EBlast for Sunday, April 29

On This Rock…

My Granddad was a wonderful gardener and as a young man, I would love to voyage through his backyard which was, for my first 25 years of life, a constantly evolving changing exploration of organic creativity. Throughout his yard, granddad always had several different kinds of bird feeders and bird baths creating a community of constant movement, beautiful sounds, and vibrant colors. Granddad was also an entomologist and as such was always using the growth/death and order/disorder of his garden to teach about science and about life. 

Walking through Granddad’s garden with him one day I asked why his bird baths all had some kind of rock in the center of them. Granddad told me that birds needed a foundation to land on to be able to drink and/or bathe in the water around them. He went on to talk about the foundations we need. Foundations that carry us through the roads and paths of our lives. 

I don’t have the beautiful garden that granddad had, but I have always had some kind of garden, and within my garden, there is always a couple of bird feeders and a birdbath with a rock at the center of it. Every few days I go out and clean my bird bath and fill it with fresh water and when I do, I remember the “rock” that is the foundation of our lives and I find that whatever issues might be going on in my life I can find peace knowing that I am not alone.

This Sunday we are going to talk about the “rock” of our foundation. As we look together at the story of Peter’s confession of Christ, we will examine one of the most debated verses in the Gospel, John 16:18, “Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.” 

I look forward to seeing you this Sunday as we continue with our examination of Simon Peter.  

As you meet in your groups this week or within your own devotional times, you may want to consider the following questions…

As you prepare to go deeper into this text I encourage you to read Matthew 16:13-28.

• John the Baptist was known for his proclamation of the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 3:2). Elijah was known for his miraculous works and prophetic statements (1 Kings 17-18, 21, 2 Kings 1-2). The prophet Jeremiah was known for his compassion and concern for God’s people (Jeremiah & Lamentations). Why might the people have said Jesus was one of those men (Matthew 16:14)?
• The centerpiece of this scripture is Peter’s confession of who Jesus is. What is so important about the confession of Peter and how does this relate to us today?
• How does Jesus’ comments in 16:18 influence our carrying out of the Great Commission? (found in Matthew 28:16-20).