Not self-sufficient
A vicar’s 5 year-old daughter noticed that her father always paused and bowed his head for a moment before starting his sermon. One day, she asked him why.
'Well, Darling,' he began, proud that his daughter was so observant of his messages. 'I'm asking the Lord to help me preach a good sermon.'
'How come He doesn't answer it?' She asked.
May the word of God be spoken, may the word of God be heard, may the word of God by each one of us be obeyed. Amen
I spent my later childhood and teenage years in
Jesus taught the Good News of the
The central part of our task, it seems to me, is to show that Easter is real … it works…It is Good News. How lucky we are today, to be thinking of Peter and Paul. Two very dissimilar people.
Peter, not afraid to jump in without thinking, undisciplined, insecure, often getting things wrong. Needing to hear those words; ‘Get behind me, Satan, ie Get back in line and follow me.
And then there was Paul; strong-willed, determined, aggressive, angry. You wouldn’t put such dissimilar people together. But the Holy Spirit did. To learn from him and from each other.
Both were addressed by the risen Christ...Peter after Easter (Jn 21.11) – ‘Do you love me?’ and the implied question – ‘Are you sure ?’ And Paul (Acts 9.4), on the
And after the questions, which stayed with them and no doubt hurt them and made them think long and hard – After the question, came the instructions.
To Peter – ‘Feed my lambs. Tend my sheep. Feed my sheep’. And to Paul – ‘Go into the city and there you will be told what to do.
Both learned to obey and go against the limitations of their natural characteristics.
And both were helped by other people. Peter was helped by Gamaliel; a respected Pharisee (Acts 5.33), who, when the High Priest and the Sadducees had arrested Peter as a trouble maker, defused the situation by suggesting that maybe what Peter was doing was of God. Peter was let off – though, with a flogging.
Paul was helped by the brave Ananias (Acts 9.10seq). On one pilgrimage through
Gamaliel a conscientious Pharisee and Ananias a brave Christian were both able to see the possibilities and both gave Peter and Paul the support they needed at the time. Neither Peter nor Paul were self sufficient.
And so the story continues. Both Peter and Paul changed and grew into the role of Apostle as they each in their different ways responded to the Gospel.
And both found that they were taken out of their comfort zone.
Both were compelled to face new and unexpected and unwelcome truth.
Truth that at first left them feeling uncomfortable. In other words both, great Christians though they were, had a life time of learning to do. Both had to face that they were not perfect but if they were faithful and obedient, God could deal with that.
Both had to change. Peter had to learn that it was not for him to stand in the way of God and obstruct what God was doing. He had assumed that all those who embraced Christianity, whether of Jewish origin or not, would have to conform to the Jewish way of life and graft Christianity on to it. He had to have the vision and the courage to learn from the Roman centurion Cornelius, that God loves everyone and opens the Gospel to everyone. When Peter could see that the Holy spirit was at work changing the lives of non-Jews he had to be humble enough to welcome that, and give thanks and get on with baptising the Gentile converts. Making outsiders insiders.
Paul too had to change. The aggressive and destructive bigot became the man who described himself as the least of the apostles, not fit to be called an apostle.
Paul too had his moments of confrontation. Naturally, on his missionary journeys throughout the countries of the
Peter and Paul. Two very different characters.
Both were called.
Both had to face hard questions put to them by the risen Christ.
Both had to learn to have the humility to face what they were being told to do.
Neither was sufficient in himself. Both needed the help and support of other people; people very different from themselves. Both were taken out of their comfort zone to face new truth. And both had to have the insight to recognise and applaud the great things God was doing. So today, we remember with gratitude the greatness of these two Apostles. We give thanks that God called them, each very different from the other. We give thanks that God calls all sorts of people today; including people who are very different from each other; that no-one is beyond the reach of his loving concern. We give thanks that God has given us each other to journey with and to learn from. May we listen with openness to those who are different from ourselves.
And we pray that we may have the insight and the humility to recognise new truth,
that is consistent with the Gospel, when it is presented to us. And to celebrate the greatness and wonder of God who is always way ahead of us and calling us to follow where he is leading. And we pray that through our togetherness in the Gospel the warm and welcoming touch of Christ may reach out to the people of
Greg Roberts, July 4th, 2010
