OUR TOWN

YOU MIGHT HAVE CALLED IT

THE LAS VEGAS OF THE EAST

OR A LIBERTY TOWN FOR THE FLEET

OR SAN FRANCISCO

DURING THE GOLD RUSH

IT LIVED UP TO ITS REPUTATION

OF ANYTHING GOES

THE TOWN OF CAESAREA PHILLIPI

MOST JEWS WOULD AVOID THE CITY

FOR ITS PAGAN TEMPLES

AND PAGAN CONDUCT

PAN

WHO WAS WORSHIPPED THERE

WAS A FERTILITY GOD

WITH ALL ITS RITUALISTIC SEXUAL CONDUCT

ALSO IT WAS A SITE FOR EMPEROR WORSHIP

ALSO THERE WAS A SHRINE

FOR DANCING GOATS

FOR PAN COULD SET GOATS A DANCING

BY PLAYING ON HIS SYRINX

HIS PAN PIPES

IT WAS ALSO A BURIAL PLACE FOR THOSE SACRED GOATS

THERE WAS ALSO A GROTTO

WITH A DEEP POOL

INTO WHICH SACRIFICES WERE THROWN

THE ENTRANCE TO THE CAVE

WAS CALLED

THE GATES OF HADES

IT WAS HERE THAT CHRIST CALLED PETER ROCK

MUCH HAS BEEN MADE

THAT CHRIST MEANT PETER TO BE THE FIRST IN SUCCESSION

AND THERE ARE GOOD ARGUMENTS

FOR BOTH POSITIONS

POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE

I THINK CHRIST WAS ONLY THINKING

OF HIS FRIEND PETER

HOW HE MATCHED THE MOLD

OF SO MANY TESTAMENT HEROES

HE WAS A FLAWED INDIVIDUAL

HE STARTS HIS CHURCH

IN A BAD NEIGHBORHOOD

WHERE GOOD PEOPLE DON’T GO

HE SENT A SINNER

SO SINNERS COULD IDENTIFY

HE SENT A WORKER

WITH CALLOUSED HANDS

SO THAT THE POOR COULD IDENTIFY

PETER FELT INFERIOR TO THE TASK

BUT CHRIST SAID

WITH ME ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE

CAESAREA PHILLIPI IS NO MORE

THE TEMPLES ARE IN RUINS

THE CAVE COLLAPSED

BUT CHRIST LOOKS DOWN THE AGES

AND SAYS

YOU ARE MY ROCKS

ON YOU I BUILD MY CHURCH

FRANK A VOLLMER