Jesus gathers his friends and asks them an inescapable, vital question: “Who do you say that I am?” We’ve heard the version of this story from the gospels of Matthew and Mark and this week we hear it from Luke. 

But why? Why read the same story three weeks in a row? There are a plethora of reasons, including:

—We almost never do this, so reading scripture this way is akin to working out a muscle group with a different exercise than you usually use. (Think: biking when you normally run or doing dumbbell floor press instead of your typical barbell bench press.) A new challenge can create a new stimulus, producing a new result. 

—This gives us a direct, first hand experience with both the similarities and the differences (subtle though some may be) that exist in the various gospel accounts. And that in turn can help us remember what a glorious gift it is to have four distinct gospels in our biblical cannon. 

—Spending this much time with a story forces us to truly wrestle with the text—and all the questions, concerns, celebrations, and insights that the text engenders.

—In this particular case, figuring out our response to Jesus’ question, “Who do you say that I am?” just might be the most significant way to live our faith in a way that leads to transformation for us and our neighbors.

So one last time (for now!), we look some of the most attention-grabbing responses to Jesus’ question—and consider why they are so frequently connected to racist ideas. In other words, who put the White in White Christian Nationalism and why?

Pastor Dave considers these questions and more this Sunday, August 28th, in his sermon, “The Jesus Wars Get Loud.”

N.B. Again, an action of resistance you can take right now is adding your name to this statement by Christians Against Christian Nationalism.

Worship with us Sunday at 10:00 a.m. in person or online via our Woodridge UMC YouTube Channel. All are welcome!