St. Peter and St. Paul

Today is St. Peter and St. Paul's day. It is interesting that two such prominent characters share a single day, and yet appropriate as, according to the New Testament, these two were the most influential in the formation of the early church. Today's church is the ongoing community evolving from the first disciple group, the first followers of Jesus, the first carriers-out of his mission. One of the meanings that we can give to the word 'church' is 'called out'. We are called out by God to engage with the world in his name. Of course, the church is not perfect. One commentator (Stanley Hauerwas) says: "It has been said that Jesus came proclaiming the kingdom of heaven but instead we got the church." That may sound a note we can recognise, but it is actually the role of the church to struggle and be battered Hauerwas adds: "It is not Peter's task to make the church safe and secure .... rather, it is Peter's task to keep the church true to its mission." Peter and Paul certainly sometimes found themselves up against it, but they were clear that God's love is for everyone. The church ought not to be a place where barriers are erected.