Mark 8:27-38 “Jesus asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’
Peter answered him, ‘You are the Messiah.’”

Who do we say that Jesus is?

In our finer moments, we declare the truth:
Jesus is the Messiah.
God-with-us.
Savior of all. Shepherd and Friend.
Jesus is Lord of our whole lives.

Who do we say that Jesus is?
In our weaker moments, we utter deceptions:
Jesus is a magician who makes our problems disappear.
A superhero who rescues us from trouble.
Or, he is a nice man who lived once upon a time.
He is inoffensive, benign, sentimental, and dull.
A superstition. A wishful imagining.
A Sunday morning diversion who asks nothing from us.

Forgive us our feeble and false affirmations.
Empower us to answer the question with renewed energy and integrity:

Who do we say that Jesus is?
Love beyond love. Name beyond all names.
Hope beyond wishing. Eternal Mystery.
Word-made-flesh. Our Redeemer.
He lived and will live again.

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The message above was adapted from The Fellowship of Prayer, a Lent devotional I wrote for Chalice Press in 2012. A few copies are still available!

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photo credit: rmarshall via photopin cc