01/18/2026
Almighty Father, who inspired Simon Peter, first among the apostles, to confess Jesus as Messiah and Son of the living God: Keep you Church steadfast upon the rock of this faith, that in unity and peace we may proclaim the one truth and follow the one Lord, our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. ☩
“You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” - The Confession of Peter the Apostle (Matthew 16:16)
This seemingly simple statement was Peter’s response to Jesus’ question, “Who do you say that I am?” In language that was evident to ancient Jews, Peter affirmed that Jesus was the one of whom the ancient prophets spoke, the Son of God who would save Israel. Before this moment, Peter’s name has been ‘Simon.’ With his confession he was given his new name. Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:17-20). It was for this confession that Peter lived and died. In AD 64, because of his confession, Peter was crucified upside down in the city of Rome.
The feast of the Confession of Peter marks the beginning of a week of prayer for Christian unity, observed by Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant churches. It ends on January 25, the feast of the Conversion of Paul the Apostle. Peter and Paul had their conflicts (Galatians 2:11) and were restored to unity because of their common confession of the truth in Jesus. May these two Apostles be our examples as we pray for unity among Christians.
Almighty Father, who inspired Simon Peter, first among the apostles to confess Jesus as Messiah and Son of the living God: Keep your Church steadfast upon the rock of this faith, that in unity and peace we may proclaim the one truth and follow the one Lord, our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Art & bio by Ben Lansing
“Our Church Speaks” book, podcast, prints available at www.ourchurchspeaks.com.