This morning I read the following passage from “Zechariah’s Song” in Luke 1.  These were apparently some of Zechariah’s first words after regaining his speech after the birth of his son, John the Baptist (he was mute because he doubted the angel’s message that he would have a son).  The second half of the song speaks of John’s role in the coming of Jesus, but what stands out to me is the beautiful way that Jesus’ coming is described.

Luke 1:76-79 (NIV)

“And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

The picture of the Son as the sun was quite vivid with the light of the early morning sun streaming into my living room as I read this.  The image of the rising sun chasing away the darkness and shadow of the night is a great picture of God’s salvation through Jesus Christ lighting the dark corners of this world and of our individual lives.  Those that receive this great gift of salvation have the great privilege of walking along the “path of peace.”

Part of my daily time reading the Bible is spent reading the One Year Bible. A couple of days ago (April 7th), the Proverbs section included Proverbs 12:23

A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself, but the heart of fools blurts out folly.

This one hit me hard. There have been a number of times in the past few weeks that I have found myself “blurting out folly”. I am, for the most part, fairly careful with my speech. But there are times, when conversation is flowing, that I say things and immediately think, “I shouldn’t have said that.” Whether it is a “morsel” of gossip, or an “I can top that” story, I often know right away that I should have kept my mouth shut. Sometimes I do the right thing and I immediately apologize and indicate that I should not have said what I did, but often I just let it pass.

I suppose the real lesson is to talk less and listen more, that would probably be better for both me and for those who are talking to me.

I always appreciate it when God “gets through to me” like that. Hopefully that verse will come to mind when I need it most.

Mark 8:27-29 (NET) Then Jesus and his disciples went to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” They said, “John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and still others, one of the prophets.” He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.”

Mark 14:27-31 (NET) Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ But after I am raised, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” Peter said to him, “Even if they all fall away, I will not!” Jesus said to him, “I tell you the truth, today – this very night – before a rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I must die with you, I will never deny you.” And all of them said the same thing.

Mark 14:32-42 (NET) Then they went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took Peter, James, and John with him, and became very troubled and distressed. He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, even to the point of death. Remain here and stay alert.” … Then he came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Couldn’t you stay awake for one hour? Stay awake and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” He went away again and prayed the same thing. When he came again he found them sleeping; they could not keep their eyes open. And they did not know what to tell him. He came a third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough of that! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us go. Look! My betrayer is approaching!”

Mark 14:66-72 (NET) Now while Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the high priest’s slave girls came by. When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked directly at him and said, “You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus.” But he denied it: “I don’t even understand what you’re talking about!” Then he went out to the gateway, and a rooster crowed. When the slave girl saw him, she began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.” But he denied it again. A short time later the bystanders again said to Peter, “You must be one of them, because you are also a Galilean.” Then he began to curse, and he swore with an oath, “I do not know this man you are talking about!” Immediately a rooster crowed a second time. Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said to him: “Before a rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.

As I read these passages in Mark, I was reminded of why the Lord’s Supper and this season of Easter are so important.

Here we see Peter correctly identify Jesus as the Christ. Then we see Peter tell Jesus that he will never deny him, even if it costs Peter his life!

Right after that Jesus, obviously troubled, asks Peter (along with James and John) to “remain here and stay alert” as he goes off to pray. But when he comes back, Peter and the others are all asleep. Two more times he leaves and comes back and every time they are unable to stay awake and “stay alert” as Jesus had asked.

A short time later that night, we see Peter’s denial of Jesus as he faces his accusers.

Peter knew exactly who Jesus was and he vowed to stand by him. But in the middle of the night, the demands of his flesh overcame the command of his Lord and he fell asleep. And when standing by Jesus meant possibly facing pain and death, Peter’s fear overcame his faith and his vow never to deny Jesus was found to be an empty promise.

Peter, the disciple who first identified Jesus for who he really was, forgot who he was dealing with.

I’m prone to forget who I’m dealing with in Jesus as well. Like Peter in Gethsemane, I give in to the demands of my flesh and forget the commands of my Lord. Like Peter’s denials of Jesus, I’m prone to put myself first when the going gets tough or I am “put on the spot”.

Peter was about to witness Jesus’ death and his resurrection, the most spectacular “reminders” of exactly who Jesus is. We have the privilege of looking back on those events and being continually reminded ourselves of what Jesus means to each of us.

As we partake of the Lord’s Supper to remember his death, and as we celebrate Easter to remember his new life, let’s remember exactly who Jesus is for us today, right now, and pray that this will be enough to overcome the weakness of our flesh and of our fear.

Like most people, I like to be comfortable.  I like to settle into a routine and stay there, and I am very much a creature of habit.  However the reality is that changes are a part of life, and they will come whether or not we want them.

My family is in the middle of a transition as I move into my new role as pastor at Summitview.  And Summitview is in the middle of a transition as our new church plant to El Paso, Texas takes shape.  Both of these are good things, but they come with hard changes.  Marty and Jenn, good friends who were with us when we planted Summitview in Greeley almost 10 years ago, have now moved south to join the growing group (some from Fort Collins) in El Paso.  They will be the first of many who we will say goodbye to (at least for a time) over the next few months.

Just last night I was talking to a couple of guys about how difficult some life transitions are (marriage, kids) and I mentioned to one that he’ll be able to “ride those hard times out.”  But he responded that he didn’t just want to “ride it out.”  He’s right.  I should learn how to thrive in change.  It is in those tough times that our character is tested and God shapes us.  We learn how strong our faith is, and what we really believe about our God.

The big life transitions I have gone through with marriage and three boys have helped shape me into who I am today, and I’m better of because God put those things into my life.

So I’m looking forward to these current transitions with the hope that I can look back in a few years and say that I’m better off because of these times.