Easter Reflection

"Immediately the rooster crowed the second time.  Then Peter remembered the words Jesus had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times." And he broke down and wept." Mark 14:72

"When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might to to anoint Jesus' body.  Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?"  But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.  As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.  "Don't be alarmed, " he said, "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified.  He has risen! He is not here.  See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' "  Mark 16:1-7, NIV

In his sermon yesterday, Pastor Cano told us how Peter had betrayed Christ maybe even more than Judas.  Yes, Judas gave Jesus up for some silver, but Peter said he would never leave Christ, and then did so out of fear.  Judas wasn't even denying his role at this point, and when Jesus said that he would betray him, Judas remained silent and then slipped away shortly to do just that.  But Peter, Peter said he would never deny Christ, and I think he really thought that at the time, but then went on to deny him not once, not twice, but three times.

We're all Peters.  We all sin and many of us have denied Christ out of fear.  We may not deny Him with our words, as Peter did, but we deny him with our actions and our thoughts.  But there's good news!!!  Just like Peter, we have forgiveness!!

The angel said to go tell the others and Peter.  Can you imagine how Peter must have felt at that moment?  The Man he had walked with for three years, with whom he ate, slept, talked, was dead and Peter not only didn't try to help Him, but swore that he didn't even know Him.  Peter mourned and grieved and felt the deepest sense of guilt and loss for hours, days.  That Sabbath, the Sabbath with Jesus, in what seemed to Peter to be eternal rest, must have been the most grueling time of Peter's life.

Can you picture the reflection that Peter must have done in that time?  The praying and pleas for forgiveness?  I am sure that Peter was broken like no other.  He must have felt that there was no way he could ever make up for what he did.

And he was right, he couldn't.  None of us could ever atone for the sin we commit.  Praise God for the gift He has given; His only Son!!  We are so undeserving of it, and yet He gave it freely.

I will be spending today with my family, all of us eating too much and having a loud, crazy time, which is typical of any of our family gatherings.  Before everyone gets here, though, I had to sit down and reflect again on what we're really celebrating.  We're celebrating, the day after the Sabbath rest and reflection, the promise that God gave us - forgiveness and eternal life through the sacrifice made through the Son.

That promise is the only reason to go on.  I praise Him for it.