stone" or "rock." It is Cephas in Aramaic, Petros in Greek, from which the English word "petrified" is derived. In Western countries influenced by the Christian tradition Peter is now a common name, but this simply reflects the influence the nickname has had in Western culture. There are no documented instances of anyone ever being named "rock" in Aramaic or Greek prior to Simon. Thus it would be better if our English translations read "rock" or "stone" instead of Peter -- which gives the false impression that the word represents a common name and causes us to miss the wordplay which would have been evident to anyone hearing Jesus speak that day.
Simon, you are rock, and on this rock I will build my church.
Simon is given a new name. Before he is Simon, son of Jonah; now he is Simon, the rock. Like Abram who becomes Abraham, and Jacob who becomes Israel, and later Saul who becomes Paul, Simon becomes Rock.
Have you ever been given a new name? Perhaps a nickname?
Sports heroes always have nicknames which have to do with their roles as superstars, like Air Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Hammerin' Hank Aaron, the home run king.
Peter's new name points to a new role and increased power. He is the new Abraham. Jesus is forming a new community of called-out people, those who recognize him as the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Called out -- ecclesia -- church. Upon this rock I will build my church.
Simon, you are a rock, and on this rock...
Do you know about rocks? Do we have any rock experts here today? Geologists? Rock collectors? Rockhounds?
A rockhound is someone who can't go anywhere without bringing home a pocketful of rocks -- or perhaps a trunk full of rocks. I don't know how many times I've said to our son, "We don't have room for all of those rocks!"
When we lived in Montello, Wisconsin, I learned about granite rock. The granite quarry sits in the center of Montello. It is no longer operational, but in its day it was very popular. Montello granite was selected for Grant's Tomb in New York City over 282 other samples submitted because it is the hardest granite in the world. It is over 75% silica and its crushing strength is over 44,000 pounds per square inch, almost double that of any other granite. It weighs over 200 pounds per cubic foot. When I hear someone say something is hard as a rock, I think of Montello granite.
Jesus said Simon, you are rock!
The scriptures are full of rocks. The Jews sang "like a rock" long before Chevy borrowed it for their truck commercials:
* "There is no rock like our God" (1 Samuel 2:2).
* "The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge" (Psalm 18:2).
* "For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble... He will set me high upon a rock" (Psalm 27:5).
* "To you, O Lord, I call; my rock, do not refuse to hear me..." (Psalm 28:1).
* "God alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall never be shaken" (Psalm 62:2).
* The prophet Isaiah says, "Look to the rock from which you are hewn, and to the quarry from which you are dug" (Isaiah 51:1).
"Simon, you are rock, and on this rock I will build my church."
Simon Peter, Simon the rock, was the first person on earth to recognize fully who Jesus was: the Messiah, the Son of the living God. On the faith of Peter the whole church is founded. He was the first person to take this leap of faith. Peter is the first stone, the first of many living stones that make up the church of Jesus Christ.
What a great honor for Simon. What a great responsibility, to be the rock on which the church will be built. Can you imagine yourself in Simon's place? Imagine introducing yourself as Rock: "Hello, I'm Rock ____________" (substitute your own last name). A great honor. A great burden.
And perhaps that is why we know so much about Peter's un-rocklike qualities. Peter, the rock of the church, was a deeply flawed human being, like each one of us. The rock cracked many times. It was Peter who went to meet Jesus walking on the water and didn't have faith enough to stay afloat. It was Peter who fell asleep while Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane during that fearful hour when Jesus needed him most. Could you not stay awake one hour? No, Peter could not. It was Peter who drew his sword and cut off a guard's ear in the garden of Gethsemane when they came to arrest Jesus. It was Peter who on that same night denied Jesus three times in the courtyard of the high priest -- the rock cracked.
Who is the rock in your life? And how did you feel the first time your rock let you down? (This is where I tell the "When the Rock Cracks" story above.)
There are no human rocks who do not crack from time to time. Immediately following the scene where Peter professes his faith that Jesus is the Messiah, and Jesus responds by naming him "Rock," Peter protests when Jesus tells them of his impending suffering and death. Peter exclaims, "No, God forbid it, Lord!" and Jesus calls him a "stumbling block" and says, "Get thee behind me, Satan."
From rock to stumbling block in a matter of moments. But it is as the "rock" and not the "stumbling block" that Peter is remembered.
Excerpts from a sermon preached at Wauwatosa Avenue United Methodist Church in Milwaukee on January 18, 1998.
Scrap Pile
Here Are the Keys
by John Sumwalt
Text: Matthew 16:13-20
On a Sunday morning, Jo and I worshiped in a Roman amphitheater in Caesarea Philippi, the city on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea near where Jesus took his disciples to prepare them for what was to come in Jerusalem. We could see the beautiful blue Mediterranean waters from our seats in the amphitheater. The view was breathtaking.
Lyle Schaller preached a wonderful sermon that morning to our group of about 60 pastors and spouses. I don't remember a word he said. What I remember is the view, and the feeling of awe I had at being in that ancient place where Roman and Greek plays had been performed.
Later that day we visited the aqueduct which brought water to the city from miles away, a remarkable engineering feat in its day, and all the more remarkable because it was still standing after 2000 years.
The whole region of Caesarea Philippi is rich in religious history. There are 14 ancient Syrian Baal temples and worship centers. There is a deep cavern which is believed to be the birthplace of the great god Pan, the god of nature. This cavern contains the springs that are the source of the river Jordan. It was a sacred place for all in Judaism who revered that holy river.
Not far from the springs Herod the Great had erected an enormous temple of white marble dedicated to the godhead of Caesar. Its glistening white walls, set high on a hill above the springs, could be seen for miles, a powerful symbol of the might and glory of Rome.
Here, indeed, is a dramatic picture, William Barclay writes in his commentary on this passage:
"Here is a homeless, penniless Galilean carpenter with twelve ordinary men around him. At the very moment, the Jewish authorities back in Israel are plotting to kill him. He stands in an area littered with the temples of the Syrian gods; in a place where the ancient Greek gods look down; in a place where the history of Israel crowded in upon the minds of men; where the white marble splendor of the home of Caesar worship dominated the landscape and compelled the eye.
"Here of all places this amazing carpenter stands and asks his disciples who they believe him to be. The setting is not accidental. It is as if Jesus deliberately set himself against the background of the world's religions in all of their history and their splendor and demanded to be compared with them."
Who do people say that the son of man is?
This was the question on the minds of everyone in Israel. Jesus was the kind of person that made people take notice and wonder.
Who is this man that heals the sick, casts out demons, raises the dead? Who is this man, that even the wind and the sea obey him?
They said, some say John the Baptist, risen from the dead... Elijah, the greatest of the prophets, believed to be the forerunner of the Messiah... or the great Jeremiah.
It was a high honor to compare Jesus to Elijah and Jeremiah. When they returned, the Kingdom would be very near indeed. He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" It is a question for all time, for disciples and non-disciples and all other human beings in every age. Who do we say Jesus is? Who do you say he is? The way you answer that question will determine the direction of your life.
There is a well-known story about a "double rude awakening" that took place in the computer industry back in 1983. A man by the name of Steven Jobs was the co-founder of Apple Computer. He realized that the company had grown too large for him to manage. He wasn't really a businessman, he was a computer geek. So he began a search for a "high-powered" CEO to come in and take over Apple Computer's daily operations.
He recruited a man named John Scully, who in 1983 was a senior vice president at Pepsi and was in charge of the worldwide marketing of Pepsi Cola and other beverages. People expected him to rise even higher. Scully didn't want to leave Pepsi and go to Apple. It would mean less money, less prestige, and uprooting his family.
But Scully did in fact do all those things. He later revealed to the world that at a dinner meeting with Steven Jobs he told Jobs all the reasons he was not going to leave Pepsi. He said Jobs didn't talk about any of those reasons. Jobs just leaned across the table and said, "John, what are you doing with your life? Are you going to spend it making colored sugar water, or are you going to come to Apple Computer and change the world?" Scully said that at the moment he heard those words he knew he would never draw another paycheck from Pepsi. His challenge was to change the world! It was a rude awakening for him to recognize where his talents were really needed.
Jesus says, "Who do you say I am?" It is a moment of truth. What are you going to say?
Simon Peter answers, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God!" And Jesus answers him (notice how personal he gets here), "Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah!" When someone says your full name, you pay attention, do you not? Either you are in trouble or something important is about to be said. When my mom said "John Eugene Sumwalt," I knew I had better listen.
"Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my father in heaven."
This is a profound declaration that Jesus makes here. He tells Peter and the others who are listening that this is not something that Peter has figured out by himself. It wasn't that he was so smart, that he had been a good disciple or paid attention more than all the others. Peter knew that Jesus was the Messiah because God had revealed it to him.
Not all knowledge comes from books or from experience or from disciplined study. Some knowledge comes directly from God.
Have you had the experience of knowing something ,and you don't know how or why you know it, just that you know it? And you are just as certain that you know it as you would be if you could prove it with a mathematical formula? Some people call that intuitive knowledge.
This knowledge (faith) of who Jesus is changes Peter forever. He is now on the threshold of a new level of existence. God has provided Peter with a doorway; God has given him important knowledge. But just as important, Peter has chosen to walk through the doorway. He has received the knowledge and acknowledged it publicly.
"You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."
Having something revealed to you is one thing, but believing it, receiving it, acting upon it, incorporating it into your everyday understanding of reality is quite another thing. God had revealed, and Peter has believed. His life will now change profoundly.
Hank Wesselman tells in his book Spirit Walker about a young man in a primitive tribe of hunter-gatherers who is becoming a shaman. He has had some experiences of the spirit world. His mentor tells him that his life is going to be different because of this. He says to him:
"You have been called, and you cannot refuse the call. Once the spirits have chosen a person to become a shaman, the invitation cannot be denied. To do so is dangerous. There is a pattern within the mystery of life of which we are all a part, and the spirits have decided that the time has come for you to become that which you are destined to be" (p. 307).
Peter's time for mature discipleship had come. Jesus says to him, "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it." How would you feel (point to someone)? You are the rock -- build my church.... Who would you choose as a rock?
Then Jesus says to Peter, "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
This is a big moment. Jesus has given Peter the keys to the kingdom. Like when you get your own car keys, this represents power, authority: "Here are the keys, son, take her for a spin!"
It is this verse that has given us all the jokes about Peter at the Pearly Gates. I heard a couple last Sunday after the service:
A man dies in a car accident, comes up to heaven, and as Peter greets him at the Pearly Gates, the man asks what he has to do to get into heaven. "It's easy," Peter says, "just spell one little word." "What's the word?" the man asks. "Love." Oh, that's easy. So the man spells "love" and the gates open for him. After he gets in, Peter says to him, "I need to go downstairs for a few minutes. Would you watch the gate for me? Just remember, if anyone comes, the word is 'love.' If they can spell 'love' they are in." So Peter goes, and in a few moments the man's wife shows up. She had been injured in the same accident, but had lingered. She says to her husband, "What do I have to do to get in?" "It's easy," he says, "you just have to spell one little word." "What's the word?" she asks, and he says "Czechoslovakia."
Three doctors died and all showed up at the Pearly Gates together. Peter asked the first what his work had been, and he said that he worked with the poor, providing a nutrition program for children in developing countries. Peter said, "You can come in." He asked the second doctor what he did, and the doctor said he did research to develop new drugs, working on a cure for cancer. Peter said, "You can come in." When the third doctor was asked what his work had been, he said, "I developed a new health care plan called HMO. It's more efficient, it reduces costs, and it is a better use of resources." "OK," St. Peter said, "you can come in, but you can only stay for two days."
The image of Peter with the keys is not the one from popular piety and cartoons of a doorkeeper to heaven. Peter's function is not to decide in the afterlife who is denied entrance to heaven; Peter's role as keeper of the keys is fulfilled now on earth, as chief teacher of the church.
The keeper of the keys has authority within the house as administrator and teacher.
The language of binding and loosing is Rabbinic terminology for having the authority to interpret the Torah, and apply it to particular cases, declaring what is permitted and not permitted.
Jesus, who has taught with authority, has given authority to his disciples to teach in his name and make authoritative decisions pertaining to Christian life.
Peter was the first to recognize that Jesus is the son of the living God. With that insight comes a new identity, new authority and power -- a gift of the Spirit which all of those who know Christ share with Peter.
In the moment that you know who Jesus is, you too are given the keys of the kingdom.
Excerpts from a sermon preached at Wauwatosa Avenue United Methodist Church in Milwaukee on August 25, 2002.
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How to Share Stories
You have good stories to share, probably more than you know: personal stories as well as stories from others that you have used over the years. If you have a story you like, whether fictional or "really happened," authored by you or a brief excerpt from a favorite book, send it to StoryShare for review. Simply click here share-a-story@csspub.com and e-mail the story to us.
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New Book
The third book in the vision series, Shining Moments: Visions of the Holy in Ordinary Lives (edited by John Sumwalt), is now available from CSS Publishing Company. (Click on the title for information about how to order.) Among the 60 contributing authors of these Chicken Soup for the Soul-like vignettes are Ralph Milton, Sandra Herrmann, Pamela J. Tinnin, Richard H. Gentzler Jr., David Michael Smith, Anne Sunday, Nancy Nichols, William Lee Rand, Gail Ingle, and Rosmarie Trapp, whose family story was told in the classic movie The Sound of Music. The stories follow the lectionary for Cycle A.
Other Books by John & Jo Sumwalt
Sharing Visions: Divine Revelations, Angels, and Holy Coincidences
Vision Stories: True Accounts of Visions, Angels, and Healing Miracles
Life Stories: A Study in Christian Decision Making
Lectionary Stories: Forty Tellable Tales for Cycle A
Lectionary Stories: Forty Tellable Tales for Cycle B
Lectionary Stories: Forty Tellable Tales for Cycle C
Lectionary Tales for the Pulpit: 62 Stories for Cycle B
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About the Editors
John E. Sumwalt is the pastor of Wauwatosa Avenue United Methodist Church in Milwaukee, and is the author of eight books for CSS. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary (UDTS), John received the Herbert Manning Jr. award for Parish Ministry from UDTS in 1997. John is known in the Milwaukee area for his one-minute radio spots which always include a brief story. He concludes each spot by saying, "I'm John Sumwalt with 'A Story to Live By' from Wauwatosa Avenue United Methodist Church."
John has done numerous storytelling events for civic, school, and church groups, as well as on radio and television. He has performed at a number of fundraisers for the homeless, the hungry, Habitat for Humanity, and women's shelters. Since the fall of 1999, when he began working on the Vision Stories series, he has led seminars and retreats around the themes "A Safe Place to Tell Visions," "Vision Stories in the Bible and Today," and coming this spring: "Soul Growth: Discovering Lost Spiritual Dimensions." To schedule a seminar or a retreat, write to jsumwalt@naspa.net or phone 414-257-1228.
Joanne Perry-Sumwalt is director of Christian Education at Wauwatosa Avenue United Methodist Church in Milwaukee. Jo is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, with a degree in English and writing. She has co-authored two books with John, Life Stories: A Study In Christian Decision Making and Lectionary Tales For The Pulpit: 62 Stories For Cycle B. Jo writes original curriculum for church classes. She also serves as the secretary of the Wisconsin chapter of the Christian Educators Fellowship (CEF), and is a member of the National CEF.
Jo and John have been married since 1975. They have two grown children, Kathryn and Orrin. They both love reading, movies, long walks with Chloe (their West Highland Terrier), and working on their old farmhouse in southwest Wisconsin.
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StoryShare, August 21, 2005, issue.
Copyright 2005 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., P.O. Box 4503, Lima, Ohio 45802-4503.
