The Sad Shame of Denial

Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant-girl came to him and said, ‘You also were with Jesus the Galilean.’ But he denied it before all of them, saying, ‘I do not know what you are talking about.’ When he went out to the porch, another servant-girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, ‘This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.’ Again he denied it with an oath, ‘I do not know the man.’ After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, ‘Certainly you are also one of them, for your accent betrays you.’ Then he began to curse, and he swore an oath, ‘I do not know the man!’ At that moment the cock crowed. Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said: ‘Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.’ And he went out and wept bitterly. Matthew 26:69-75

Peter was one of the closest to Jesus and Jesus built the church on Peter and others like him. And yet Peter openly denied even knowing Jesus one fateful night, right? Fear does terrible things to many of us, including denying who we really are and denying knowing someone who is now in trouble. All the sycophants who hover around seats of power scatter when the leader is in trouble, we see it so often in our world. Peter's denial is raw, and human, really what any of us would do in these circumstances. Jesus founded the church on the most human, fragile and fearful beings and we live daily with those blessings and those consequences. We can only hope to be like Peter, who lived to bring honor to Jesus and to humbly follow him in this very broken world.

Blessed Creator, you set us on safe waters with good wind

help us to find safe harbors and lives of abundance and joy

while we often aren't grateful nor see the blessings we are given.

Too often we chart our own course and are terribly stubborn

so when we get in trouble, as we will, we cry in the night storms

and beg for your help which has always been with each of us.

Today, make us grateful, honest and willing to admit our fears

so your love can overcome all we face in this harsh world today

and bring honor to you as we humbly follow you in these times. Amen.