Sunday, September 15, 2024

Peter is quite the character in the Gospels.  In this Sunday’s selection, he is the first to declare that Jesus is the Messiah: a win.  But he immediately refuses to accept that Jesus will be a Messiah who suffers and dies, not a triumphant king, thus being called “Satan.”  Definitely not a win.  At the Last Supper, Peter boasts that he would gladly die for Jesus.  Shortly afterwards he denies Him three times and runs away, abandoning Jesus during His passion and death.  But Peter becomes the first leader of the Church, despite all these glaring failures.
 
My friends, like Peter, we will all fail.  Peter is an example to us that all is not lost when we mess up, even horribly: God still loves us, will not reject us, and will continue to use us to bring His love into the world.  We just have to follow Peter’s example.
 
First, we have to acknowledge that we have failed.  We are told that Peter wept bitterly when he saw Jesus and realized what he had done.  He knew that he had failed and he accepted it.  He also accepted God’s forgiveness and forgave himself, as shown after the resurrection.  When Jesus appeared to the
disciples in the upper room, He asked Peter three times if he loved Him, one time for each denial.  Peter was humbly able to admit his failure to himself, accept Jesus’ outreach and forgiveness, and forgive himself.  Then he was freed of the burden of guilt and able to move on, becoming a bold
proclaimer of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
 
My friends, we will fail.  If we can admit our mistake, accept God’s forgiveness, and forgive ourselves, then we will be able to move on without the burden of guilt.  Having experienced God’s love and forgiveness, perhaps we will even be better at sharing the same with others.  It isn’t failure that keeps us down; it is refusing to let go of the guilt and move on.
 
Dear Lord, help me to admit my failures, accept your forgiveness, and forgive myself, so that I can bring your love and forgiveness to the world around me.  Amen.
 
Church sign: All Christians, like pianos, need frequent tuning.