Sermon - St. Peter and St. Paul, Apostles 2025 - Matthew 16:13-19
Saints Paul and Peter , Santa Maria Maggiore Altarpiece, 1427 The Rock of Bold Confession Sts. Peter and Paul made bold confessions and were executed for it Their bold confession is the gospel of free forgiveness for the sake of Christ Jesus Let us confess boldly, and not even the gates of hell shall prevail against it A blessed Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, dear brothers and sisters in Christ! On this day, June 29th, the church remembers our brothers in Christ and fathers in the faith, Peter and Paul, who were on this day 1,957 years ago, in the year of our Lord 68, martyred for their faith by Emperor Nero in Rome. Peter, perhaps the most prominent of the twelve apostles, had preached the faith to Jew and Gentile alike. We remember Peter especially during Holy Week, when Jesus told him that he would be sifted like wheat and deny Jesus three times before the rooster crows. Sadly, the Lord’s words were accurate, and Peter denied Christ. Yet, at the end of John’s Gospel, we see Pete...