Sermon - 8/23/20

<p>I suspect some of you have experienced “come to Jesus moments” in your life.  Such moments are epiphanies in which <a href= "http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=one">one</a> realizes the truth of a specific matter or situation. A <em>come to Jesus moment</em> can be a time of realization, a moment of decision, a moment of truth, a critical moment, a moment of revelation, or a moment in which one reassesses priorities.  Quite often such moments in our lives mark a turning point and they are life-changing.</p> <p>Today, when we meet up with Jesus and his band of twelve bumbling misfits, we hear about Peter experiencing a <em>come to Jesus moment</em>.  Jesus has been traveling with his disciples, teaching, listening, and reaching out to people.  There was a divine energy being released into the world through him and it included a passion for justice as well as healing and compassion for <strong>all</strong> people.  Jesus’ ministry was growing and expanding and, wherever he went, people thronged to see him. I have to say, if one might compare these happenings to experiences in today’s culture, one could say Jesus was trending and going viral, he was lighting up social media in the first-century world!  In other words, things were really happening!</p> <p>As Jesus and his band of misfits continue their travels they come into the district of Caesarea Philippi, a place of power and governmental authority where there would have been ample evidence of Roman rule and pagan religions.  There were multiple temples and statues of foreign gods.  And, it is in this significant place, a place where the power of empire is on full display, that Jesus asks his followers, “What are people saying about me?  Who do people say that I am?”  The disciples then begin rattling off the results of the most recent public opinion poll, saying: "A certain percentage of people say that you are John the Baptist, or at least like John the Baptist. And some think you're the second coming of the great prophet Elijah. And still others