“After these things Jesus showed himself again.” John’s gospel ends this way, with Jesus showing himself to his disciples. They had seen him early on that first day of the week following his death and burial. They had seen him when it was evening on that same day, there at the house where the disciples were gathered. They had seen him a week later in that same house when Thomas, who doubted they had seen the Lord, was with them. Now Jesus has shown himself again. He was there at the Sea of Tiberias.
I cannot imagine how exhausted the disciples must have felt. Their emotions had to be raw from the events that had taken place with Jesus, the one whom they loved. Their emotional swings from fear to horror to shock, imagining the pain of Jesus’ suffering and his horrible death had to have taken its toll. Then the breath taking resurrection and the extreme opposite swing in emotion to ecstatic joy and remarkable belief that Jesus, once dead, was now alive.
It is no wonder they jumped at the offer to calm things down and return to their normal life. They were, at their core, fishermen. Simon Peter led the way saying, “I am going fishing.” I am going back to work, where life is predictable and under my control.
The disciples have peacefully returned to what they knew how to do. Jesus had worn them out with his ministry. As life giving as it was, they were ready to get back to their regular, normal, familiar, breathable way of life. But would they ever?
I have never been to a Chrysalis event or an Emmaus walk. They are those long weekend events meant to help you get closer to God. Those who have been report the most powerful and amazingly spirit filled experiences. Most notable being a feeling of the presence of God. Folk say they come away having an new or renewed awareness of God and they feel saved. But exhausted.
Many of us have felt a time of peace and presence and spiritual connectedness. Many of us have had those moments that left us certain that God was present in a life event, or a special moment. That the world around us was filled to the brim with God and we were so focused and so in love that we pledged we were going to change our life forever. Just as sure, it seems those feelings and commitments do not last. How long has our enthusiasm, our energy, our passion, our love for Jesus stayed with us?
Perhaps the same thing was happening to the disciples. They had seen Jesus’ powerful healing touch, they had heard his amazing teaching, they had known his presence and received his blessings. What should they do now?
In their uncertainty life pulled them back to the mundane and the familiar where they knew what to do and who they were. They were being drawn back to their labor.
But Jesus would show up again. You see Jesus follows us around. He will not leave us alone. Jesus is out to change our life and he will not stop until he does. Yet, at some point we all seem to break down and return to the familiar. At some point we become blind to the miracle before us.
“Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.” They recalled they had seen him outside the tomb, twice in the house and here he was again by the Sea of Tiberias. Yet they have begun to break down and do not recognize him.
We may have the same problem recalling God’s grace and recognizing God’s presence in our lives. It becomes painfully evident in our sin and unbelief, in the ways we avoid living as true disciples of Christ – focusing on our own kingdom building instead of God’s. Perhaps like the first disciples, we too need another miracle before we will recapture our passion for the living Christ.
That miracle came just this Easter. Jesus was resurrected from his death and so where we. We were resurrected from life as we knew it before our sins were forgiven and we were saved. It was the miracle at Easter where Jesus showed himself to us as chosen, forgiven, saved disciples and we were given the clear command to follow Jesus’ life example. How could we forget this? Our new life, as followers of Jesus, began with the clear command to be filled with love for all of God’s creation and with the clear command to a life of loving and living as Jesus lived. This should be an exciting time! We are disciples of Jesus Christ! But of course our prayers of confession are true. We have sinned. We have not lived up to our part of the bargain. Too many Mondays have come and gone and we have gone back to fishing for a living right along with the other disciples and we have abandoned our true vocation. Our failure is ever before us.
Peter failed in the same way. Failed to recognize Jesus. But Jesus never left Peter and Jesus never leaves us. Jesus brought a miracle and God’s love reappeared, hope returned. God’s grace for Peter and for us and God’s ever present son, Jesus Christ, entered our lives again and , like Peter, we are saved. Again and again and again.
God, you see, is giving us all another chance. Not because of anything we have initiated. Not because we have come to church. It is all God’s doing. After these things, Jesus shows himself again. Jesus sees our labor and says, ”So, you have caught nothing at all, have you?” How quickly you forget, he tells us. Without me you can do nothing. And he begs us. Please learn that lesson once and for all.
Having gently, or not so gently, guided our return, Jesus promises us he will show us where we should cast our net in order to catch fish. He recognizes we have nothing to eat. So he prepares his meal for us. His body, his blood.
It was all a miracle. Jesus life was a miracle to open the eyes of each of us here this morning. A miracle that will help us see that by ourselves we can accomplish nothing. A miracle that will strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Peter’s restoration you see is our restoration.
Our question this morning is the question found in verses 15-17, “When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Tend my sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ And he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.’”
This is our real vocation, tending the flock as Jesus did. Seeing all God’s people as needing our love for we are all weak and immature and in need of being shepherded and strengthened by God’s love.
In this morning’s gospel, fishing time is over, for good. We have neglected the work among the flock. It is time to return to our authentic selves. Being believers in Jesus Christ. Being disciples, shepherds, following Jesus in service, in suffering and in death.
Sometimes we adults are not so smart about being our authentic selves, being Christ’s disciples on earth. Children actually do a much better job of living authentically.
You may remember me telling you about how my grandson, Grant, taught me this truth one weekend. It was his second birthday and he spent the night with us. He woke up the next morning blissfully honest about who he was.
First, he found with his eyes and then his hands two of his favorite cars, next he moved over to where one of his favorite puzzles lay unfinished and moved a piece into its place. Then he gently picked up just one M&M from the candy jar on the table and found his mouth. And finally, pure heaven, the ultimate finger food breakfast for a two year old – Fruit Loops. What a way to start life. M&M’s and Fruit Loops and being authentic to who we are. The good news this morning is there is equally joy to be found in our lives too. We are reminded to wake up each morning and blissfully recognize the miracle of Jesus Christ in our lives. To see with our eyes the beauty of this world and our many blessings and to accept Jesus’ restoration of our lives so we may care lovingly for his flock.
The 14th century mystic, Julian of Norwich, saw just this truth. She wrote, “In spite of our poor choices and spiritual blindness in this life, our courteous Lord continues to love us. We will bring him the most pleasure if we rejoice with him and in him.
When the end comes and we are taken for judgment above, we will then understand in God the mysteries that puzzle us now. Not one of us will think to say, ‘Lord, if it had been some other way, all would be well.’ We shall all say in unison, “Lord, bless you because it is all the way it is. It is well. Now we can honestly see that everything is done as you intended: you planned it before anything was ever made.’
What is the meaning of all this, she asks. Listen carefully. Love is the Lord’s meaning. Who reveals it? Love. Why does he reveal it? For love. This is the only lesson there is. We will never learn another. Never. We begin in love, and we shall see all of this in God forever.” And all will be well.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever, Amen.
041413.gpc
No comments:
Post a Comment