He begins by asking his students if they have emotions. Seeing the students nod their heads, the monk asks for examples. Hands go up, then voices chime out- "liking someone or something","happiness", "confusion", "frustration", "anger "-the students say. The monk tells the would-be drivers that mindful driving begins with the understanding that their attitudes and emotions will influence their perceptions and their actions. What they believe and feel will play out in the way that they drive. Spiritual teachers of all faiths understand that all the actions in our whole life take shape from the thoughts and feeling we allow to take root within us.

In his driving class, the monk emphasizes the need for consideration for others and empathy to the circumstances of the people they will encounter on the highway. One of his students reflected that when you are in the car there are many things to which you have to pay attention. "It's not all about you" she said. She acknowledges that the attitudes and emotion she allows to travel with her influence the way she drives and the safety of the journey- for her and for others.

Beginning drivers are often more attuned to the buttons on the radio than to the speedometer. The voices of their friends in the back seat draw their attention more quickly than the signs on the road. Part of any teacher's vocation is to help his followers focus on the right things while they are cultivating right thinking. The monk in the Driver's Ed. class developed a curriculum that moves the students to greater competency and deeper understanding through study, experience and reflection. The monk's goal is to prepare his students to drive well without him in the car.

In Matthew's Gospel Jesus is preparing his disciples to go forward without his physical presence. Jesus had gathered his class -twelve disciples by the side of the sea-and then headed down the road.

On this road trip the disciples witnessed nine miracles. They heard Jesus teach, both plainly and in parables. They reflected among themselves on the meaning of Jesus' teaching. But class time is coming to an end. Jesus is moving toward Jerusalem and death. Will the disciples be ready to travel on their own? Can they see the fuller picture of what is going on - around them and in them? Will they be able to grow in understanding so that they can become teachers as well as followers?

Jesus and his disciples left Galilee and the tensions and dangers of the crosscurrents among the Pharisees, the Sadducees and Harod Antipas. They moved toward the land controlled by Philip the Tetrarch - an area that was predominately gentile. It was time to test whether or not the disciples had integrated the teaching. It was time to see if they might be ready to drive on their own.

Driver's Ed. teachers take their students out into the bustle of the beltway as the class nears its completion. VW bugs and eighteen wheelers whiz and thunder by as students try to stay focused enough to merge into the flow of traffic without losing their way. Jesus took his disciples to Caesarea Philippi, a city jammed with religious influences of al shapes and sizes.

The symbolic traffic around Caesarea Philippi was very heavy. No fewer than fourteen temples to the ancient Syrian god, Baal, were near by. Next to Caesarea Philippi was a large hill with a deep cavern that was reputed to be the birth-place of Pan, the Greek god of nature. The springs of the River Jordan-sacred to the Jews, site of Jesus' own baptism and carrier of deep currents of Jewish history- were believed to have begun in this same cave. A huge white marble temple Herod the Great had built to honor the divinity of Caesar was in the city itself. Philip had changed the name of town from Panias, after Pan the Greek god, to Caesarea Philippi. In this Philip acknowledged the emperor's divinity -and put the stamp of Philip's power on the region. Into this rush hour traffic of beliefs and influences came Jesus and his disciples. And against this powerful background of competing claims of power, authority and divinity, Jesus asked the disciples-" who do people say that I am?"

There are always competing claims for our attention: there is the power of those who rule; there is the draw of natural impulses: there is the current of the culture in which we live. But there is one God, and we need focus and mindfulness to stay on the road. Caesar, Pan and Baal are just different names for the powers and principalities that still stand around us as surely as those temples stood around the disciples in Caesarea Philippi.

The way we understand who Jesus is will effect the attitudes we hold and the way we move through life. The connection we see between Jesus and God the Father effects how we see the past, our present and the future. Many have opinions about who Jesus is. "But who do you say I am?" Jesus asks each one of us. Nazareth was a small backwater town, but Jesus did not appear out of nowhere. There is a larger context that can be revealed if we can integrate Jesus' words and actions with what happened before Jesus was even born. Remembrance sometimes helps recognition.

Isaiah told his hearers "remember the rock from which you were hewn, and the quarry from which you were dug". Isaiah pointed to the promises and actions of God in history to encourage his people as they regarded their present and their future. God's promise of many descendents was an article of faith for the childless Abraham. Abraham motored on believing God's promise was true and he changed his life and his location based on that belief. The promise was fulfilled but the arc of the narrative was longer than Abraham's life. Isaiah's people could remember God's promise to Abraham and see its fulfillment by their own time in the thriving population. God was trustworthy.

"I will be your God and you will be my people…" God had said to Moses and the landless Hebrews in the desert, and God promised them a home. The land on which Isaiah's people stood was the fulfillment of God's promise to Moses. God was trustworthy.

The foundation of faith on which Isaiah stood was laid from the stones that Moses brought down the mountain. The gift of the law-the tablets of the Commandments- had been held in the Ark of the Covenant until that container was lost. But the arc of the narrative extended beyond the life of Moses and the boundaries of even a sacred box. The arc of the narrative extended beyond Isaiah for God had promised to offer his people even more..

Jesus began to draw the disciples deeper. "Who do people say that I am?" he asked. The answers moved them into the merge lane and close to the on-ramp. "Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah" the disciples said. Either John or Elijah would have been seen as a herald to the imminent coming of the Messiah. Then the disciples said, "still others say Jeremiah or one of the prophets". A prophet speaks on behalf of God to the powerful and to the whole people. Those who had encountered Jesus sensed he heralded God's presence and action in a new and powerful way. Jesus was clearly seen as much more than just a teacher and a healer. The disciples were almost at the yield sign. It was time to commit. "But who do you say that I am?" Jesus asked.

And Peter pulled out into heavy traffic, turn signal on and gathering speed… "You are the Messiah, the Son of God," he said. Peter was rock solid. He understood. He had integrated the teaching, believed God's promise, and recognized Jesus.

Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven…You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church." Jesus spoke Aramaic. The name "Peter" and the noun "rock" are the same word-"Kephas". In this word play Jesus recognized Peter's growing role in God's promise, and we who can see an even longer arc than Peter, know the truth of Jesus' statement. There are millions and millions of Christian today. God's promises are trustworthy.

Three rocks pave the road we are invited to continue traveling. The rock of God's promises was given to Abraham and Moses- spoken by prophets and seen fulfilled by the people. The cornerstone of Christ's divinity- made clear through the resurrection -which breaks down the gates of death and saves us form the power of sin. And the solid example of recognition and commitment provided by Peter and the other Apostles.

If we integrate these examples of promises made and promises fulfilled we have a solid foundation from which to make our journey. Mindful driving means focused attention, not ignoring the world around us, but recognizing the teacher and holding to His driving methods and instructions. When competing claims arise, let us remember to check the bounds of the foundation on which we travel for the arc of narrative now includes our response to God's promise. Moses, Isaiah, Jesus and Peter have offered their instruction. Jesus invites us to get on the highway. Peter has the keys in his hand

And now, ladies and gentlemen…start your engines.