Tomorrow I am leading our mid-week service of Morning Prayer, for which the lectionary Gospel is Luke 22:54-end – Peter’s denial of Christ in the courtyard and Christ’s appearance before the elders. I haven’t been able to give as much time as I would like to producing a ‘sermon’ so the following is more by way of a reflection, in which you are welcome to share:
Then seizing Jesus, the temple guards and elders led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. When they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them.
“Woman, I don’t know him,”…“I am not one of them!”“Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
Just as Peter was speaking, the rooster crowed, and the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter.Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.”
And he went outside and wept bitterly.
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I know you’ve denied me like I said you would, but remember my other words from earlier tonight, because in them lies my task for you: “When you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
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I understand how much your own failure hurts you, but it hurts me too, because it means you still don’t really get what I’m doing here, and what I expect of you.
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Let that be a lesson to you young man, that you will never forget! You must not forget it, because it is a lesson you will need to teach others in the weeks to come.
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I know you’ve failed me, but I still love you.
Jesus is led before the council. “If you are the Christ,” they say, “tell us.”Jesus answers them with these words:“From now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.”So they exclaimed “Then you are the Son of God!”And Jesus replies “You are right in saying that I am.”