A Cycle – 2^nd Sunday of Easter 26

1 Pt. 1:17-24

Peter’s words are so familiar to us, we fail to listen to his passionate appeal consider all we believe about Jesus is not moving us to consider we have missed the point of His death and resurrection. Yes, we know it was for the forgiveness of our sins. Christ paying the penalty for our sins and intellectually embrace the theology of Him as the sacrificial lamb. But if we pay attention to the scriptures, we know Peter and all the disciples struggled with His death and resurrection. 

The Peter who wrote the words we heard today was a transformed man. But that transformation took place after fifty days of Christ appearing to them.  Berthing the Holy Spirit upon them and helping them understand more is required if they are to become believers who are willing to give witness to what is offered everyone.  Peter, the impulsive disciple, is so transformed he is willing to admit he did not understand how to respond to the resurrection.  He has learned how his and our human instincts are to play it safe and cause us to avoid the challenges of being a disciple.  There were moments when His insights were inspired – “who do you say that I a.” (Mt.16:16).  But there were times, his vision of what the Messiah conflicted with the plan of God. “Get behind me Satan, you are thinking as man not God” (Mt.16:23).  Our instincts to avoid the challenge of becoming a disciple is no different today than it was then.  We prefer safe, predictable exercise of our faith and avoid the call to cast our nets into the deeper waters of uncertainty. 

Yet we can learn a lot about ourselves by reflecting on the words and actions of Peter.  Peter was the one who was called to be the “rock” on Christ would build His church.  Not John, whom Jesus loved.  Not Andrew who was he first disciple to spend any time with Jesus. It was Peter, who on this day, shows how deep his understanding of how God’s plan and His mercy provided him with the courage and the wisdom to step up and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah. Boldly coming out of that upper room, shedding his fear and to announce the only way to God is through Jesus.

But his message at that time was radical and challenged the Jews to rethink everything they had learned. Today that message is challenging each of us to rethink our response to the risen Christ.  Are we willing to admit we have been lulled into a comfortable belief in Jesus. One that demands we show up, follow the rituals and, tithe and serve those in need.  We ignore the real call of our baptism is to be evangelists, who go forth and proclaim Jesus as “the way, the truth, and the life.”    

We are more aware of how reverent we conduct ourselves than how well we are following the promptings of the Spirit.  Peter’s words about how we are to “…conduct ourselves with reverence” us to practice a faith that is dependent on us.  What we fail to hear the words of Peter emphasizing how Christ “…ransomed us from a futile future.”  We fail to grasp how our faith is in God’s mercy. God’s love and forgiveness is ours regardless of our sinfulness.  Jesus was the answer to our sins, our failings, and our lack of motivation to consider what we have been doing is not helping us grow closer to God.

Instead, it has created within us a comfortable faith where we admit Christ is God’s answer to sin while our actions remain focused on ensuring God is pleased with us. What we fail to grasp is the impact of Peter’s final encounter with the risen Christ, on the shore before the assumption. That moment when it seemed Peter’s faith in Jesus was shattered by His crucifixion and his inability to comprehend what His appearances were revealing.  In his own confusion he announces, “he is going fishing.” The future is uncertain so why not return to what he did before he was called to follow Jesus.  He returns to the comfort of his only skill and that is fishing.  We, my brothers and sisters, do not realize we are fishing, avoiding the call of discipleship, practicing our faith.

We have not appropriated the grace of the resurrection into our hearts. We are striving for holiness instead of living because Christ’s death redeemed us.  Like Peter, we are unaware of how the Holy Spirit will equip us with all we need to be bold and unafraid to proclaim with confidence that Jesus is Lord.  Despite centuries of dogma and theology, we fail to respond to the freedom won for us by Christ. We need that moment when Jesus embraces us as He did Peter. We need our prodigal son moment with God to do more than understand we need to feel the embrace of God.  It is an encounter we all need because we are all called to be witnesses. Once that happens, we move out of our comfort zones and become bold and confident God will always be with us.

Like Peter, once our witness becomes based on experiencing forgiveness we will no longer be satisfied with the status quo.  We will want the more God desires us to experience.  We were created for a purpose, and it is to love God and serve God. We need to be as bold a witness as Peter was that day.  If we believe God is with us, then it is time for us to proclaim the kingdom of God is among us.