EASTER: Gone To Another Place

Easter

Scripture: Acts 12:16-17

NRS 16 Meanwhile Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the gate, they saw him and were amazed. 17 He motioned to them with his hand to be silent, and described for them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he added, "Tell this to James and to the believers." Then he left and went to another place.

Devotional: Thus ends the mention of Peter in the historical books of the New Testament. He will be mentioned by Paul in his letters and he will author two letters of his own, but this is the last we hear of him in the Book of Acts. He had escaped jail with the help of an angel and returned to the gathering place of believers.  He knocked and knocked before they finally opened the gate. They stood in utter amazement at his presence as he recounted the story of the angel and instructed them to tell James and the other believers of his miraculous escape. Then, he left for another place. Where did he go? Why did he go? Why was this the last mention of Peter when there was so much left to record about the early Church? Based on the Biblical account, we don’t and won’t ever know; however, Church tradition fills in some of the gaps. It records the martyrdom of Peter in Rome around 64 A.D. That was where he fulfilled his bold promise from the Last Supper table. During Nero’s persecution of Christians, Peter was crucified just like his Lord. Tradition holds that he had them crucify him upside down because he didn’t feel worthy enough to die in the exact same manner as Jesus. This tradition completes the transformative tale of Peter. Called from his fishing boat, he followed boldly and impulsively. He walked on water. He cut off an ear. He made boastful claims that he would fail to fulfill. He cowered before a rooster and left an empty tomb only to return to his old life. At that moment he failed as both a disciple and a fisherman. That failure was not the end of the story. In that humbled state, Jesus met him on the beach. He offered forgiveness. He offered the power of the Holy Spirit. He commanded Peter to continue his ministry out of his new found bold humility. Their encounter on the beach was the beginning of Peter becoming the person Christ saw in him on the shore of Galilee the day He first called him. In the upper room, he assumed leadership of the disciples and began to care for the flock. Under the power of the Holy Spirit, he preached his first sermon and the group of disciples became the Church. He was The Rock.  He led. He healed. He was the first to bring the Good News to the Gentiles. The same man who couldn’t catch a fish caught thousands of people at a time as he proclaimed Jesus Christ. His story ends with him laying down his life for another. He laid his life down for Jesus. He embodied agape. The story of Peter is a tale of transformation. It began as the story of the person upon whom Christ would build His Church, but it continues as our story. The story of each and every Christian, like Peter’s, is the tale of an ordinary person called by Christ to first be transformed and then empowered to do extraordinary things. Jesus calls us from fishing boats, office desks, hospital shifts, and even assembly lines to follow Him and to change the world through His love. As we read the story of Peter we know that if God can transform him into a leader of the Kingdom, He can surely do something with each of us. Now that is the Good News of Easter!

Prayer: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The three-in-one God. Holy Trinity, today we again ask for transformation in each of our lives. Transform us into the disciples You need to change the world. Use us to bring healing, help and hope in Your name for it is in Jesus’ precious name that we pray all of this, and all of God’s people said, AMEN!

Song of praise: Beautiful Messes  by Hillary Scott and the Scott Family