Learning from Peter

I was running late, but thought I was going to make it just in time, as I was about to turn into the drive of my Christian Science church.

Suddenly, the van in front of me pulled right into the middle of the drive to let people out for the neighboring church. Their members were getting ready to start a parade from their current church location (a storefront across the street) to their newly completed, sizably larger edifice, some four miles away. I was agitated. How dare they use our drive! Especially when I was trying to get to church on time! In the ten or so years since they had started services, their parishioners had been taking up parking spots in our lot as their congregation grew by leaps and bounds. 

A man in an orange safety vest moved toward my car to see what I wanted as I was right in the path of the oncoming parade. I rolled down my window and said rather sharply, “I need to get into the parking lot for my church.” He walked over to the van, apparently to tell them to finish unloading. As I waited for what seemed like an endless number of passengers to leave the van, I was already starting to regret my tone. It certainly wasn’t loving or hospitable. This was an exciting day for these parishioners, and I definitely hadn’t contributed positively to the festive atmosphere.

I managed to nod a “thank you,” along with giving a weak smile, as the driver of the van backed out. But I still felt annoyed. Walking into church, I started considering what it was that
I was really annoyed about. Was I a little jealous of this group? Sheepishly, I admitted to myself that I was. Here appeared to be the real crux of the matter. Our little congregation had struggled to keep going for so many years, and here was a church that was apparently flourishing. It just didn’t seem fair! From what I could tell, they had a lot of social activities that attracted attendees, and now there was this parade. I felt our church had so much more to offer … .

Just then the “cock crowed.” Well, I didn’t literally hear a rooster. But as the disciple Peter’s experience came to mind—his denial of having any connection with Christ Jesus—I suddenly felt a modest degree of the strong remorse that he must have felt. Here I was denying the Christly nature and motives of these dear people who were worshipping God in the way that seemed best to them. In fact all the resentful, jealous, annoyed thoughts and actions I had been expressing were denying my own Christly nature, as well. And, like Peter, but inwardly, I “wept bitterly” (see Matthew 26:69–75 ).

Peter was certainly a devoted and spirited disciple of Jesus. When he asked, “But whom say ye that I am?” Peter replied, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus then said, “Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (see Matthew 16:13–20 ). 

Neither our church nor I have a corner on the market of God’s love and understanding.

Peter acted less than stellar at other times and faltered in courage. His doubt and fear caused him to sink when he tried to walk on the water even though at first he was able to do so (see Matthew 14:22–33 ). He fell asleep when Jesus most needed him and then brandished a sword to try to defend Jesus when the band of men from the chief priest came for Jesus (see Matthew 26:40 and John 18:10 ). And finally Peter denied, three times, any association with Jesus during the time before the crucifixion.

Peter’s third act of denial really woke him up. He adjusted his thinking—the literal meaning of repent is to rethink—and changed his methods, soon following the Christly command to “fish on the right side” (see John 21:1–6 ), to help his fellow man through right thinking and action. And, of course, Peter went on to be a guiding force in the new Christian church, healing and teaching many. 

Now was my opportunity to learn from Peter’s experience. I could repent and acknowledge that every man and woman of God’s creating, including both my church neighbors and me, can recognize and express the full measure of their Christly nature. I could know that neither our church nor I have a corner on the market of God’s love and understanding. God is the Mind of all mankind and will guide each one of us into the right understanding of His nature and our relationship to Him as His beloved children.

Acknowledging God as the only Mind is a useful first step to healing. And this Mind is wholly good. As we see that there is only one Mind, which is the source of good, we will see that there is only one true, Christly nature for Mind’s expression, man. Because each of us has access to and is defined by Mind, we are capable of naturally loving God and loving our neighbor as ourselves (see Mark 12:30, 31 ). We also learn we do not have to accept as true or permanent anything that isn’t loving and lovable. In Mary Baker Eddy’s Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, I found this statement: “It should be thoroughly understood that all men have one Mind, one God and Father, one Life, Truth, and Love. Mankind will become perfect in proportion as this fact becomes apparent, war will cease and the true brotherhood of man will be established” (p. 467 ). Perfect. How could one not love someone who is perfect? 

Mrs. Eddy further states, “With one Father, even God, the whole family of man would be brethren; and with one Mind and that God, or good, the brotherhood of man would consist of Love and Truth, and have unity of Principle and spiritual power which constitute divine Science” (pp. 469–470 ).

After Jesus’ ascension, Peter preached to those who gathered on the day of Pentecost. They came together because they heard those on whom the Holy Ghost had descended speaking “as the Spirit gave them utterance” and “because that every man heard them speak in his own language” (see Acts 2). I take this to mean that Spirit, God, was speaking to each of these listeners in a way that he or she could best understand and relate to. Peter’s preaching added many to the church that day as people were baptized by receiving the Word of the Holy Ghost. No longer denying the Christ, Peter was living and sharing the Christ-message, and those who took his message to heart received it in a way that was meaningful for them.

I’ve been thinking, in our own church services are we acknowledging the omnipresence of the one infinite Mind which communicates itself? Are we seeing the Christly nature in each person in attendance and living it in our own lives? Are we embracing our community in the universal love imparted to each of us by the Father and expressed through the Christ? What wonderful lessons can be learned from Peter! 

The experience with my church neighbors helped advance me a step further in understanding the one divine Mind, more fully loving my brothers and sisters in Christ, and further acknowledging the Christ-presence in all lives.