Peter Peter Why?

Mark 14:70-72  And after a little while again the bystanders said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them; for you are a Galilean.” But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak.” And immediately the cock crowed a second time.


You've heard the statements before. "I swear on my babies life." I swear on my mother's grave." or some other words of the same nature followed by a lie. This is an example of a curse coming before a lie. Peter's denial was a similar curse before a lie. Fear is a powerful motivator and although Peter wanted to follow and see what happened to his teacher and friend, he was also petrified at what might happen to Peter himself. Maybe he thought he could be invisible in the background of the drama as it unfolded, but when it was clear he could be involved he panicked and repeatedly denied Jesus.


One of the most telling part of this account is that even with Peter being one of the most revered members of the first century church, they included this description of his behavior. So many parts of the scripture point to the honesty of the writers, and this is just one of many examples. Why would a hero of the church be shown in this light if the authors were not being faithful to the actual events.


The last focus for me falls into this same category, but with another twist. The story ends with Peter breaking down and weeping. Again not a particular aspect of the situation that Peter would make up. You see the story is in the scripture because Peter told the story, not that others were there to know the story and write about it. Peter was sorry that he denied the Lord, and he wept. True sorrow for our sins heals the scars that go with them. 

Abandoned

Mark 14:29-31  Peter said to him, “Even though they all fall away, I will not.” And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I say to you, this very night, before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.” But he said vehemently, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And they all said the same.


We so much want to think that we are completely committed to Jesus. I remember singing that very old worship song "I Surrender All". All to Jesus I surrender, goes the words and my heart would sing as if I really meant it. Perhaps at the moment I really did mean it. I would find myself sometime later on saying the wrong thing or doing the wrong thing, far from a life completely surrendered to Jesus. I can easily see myself in Peter's story, and I'm not claiming to be worthy of being a saint like Peter. 


It seems so easy to abandon Jesus in moments of challenge sometimes. In the immediate circumstance our human minds and hearts see very human choices. I will say even with some humility that with God's help I make the wrong choices less often, but at times it is still too easy to forget my surrender and fall away. Like with Peter Jesus even knows that I will. He sees the limits I have placed even when they are invisible to me. He understands my character with all it's strengths and weaknesses. Even knowing all that, even as I abandon him, he never abandons me. 


I return to the path in humility acknowledging my failure and he welcomes me with open arms, hoping I've learned another lesson to help me avoid the difficulties in my future. Although everyone else may abandon me because of my mistakes, Jesus never will. God is so good to me.

Waiting!!!

Mark 14:22-24  And as they were eating, he took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, “This is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many.


The words of Jesus frame the instructions about the sacrament of the Eucharist. We say in the Episcopal Church that a sacrament is the outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace. I love the sacramental nature of our church. I can so often know the reality of Jesus love for me in the experience of the sacraments. I always take special notice of the words of Jesus on his last night with the disciples. When Marsha got sick we both knew that our time together was limited. It was not like we knew when it was the last might, but we surely knew our time was limited. I'm not saying I didn't waste any time saying or doind meaningless things during Marsha's last days, but I was clear that I needed to say the important things to her and show my total and complete support for her. I didn't waste time with pretense or unrealistic conversation. I wanted her to know the most important things about my love for her and the blessing she had been for my life. No wasted time and effort.  I'm sure Jesus had even more need to let the disciples know all he needed to share with them. Nothing left out or left behind.


Because the Eucharist was one of those last items that Jesus revealed, I place among the most important. I'm not saying that it is some miracle event. Aa a protestant catholic, I see the sacraments as guaranteed place where we can come directly in contact with Jesus. Th Roman Catholics believe that happens automatically because of the action of jesus in the prayer of consecration. The protestant church believes the Lord's Table is only a memory of the last supper not real contact with Jesus. The protestant catholics believe that real grace is available in the sacrament but this grace is only available as we accept it with faith. If you take the bread and the cup with faith that you are actually receiving the direct presence of God's grace then you will receive it. Approach the sacrament as just a piece of bread and a sip of wine without faith and the grace is unavailable to you. 


I've been so blessed that I know I meet the rel true jesu every Sunday in the Eucharist and other times through the other sacraments. Will you meet Jesus this week? He is there waiting for you to just accept his grace.

Who Leads?

John 8:12  Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”


Amazing claim is it not. I am the light of the world. Clearly the sun is the light of the world. Then again isn't it kind of funny that the sun is the light of the physical world and the Son is the light of the spiritual world. We had the second of our leadership training sessions this late afternoon. I spoke in my group briefly about the way I could suddenly see when Jesus was revealed to me. Clearly it was the dawn of Son shine in my life and I had new eyes and a new heart with which to experience the world.


I have actually known people who have experienced this Son shine and have chosen to walk back at least into the shade if not the darkness. We are not forced to follow Jesus even after a first experience of His spectacular light. We often have trouble with the follow. It's like a dance where people actually touch one another; only one person can lead or toes get mashed and stumbling becomes all too common. We refuse to let Jesus lead even when we say we are following Him. Inevitably that leads to the dark or at least the shade.


A song you might no has the line, "I want to walk as a child of the light." but do we really? I wonder?

Guard Yourself

Mark 13:1-4  And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another, that will not be thrown down.”
And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign when these things are all to be accomplished?”


Throughout this section as Jesus answers these questions from the disciples, the response goes far beyond the simple physical destruction of Herod's temple which was the Romans accomplished in 70 AD. Jesus speaks of the time when all will be accomplished. Sitting here in the midst of history we tend to think that everything was accomplished by Jesus death on the cross and his resurrection. Jesus however points to a time yet to come when these things (plural) all will be accomplished. 


I'm not a focus on the second coming person. I live in the moment most of the time, and try to keep my focus on Jesus there in the present moment. At the ascension the angels affirmed that Jesus would return and I believe that a day is coming when he will return and perhaps all will be accomplished on that day or begin to be accomplished on that day. It's not my concern to know, it is just my concern to be ready. Even now I hear people with their focus on the signs that Jesus may return soon in bodily form, but it is more important to be ready by knowing that he is here now by his Holy Spirit. I'm not waiting for Him, he's already here, I am expecting at some point that he will come to accomplish all things, but I affirm that truth without setting any focus upon waiting for it. I stand guard against distracted less the thief in the night steel my treasure, and that treasure is that Jesus is mine in the moment, the greatest treasure of all.

Powerless People

Mark 12:38-40  And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to go about in long robes, and to have salutations in the market places and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”


Warren Buffet, the second richest American, recently said that the rich should pay higher taxes. It matters not what you think of his idea for this discussion. The most important part of his disclosure was that he paid an average of only 17% tax rate on his income while middle and upper middle class Americans pay an average tax rate higher than that. I think Jesus talking about devouring widow's houses is speaking to a similar issue in his day. The rich and powerful had extra that they could use to cheaply buy the resources of the poor and powerless. The wealthy can hide income in tax free funds that provide tax credits instead of tax responsibility. The poor and middle class have trouble paying their bills.


Jesus warns his listeners to beware of those who dress in finery because they will manipulate the system for their own gain. This a response to his understanding of human nature. Those who have the power and resources will do all they can to assure they stay in that privileged position.

You're Right Jesus

Mark 12:32-35  And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that he is one, and there is no other but he; and to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any question.


From my angle it seems pretty arrogant to think you should tell Jesus he got something right. It's like correcting the exam given to God about how he created everything. Well you got two wrong God but it's still and A-. It sounds funny doesn't it, but I'm afraid people are often doing that very thing. I hear God being judged all over the place like he's the student and people are his teachers. In the gospel example above the scribe actually adds the part about being better than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. 


I spent years in church in my years as a perhaps seeking participant critical of how God had done things. I especially fought with the notion that Jesus died for me. I wanted no part of that. He would have definitely received a bad grade in church planning for that decision. Leaving the spread of the faith to a few mostly uneducated people also seemed like a bad idea. Not keeping more control of human decisions another flaw. I was a tough grader at every turn. I'm smart you know and at one point clearly thought I was smarter than God.


Life works better now. My typical response, "You're right Jesus!"