Meditations from The Church at Southpoint The Church at Southpoint

May we place the resurrected life of Jesus at the centre of our attention. May we become a fresh expression of the resurrected life force of the welcoming Christ.

Frederick Buechner said: "Resurrection means that the worst thing is never the last thing." Losses shape us and humble us, and may break us, but they don't define us. We are more than the sum of our successes and failures to be who we want to be! Each day we plant ourselves in the flow of divine Love —which is what really defines us—and be part of that giving and receiving. What did that mean for Peter?

What it would be like to wonder what might be waiting — beyond the sorrows we witness, beyond the sadnesses you carry in your heart? Even if you don’t want to run to the tomb yet, maybe you can make some space for wonder, a tiny green sprig growing amidst the stones and sorrow of your heart.

This Lent we've been on a long journey with Peter — observing his journey of faith, and our own — we've been wandering, we've been wondering, but not today! Today, we are walking with purpose. Today, we are waving branches in the air, we are singing and we are celebrating the way God was on the move through Jesus, and the way God is on the move in our midst, now.

When the crowds saw Jesus coming towards Jerusalem, the people were exuberant, cheering him on joyfully as he approached the city.  Enthusiasm is a powerful force which  ignites our spirits and infuses our actions. How is Jesus on the move among us? Could our exuberance be a sign of his presence? 

Peter seems to be someone who lives under the groaning weight of high standards. Being right, doing what is right, and naming what is right seems to matter a great deal to him. In this passage, he approaches Jesus, asking for how to do forgiveness right. Curious about how the conversation unfolding with Jesus? Come have a listen.

Like Peter, we feel angry and scared when what we expect doesn’t come to pass. When certainty gives way to disappointment, we feel disoriented. Jesus invites us to loosen our grip and open ourselves to his love, which is with us in the mystery, complexity, and pain. Jesus’s love, assuring us that after our long sorrow, there will be liberation.