Peter and Paul, Apostles

June 29, 2008


Galilee..Damascus…Moorpark


When I was an organ student quite a number of years ago I was handed a piece by my teacher.

It was written by one of my favorite composers, and the strange title of this piece is: Berceuse on Two Notes Which Do Not Go Well Together.

As I learned the piece I discovered that the title was certainly true, for these notes are anything but melody and certainly are not harmony.

At first glance this piece would have been appropriate for today’s celebration of St. Peter and St. Paul, for these two followers of Jesus were just about as opposite as you can get, and they certainly didn’t go well together, as Paul tells us in his letter to the Galatians: “When Peter came to Antioch I opposed him to his face.”

So, how do we celebrate this ecclesiastical odd couple.

How do put together Peter of Galilee, Paul of the Damascus Road, and you and I here on Moorpark?

First, let’s have a look at St. Peter, whose name is literally translated as “rock.”

He certainly was not an educated man, he fished for a living, and, as we read in scripture he had the bad habit of shooting off his mouth.

Incredibly, when Jesus asked him who people said he was, Peter declared that Jesus was, indeed, the Christ, and Peter was given the privilege of being the first one to make that declaration.

Jesus responded by saying “You are Peter, and upon this rock I shall build my church”, and then Jesus hands him the keys of the kingdom of heaven.

That is incredible, and we would think Peter would be set up for eternity.

But, a few moments later, when Jesus begins to define what it means to be the Christ, that the Christ must suffer and die, Peter, the rock, takes Jesus aside and begins to rebuke him: “God forbid Lord, this shall never happen to you.”

Then Jesus says to Peter, the Rock, “get behind me Satan, you are a stumbling bock to me, for you are not setting your mind on God’s will, but on man’s will.”

Then, we remember the episode at the last supper when Jesus tells that Peter that before the rooster crows, Peter will deny him three times.

“Even if I have to die with you, I will not deny you.”

That bragging didn’t last very long, and, the third time he was asked if he knew Jesus, Peter even begins to curse and swear that he has nothing to do with this Jesus.

We wonder how he could even be considered to be a follower of Jesus.

It looks like Jesus could have done better with someone else.

Yet, that is Peter, the rock, who we celebrate today.

Then there is his total opposite, St. Paul, who was originally know as Saul of Tarsus.

Saul was a theological genius who had studied with the best rabbi in the world.

He was a Pharisee, one of the religious hoi polloi, who was the brightest and best, and when it came to upholding the law of Moses no one did it more faithfully than Saul.

Needless to say, he certainly wasn’t about to put up with this bunch of heretics who were claiming Jesus as Messiah.

When St. Stephen, the first to die for the gospel was being stoned to death, pious Saul stood approvingly watching over the coats of the ones throwing stones at Stephen.

Then, he goes on a rampage against the followers of Jesus, entering people’s houses and dragging them off to prison.

Then he gets letters from the high priest which give him permission to head of to Damascus and arrest those friends of Jesus who were called Followers of the Way.

So, here we are again. Saul of Tarsus, whom we celebrate today seems to be about as ill qualified as Peter to be a follower of Jesus.

Yet, as we know, in both cases, there is more, much more to the story.

After the resurrection, after Jesus has appeared to the disciples, after he has shown them the nail prints in his hands and the wound in his side, Peter makes another of his inane statements:

“I am going fishing.”

Jesus has risen from the dead, and Peter goes fishing?

In any case, he encounters the risen Christ, who is cooking breakfast for them on the shores of Galilee, and Jesus looks him squarely in the eye and says:

“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these.”

We can almost see Peter poke out his chest and with a very pious voice say: “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Given Peter’s history, how would Jesus know that Peter loves him?

Jesus replies: “Feed my lambs.”

Jesus asks again, Peter declares his love, and Jesus says: “Tend my sheep.”

The third time, Jesus asks again, and poor Peter gets his feelings hurt: “Lord you know everything, you know that I love you.”

“Feed my sheep.”

Three denials by Peter, three time of forgiveness and reconciliation by Christ.

Three times Jesus makes it abundantly clear that words are not enough.

Jesus then tells Peter that he will probably die for the gospel and then he looks at Peter again and says; “Follow me.”

Given Peter’s history we might expect him to keep on fishing.

From that moment on, Peter is a devoted and powerful witness to the gospel, and his faith was incredible.

The same Peter that denied Christ, that rebuked Christ, took the hand of a crippled beggar and said: “I have no silver and gold, but I give you what I have; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” And the beggar walks.

Saul of Tarsus was still breathing threats and murder as he headed for Damascus.

But, all of a sudden, a light from heaven flashed, knocks Saul off of his horse, and hears a voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

Listen to what Saul says: “Who are you, Lord?’

Lord. Saul knew exactly who it was.

He gets up, blinded by the experience, and, at the hands of Ananias, receives baptism, receives his sight, and from that moment on was Paul of Tarsus.

Paul who was once the brightest and best, was, for the gospel of Jesus, in his own words, “afflicted in every way, but not crushed, perplexed, but not despairing, persecuted, but not forsaken, struck down, but not destroyed, always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our body.”

Peter, the braggart, Peter the rebuker of Jesus, Peter the denier of Christ: Paul, the persecutor of the Church, Paul the one who piously approved of the stoning of Stephen.

It would seem that Jesus could make better choices for his followers.

But, as we celebrate the festival of Peter and Paul, we come to the realization that God only has ordinary folks to choose from, folks like them, folks like us.

We are all flawed and imperfect human beings.

We like Peter open our mouths when we shouldn’t, we like Paul become judgmental and condemnatory when others don’t see things our way.

We, like them, can become angry and sullen, we can get into a ruckus like they did in Antioch, and we can find a zillion excuses to avoid doing what Christ calls us to do.

Yet, there is a distinct connection between Galilee, Damascus, and Moorpark: You and I are called by Jesus of Nazareth to join Peter and Paul in the Fellowship of the Flawed - a fellowship of ordinary, sinful people, who God transforms, changes, and empowers to proclaim his love in the midst of a dark world.

We all, from Peter, to Paul, to us, have the common denominator of the Holy Spirit that empowers us, transforms us, changes us, and gives us gifts….the same gifts of Galilee and Damascus, right here on Moorpark and Leigh.

The same Christ who stood on the shores of Galilee asks us the same question: “Do you love me.”

Yes, Lord, of course we love you. Then feed my sheep, tend my lambs.

Christ asks us to go far beyond what we say and to put our words into tangible action.

The same Christ who knocked Paul off of his horse, gives us a Damascus road experience in which the light of Christ shatters the darkness with which we surround ourselves.

So, in a way, as we celebrate Peter and Paul, we also celebrate our own lives in Christ, which, in the Spirit of Jesus, is identical to their lives.

Berceuse On Two Notes That Do Not Sound Well Together.

That could describe Paul, Peter, and you and I.

But, those two notes can be transformed by God, into the incredible harmony of unconditional love in the name of Jesus.

There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole, There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin sick soul. Sometimes I feel discouraged and think my work’s in vain, But the Holy Spirit revives my soul again. If you cannot preach like Peter, if you cannot pray like Paul, you can tell the love of Jesus and say He died for all. Don’t ever feel discouraged for Jesus is your friend, And if you lack for knowledge he’ll never refuse to lend. There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole, There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin sick soul.