Words for Worship

Ministry Today

Luke 22:52-62

 

John 21.13-19

 

I heard this week Maureen lipman talking about her playing the role of Joyce Grenville. And she says that she was the better for the experience. Because, she keeps falling back into the part. Indeed, she finds that when someone cuts her up in traffic - she hears herself say – in grenvillian tones – that really wasn’t very nice you know. Although personally, I would have thought the more famous – George – don’t do that - might have been more fitting. However, we often confuse actors with their roles. And that in turn creates a tension. The tension for example of seeing Michael Crawford, infamous as the hapless Frank Spencer, transformed into the phantom of the opera. The tension of seeing Rikki Fulton’s Reverend I M Jolly mutated into the sinister KGB commisar in the film ‘murder in Gorky park’. And the tension of seeing the innocent abroad peter playing the role of the stalwart martyr.

However, this delusional tension is ripped asunder as we hear him sing out in Bach’s St Matthew’s passion - "Have mercy, Lord, on me, regard my bitter weeping, look at me, heart and eyes both weep to Thee bitterly." Since now the mask has slipped, the role is forgotten and we are faced with an all too real personality. And in that instant – we know that Peter could talk a good game but could not play one. Even more heart rendering is to realise that he knows that is well.

 

So what do the last lines of Peter’s acting career sound like? Maybe something like this:

I am Peter the Rock.
I am looking over to the cross.

It feels as if I am slumped in rushing water.

 

My world is melting, dissolving in front of me.

Exhausted, frightened. I was holding the group together, it was tough! I followed, scouting around to see what was happening.

"Feed my sheep." He said it again and again.
"Do you love me, do you love me? Feed my sheep."

When they took him we all stood back.

So many soldiers.

You know how you feel when you get a panic attack - buzzing in the ears, breathless. I was sick.
 

His Rock he called me... and he said I would betray him three times.

Let me tell you about that:
Three serving girls - nobodies.
Why should I say yes to them? I was doing better by telling them to get lost.
So... a question... Why do I always have to be strong?.. Would anyone else have replied differently?
Can't I be vulnerable...
 

Is that weakness?

I am Peter the Rock.

What will I do without him?..

He was everything to me...

 

In a quiet moment the Lord said "Love is still love, Peter. It takes different forms - that's all. When someone is no longer there you can't see them smile or bring them flowers, or tousle their hair. But when one sense weakens another is heightened. Memory becomes your partner and you nurture it.

Life ends but love doesn't."

It seems funny to think of that now...
 

I am a shattered rock

Yet now I offer my weakness...

I offer only my weakness in Love.

 

Silence

Peter then at the edge of Christ pain found out something about himself. He found that he was wearing a mask – he was playing at life – he was living within ‘make believe’. And that wasn’t enough when the soldiers came, when the guards asked and when the girl accused. More importantly, he knew it was not enough. And so when that second chance came on the quiet beach at the fresh start of a new day, he was different. This time it was himself speaking. It was the stronger more honest and more realistic Peter speaking. It was the Peter before Christ speaking.  And that was enough – enough to change Peter, enough to change the world and enough to change what Christ was able to do in that world.

 

In the historical novel ‘Quo Vadis’, Peter is depicted as a tired old man with the task of preaching the message of Christ. However, he is amazed by the power of Rome and the vices of Emperor Nero. In fact, in the novel, Peter names him the Beast. Sometimes then Peter doubts that he will be able to plant and to protect the 'good seed' of Christianity.

 

When things got too tough, he was advised to flee. It is here the apocryphal Acts of Peter takes up the story on the Appian way:

 

And as he went forth from the city, he saw the Lord entering Rome. Peter saw him and said: "Lord, wither goest thou?" And the Lord said to him: "I go into Rome to be crucified." And Peter asked. "Lord, art thou being crucified again?" Christ replied: "Yes, Peter, I am being crucified again." And Peter became himself; and having beheld the Lord ascending up to Heaven, he returned to Rome, rejoicing, and glorifying the Lord, for he said: "I am being crucified"; the which was about to befall Peter.

 

 

 

Well, over the last few weeks of Lent we have trying to gain some pointers from the people who were on the edge of Christ pain. And Peter has an important place in moving our thinking forward. For, if nothing else, he shows us that that suffering brings us all down to reality – unwelcome reality – but reality never the less. More precisely, we stop play acting or fooling ourselves and find the eyes of Christ. Eyes that are not accusing – not condemning – not inflicting but simply asking – do you love me? Then when through the our new found self – honesty – we reply - Yes Lord – you know I love you – he says – follow me! Since those words ‘follow me’ signifies he knows – where youest thou. He knows the road out that is not pretend but utterly real.  Moreover, he knows the destination of love. For written above the door of the church on the site of where legend says Peter and Christ met outside Rome, it is written:

Stop your walking, traveller, and enter this sacred temple in which you will find the footprint of our Lord Jesus Christ when He met with St. Peter who escaped from the prison.

 

 

 

Let us pray

 

 

Feed us Lord
In these starving times
When our need of you is so great and our faith so small

Feed us Lord
When our dreams are so often broken and we have such need of good news

Feed us Lord
When our path seems full of difficulty and we are asked for yet more

Feed us Lord
For we know that without you there is no way we can be sustained.

 

Amen

 

Offering

 

HYMN….

 

Peter - the weak link