On Sunday at Tempsford, we celebrated Saint Peter, the patron saint of Tempsford Church. We reflected on his time in prison and his recue by an angel. The beginning of this passage of scripture tells the part of St Peter’s story when he was arrested by King Herod to increase his standing in the popularity stakes. The people were pleased with Herod when he had James the brother of John killed, and so he arrested Peter so that he could kill him also. It was the night before Peter was to be killed, and the angel came and freed Peter from jail – Peter thought he was dreaming until reality kicked in.
In the time Peter was in prison, he remained faithful to his belief in Jesus even though he knew his death was close. There are times in life when we lose our faith in a process or system, someone else, or perhaps even our own family. It is important that we hang on and give time to work things out, to be patient and not to push too hard. Sometimes, enough is enough and we have to take action through the appropriate channels so that the problem we have can be solved or reported.
Having a strong faith can, at times, be difficult to maintain, especially if we are under a lot of pressure from others. There are many countries in which people live that apply pressure to those who have a faith, particularly Christians in countries where Christianity is not the main religion. We should pray for them as they try to overcome their difficulties in living their life of faith. I hope that we too can learn patience and trust, and where things are not working have the courage to stand up for what is right and good.
May I wish you God’s love and peace
Revd Graham
