In Peter's Shoes

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General Apology
After a long hiatus, I'm back. I'm so sorry that I've neglected you so much. I'll have questions starting next week. For now, I'm going to try to get back in the habit of reading and reflecting.

I'm going to guess I'm not the only one who is struggling to keep up. I'm not sure exactly what happened to me. Maybe you don't know what happened with you either. (Of course, maybe I'm in the minority and the rest of you have been able to stay on schedule, in which case you can just skip down to the reflection at the bottom :0).

I'm probably not the only one who wants to finish up this "Year of the Bible" on a high note. I want to make a new commitment for the last 65 days of our journey through the "Year of the Bible." (Can you believe we only have 65 days left?!)

So, I'm going to plan some sort of mini-recommitment ceremony for us to use during worship. I'll post it here to and you can do it on your own if you happen to attend another church. Do whatever you have to in order to finish strong!! What we are doing is not easy--I was actually pretty impressed at the number of people who signed up to do this in the first place. I don't want us to look back and have regrets that we just let our enthusiasm fade away. Let's fight the good fight and finish the race; let's keep the faith (2 Tim 4:7).

Reflection of the Day
It's interesting to read the passion story NOT at Easter time. It seems a little out of place to read it now, at the end of October instead of during Lent.

Generally, when I blog or preach or teach, I try to find a part of the Scripture that is new, something maybe we haven't thought about before. I enjoy the challenge to dig a little deeper into a text and move past what it says on the surface.

But as I read through John 18 today, I can't seem to get past Peter's denial. Usually, I'd like to ignore the obvious and get to something more noticeable and easy to miss. But today, I can't get past the obvious.

Peter denies Jesus three time: verses 17, 25, and 27. I can't imagine what it must have felt like to be Peter as the rooster crowed. I can't imagine what it must have felt like to be Peter and have everyone around him know of his denials. Word must have spread quickly among the crowds . . . almost as quickly as Peter's guilt did, I would guess.

I said before I can't imagine what it must have felt like to be Peter. But the more I think about it, the more I realize I know exactly how Peter felt. I know the dread he must have been feeling when he heard the rooster crow and remembered the warning Jesus gave him. I know because I have been in Peter's shoes. I have sinned; I have denied God. Maybe I was a little more subtle about it than Peter, but I deny Jesus more often than I'd like to admit--whether it's by my actions or words or priorities.

I don't think I'm the only one who knows what it's like to be in Peter's shoes. There might not be a rooster crowing to be a sign for us, but we've all denied Jesus and immediately regretted it. It's probably even happened to us rather publicly, just like Peter. We've done something wrong and everyone knows it.

So what comes next? John 18 ends in the middle of Peter's story. We have to stay tuned to see Peter's repentance in the rest of the story.

But that doesn't mean you should put off repenting until Peter does. Now is your chance to repent; now is your chance to receive the forgiveness that God died to give to you. If you'd like, you can use the prayer written below as part of your repenting process.

Lord, I have denied You. There are things I have said and done that have not only hurt others but also have hurt You. My priorities are skewed to make myself more important, instead of making You important. Some of my sins have been public for all the world to see and some are sins that I keep to myself, silently struggling over them. Publicly and privately, I have been disobedient and defiant. And I am sorry. Grant me Your forgiveness once again and strengthen my will that I might have the power to resist sin the next time it comes knocking at my door. In Jesus' name, Amen.