My offering for this Sunday at Mt. Olive in Metairie, LA. Your feedback is
appreciated.
_____________________
Sermon – The Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul, Apostles
June 25, 2008
Peace Be With You
Matthew 16:13-19
Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ. Amen.
What is it that makes someone a saint? How do we recognize saints today?
The various answers to these questions emphasize the drastic differences
between the Lutheran Church and the Roman Church. I know this is a sermon
and not a Bible study class, but please indulge me for a moment—I promise
we'll get to the point eventually.
Let's start with the Roman Church. Recognizing a saint is a tedious
process, one that has changed over the centuries; and I'll give you a brief
overview. The first step in recognizing a saint is that this person must be
dead. After a five-year waiting period—except in special cases like Mother
Theresa or Pope John Paul II—a person can be nominated. They will be called
"Servant of God" as their life is researched. At some point, this person's
body must be taken from the ground and examined, and they collect relics of
that person. Once it has been determined that this person is extremely
virtuous, they are given the title of "Venerable". If this person was
martyred or had a miracle happen because of prayers said to them, then they
will be given the title "Blessed". Finally, if another miracle occurs
because of prayers said to them, they are given the title of "Saint". How
many of you think you'd qualify for sainthood by that definition?
So how do Lutherans recognize a saint? What makes someone a saint in the
eyes of a Lutheran? Well . . . let's get back to that. Before we do that,
let's look at two individuals who both the Roman and Lutheran Church
consider to be saints. In our Gospel lesson we have Saint Peter. We all
know Simon Peter's story. He was a fisherman whom the Lord called straight
from the boat. The first time we see Simon, he says what everyone else is
thinking: "Stay away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man." And then he
does it again in our Gospel lesson: "You are the Christ, the Son of the
Living God." When Jesus announces that He's going to Jerusalem to die,
Peter says, "No way, Lord"—and we'd do the same thing in his place. It's as
if Paul is us, only he's right there as the action is happening. But does
that make him a saint?
And then there's Saint Paul: Paul the tent-maker; Paul the Pharisee; Paul
the murderer. Again, we see in Paul our own story. He is, in the
beginning, the anti-Christian. He's the one who finds the Christians and
persecutes them. He's the one who holds the cloaks of the people who stoned
Stephen to death. And then, out of nowhere, the Lord takes hold of him and
reveals to Paul the truth. Paul goes from persecutor to confessor. Does
that make Paul a saint?
So . . . How do Lutherans determine what makes someone a saint? Are you
ready for another long-winded explanation? That's too bad; there won't be
one. There are only two things that make someone a saint in the eyes of a
Lutheran. First, was this person Baptized? As we all know, Baptism drowns
the old Adam, and a new, righteous, justified, holy person is reborn. And
the second question we ask is, "What did this person confess?" Look at St.
Peter in this morning's Gospel. He said, "You are the Christ, the Son of
the Living God." Look at how all the Apostles lived . . . and how most of
them died. They confessed Christ in their lives, and most of them confessed
Christ by dying rather than denying Him.
This morning we can look around and see a bunch of saints. How do I know
this? Each one of you said, "I believe in God the Father Almighty; I
believe in Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God; and I believe in the
Holy Spirit." By that confession you have proved yourselves to be saints.
The last time I was here, we watched three young men make an adult
confession of faith. They are saints, joined in the Communion of Saints.
As you can see, we Lutherans have taken a different road to determining what
a saint is. For the Roman Church, it's about what a person has done. For
Lutherans, it has always been about what God has done for us. Wait a
second, though. Didn't I just say that we Lutherans recognize a person by
the confession they make? I did, didn't I? Then how can it be what God has
done for us? Aren't we the ones making the confession?
Look at what Jesus says to Peter in our Gospel lesson. "Blessed are you,
Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My
Father who is in heaven." The only way Peter makes this correct confession
of faith is that God the Father reveals the truth to Peter. In the same
way, we all know how prolific Paul was in confessing the faith in what he
wrote. These were not merely the words of Paul; this is the Word of God,
inspired by the Holy Spirit. And the confession of faith we made this
morning? We could not make that confession without the guidance of the Holy
Spirit.
If being a saint were up to us, if being a saint depended on our own
actions, there is no one on earth who could be considered a saint in the
eyes of God. By the definition of the world, there are many people who are
saints. In fact, the world considers many to be saints who don't even
believe that Jesus in the Christ, the Son of the Living God, the only source
of salvation. By the world's definition, the Dalai Lama is a saint.
Certainly the Dalai Lama is enlightened. Certainly the Dalai Lama has lived
a righteous life. However, if the Dalai Lama does not speak with his mouth
the confession God has given him that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the
Living God and the only source of salvation, then he is not a saint. The
same goes for anyone who the world considers "holy". If they refuse to
confess Christ as Lord and Savior, then they are not a saint.
You, however, are a saint. You have been washed in Baptismal waters and
made holy. You have confessed your sins, and those sins have been forgiven
you in the word of Holy Absolution. Those sins have been loosed, both on
earth and in heaven! You have spoken the confession that God has placed in
you, the confession that Jesus Christ is Lord. You have been and will be
fed with the body and blood of Christ, the meal of saints. You don't have
to worry about being nominated. In Christ, you are one of the elect! You
don't have to live a life of exceptional righteousness, for Christ has lived
that life for you and has made it yours! You don't have to have people pray
to you and have those prayers answered miraculously. That's God's job, and
He does it perfectly well. You don't even have to die. Christ died on your
behalf.
Like St. Peter and like St. Paul, you are saints. You have been Baptized.
You have spoken the true confession of a saint with Peter: Jesus, you are
the Christ, the Son of the Living God." And the gates of hell shall not
prevail against that confession. In the name of the Father and of the Son
(+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and
minds in Christ Jesus always. Amen.
--
Rev. Alan Kornacki, Jr.
P.O. Box 3134
Morgan City, LA 70381
(985) 518-0433
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://revalkorn.googlepages.com/
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