Obscurity

Until very recently I had never heard of Peter Beskendorf, but his story is fascinating

He was the barber and friend of the great Reformer, Martin Luther, indeed Luther referred to him as Peter the Master Barber.

A Close Shave

In the days before good mirrors were readily and inexpensively available, barbers were important not just for cutting hair, but also shaving. The world’s first safety razor did not become available until a certain Mr Gillette invented it and started to sell it in 1903. So, Luther, like every man who was clean-shaven in the 16th Century, would have been shaved with a “cutthroat razor”, which, as the name implies, meant going to the barber’s was literally a life-or-death experience. I can’t help but wonder if the risk of being shaved and having one’s haircut meant that men formed a special bond of friendship with their barber.

Proving a Boast.

As far as we know, no-one ever died from a nick or cut from Peter’s barbering. However, in 1535 he got drunk at a family gathering where his son-in-law Dietrich, a soldier, had boasted that no sword could harm him. Peter sought to prove this boast true, but of course Dietrich was not impervious to the sharp blade of a sword, so when Peter thrust a sword at him, he was fatally wounded and died.

I’m sure you don’t need a pastor or preacher to state the multiple lessons we might all learn from this sad outcome.

Guilt and Remorse.

The penalty for murder was death, but Luther appealed to the authorities on behalf of Peter to show clemency, which mean he was exiled rather than executed.

Full of guilt and remorse Peter was unsure if God still loved him or if he, having taken someone’s life, could still pray to God. He wrote to Luther with these questions and Luther’s response was later published as a pamphlet in 1535 called A Simple Way to Pray.

Humility

If, like me, you had not heard of Peter Beskendorf, then I suspect a great many of you have heard of Pete Greig. In his book, How to Pray, Pete Greig quotes Luther’s famous opening lines to his friend Peter on the fly sheet before the contents page.

“I will tell you as best I can how I approach prayer. May our dear Lord grant to you, and to everybody, to do it better then I”.

When writing, teaching or preaching on prayer a certain humility is required. We are all apprentices in prayer, none of us masters. Luther’s quote expresses something of the humility of a learner, and I like that.

Encouragement

It also expresses something of the encouragement of a friend; may you do better than I!

It is easy to become discouraged in prayer. We need the encouragement of each other in this area of our lives.

Sunday

On Sunday, we will think about “how to build a rich prayer life”.

I know I’ve heard sermons on prayer where I’ve come away feeling despondent. My hope, my prayer, is that this will not be our experience on Sunday. Rather my hope and prayer is that as the Spirit works among us, we will recall the riches we have already experienced in prayer and so be encouraged to continue and experience more and more of God in prayer.

See you Sunday.

Brodie