At St Peter’s, we are blessed to have a patron saint who is so human. Repeatedly in the Gospels Peter speaks and acts in a way which leaves us thinking: “Yep. That’s how I would expect a human being to respond.” Certainly he was brave. Certainly he was intensely loyal to Jesus. Certainly he eventually rose to meet the awesome challenge of feeding Christ’s sheep. But like all of us, he made mistakes. His denial of Jesus after his arrest must have haunted him for the rest of his life. And his startled and incoherent reaction to witnessing the transfiguration – suggesting that sheds should be built for Jesus, for Moses and for Elijah – authentically feels like a human being hit by something far beyond their experience and understanding.
We often speak of the huge significance of Jesus coming to Earth as a human being – that we can feel understood in a way that would seem impossible for a remote deity but which, in the case of the God made known to us by Jesus, opens up the possibility of relationship. But let’s not lose sight of the way in which Jesus chose such human disciples to be his friends and successors, first and foremost Peter. His kingdom really is for real people.
Lord, you are above everything in the universe which you created,
And yet you sent your son to be one of us.
A son who chose ordinary folk as friends and disciples.
Who did not disdain the flawed and the ordinary.
We are assured of your love for us
And we seek to love you
By your grace, and in Jesus’ name.
Amen
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