Good old Peter

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

“Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’” (Matthew 16.13 – 19

            And to Peter’s epiphany, Jesus responded, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church.” Today is the day we remember Peter and this famous confession of faith that he made. This rough fisherman, often stumbling, impetuous, intense, and uncouth, was one of the first disciples (along with his brother Andrew) to be called by Jesus (Holy Women, Holy Men).

            Peter figures prominently in the Gospels as the Rock of the Church, speaking boldly of his faith and then in Acts, helping the young church to spread beyond the Jewish community. And yet so often he struggled with himself, often stumbling, trying with all his might to love his Lord, and yet denying him (just before the crucifixion), acting rashly and impetuously (when he jumped out of the boat to walk on the water). The author of Holy Women, Holy Men suggests that Peter’s life

“reminds us that our Lord did not come to save the godly and strong but to save the weak and the sinful.  Simon, an ordinary human being, was transformed by the Holy Spirit into the ‘Rock’ and became the leader of the Church.” (174)

            In Peter’s footsteps, (as the collect appointed for today says), we too must “keep the Church steadfast upon the rock of this faith, so that in unity and peace we may proclaim the one truth and follow the one Lord, our Savior Jesus Christ” (175).

            If we are feeling unqualified for this duty, this charge, then we need only remember Peter and his frailty and fumbling, and pray for the presence of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, to be our transformer just as it was for Peter. Thinking we can walk on water is taking it a little far, however!

John 3. 16

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (John 3. 16 – 21).

            In the verse above, Jesus’s mention of eternal life does not only speak of immortality or a future life in heaven, but it is also a metaphor for living now in the unending presence of God. By offering his life to be lifted up on the cross, Jesus makes eternal life possible for us. However, in this conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus continues to explain that because the light has come into the world,

“people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed” (John 3. 19 – 20).

            Once we are bathed in the Light and the Love of Christ, we are aware of our mis-behaviors and “when we stray like lost sheep,” we make every effort to shield our actions from the Light, from God. But the Light dispels the darkness, and God knows and sees what we do

.

            The big name in the news right now is Florida’s very own Tim Tebow…a what a ruckus he is causing by letting his actions be bathed in the Light of Christ. He evangelizes with his actions, reinforcing his belief that the incarnation of Christ has given him new life and the unending presence of God. He even wears the words “John 3.16” on his cheeks for football games. He offends people mightily, and daily the media and others try to cast him into darkness in an effort to disguise his deeds.

 “But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God”(John 3. 21),

 and the Light shining on Tebow just seems to get brighter and brighter.  In fact, in the most recent game against the Patriots which the Broncos lost, Tebow scored a significant136 yards…not significant because it was a lot of yards, but because the numbers match the same ones that were on his cheek. Wow…

Making All Things New

Monday, January 16, 2012

“…for the first things have passed away…See I am making all things new” (Revelation 21.4 – 5).

            Today we remember the birth of Martin Luther King Jr and honor him as a national hero; on April 4^th we remember his death and honor him as a prophet and martyr. Four days before he was killed, King preached a sermon at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. and the passage above was the text he used. The title of the sermon was “Remaining Awake through a Great Revolution”; in it he warned of the dangers of sleeping through a revolution and failing

“ to develop the new attitudes, the new mental responses, that the new situation demands” (King). In 1968, as King preached this sermon, he suggested there were three revolutions taking place:” triple revolution:

“a technological revolution, with the impact of automation and cybernation; then there is a revolution in weaponry, with the emergence of atomic and nuclear weapons of warfare; then there is a human rights revolution, with the freedom explosion that is taking place all over the world.”(King)

            Those revolutions continue, I would suggest, and we certainly could add to that list on

this day in 2012…a technological revolution that threatens to make us a paperless world, a

religious revolution in which more and more people are turning away from the institutional

church, an economic revolution in which the bottom has dropped out of what many, many people

considered the major financial indicator, and the list could go on and on.

            But as Christians, aren’t we always in a revolution…aren’t we always “putting on the armor of God” to be able to “stand against the wiles of the devil”? and as Paul goes on in Ephesians, “For our struggle is  not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6. 10 – 12).

            Today, perhaps we should take Dr. King’s warning personally and be careful of not sleeping through the revolution in which the former things will pass away and all things will be made new.  The tables have been flipped in the temple, the Crucified has been made whole…we must keep alert, “pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication and make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel” (Ephesians 6. 18 – 19).  

            I leave you with Dr. King’s concluding words and with the hope and prayer that we will all join hands in the struggle against the “present darkness,” staying awake and alert in this world of revolution, loving our enemies, doing good to those who hate us, blessing those who curse us…now those are revolutionary behaviors!

“Thank God for John, who centuries ago out on a lonely, obscure island called Patmos caught vision of a new Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God, who heard a voice saying, ‘Behold, I make all things new; former things are passed away.’

God grant that we will be participants in this newness and this magnificent development. If we will but do it, we will bring about a new day of justice and brotherhood and peace. And that day the morning stars will sing together and the sons of God will shout for joy. God bless you. (King)

ps. According to one source, Dr. King’s last words were to a musician who was to play at the event where King was to speak that night. King said, “Make sure you play ‘Precious Lord Take me Home’ in the meeting tonight. Play it real pretty.” Here is a recording of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1d4Rp8SXF8&feature=related

The Runaway Bunny

Sunday, January 15, 2012
Second Sunday after Epiphany
 
“Lord you have searched me out and known me; you know my sitting down and my rising up” (Psalm 139).
            The readings for today include the story of Samuel being called by God and his “here I am Lord…Speak for your servant is listening” response, Paul’s warning to the Corinthians to beware of sins of the flesh, and the story we discussed earlier in the week about Nathanael’s confession of faith upon Jesus’ recognition of him. However, I want to share some thoughts about the psalm appointed for today because it is one of my very favorites. It is Psalm 139 which begins with the words above. Today’s lectionary only includes verses 1 – 5 and 12 – 17, but the ones I want to share with you are 6 – 11 which make it very clear that the psalmist believed that there was nowhere he could go that God would not find him. What great comfort there is in that knowledge!
Where can I go from your spirit?
   Or where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
   if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning
   and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
   and your right hand shall hold me fast.
11 If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me,
   and the light around me become night’,
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
   the night is as bright as the day,
   for darkness is as light to you.
            Many of you might remember the children’s classic, The Runaway Bunny, in which author Margaret Wise Brown tells the story of these verses of psalm 139 from the perspective of a bunny and his mother…we are the bunny and God is the mother. In this story, Brown suggests that no matter what disguise we try to use, nor how far we run, God will find us.  I have attached a link to the telling of the story, and I hope you will hear it in a new and different way today, being warmed and comforted by the knowledge that ultimately, like the bunny, we must just stop running and rest in the arms of our loving God.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0tfX9shBbc