Devotion - Tuesday, August 29

The daily cycle of readings and the cycle of readings for Sunday were created independently of one another.  But sometimes they overlap; and when they do I usually pay particular attention.

This morning I read from Mark 8 the story which we read on Sunday from Matthew 16.  It is the confession of Peter.

Jesus asks, "Who do you say that I am?"  And Peter answers, "You are the Christ."

No confession may be as simple as this.  No statement of faith may be as basic.  No statement of faith is more pure than these simple words.

There are many things which are implied when we refer to Jesus as Christ.  There are many things which flow from one affirming Jesus as Messiah.  But to be a Christian one only needs make this affirmation.  To be a follower of Jesus, does not mean we have all that additional stuff memorized.  It simply means that in Jesus we have found rest for our souls, hope for our anxieties, and promise for our lives.

I do hope that you will continue to learn your bible stories, that you will develop your appreciation for the finer aspects of Christian theology.  But those are add-ons.  The simplest of affirmations is the essential confession to make.