Sermon for The Commemoration of St. Peter and St. Paul, 2025

This Confession—that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God—is the rock upon which the Church is established and resides. And the Church is no shack or shanty built on sifting sand. It is a holy temple of the Lord, built of living stones, who, like Peter, believe and confess this Good Confession. 

Founded upon this Confession, no flood of persecution or troubling tempests, indeed, not even the gate of hell can overcome the Church. Even when it seems like it’s crumbling within, the Holy Spirit keeps it intact. Consider what we heard earlier in the reading from Acts: how the devil was threatening the Church at its very foundations, for the Apostles themselves were at odds with one another in dealing with the satanic doctrine of legalism, which supplants the Gospel and overthrows the Good Confession; even so, God preserved His Church. 

Although the temple would be destroyed—the tent of David would fall, through Peter and Paul, the Lord would fulfill His Word and promise: “I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up; so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, says the Lord who does all these things.” From its ruins, the Lord built an Ark of refuge for all mankind, Jew and Gentile alike. To Peter, the Lord declared all food to be clean; what’s more, He revealed that no one whom God has made should be called common or unclean. To Paul, the Lord entrusted the message that all who are baptized into Christ are sons of God through faith in Christ; they are Abraham’s descendants and heirs according to the promise. 

Indeed, Peter and Paul shed their blood so that we might partake of our Lord’s blood. These two pillars of the faith preached the Word of God, even as the devil sought to take away their liberty for preaching the liberty you have in Christ: freedom from the terror of the Law, freedom to look to Christ alone for salvation and not to your own merits, freedom to do good works out of love and not out of thoughts of earning God’s favor. 

Readings:

• New Testament: Acts 15:1-21

• Epistle: Galatians 2:1-10

• Holy Gospel: Matthew 16:13-19

Sermon: