Dear Friends,
In a study course we are doing here at the Abbey we recently looked at the character of Simon Peter, perhaps the best known of Jesus’ twelve disciples. As we looked at parts of the New Testament that mention Peter, we saw just how human and imperfect Peter was. Everyone familiar with the story of Jesus’ crucifixion knows how Peter, fearing for his own life, denied knowing Jesus three times after Jesus had been arrested. Think also of how often Peter seemed to want to prove to Jesus that he was the most faithful of all the twelve. When the others would hold back, Peter would jump right in. Perhaps the most famous instance of this was when Peter literally jumped into the lake in his unsuccessful attempt to imitate Jesus’ walking on the water. In short, if we take a long, hard look at Peter, we can easily see a man whose character was far from perfect.
How is it that someone like Peter could in the end become such a great figure in the history of the Church? How could such an unpromising character turn out to be such a great Christian? The answer is simply this: through the power of God. After Jesus left this earth he sent his Spirit to be with his people. This Holy Spirit, which is the Spirit of God and Jesus at work in the world, is here to guide, comfort, and challenge us. The Spirit is always with us; it never gives up on us. It never gives up on the possibility of our changing for the better; it never writes us off as nobodies. If we will let it, the Holy Spirit will change us, however unpromising we may be, just as it changed Peter. Other people may give up on us; we may even give up on ourselves; but the Spirit never does. This is because God’s great desire for us, each one of us, is that we fulfill his purpose in creating us by trusting in his truth and love for us and living according to that truth and love. If we can come to trust in the God of Jesus
and in the power of his Spirit at work in and around us, our lives will change for the better because we will have his Spirit of peace and joy in our hearts. Outwardly our lives may be tough: Peter himself ended up being crucified. But inwardly we will certainly be changed for the better.
Peter’s story should give us great hope. God doesn’t demand that we have perfect behaviour records, far from it. All he asks is that we sincerely turn to him for help. The God of Jesus is not a God of vicious circles, but a God of life-giving, open-ended change.
How is it that someone like Peter could in the end become such a great figure in the history of the Church? How could such an unpromising character turn out to be such a great Christian? The answer is simply this: through the power of God. After Jesus left this earth he sent his Spirit to be with his people. This Holy Spirit, which is the Spirit of God and Jesus at work in the world, is here to guide, comfort, and challenge us. The Spirit is always with us; it never gives up on us. It never gives up on the possibility of our changing for the better; it never writes us off as nobodies. If we will let it, the Holy Spirit will change us, however unpromising we may be, just as it changed Peter. Other people may give up on us; we may even give up on ourselves; but the Spirit never does. This is because God’s great desire for us, each one of us, is that we fulfill his purpose in creating us by trusting in his truth and love for us and living according to that truth and love. If we can come to trust in the God of Jesus
and in the power of his Spirit at work in and around us, our lives will change for the better because we will have his Spirit of peace and joy in our hearts. Outwardly our lives may be tough: Peter himself ended up being crucified. But inwardly we will certainly be changed for the better.
Peter’s story should give us great hope. God doesn’t demand that we have perfect behaviour records, far from it. All he asks is that we sincerely turn to him for help. The God of Jesus is not a God of vicious circles, but a God of life-giving, open-ended change.
Yours in Christ,
