New beginnings can be good things. New starts allow us to reset, to initiate a new outlook and perspective on things. To put the past behind us and maybe even pretend, or even act, as if the past didn’t exist. It didn’t happen. The playoffs for the NFL will be starting soon, and lots of teams know now they don’t stand a chance of winning it all, but just a few months ago, they all had the pretensions that they could be the last team standing. Whether that was actually true or not could be debated, but at was at least the idea. The New Year can do the same thing for us. Regardless of what we did or didn’t do in the last year we get a start to do something different. We can start to exercise, or change diet, or save more, or prepare to take that trip we always wanted, or start reading more, or relaxing more, or whatever it might be. I have to say that last year my resolution was to gain thirty pounds, and unfortunately I didn’t make that total, but I haven’t given up yet. But there is something very strong in Christianity about starting over again, of putting things in the rearview mirror and moving forward, and we do that not only in worship but in our faith itself, at least hopefully.
And so today we begin a new series, a short series, entitled Peter, Paul and Mary Magdalene, and for those who are younger there was a folk group from the 60’s called Peter, Paul and Mary, which you may know for either Puff the Magic Dragon or If I had a Hammer, if you know them at all. And not to date myself too much, while I didn’t see them in the 60’s or 70’s, I did see them in the 80s. But, the important part here is that that’s not whom we are talking about. And as I was thinking about this series last spring, I didn’t really think about Peter, Paul and Mary Magdalene as being about new beginnings, but in many, many ways they are. And so we’re not going to really talk about who they are or what they did and for why they are famous, except for Mary Magdalene, but instead to look at a very particular episode, how they encountered God in that moment, what it meant for them, and more importantly what it means for us in our faith in the possibility of new beginnings and of God’s amazing grace.
And so we start with the first musician in the group, Peter,
who like Peter Yarrow was Jewish, and while he is typically seen as the founder
of the Christian movement in Rome, that’s probably not correct. But, that’s not
to discredit his work because he was the chief missionary to the Jews outside
of Palestine, whereas Paul, who we address next week, was the missionary to the
gentiles. What he is also probably known for is being the first bishop of Rome,
and while all bishops are equal, some are more equal than others. We don’t know
anything about that title in his own time, but he clearly did become a
significant leader both in the early church, and then in Rome. But if we think
about the very end of Jesus’ life, and know Peter’s actions there, I’m not sure
that anyone would have thought that would happen, perhaps even Peter himself,
and that last night plays a critical role in the passage we heard from today of
the third resurrection story that we find in John. And in that, because John is
different than what we have in the synoptic gospels, which are Matthew, Mark
and Luke, we sort of have to leave the stories we have in those gospels behind,
such as Jesus saying that he is going to build his church, which will be
built upon either Peter himself or on
Peter’s confession of faith. But that doesn’t happen in John, and so we have to
focus simply on John’s gospel itself and by itself.
And so John’s story of Jesus’ last night is different in
many ways, including that communion is not instituted as it is in the synoptic
gospels, and instead there is a long series of teachings, which has become
known as the farewell discourse, but he does predict that Peter will deny him
three times, which Peter then does. We don’t really know what Peter was
thinking after that happened, except we can guess that it was probably the
worst that Peter ever felt, especially after Jesus was then executed. Might it
be even safe to say that it was probably the worst thing that Peter had ever
done? We might never know, but I’m willing to bet that it was, especially when
we consider what Judas does after his betrayal. And so the question for Peter
then had to be, is there a way back? How does he redeem himself? What does God’s
grace and forgiveness look like, and is he still included in that grace, or has
what he has done excluded him? Is there
a way to begin again?
And so I don’t think it’s a mistake how many times Jesus
asks Peter if he loves him, which is three times. But before we get into that,
there are a couple of other key pieces of this puzzle. The first is that when
Jesus first meets Peter, in what is his call story as it were in John, which happens
in chapter 1, verse 42. Peter’s brother Andrew brings Peter to Jesus, which
again is a different version, and Jesus says to him, “’You are Simon son of
John. You are to be called Cephas.’ (which is translated Peter)” From then on,
he is referred to as Simon Peter, until the end. Although he is introduced as
Simon Peter, Jesus refers to him not as Simon Peter, but as Simon, son of John,
just as he does before Peter is called. Does this mean that Jesus isn’t really
sure about Peter, or is he seeking to teach Peter a lesson here? I think it’s
more the later than the former. Peter has failed Jesus. Peter was even told
that he would fail, and he didn’t believe it, because he thought he was more
faithful than the others, even pledging to Jesus that he would die with him
that night, which is probably why that first question says “do you love me more
than these?” and so Peter has to be called out on that failure, because part of
seeking forgiveness is to acknowledge what we have done wrong. In order to
begin again, we have to admit to our shortcomings. In order to repent, we have
to be willing to turn around. And so the risen Christ is forcing Peter to
confront his failing, and Jesus could just leave Peter hanging there, and
that’s what we might be inclined to do with a huge “I told you so,” but that’s
not what Jesus does. Because even greater than Peter’s denial is the grace of
God.
But, to receive that grace, Peter must be open to it. Peter
has to be willing to receive that grace and be receptive to a new beginning.
Jesus is the one who makes the forgiveness and the new beginning possible, but
Peter has to be open to receiving that forgiveness and to see and create
something new. He has to be willing to know that he is more than the worst
thing he has ever done, not to forget it, but to know he is forgiven so that he
can move forward into a new reality. And so that means he has to take Jesus’
question seriously, and to know the seriousness of Jesus’ question. Because on
his last night in John’s gospel, Jesus says that he is giving us a new
commandment that we love one another as Christ has loved us, and that we will
be known as his disciples by the love that we show to one another, and that no
one has greater love than to lay down their lives for others. Peter understands
this, or at least he thinks he does, but Jesus is making it very clear in this
moment, because after Peter says that he loves Christ, Jesus responds with another
command to feed or tend his lambs and his sheep. And I think this is often overlooked,
but crucial to understand, Jesus is making clear here that he is still the
great shepherd. He doesn’t turn the flock over to Peter and make Peter the
shepherd, even though bishops carry shepherds crooks, and pastors are seen as
the shepherds of the flock, the sheep are Jesus’. But, Peter is to care for
them, to make his love and his discipleship visible through how he lives. He
overcomes his denial by first accepting God’s grace and mercy, living in God’s
forgiveness, so that, second, he can then be an example of God’s love to the world.
But what Peter has to know, what we have to know, is that
this is not, in the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, cheap grace. There is a cost
to accepting this grace. The cost is that of our lives, of laying down our
lives for the sake of the gospel message. In answering Jesus’ answer three
times that Peter loves him, Peter is reaffirming his complete and ongoing
availability to Christ’s call. That while he had failed, Christ still calls
him, just as he did at the beginning of John’s gospel, and it even ends with
the same phrase, which is “Follow me.” Peter has the opportunity to start
again, and to be even more committed than he was before; to live out the life
of love that he pledges to Christ. And then we have one last warning given to
Peter that in dedicating his life he will also lose his life, he will lay it
down in glory, as Christ laid down his life in love for others. And while there
became, what we might call an obsession, in the early church with Martyrdom,
martyr literally means witness, you can be a witness to the faith without
losing your life, and immediately after this Jesus talks about the beloved
disciple, whom we are told does not die for his faith, but who writes the
gospel, and thus is also a witness. And so the witness is about dedication of
our lives to Christ, and living lives of love.
And what better way to be a witness to the love and forgiveness of Christ than to live in that forgiveness? To show that God forgives even our worst moments, and that we are even more than our worst moments. We are more than the worst thing that we have ever done, and that new beginnings are not only possible, with God they are a reality. That is the message of Peter for us on this day. That he failed and he failed miserably and mightily, and Christ came to offer him forgiveness and the question, do you love me? Do you love Christ? If so, then feed his lambs, tend his sheep, feed his sheep, by loving Christ and loving the world. By being for the world God’s forgiveness lived out. By being for the world God’s love lived out. By being for the world the new beginnings, the new opportunities, the healing and wholeness found only in Christ Jesus. As we begin this new year, this is a new opportunity, like Peter, to rededicate our lives to our faith and to our commitment to Christ, and so it’s been traditional in the Methodist movement since the time of John Wesley to pray what has become known as the Wesleyan covenantal prayer, and so I’m going to invite you stand as you are comfortable, or even to kneel as you are able, as together we pray together:
I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things
to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.
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