Perspectives: Shrimp

 We ordered shrimp cocktail.  We received shrimp cocktail, but these were the largest shrimp I've seen.  And they were served with heads intact.  Not my favorite.

Gone Fishing, Part 2

 Hear these words from John 21: 5-14

Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.”  He said to them, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish.  That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he had taken it off, and jumped into the sea.  But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.

When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread.  Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.”  So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them, and though there were so many, the net was not torn.  Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord.  Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them and did the same with the fish.  This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

Think about the beginning of this passage – disciples are in the boat, having caught nothing – and Jesus tells them to cast the net to the other side of the boat.  Does that story remind you of anything?

In  Luke, chapter 5, Jesus tells Simon to cast his nets in deep water. Simon protests – he has caught nothing all night, and he is a fisherman – he knows how to fish – but he does what Jesus asks.  You know the rest of the story – they caught an abundance of fish, straining the nets and even the ability of the boats to float.  This is the call story for Simon, James, and John. Jesus tells them, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.”  They follow Jesus and becomes fishers of people.

Maybe this is why Jesus is standing on the shore of the Sea of Tiberius on this morning a week or so after the resurrection.  In Luke, it is called the Lake of Gennesaret – we also know it as the Sea of Galilee. They are literally fishing in the same place where they started, and they have the same problem. They are unable to catch fish – again. Maybe this is why Jesus has shown himself – as it says in verse 1 – to them again. When they see all the fish they have caught, when they see him, when they hear him, then they actually recognize him, and they know who is standing on the shore. With them, once again.  They are reminded of their call, and they finally respond to it again, and move toward Jesus so that they can follow him.

And on the shore, they have a meal. Does that meal remind you of anything from scripture? Every gospel has a story of the feeding of the 5000, including John. Our story today, found at the end of John, and the Feeding of the 5000 stories are all about abundance. There is bread and fish, so we have the same menu – but much more importantly than that, we, and the disciples, are taught that with Jesus comes abundance. With Jesus comes more gifts than we can imagine. With Jesus, we no longer focus on the scarcity – on what we do not have - but when Jesus is around, we see something entirely different.

And because this is a eucharistic meal – a meal to remind them that Jesus is always with them – he asks them to go get some of the fish they caught. He already has some fish cooking on the fire, but he wants them to contribute.  Simon Peter jumps back into the boat and hauls the net ashore. Interestingly, to me, the net is different from the one in Luke.  In Luke, during the original call story, the nets were beginning to break.  In the story we are reading today, the net has a HUGE number of fish in it, but the net is not torn. It is whole, and it is completely capable of holding this abundance.

There is a message in this part of the story for us, the Church.  When we see Jesus, when we are reminded of our call, we are able to BE the church. When we stop focusing on what we no longer have – what we might have lost – what we used to be, and instead, focus on Jesus, we will see the abundant gifts we have been given, and we will be able to fulfil our mission. We don’t need to worry – our nets are strong enough and large enough to hold everyone.

One church that I am familiar with lost half of its members and its pastor – all of a sudden. Imagine that. Half of the church’s leaders, half of their children, half of their workers, half of their donors – gone in a day. I think that church could have been forgiven for closing up shop and hanging up a sign that said, “Gone fishing.”  But that is not what they did. They have decided to keep working – to keep following Christ – and to reach out to the community in love. I know their story because they applied for a Foundation Grant to help fund a backpack ministry to a nearby school. They lost half their backpack volunteers, half their church-provided backpack funding, plus they lost the funding provided by the school system for their program.  Did they stop feeding children on the weekends? No. They are following Christ and moving forward as a church.

This is who we can be when we see the world with Christ’s eyes for abundance.

Gone Fishing, Part 1

The following post is the first part of a sermon I preached at the beginning of May.  Some of it may sound familiar because I used it as the basis of a devotional I posted a few days ago.  

Our main gospel reading this morning is from the Gospel of John – chapter 21, verses 1-19.  This is the last chapter of John.  Mary Magdalene has already been to the tomb, Jesus has spoken to her, telling her that he will be ascending to God. She has gone to the disciples and to announce that “she has seen the Lord.”

On the evening of the same day, the Disciples were locked in a house, afraid of what might happen, when Jesus appeared to them.  A week later, Jesus appeared again to the Disciples, this time including Thomas.

THEN we get to this last chapter of John.  It’s a long passage, so I prepared the sermon a little differently than I usually do. Instead of reading the entire passage at once, we’ll look at it in three parts – reading a portion and talking about it. 

Hear these words from John 21: 1-4

After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he showed himself in this way.  Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin,  Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples.  Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach, but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.

Can you imagine this scene? Seven of the disciples are gathered together on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias.  Peter, probably at a loss of what to do, says, “I’m going fishing.”  He going back to what he was before he met Jesus – a fisherman. The other six who were with him join him on the boat. And they are completely unsuccessful. They catch nothing.

Can you imagine how they felt? Their teacher and their friend had died. Yes, they had seen him resurrected, but apparently that realization hasn’t yet taken hold of them.  They are grieving; they don’t know what to do without Jesus. Some of the commentaries I read suggested that the disciples had abandoned Jesus – that they were aimless and without purpose. All they can see is his absence.

Have you ever experienced that? Have you ever been so tired and scared that all you can see is what you no longer have? Have you experienced the paralysis that comes with that feeling?

Churches sometimes find themselves in that time of loss. I’ve been part of planning sessions in a church where the conversation always turns to what used to be. “I remember when we had to put chairs in the aisles for all of the people who came to worship.” Or “It used to be that the pastor would visit every new person in town when they arrived – he got the list from the gas company when they visited to turn on the heat in the new neighbors’ house.”  What’s frustrating about those conversations is that we don’t talk about the present – the now – we just fondly remember what used to be, and what we no longer have. We view the world with eyes of scarcity. And we can’t catch any fish at all.

One church, when faced with the worries about General Conference and disaffiliation, decided that they longer wanted to reach out to the community. They stayed in their church; the only ministry they undertook was with each other, within their walls.  It was another way to only see with eyes of scarcity.

And – to emphasize the point - what happened when the disciples went fishing? Nothing. They caught not a single fish. Even beyond that, as Jesus, standing on the shore, began to speak with them, they didn’t even recognize him.

Sometimes we are so focused on what we do not have, that we are blind to what gifts and abundance we do have. 

Perspectives: Wall Art

 

Book Review: The Mission Always Wins

 

Information about the book

The Mission Always Winds: Quit Appeasing Stakeholders by Tod Bolsinger.  Intervarsity Press. Downers Grove, Illinois. 2024

Summary

From Amazon: Every organization faces pivotal moments that can either blur their vision or strengthen their resolve. Through insightful storytelling, engaging illustrations, and practical exercises, Bolsinger helps you cut through the noise to hone in on what truly matters—your mission. The Mission Always Wins isn't just about theory; it's packed with real-life case studies and actionable advice, so you can foster alignment and purpose within your team. The Mission Always Wins is your go-to guide for learning to navigate the choppy waters of organizational change with precision and purpose.

Impressions

This is one of a series of four books in Bolsinger's Practicing Change Series.  In a world where we often strive for win-win situations, attempt to please everyone, and placate those who are invested in what we are doing, this book reminds us that the mission should always win. Every. Time.

Here are some quotes:

• At those times, the desire to find a win-win solution was not actually a solution to a real problem but a way that leaders unconsciously tried to lower the conflict of the moment.
• Every time, in every decision, the key question is: Does it further our mission?
• [A mission statement is] a clear purpose and reason for being that comes out of the core values and summaries the core ideology of the organization.  It captures what endures and the specific conditions the organization faces. It is not something that is change slightly, but it is also not something that is etched in stone.

I liked this book, and would recommend it.

Call to Worship (John 21)

Call to Worship (read responsively)

Leader:  O Lord, our God, sometimes we cast our nets in familiar waters, and we find only scarcity.

People:  Open our eyes to the abundance you have given to us.

Leader:  O Lord, our God, sometimes we feel ashamed, guilty, and alone.

People:  Remind us that you have showered forgiveness upon us, richly and generously.

Leader:  O Lord, our God, sometimes we are blind to your presence among us.

People:  Open our eyes, remind us of your love, inhabit our worship as we come together in the faith you have given to us.

Perspectives: TBR Stack

 This is the classic "To Be Read" (TBR) post from my bookshelf at work. I doubt I ever read most of these books.  I have read the John Meacham book about Abraham Lincoln, and I highly recommend it. 

Strong nets

Last week I preached at a small church near Charleston.  I used the revised common lectionary to plan the service. The gospel reading was John 21:1-19. I not going to read the whole passage, but just a few verses.

 

This is the last chapter of John.  Mary Magdalene has already been to the tomb, Jesus has spoken to her, telling her that he will be ascending to God. She has gone to the disciples and to announce that “she has seen the Lord.”

 

On the evening of the same day, the Disciples were locked in a house, afraid of what might happen, when Jesus appeared to them.  A week later, Jesus appeared again to the Disciples, this time including Thomas.

 

THEN we get to this last chapter of John.  As the chapter begins, Peter, John, and five other disciples, who had been sitting on the beach of the Sea of Tiberius, decide to go fishing.  The catch nothing. 

 

Hear these words from John 21:4-6

⁴ Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach, but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. ⁵ Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” ⁶ He said to them, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. 

 

Later, after they either swam to shore (peter) or rowed to shore (the rest of them), Jesus is cooking breakfast for them.  Hear verses 10-11

 

Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” ¹¹ So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them, and though there were so many, the net was not torn. 

 

Does this story sound like any other story you have heard as you read the Bible?  Think about Luke, chapter 5.  In that passage of Luke, Jesus tells Simon to cast his nets in deep water. Simon protests – he has caught nothing all night, and he is a fisherman – he knows how to fish – but he does what Jesus asks.  You know the rest of the story – they caught an abundance of fish, straining the nets and even the ability of the boats to float.  This is the call story for Simon, James, and John. Jesus tells them, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.”  They follow Jesus and becomes fishers of people.

 

There is a lot that is interesting about these passages.  It’s interesting to me that the story reminds us of the call story of Simon, James, and John.  They are actually fishing in the same place.  Maybe that’s what Jesus wanted to do – remind them of their call.  They are sitting on a beach, and then they go back to what they used to do – fish.  Unsuccessfully.  Maybe Jesus is calling them again. 

 

But another point that is interesting to me is the description of the net changes. In Luke, the net is straining – and the boat almost capsizes. In John, after the resurrection, the net is not torn.  The net can hold an abundant number of fish.

 

There is a message in this part of the story for us, the Church.  When we see Jesus, when we are reminded of our call, we are able to BE the church. We don’t need to worry – our nets are strong enough and large enough to hold everyone. 

 

A Bible Study Plan, Part 5: Luke 18:18-27

               VI.            Our choices

 The Luke passage does not have the phrase that Mark included, “Jesus, looking at him, loved him…” (Mark 10:21a). Without that reminder in Luke, we might miss that Jesus is saying all that he says to the man out of love. As Wesley said, the Savior knew his heart. What is most important to us? Is it God? Or is it money? Security? Admiration? William Barclay writes, “The whole tendency of possession is to shackle our thoughts to this world….It is not a sin to have much wealth – but it is danger to the soul and a great responsibility.”  He goes on, “For those who walk the Christian way there may be things the world calls hard, but beyond them all and through them all, there is a peace which the world cannot give and cannot take away, and a joy that no one can take away.”  (Barclay 1953, 272). Jesus is calling the ruler and us to “store our treasurers in heaven.” 

 

We are told that the rich young man walked away from Jesus, grieving, but we are not told what happens after that.  We might assume he is unwilling to do what Jesus has asked him to do, and that that is why the man walks away.  Maybe we make that assumption because that is what we believe we would do.  This short-changes the possibilities. 

 

We are invited to allow God to do the impossible in our lives.  Will we let go of what we value and trust the most so that we can enter into a relationship with God?  Will we allow God to do the impossible and change the world through us?

 

Prayer: Creating, loving, sustaining God. Remind us that you look up us with love. Remind us that when we place our trust in something other than you, we miss your kingdom. Open our eyes, open our hearts to you when you remind us that through God, all things are possible.  Open our world to possibilities. Amen.

 

Perspectives: Public Art in Pittsburgh

 

A Bible Study Plan, Part 4: John 18:18-27

 V.                   The text and our world 

A.    Wesley’s view

Late in John Wesley’s life, he preached a sermon entitled “Causes of the Inefficacy of Christianity.” To me it reads like a lament for how, even though we are equipped by God to do good work in the world, and have the ability to practice Christian discipline, still we are not effective as Christians.  He preached, “Many of your brethren, beloved of God, have not food to eat; they have not raiment to put on; they have not a place where to lay their head. And why are they thus distressed? Because you impiously, unjustly, and cruelly detain from them what your Master and theirs lodges in your hands on purpose to supply their wants?  (Wesley in Outler and Heitzenrater 1991, 553)

 

B.     Our world today

 

Q: How is our world today similar to the world described in the passage?

 

Q: What does our culture in the United States value?  Transactions. Success measured by accumulated wealth. Independence (pulling up by the bootstraps)

 

Q: How does this passage speak into our lives today?

 

C.     Current Situations

1.      According to Pew Research, “Economic inequality, whether measured through the gaps in income or wealth between richer and poorer households, continues to widen.” (Pew Research)  

Q: How does the passage speak to this situation in our society?

 

2.      According to Kids Count data, 20% of children in West Virginia live in poverty. According to the DHHR in WV, over 6000 children are currently in state custody – that could be adoptive homes, detention, hospitals, foster care, etc. 

Q: What light does our passage shed on this situation?

 

3.      According to Earthday.org, “The [garment] industry employs approximately 75 million factory workers worldwide, yet less than 2% earn a living wage. Garment workers endure unsafe conditions, wage theft, exhausting hours, minimal pay, and gender-based harassment… As the industry has changed, fashion brands have shifted their supply chain model from one based on trust and innovation to one based on mistrust and punishment, using punitive tactics to meet quotas. The modern fashion supply chain is designed for maximum efficiency and speed, driving huge profit margins for brands at the expense of workers. 

Q: What is our role in this?

 

Q: What wisdom from the Luke passage can we gain as we confront this?

A Bible Study Plan, Part 3: Luke 18:18-27

 

I.                   Background to the passage

 

A.    Who wrote it?  The authorship of the Gospel of Luke is anonymous.  According to Fred B. Craddock, we can “sketch a general portrait of the writer.”  The author was not an eyewitness to the story; he relied on other sources.  His writing style demonstrates that he is a person of education, familiar with the “narrative current in that culture.”  Traditionally, the author of the Gospel is Luke, a companion of Paul’s (Craddock 1988, 925).  We believe that Luke and Acts were written by the same person – a two-part volume.

 

B.     When was it written? The time of the writing is also under debate. It was written before or after A.D. 70. (Campbell and Pennington 2020, 120). If we estimate the work was completed between A.D. 60 and 90, then we can see that at least one and maybe more generations have passed since Christ’s ministry.  There is a need of an orderly account – Luke even talks about this in the prologue to the book.

C.     To whom was it written?  It is most likely that the first readers of the Gospel were gentile Christians, probably from a Greek background. (Craddock 1988, 926).   The Greco-Roman world that Luke encountered would have been controlled by the Romans, although still influenced by Greek culture. (Campbell and Pennington 2020. 22-51)

 

D.    Why was it written? Luke’s purposes were to provide an orderly and trustworthy account of the life of Jesus while at the same time sharing the “good news” of Christ, especially for the marginalized. 

Luke’s themes include:

 

1.      Luke helps readers understand that salvation is for all. “Although Jesus’s initiatives towards all persons regardless of their social standing are a common feature of all the Gospels, no other Gospel is so clear and emphatic on this point.” (Culpepper 1995, 21).   Imagine for a moment that the man was present when Jesus was telling the disciples, “Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.”  (Luke 18:17 – right before our passage). 

 

Q: How would a rich ruler react to the idea that he had to come to the kingdom as a child would come? Would this have been part of his motivation for his question?

 

“If children are paradigm-setters for God’s reign, what place will a member of the social elite have?” (Carol 2010, 701). His expectation would have been that he would be honored because of his status; Jesus turns that upside down and tells him that his status, based on wealth, is his prevents him from entering the kingdom.

 

2.      In Luke we see Jesus’s focus on the marginalized – women, the poor, and the outcast. Adam Hamilton, in his book Luke, writes that one of the overarching themes in the Gospel of Luke is that the author wants “to appeal to the same people he notes Jesus appealed to: the outsiders, the outcasts, and even the outlaws…. (Hamilton 2022, XVI).   

 

Q: Where do you see that in the passage?

 

3.      The Gospel focuses on questions relating to not only the inclusion of the Gentiles in the Kingdom of God, but also the continuing loyalty of God for the Jews. Luke works to ensure people God had not abandoned the Jews while welcoming the Gentiles.   We’re assuming that the man is a Jew, because he follows the commandments. 

 

Q: What would this passage have said to a Jewish listener?

 

Q: What would it have said to a Gentile listener?

Perspectives: The Mountains in August

 

A Bible Study Plan, Part 2: John 18:18-21

 B.    The Eighteenth Chapter 

        Let’s take a look at what comes before and after our passage in the 18^th chapter:

1.      The conversation with the rich young ruler follows:

a.       The Parable of the Widow and the Unjust Judge (Luke 18:1-8) – a widow persistently nags a judge – the judge grants her what she wants just so she will leave him alone.

b.      The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14) – a pharisee and a tax collector are in the temple to pray. The Pharisee is grateful he is not like “those other people,” and the tax collector asks God for mercy.

c.       Jesus interacting with children (Luke 18:15-17). – “let the children come to me – you must receive the kingdom as a child does.”

 

2.      Following the conversation with the rich ruler:

a.       Jesus tells of his death and resurrection (Luke 18:31-34),

b.      Jesus heals a blind beggar (Luke 18:35-43). Jesus is approaching Jericho, and a man yells at the Son of David to heal him. Jesus heals him, and says, “Your faith has made you well.”

 

Q: Do you see a common thread running through Chapter 18?

 

To various degrees, all of these passages describe a reversal of status.  “What may appear to be little more than a string of unrelated episodes in this narrative section is actually a series of scenes held together by the common theme of division between those who have faith and act faithfully, on the one hand, and those who are self-possessed and position themselves over against the active beneficence of God, on the other.” (Green 2003, 1888).