Derry Presbyterian Church

06/18/2026

The Derry Presbyterian Church, located at the corner of Chestnut Street and Presby Way, Derry, PA will host "Reverent Heart" Worship Band this coming Sunday, June 21st during the 11:00 a.m. worship service. The group will share their time, talents and love of God with us. All are invited to bring family, neighbors and friends to enjoy a time of uplifting worship and fellowship.

06/15/2026

Sermon from the Derry Presbyterian Church for Sunday, June 14th - Elder Larry Shean

Sermon "The Impulsive Apostle – Part 2"

Last week we started our two-part series on the apostle Peter,

How and when he was called to be a disciple,

How Jesus changed his name from Simon to Peter,

How Peter walked on water,

And how Peter denied Jesus three times before Christ was crucified.

And ended with Jesus appearing to the apostles after his resurrection.

Let us pick up where we left off.

Last week we discussed the character of Simon Peter,

This week I would like to reiterate and speak further in depth about the life and calling of Peter.

Peter was a no-holds-barred believer, no one can say that he wasn’t all in.

Peter was committed to Jesus.

He may have fallen short at times, but he was definitely committed to Christ.

He gave up his home and career and the life that he had known to follow and serve Christ.

Following Jesus was not easy by any means.

Jesus himself didn't always have a place to lay his head at night,

And His disciples would have faced the same.

Many people today want to keep their spiritual life and their everyday life separate.

These kind of people only want a little bit of Jesus,

But not Peter, Peter wanted all of Jesus, all of the time,

Peter wanted every aspect of his life to be affected by Jesus.

When Jesus tells His apostles that they will fall away because of Him.

Peter tells Jesus, even though many will fall away because of you, I will never fall away.

I am ready to go to prison and to death with you.

But just a few hours after Peter made his bold statement, his courage and loyalty came crashing down around him.

Peter had a repentant heart.

When he fell short and sinned by denying Christ,

But he repented and asked for forgiveness.

Peter must have learned from his mistakes because over time he became more courageous and mature in his walk with Christ.

No one is perfect, not any one of us are.

We all sin and fall short of God's glory.

The people of the Bible were people of faith,

But they were men and women just like us,

They fell short of God's glory also.

Peter showed what it means to repent.

When he fell short, he got up, asked for forgiveness and pressed on.

He didn’t allow one defeat to defeat him more than once.

Peter was transformed by his time he spent with Jesus.

He was a true believer, he repented of his sins, learned from his mistakes, and grew throughout his life.

In the end, Peter gave his life to Christ.

If we remember back, it was Jesus who gave Simon the name Peter.

Jesus said, “You are Simon, the son of John,

But you shall be called Peter, meaning Rock”

Jesus saw something in Simon Peter

As one who had fallen beneath waves of fear and doubt yet been rescued and redeemed on more than one occasion,

Peter was distinctly equipped to preach on the importance of fixing one's eyes on Jesus.

Peter knew better than anyone that the battlefield of fear and doubt is waged in the minds of believers.

After all, if a man who had walked on water with Jesus and who witnessed countless miracles, including the transfiguration of Jesus, could lose faith and focus, how much more could we?

When we take our eyes off of Jesus and forget that we are called and chosen, we too will sink.

In fact, in one of Peter’s letters,

Peter wrote, “Be of sober spirit, be on alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Stand firm in your faith and resist him.”

On the night that Jesus was arrested, Peter became careless, underestimating the persistence of Satan.

He was not as vigilant as Jesus had instructed him to be.

As a result, Satan sifted Peter like a farmer sifts wheat, leading to one of his worst moments in his life.

However, because of Christ’s mercy and intercession, Peter’s faith survived.

Peter emerged from this trial with wisdom to strengthen his fellow believers in Christ.

Peter was no stranger to persecution, tests, and trials.

By the grace of God, Peter had been protected and rescued more than once.

Peter may have fallen harder, and failed bigger than most of his fellow apostles,

But the extent of his failures set the stage for Christ’s grace and mercy to be much brighter.

Peter's personal encounter with God’s grace and forgiveness offered him a great perspective on sufferings and trials in life.

Peter would tell his fellow believers who were being persecuted,

“After you had suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will himself protect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you."

After the resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples and tested Peter’s love and devotion.

The apostles were fishing when they saw a man standing along the shore

When Peter realized it was Jesus, instead of rowing out to meet Jesus, Peter jumped into the water and went to meet Jesus as fast as he could.

Later, three times Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?”

And three times Peter replied, “yes lord, you know that I love you.”

The more Jesus asked him, the more it grieved Peter to be confronted with his failure.

Nevertheless, facing his shame, Peter revealed a true repentant heart that was met with the love and mercy that only Christ, a loving savior can give.

Jesus then instructed Peter to (“Feed my sheep.”)

Jesus entrusted Peter to be an heir to His ministry and the pillar of the church that he would help build.

In God's grace, Peter was called and chosen to be an apostle of Jesus.

In God’s grace, Peter was forgiven and redeemed;

and in God’s grace, Peter was included in God's redemptive plan for His creation.

Perhaps the greatest testimony of the redeeming work of Jesus in the life of Peter can be found in the book of Acts.

Shortly after Jesus had ascended into heaven, Peter along with the other apostles would follow Christ’s commission to share the gospel and make disciples of all nations.

In his ministry, the man who previously denied Jesus and ran away in fear,

Now became an unashamed and fearless messenger of the gospel, outspoken leader, and bold witness who refused to stop speaking of all he had seen and heard.

Even under the threat of persecution, imprisonment, and death,

Peter declared that he must obey God rather than men.

As his time on earth was coming to an end, Peter could rejoice in knowing that Jesus was waiting to be reunited with him.

By the sacrifice of Jesus, Peter had been healed, forgiven, and redeemed.

And like a sheep who had gone astray, he had returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of his soul.

Flawed and imperfect, Peter was nevertheless called by Christ, who, in His grace, perfected, confirmed, strengthened, and established Peter from the beginning until the very end.

Jesus recognized Simon’s potential.

In the scriptures we are told that Jesus said to Simon,

“You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.”

Linking the name’s meaning to the foundation of the faith.

Peter is often called “The disciple of the passionate heart,”

His life captures the tension between deep faith and human weakness.

Rather than pushing Peter aside for his failures, Jesus intentionally sought him out after His resurrection.

Acts 2 describes the first Pentecost of the New Testament Church.

The Holy Spirit was given in a powerful and spectacular way, and the Church was born.

Who was it that stood up and preached?
It was Peter.
Those who were there and heard his sermon were genuinely touched and asked what they should do since they realized that they were responsible for the death of Jesus.

Peter powerfully called them to repentance and to be baptized and receive the Holy Spirit.
From that point forward, Peter played a prominent part in the early Church. We find that, in addition to powerfully speaking, he went about healing and even restoring people to life.

Empowered by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Peter transformed from a timid denier into a fearless preacher whose very first sermon led thousands to the faith.

Peter's legacy is one of resilience and grace.

His story demonstrates how ordinary, flawed individuals can be restored and used to spread God’s word.

Although Paul was commissioned as the apostle sent to the gentiles, it was Peter who was first shown that gentiles were now to be a part of the Church.

In those days, Jews didn’t have anything to do with gentiles.
In fact, Jews considered it to be against their law to associate with non-Jews.
But in a vision, Peter was shown that God was calling gentiles as well as Jews into His Church.
Peter brought that revelation back to Jerusalem so the whole Church could now come to that understanding.
Peter shared meals with gentiles, and he was comfortable around gentiles even though he himself was a Jew.
In Galatians, the apostle Paul recounted a time when Peter reverted to not eating with gentiles.
But it seems reasonable to conclude that after Paul’s correction, Peter once again gave the gentiles the respect God expected from him.

The two books in the New Testament, 1 and 2 Peter offer wisdom for enduring trials and temptations, reminding believers that God’s grace is greater than human weakness.

Peter had written these two books in the New Testament.

These letters were written near the end of his life.

He was committed to Christ and had been a leader in the Church for many years.

Peter relayed the same message he had received personally from Christ.
He was interested in the genuineness and sincerity of the brethren’s faith.
The elect Church members he was writing to loved Jesus even though they were being tested, and even though they had never seen Him.
Peter encouraged them to continue moving forward by following the words of Jesus

Peter knew it was important for believers to look beyond their immediate circumstances to the basic truths of the faith.

Remembering the eternal promises of the gospel would give them the ability to endure hard times.

Peter proclaims that not only is it possible, it’s necessary for believers who are facing persecution to live victoriously and joyfully in the midst of hostility.

A believer should consider it a wasted day when they do not learn something new from or is not more deeply enriched by the truth of God’s word.

God’s Word is food for the believers' growth and power.

I read in one of my devotional booklets that people are destroyed for the lack of knowledge,

Believers cannot function on principles they have not learned.

The most-wise people are still those who read and study scripture daily.

The Book of 1 Peter is addressed to Christians living in a hostile culture.

Most of the apostle’s argument is that most believers endure persecution, but they also have a holy obligation to live honorably in the midst of their suffering.

Peter begins to stress triumphant suffering with the “end” in mind, which is the second coming of Christ.

Peter is calling believers to live obediently and expectantly in the light of Christ’s return.

He is reminding believers that the return of Christ could be at any moment, so they should be serious and watchful.

Peter also wrote the book of 2 Peter.

Because false teachers and unconventional doctrines continue to flourish today, we need to hear, understand, and heed the warnings of 2 Peter.

Knowledge is a key word in that Peter uses 2 Peter.

Throughout 2 Peter, he implies an intimate knowledge.

Peter doesn’t emphasize a superficial knowledge, not just an awareness of the facts about Christ, but a genuine personal sharing of life with Christ,

Based on repentance from sin and personal faith in Him.

This is a strengthened form of knowledge, implying a larger, more thorough, and intimate knowledge.

A believer's faith is built on knowing the truth about God.

Christianity is not a mystical religion, but is based on objective, historical, revealed, rational truth from God and is intended to be understood and believed.

The deeper and wider the knowledge of the Lord, the more grace and peace are multiplied in the believer.

To be godly is to live reverently, loyally, and obediently toward God.

According to my research, the main reason Peter wrote 2 Peter is because he wanted to warn believers of the growing number of false teachers.

Peter wanted believers to be able to detect the deceivers.

2 Peter verse 2 is relevant to us today as well, because some contemporary teachers and self-proclaimed experts also make remarkable claims about themselves and their teachings.

They deny Christ and twist the scriptures,
They bring true faith into dispute.
They even mock the second coming of Christ.

Peter suggests that some of the false teacher’s motives are,

● Greed
● Covetousness
● Arrogance
● Rebellion
● Pride

Peter describes the false teachers as:

● Spots and Blemishes, they are not pure and true
● Wells without water, they are empty and good for nothing

False teachers are nothing new.

They have been around since the creation of man.

In the Book of Isaiah, we are told how Lucifer, or better known as Satan, was cast down out of heaven because of his pride and desire to be like God.

It was Satan who tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

Satan has been trying to increase the number of his followers since then by twisting God's words.

Satan knows our weaknesses, and it is through our weaknesses that He tempts us and tries to get us to follow him.

But we need to follow the words which Peter is trying to tell us,

Stand guard,

Beware of the false teachers,

Compare what they are teaching to the scriptures which are God’s inspired words,

If they don't line up with the scriptures, then don’t listen to them,

When you are tempted, which we all are tempted from time to time,

Lean on the Word of God and He will see you through.

Jesus predicted Peter’s future and foretold how he would die.

This was not spoken as something that perhaps might happen, but as being certain.

Christ’s own words indicated that Peter would be martyred.

The Bible itself doesn’t tell us how Peter died.
The most commonly accepted tradition says that Peter was crucified upside down.
This tradition explains that Peter requested this form of martyrdom because he had denied Jesus and felt he was not worthy to die as Jesus had died.

Again, this is only tradition, and the Bible does not confirm or deny that story.
Peter was faithful, he was obedient, and he also grew in humility.

It didn’t matter if he was a prominent apostle. He was able to admit when he was wrong, and he was able to change.

It would appear that at times Peter struggled to be righteous and allowed his humanity to get the better of him.

In spite of that, Peter was able to overcome, and he was used by God to become a powerful leader of the early Church.

Christ knew what kind of person Peter was from the very first time they met.

He knew Peter’s potential, and He knew that in spite of all the rash things Peter might do, that potential was still there.

Do you think it’s any less for us?
The life of Peter can serve as inspiration and encouragement to us as we go forward in this troubled world.
Like Peter tells us in 1 Peter 5:8
“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour”
Stay strong,
Keep the faith,
And remember,
Jesus loves you.
Amen!

06/08/2026

***Use code SHIPDEAL at checkout to receive $5.00 off shipping on orders over $35.00**** (expires 7/31/26)
We are conducting an Online Order Only Rada Cutlery fundraiser to support our church. Please click on the link below to place your order. All proceeds will go towards our "Church Major Repairs Fund" for funds to help repair our historic church and the need for other repairs to continue the ministry in the Derry Area.
Listed as DERRY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH…..Zip code is 15627..
Thank you for supporting the Derry Presbyterian Church "Church Major Repairs Fund" - God Bless!

Rada Cutlery Fundraising features 100% Made in the USA kitchen products – kitchen knives, utensils, gift sets (also cookbooks, stoneware, and quick mixes).

06/08/2026

Sermon from the Derry Presbyterian Church for Sunday, June 7th - Elder Larry Shean

"The Impulsive Apostle – Part 1"

It was just another ordinary day on the Sea of Galilee, or so Simon thought it was when he, his brother Andrew, and friends James and John ended their day of fishing.

Simon, in many ways, was a lot like you and me. He was a small businessman, he had a wife, and he had partners in business.

Simon was a man of faith, dedicated to the truth of God, yet at the same time he made some rash and impetuous choices.
He was a commercial fisherman in Galilee before Jesus called him to be a disciple.

Simon operated a fishing business on the Sea of Galilee with his brother Andrew and partners James and John where they were casting nets when Jesus called them to be “fishers of men”

He was a professional fisherman not a religious scholar who lived in Capernaum and fished in the Sea of Galilee.

We know that Simon was married because the scriptures mention Jesus healing his mother in law.

Simon is described as an ordinary or unschooled man, but he was familiar with Jewish tradition.

When Jesus called Simon, he immediately left his boat and nets, which shows a total commitment to following Jesus and a transition from Simon's self-reliance to be dependent on Jesus, showing a profound realization of his own sinfulness.

Could you imagine how much money he had tied up in all of his fishing gear?

Not only the boat but all the nets and everything else he needed for his job.

And he left it all to follow Jesus.

When Simon dropped everything to follow Jesus, he is showing that momentum in faith begins with prompt action instead of waiting for a complete long-term plan.

This transformation from fisherman to apostle highlighted his role as a humble, working class, flawed fisherman being called to be a foundational leader.

Andrew, Simon’s brother, was originally a disciple of John the Baptist. He told his brother that “we have found the Messiah”

Simon’s brother Andrew first introduced him to Jesus, but when Jesus actually called Simon to be an apostle, it was when Simon was working, which demonstrates that God often calls individuals during their everyday routines.

Jesus, upon meeting Simon, gave him the name Peter, which in Greek means Stone, or Rock

Later, when Jesus chose His disciples, He reconfirmed Peter’s name change.
From that point forward, Peter was considered one of the prominent apostles.

He is named first in every list of the apostles. We don’t know what led Jesus to name Peter first, whether it was his zeal, his energy or his absolute devotion to Christ.

Whatever it was, Jesus also recognized Peter’s weaknesses and tendency to be rash at certain times.

Herein lies the paradox of Peter. One moment he was saying and doing the right things, and then, suddenly, his humanity would jump in and take over.

Jesus was preaching and teaching the word of God and the crowd grew in numbers and started pressing around Him as He was standing by the Lake Gennesaret,

Jesus saw two boats along the edge of the water the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets.

With the crowd pressing in close, Jesus decided to use Simon Peter’s boat as a pulpit to preach and teach the multitude

Jesus had stepped into the boat and asked Peter to move the boat away from the land a little.

When Peter moved his boat out into the water, Jesus sat down and began teaching the people from the boat.

When Jesus had finished speaking, He told Peter to put his nets down into the deep waters for a catch.

Now, remember that they had just finished washing their nets before Jesus used Peter’s boat to speak to the crowd.

They were done fishing for the day, they were tired and probably hungry, and Jesus probably spent hours preaching and teaching the crowd who had gathered around to hear Him,

And this was after they spent hours fishing, and Jesus tells them to cast their nets back into the water.

What would you be thinking if you were in Peter’s shoes, or should I say sandals?

Simon Peter says to Jesus, “We have worked hard all night and didn’t catch anything, but I will do as You say and let the nets down.”

What could have been some excuses that Peter could have told Jesus so he wouldn’t have to go back out again?

“There is nothing out there, we fished for hours and didn’t catch anything”

“We just finished cleaning our nets.”

“I’m tired and need to get some rest.”

Or how about,

“Tomorrow is another day”

But Peter isn’t going to talk to Jesus like that.

But what do we sometimes come up with as excuses not to do what Jesus asks us to do?

So, Peter goes out into the deep area of the lake and lets their net down.

When they let their net down, they had caught a large quantity of fish, so huge that their nets began to tear, so they yelled to their partners to come help them.

They had filled both boats to the point that they started to sink.

Peter followed the words of Jesus and they had caught the biggest catch they had ever caught.

When Peter had seen how large their catch was, he fell down at Jesus's feet and said to Jesus, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man.”

Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Do not fear, from now on you will be fishers of men.”

Peter has a very interesting reaction to this experience. He sees his own sinfulness and wonders why the Lord would want to “hang out” with him.

He doesn’t feel worthy enough to be around Jesus. He can-not comprehend how the Lord could be so good towards a sinful man such as himself.

But Jesus responds by telling Peter not to fear. In effect, Jesus is saying to him, “I know you, I know what you are like, and I still want you to follow me. Do not be afraid, just follow me and see what you become.”

When you look in the New Testament, Peter shows up all over the place.

And what did Peter become and how many did he catch?

He became an Apostle who preached with courage and clarity on the day of Pentecost leading to about 3,000 people being saved

The Apostle Peter’s life is a masterpiece in redemption.

It was Peter who objected to having his feet washed, but later agreed.

It was Peter who cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest.

It was Peter who noticed the withered fig tree.

Peter was one of the three who witnessed the transfiguration of Christ.
And Peter saw the vision of the sheet filled with all kinds of animals.

Peter was an ordinary fisherman who struggled with impulsiveness, hotheadedness, and doubt.

Peter had the rare and unusual opportunity to not only live at the same time that Jesus lived on earth, but actually spend time with Jesus and talk with Him face to face.

His time with Jesus transformed him from an uneducated and even fearful man into a courageous and faithful apostle who became instrumental in the establishment of the church.

Peter was the unspoken leader of the apostles, always the first to speak up and answer Jesus’s questions.

He is the most well - known of the disciples, for his blunders, and outspoken faith.

He had a huge part in establishing the church in Samaria and bringing the gospel to the Gentiles.

Peter was as headstrong as they come, and sometimes spoke before thinking.

One good example we find in Matthew 16 Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”

Peter correctly knew who Christ was: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

It wasn’t human knowledge that told him that; it was spiritually discerned. For that, Christ praised him

But, shortly after Christ praised Peter, Peter felt he needed to rebuke Jesus for saying He would suffer and die.
In return, Jesus said, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men”
Jesus was not excited at all about being rebuked by Peter

Jesus strongly corrected Peter, telling him that his mind was not focused on the things of God.

Peter had a strong Spirit and was committed to Christ, but at times he fell weak which caused him to do something that he regretted later.

He fell asleep in the garden when Jesus asked him to keep watch while He prayed, not once, not twice, but three times Jesus asked Peter to stay awake and all three times he fell asleep.

Another time was when the Roman soldiers came to arrest Jesus, Peter let his anger get the best of him and struck the guard and cut his ear off.

But the worst was when Peter denied Jesus, not only once, but three times.

All of Peter’s weaknesses remind us that Peter was flesh and blood, just like us, he was human, just like us.

Peter was inconsistent.

He would have success in showing his faith by his actions, then the next minute he failed by showing his faith by his actions.

A good example of this is when Jesus was approaching the apostles by walking on the water.

They were terrified because they did not recognize Him.

Jesus said to them, “do not be afraid, for it is I.”

Then Peter told Jesus, “If it is you, tell me to come to you on the water.”

Jesus, said come.

Without hesitation, he got out of the boat and began walking on the water!

What did that take, not only to ask to walk on the water, but to actually do it?

It definitely wasn’t anything man said or did that prompted him to do that. It came from faith in God.

However, almost immediately, Peter allowed his faith to weaken, and he began to sink.

Peter experienced the wonder of walking on water.

Other than Jesus, he is the only man recorded to have walked on water.

He must have felt elated; he had confidence.

He must have felt a surge of enthusiasm.

But then he got distracted, lost his focus and began to sink

The Bible doesn’t say how far he got, and it doesn’t say whether Christ carried Peter or helped him walk back to the boat, it just states that Jesus reached His hand out and caught Peter.

The next verse tells us that after they climbed back into the boat, the winds calmed down.

But remember, in the beginning, Peter stepped out on faith. He believed and was obedient.

Peter learned a lesson: whether he sank or walked on the water depended on where his focus was.

Peter stepped out of the boat and did what nobody else has ever done.

As long as Peter had his eyes fixed on Jesus, his faith was strong and he was walking on the water.

But when Peter took his eyes off of Jesus and had them on the waves which were around him, he lost faith and started to sink in the water.

Peter cried out to Jesus to save him, which Jesus did.

These inconsistencies also remind us that Satan often attacks us right after a spiritual success.

At those times, we tend to be on cloud nine and let our guard down, and that is when Satan comes at us full force.

On the evening of Jesus’ last Passover, after the service had ended, Jesus said all of His disciples would stumble.

It was Peter who said, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble”.

Jesus replied that Peter wouldn’t just stumble, he would deny Him—and not just once, but three times.
Yet Peter insisted, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!”
But Peter did exactly as Jesus had predicted, denying Him three times before the rooster crowed. Peter was deeply ashamed of his behavior and “went out and wept bitterly”

Peter had his faults, but he also had his strengths.

Peter seemed to always be excited.

He was excited about his relationship with Christ.

He was excited to be able to learn from Jesus, and was a witness to what He did firsthand.

One example of this is when Peter ran to the tomb to check if it was empty and actually went inside instead of just poking his head in like John did.

Another example is after the resurrection; Jesus appeared on the shore of the sea of Galilee while Peter was fishing.

We are told in the Good Book that sometime shortly after Christ’s resurrection, seven of the apostles were together, and Peter suggested they go fishing.

They fished all night and caught nothing.
The life of Peter can serve as inspiration and encouragement to us as we go forward in the morning a stranger appeared on the shore and asked if they had any food.
When they said no,

He instructed them to cast their net one more time on the right side of the boat.

The net came up overflowing, and it was at that point they recognized the stranger was Jesus, and they made their way to shore.

While the others rowed, Peter jumped into the sea and swam to shore.

Think about the setting here from Peter’s perspective.

On Passover night he had stood up and said he would never stumble because of Christ.

Jesus had then told him that he’d deny Him three times before morning, and Peter had done just as Christ said.

Since then, Christ had died and had been resurrected and now was back among them.

Peter must have had conflicted feelings.

He was overjoyed at seeing Christ again, yet at the same time he was ashamed, carrying the weight of having thoroughly messed up just days earlier.

Would Jesus say anything?

Would Jesus do anything?
The whole act of Jesus’ feeding them breakfast must have been comforting. However, after the meal, Christ zeroed in on Peter.

Jesus addressed him by his given name.

He did not call him Cephas, or Peter, the name Christ had given him, but his original name, Simon, son of Jonah.

This may have been to remind him that everything wasn’t as it had been.

Jesus Himself had given Simon the name of Peter, the stone.

Here, Jesus was reminding Peter that at that moment, he wasn’t the stone, but was simply Simon.

In a few short verses, Jesus encouraged Peter and gave him instruction and direction for going forward.

What did Jesus say?
Christ wanted Peter to confirm he loved Him. One of the two great commandments is to love God. Jesus wanted to make sure of Peter’s love of God.

Christ also wanted to make sure Peter (and, by extension, all the ministers of the Church) would feed the flock—the members of His Church. Not just some of the flock. All of the flock.

And, finally, Christ instructed Peter to follow Him.

We, like Peter, are called to be disciples, to live our lives according to God's teachings, and to spread God’s word, and to help build God’s Kingdom wherever we go.
We like Peter, will fall short of God’s glory at times, but when we repent and ask for forgiveness, God shows us mercy, forgives us from our shortcomings, and still asks us to follow him,
Why?
Because He loves us.
Amen