Reader 1: Read John 18:12-18 in your preferred translation.

Reader 2: I invite you to turn your attention to the image printed in your bulletins (or projected on the screen) which shows a portion of an artwork created by Rev. T. Denise Anderson, inspired by Peter denying Christ. Of this piece, the artist writes:

“Here, I try to capture Peter’s initial paralysis when he’s first asked if he’s one of Jesus’ disciples. When Jesus was arrested, Peter had only begun to see the full extent of the empire’s cruelty. ‘Would they do to me what they’ve done to him?’ he must have asked himself. Maybe he could be so zealous for Jesus in the past because it was all an abstraction. Now, things have gotten frighteningly real.”

—Rev. T. Denise Anderson

Reader 2: Friends, when we think of violence, we think of calculated, deliberate, or impassioned action. In this station, we are confronted with the violence of inaction. Peter has now seen the lengths that power would go to silence Jesus. When asked if he was one of Jesus’ disciples, Peter freezes. He must suspect that, if his association to Jesus were made known, he might be met with the same violence. Please join me in prayer:

Merciful God, we confess that, too often, we’ve been inactive bystanders in the face of someone else’s victimization. Forgive us for choosing self-preservation over justice. Amen.

Hymn: “Come Thou Fount” Sing just the second verse.