Weekly Liturgy : August 24-30
- Cory
- Aug 24
- 3 min read
Matthew 16:21-28
The Message
From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.”
“Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
REFLECTION
from Cory
Last week, Peter was praised by Jesus for recognizing his true identity. This week, Peter tries to tell Jesus that he’s getting things wrong in how he lives out that identity. Jesus has some harsh words in response.
There is a strong warning in here for all who claim to speak on behalf of the divine. Peter passed the theological test in last week’s reading and now he’s made himself the guardian of theology, ready to rebuke anyone who gets it wrong, even Jesus.
Peter is like the PR man, the spokesperson, trying to remind Jesus to stay on brand—we should be talking about power and winning, not death and losing to our enemies.
Peter’s version of what power should look like has become the American version.
Winning and being right are at the top of the list of American values. Winning the culture wars, the political contest, the online debate, being right about everything. "Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender” - is the strategy of the powerful that has trickled down to all of us.
But, in Jesus’ topsy-turvy kingdom, winning is actually losing, losing is winning, saving our lives leads to death, and losing our lives leads to life.
“Love has a million disguisesWinning is simply not one.”
- Jon Guerra
PRACTICE:
Outward Mindset Application
A common feature of being inward is a desire to be right. How does that desire show up in you? Take some some time reflect on your desire to be right and how that shows up in your relationships.
Non-Violent Communication Question of the Week
We all want to be seen, heard, and understood. How does that desire get in the way of connecting with others? How can you enter into conversations in a way that names and honors those desires for all of those in the conversation?
Pathway Toward Center
Tradition (Loving God through ritual and symbol):
Find a song that is familiar to you from your distant past. Listen to it once per day this week. Each time it plays, reflect on the parts of you that have grown since the first time you heard the song.
Questions for Reflection
How does a desire to win, or be right, show up in your relationships? How does it effect those relationships?
“Liturgy” refers to the habits and practices humans use to form community around shared values and meaning. At Church at the Park, we desire to be a community of practice, becoming people who see the world through the eyes of the marginalized, making meaning through the lens of pain and suffering, and committing ourselves to non-violence in a wounded world. This weekly email is intended to provide pathways of practice for becoming the type of people who embody these values.
Many of our reflections on each week's text come from other sources. If you're interested in reading more of what inspires us, here our our two favorite reflections.
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