Wandering Heart
Figuring Out Faith With Peter
Fixed Upon?
March 10, 2024 • Jason Fairbanks • Matthew 16
When your world unravels and your beliefs are tested, you may cling to what you know. As Jesus foretells his death and resurrection, Peter protests. Peter is fixed upon the way he thinks things should go; he resists the pain of what will come. But Jesus is fixed upon his calling and calls Peter out. For everyone, there comes a time when your faith is tested and you will have to face difficult and inconvenient truths. We may want to take the easier path, the path with less pain. We may want to cling to easy or simplistic answers. Instead, what does it look like to welcome complexity? Can you stay fixed upon your convictions while also expanding your perspective?
Rescue Me From Danger
February 25, 2024 • Jason Fairbanks
As a new disciple, perhaps Peter wants to prove himself. Boldly, in the middle of a storm, Peter steps out of the boat to join Jesus who is walking on top of the waves. He, too, walks on water until the wind shakes his trust and he begins to sink. Many of us know what it feels like to be thrown off balance, to feel as if we’re sinking. Maybe this looks like doubt, unexpected change, too-busy seasons of life, devastating grief, or distance from God. In this story, we empathize with the desperation Peter feels as he cries out, and we pray for God to save us when we sink.
Praise the Mount
March 3, 2024 • Matthew 16
“Praise the mount of God’s unchanging love. . . ” This lyric represents Peter’s mountaintop faith moment. It speaks to spiritual euphoria and feeling the closeness of God. In this story, Peter proclaims who Jesus is. He speaks with conviction. Peter claims his faith. If you had to speak your faith in one sentence or phrase, what would you say? When we have the courage to say, “This, I believe…” then that conviction has a ripple effect on others. When life gets rocky, we lean on mountaintop moments and our deepest convictions to see us through.