Peter was scared. But, he also had to know what was happening to Jesus. So he tried to blend in outside the house where Jesus was taken after his arrest. It wasn’t long before someone recognized him and called him out.

Peter was faced with a choice: identify publicly with Jesus, who was now tied up and on trial, or deny, deny, deny.

Peter acted on fear rather than faith. And, he lied. Not just once, but three times.

Just as Jesus told him earlier that night, Peter did what he had thought was unthinkable, and he denied His Savior and Lord. The rooster crowed after Jesus’s words came to be.

At that moment, Peter caught a glimpse of Jesus. Jesus was looking right at him.

Peter had failed, and he ran away crying bitterly.

This is not the end of the story that we read tonight in Luke 22:54-62. Jesus loved Peter, and He loves me, even when I sin.

Jesus loved us first. And, Jesus will love us last.

After Jesus dies and then rises from the dead, he will take Peter aside to restore and renew him. Peter will become the leader of the early church in Jerusalem.

God used Peter in a mighty way in His Kingdom after Peter denied Jesus, and God still will use us after we sin, when we come back to him.

Tonight, we made Band-aid Hearts. First, we wrote sins we commit on heart cutouts. We wrote down sins like lying, hitting, disobeying mom and dad, and using mean words. Then, we placed band-aids over the words written. Just as our hearts are filled with sin, Jesus can and will heal our hearts and make us new again, just as He did with Peter.