Can Christians Be a Rock in a World Adrift?

Every morning when I wake up the news startles me to some extent. Sometimes it’s a tweetstorm from the president that shakes me from my morning comfort. Sometimes it’s a natural disaster that causes the death of hundreds or even thousands that vibrates the core of the earth around us. Sometimes it’s a terror attack that rattles my nerves and those around the globe at the vulnerability we face daily in public spaces. And sometimes we wake up to find out a chunk of a continent has broken off and is floating out into the ocean, even if ever so slowly.

This happened recently when a part of an ice shelf separated from the continent of Antarctica. A piece broke off from a continent. Literally the earth moved.

If you have a globe, it’s not completely accurate anymore. If you think you know what the world’s continents are shaped like, you’re now wrong. It was that big of an event.

Everything we thought we knew about the world changed in that moment — nothing will be the same again. Scientists have warned about this type of event for decades. They have said that chunks of ice this big would break off, and one finally did. A piece of Mother Earth broke away from itself.

I imagine some of you didn’t even hear the news. Others heard it and then went about your lives with little impact on your day-to-day choices. Still others reacted with shock, and a deeper commitment to fight for climate justice and a renewed advocacy for Mother Earth. 

What does it mean when things this monumental happen and many of us don’t even know it happened? What does it mean when it does nothing to change the way most people behave?

The impact of climate change will impact the poor more than others across the globe. People living on the edges of society are more likely to be harmed by global shifts than any other group on the planet.

We must plan and be prepared to act on behalf of others whose lives will be made worse by these shifts.

In Matthew 16:13, Jesus is preparing his disciples for an earth-shaking, life-changing ministry. The earth is going to shift under their feet with all that they are going to experience with him in the work to come. He wants them to be prepared. He wants to know if they are ready. And he wants to know if the people are ready to accept his authority.

So he asks his disciples a question to see what they are hearing out in the world: “Who do people say I am?” 

They respond with a variety of answers: “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He asks them, “But who do you say I am?” 

And here’s where Peter, "the rock," comes in. He says proudly, and clearly: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

It’s the first time in Matthew that Jesus is called the Christ by someone in the text.

This is a bold statement during a time when Jesus’ identity as the Messiah is just being recognized by many. He needed to gauge this as he moved into the next phase of his ministry, heading toward Jerusalem and his death.

Calling Peter “the rock,” and claiming that upon him Jesus will build his church, is an often-misunderstood part of this text. This text does not say Peter will be the institutional foundation of the church, although he would go on to be an important leader in it. Instead, it is Peter's statement — his testimony, his belief in the divinity of Jesus — that will become the founding “rock” of the church.

But still there were those who would not believe. They were adrift, like a big chunk of ice floating off the coast of Antarctica. They could not wrap their heads around a God who would come to be with them in person. They doubted. They feared. There was too much shifting under their feet to trust the new guy.

Many of the institutions we have trusted in for our entire lives are shifting right under our feet — our churches, our schools, our government, our banks, and our businesses are shifting. We often don’t feel we can trust them anymore. How do we have trust when the ground is breaking off underneath us? We hear of government scandals, banking misdeeds, churches refusing to welcome strangers into their midst, pastors abusing their powers, schools abdicating their responsibilities, and on and on. It's distressing.

But we’re going to continue to get earth-shattering news about the institutions around us. We’re going to continue to get chunks of earth crumbling beneath us.

I believe we’re called to be Peters in the world: Proclaiming our belief in God, and calling each other to faithful discipleship. Being supportive and loving is what we are called to do. Holding each other up and encouraging one another is part of our job as Jesus followers. Supporting the last, the least, the lost, and the left behind is our mission.

So we need to speak up with our words and with our actions. Negative messages and hate-filled people are too often winning the day on the news and on social media. We need to show the side of Christianity and faithfulness that is kind and welcoming. We need to be the voice that offers a place of safety when the ice or earth is shifting right under our feet.

The best evangelism statement I’ve seen lately is from a Facebook post: “Tell people you’re a Christian, then don’t be a jerk.” Be bold, be kind, be loving. Be a rock. It’s a bumpy ride out there — you may be the only rock someone else has to hold onto.

And if you’re looking for a rock to hold on to, look for a person of faith who is not being a jerk. There’s a bunch of us out here trying our best to be there for you.

Via ON Scripture.