Sometimes a Peter

The other day I was feeling a lot like Peter. A guy who said that through anything he would stand beside not only his friend or rabbi but his Saviour! I'm sure he meant it when he said it and he must have been pained when Jesus foretold that Peter would deny knowing him three times before morning came. How audacious? Someone who tells you that they are with you till the end and you smack them with that comment. Ouch!

But it happened! Just a short time later Jesus gets arrested and as He is being tried and beaten and the crowd is getting all excited that they want this guy to die Peter gets pointed out by people in the crowd that said they saw him with Jesus. At that moment and two more times throughout the sleepless night Peter denies and in fact seems angry at the people and sharply replies, "I never knew this man." Ouch! What Jesus said was true.

Jesus is soon killed by being hung on a cross and Peter never had the chance to reconcile his guilt. I try to imagine what that would have felt like for him. Whatever my conclusion, it's never good.

So the other day I was feeling like Peter. In front of my own friends and when I am in a place of safety I found it easy to be totally committed to not only my friend or my rabbi but my Saviour. I  really mean it when I say that I'll stick with Jesus until the end. I really do. But so often when I'm out of the spotlight and there is no expectation from others around me it's so easy to slip and to turn away, even for just a moment. But the haunting scream has been heard clear, "I never knew Him."

Ouch!

I never intended  that to happen. Really!

I know a little bit about how Peter felt in his guilt and shame. It's not fun to know that our commitment lacks completeness. To know that we have deserted what we have found true life in. It sucks. Bad.

The thing I love about Peter's story is that it doesn't end there. His Saviour, Jesus, comes back to life! Peter is yet to know this and while Peter is still living in his guilt and shame he sees Jesus and Jesus comes to him! There are no words of shame or guilt placed on Peter but only words of redemption when Jesus asks him, "Do you love me?"

Peter -"Lord, I love you!" 

Three times Jesus asks the question and for each answer it symbolically redeems each denial. And after each answer Jesus then doesn't only redeem Peter but He commissions him, "Go and feed my sheep." Which in other words means, "Go and redeem others from this guilt and shame for just as I came to redeem you so I have come to redeem and commission all who answer, 'Lord, I love you.'" Peter's life is forever changed.

Jesus recently came to me. 

In my guilt and shame He confronted me graciously with this question, 

"Do you love me?"

It's what I believe with all my heart that Jesus did and still does. He comes to us with the desire and ability to redeem and commission us for an incredibly great life, life to the fullest, with the  question, "Do you love me?"

LORD, I love you!

True Tragedy

I still feel sick to my stomach when I think about the tragedy and the insanity of the events of yesterday's events at the Boston Marathon. I can't remember feeling like this in a long time. It's sick to think that someone would ever want to do that. I can't imagine the feelings of those who were there and those who were harmed in the events. I feel horrible for the family of the 8 year old boy whose life was taken from him let alone the others who also died. Many who didn't lose their lives will now have to live life with physical wounds as well as deep emotional wounds. This will not be forgotten quickly.

As I thought about these events and felt the horror they provided I couldn't help but think of another disturbing thought. A true tragedy is found in the fact that bombs go off and people die in other countries on sometimes a daily basis and we rarely blink an eye. We hear it on the news. We see it on the TV. I listen to global news on the radio almost every day and I hear of just a fraction of what actually goes on oversees and it's horrifying. I can't imagine how many families lose a child because of bombings. I can't imagine how many lose another loved one or maybe the whole family goes on the same day. Friends. Co-workers. Neighbours. This happens every day around the world and we don't give it much thought. I guess it's because it's not close to home. Maybe part of us has gotten used to it happening over there but not often so close to home. But should that matter?

Any humanly avoidable death is difficult to understand. Why do we do this to each other? It's really horrible. But why do we do it to others? Why don't we care so much when it's "over there"?

This whole event has really made me wonder how much I really do care for all of humanity. I care deeply for the people in Boston and it has caused me to care in a deeper way for those elsewhere in an equal way. Not sure what I can all do about that but I guess this is step one.

My Easter Resolution

This is my first time making an Easter resolution. I don't really recommend it because I recognize the weirdness of it all but my need for making a change, or resolution, in my life fell at the same time as Easter so I called it my Easter resolution just for fun.

Resolution #1 - I resolve to be more fun!

I've recognized over the past while that I've been too high strung and too serious. As there are times for that I've definitely over done it. I need to chill out and enjoy what's around me.

I often talk about not complicating the Bible and I feel like my "seriousness" in the gospel has began to make it a daunting quest. I have come to recognize, with those around me, that the gospel was never meant to be over complicated or to be an overbearing weight. The Truth of this matter is that Jesus says, "My yoke is easy and my burden is light." Well then this should be a whole lot smoother than what I've made it out to be.

So along with my first resolution of being more fun the other resolution that I am excited about and want to post in my office is:

Resolution #2 -  I resolve to RELAX.

If God is for us then who can be against us? So why should I worry about this day or the next? My renewed prayer is that I can be in the stream of the Holy Spirits working so that I might be swept away in a current that is far beyond me. So Russ, just relax!

This doesn't always mean goofy or cracking jokes or changing who I am but it will show up in a lot more smiles and an easiness knowing that I am not the game changer, God is and I just want to be on his team. And it's pretty cool that as I stand in line waiting to be picked for His team He picked me. Jesus picked me to be on His team and I responded. The really cool thing about it is that He picks us all to be on His team. No one is left out. And all he asks us to do is to follow his lead, enjoy it and relax in His love.

Alright, here goes my first and quite possibly my last Easter resolution!