Palm Sunday Questions

I think there are always (or almost always) gaps in biblical stories. Today I was reading Matthew 21:1-11. This is the entry into Jerusalem. Some questions came to mind:

• Jesus sends two disciples into Jerusalem to find a donkey and a colt. Do the disciples question this? It seems like previously they would question everything. "What do you mean we'll find a donkey and a colt tied to something? Where? Tied to what? Why do you need them? Will we be arrested for stealing them? Did they ask these questions? Or did they just silently go into the city?
• Were they surprised to find the animals? Or did they just think, "That Jesus, he knows what he's talking about!"
• Did anyone question that they were taking them? "Hey stop, those aren't yours!"
• Whose animals were they? And why would the owner be satisfied with "The Lord needs them."? Are we missing an angelic visitation to an animal owner?
• The crowds greet him as a conquering hero. What happened to that attitude during the week? Later they are shouting to "crucify him." Same people? A different crowd?
• Did the people know that the prophet they speak of is more than a prophet - he is the Messiah? Do any of them believe it? 

A Servant Girl's Prayer

On Monday, I posted a reflection about Mark 14:66-72. In this passage, a female servant encounters Peter and asks him, "You were with Jesus, the man from Nazareth."  I started wondering about her. What would she have been thinking after that encounter. Was she a Jew? What would her prayers have been like?

Before you read this, know that I don't pretend to know how a Jewish girl of that time would have prayed, but for this prayer, I try to place myself in her shoes to think about what she would have thought.

Holy God, Today I spoke to a man. I don't know his name, but he was sitting in the courtyard as I was working. Something was going on in the with the high priests - they were trying a man from Nazareth. I know I saw the Courtyard Man with him, so I asked him about it.

Oh, God, he was so afraid. I can understand why. I've heard they want to put the Nazarene to death. Maybe they will want to kill the man I talked to, too.

Forgive me God if my actions exposed him in some way. He seemed so concerned about his friend. My heart broke as he started to cry.

Who am I to question the actions of the high priests and elders? I am only me - they know such much more and ... well... I pray you will guide them, and that they will seek wisdom from you. Does you heart break when you hear people crying like this man? When a rabbi like the one from Nazareth is accused and threatened with death? Do you hurt for them the way I do?

Amen

 

In the Courtyard by the Fire

A few months ago - maybe last year sometime - I took a class from BeADisciple called Reading the New Testament with Fresh Eyes.  One of the Bible study methods we explore was an Ignatian Method.  At the time, I wrote a post about it here.

This morning, I spent some times reading from Rachel Billups' book, An Unlikely Lent. I'm on the second chapter; it focuses on the servant girl who accuses Peter of following Jesus. As I read that chapter, the Ignatian Method came to mind. There are a few questions in that method that I think can "take us into" the scripture. 

For this exploration, I'm reading Mark 14:66-72

Picture the scene....What is the setting? Who are the people in the scene? What can be seen, heard, or smelled in the scene?  It's helpful to read Mark 14's previous verses. Peter has followed Jesus to the courtyard of the high priest. While Jesus is on trial in front of the chief priests, elders, and scribes, Peter is in the courtyard, sitting near the fire with the guards. I imagine it is the time of day that is still night but poised on the edge of sunrise. The light would have been inadequate to make out details, but just beginning to hint at the day to come. The fire would have cast shadows around the courtyard.

Peter would be able to hear the guards talking and the conversations of anyone else who enters into the courtyard. Were they talking about what was going on? Was Jesus well known enough for their to be speculation among those gathered regarding what was happening? Could they hear the questioning? Jesus' answer of "I am"? Could they hear blows striking as they beat Jesus? What about when they condemned him to death?

The courtyard would have been full of the scent of the burning fire and of the men around it. I imagine they could have smelled the fear as Peter sat with them, sweating and afraid.  This man of action probably couldn't have set very still - his feet would have been shuffling and his hands would have been moving around each other and across his beard, clothes, and hair.

And when the servant approached him, and asked him if he were a follower of Jesus, would he have sprung guiltily to his feet? Or tried to maintain calmness by staying in his place by the fire? All those around him would have heard the question and his answer. Unless he had a "poker face" I think he would have looked startled and afraid.

As I write this, I am sitting in my living room, and I can hear a rooster outside. (The neighborhood rooster crows all the time - just annoying). They are not quiet birds, so that crow would have been loud and unmistakable. Peter would have remembered what Jesus told him about his betrayal. His fear would have been compounded now by the guilt that was just under the surface as he started to cry - maybe now leaving the fire to hide.

Judgment and Grace

This was published as a Lenten Devotional from the West Virginia Annual Conference (written by me).

Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment. (John 7:24)

 

Don’t read the comments.  I give myself this advice all the time. Don’t read the comments on Facebook posts, on online newspaper articles, anywhere – just don’t read the comments. The comments are littered with people making judgements and assumptions. The comments can be mean; they are filled with anger and hatred. Don’t read the comments.

 

A friend of mine was in the middle of a horrible experience. Her elderly mother had been driving and had made a wrong turn. She ended up three states away, lost. While they were looking for her, an article was published in the local newspaper. I made the mistake of reading the comments. People were judging the situation with such cruelty.  It was a situation about which they knew nothing, and yet they felt they were the experts in this story. And that is only one illustration I could have shared with you – one of many.

 

John 7:14-31 tells the story of Jesus preaching in the temple. There are those who are seeking to kill him, motivated by his healing of a man on the Sabbath (among other things). Jesus says, “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

 

What is “right judgment?” Do you remember the song “Father’s Eyes”?  It was written by Gary Chapman and released in 1979 by Amy Grant.  Maybe I’m the only one old enough to remember it!  According to the song, God’s eyes find the good in things, find the source of help, are full of compassion, and can discover what challenges people. I think that defines “right judgment” – judging not with our own understanding, but with God’s.  We sometimes call that grace.

 

We would do well to let grace lead.  In all the situations we encounter in life – on the internet, in what we read, in our day-to-day conversations – we should let grace lead. We are not equipped by God to judge; instead, we are called to love. We are to live a life full of light and grace, so that the world will be changed. 

 

Share love, not judgment. Don’t read the comments, but more importantly, don’t write the comments. Work to see (and respond) to those around you through the grace-filled view of God’s eyes.

 

Prayer: Loving God, help me to be an instrument of your grace. Amen

 

On the Mountain. In the Valley.

View from Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park

A couple of Sunday's ago, our worship scripture was the transfiguration. Remember that one? Jesus Peter, James, and John go up on a high mountain. Jesus is transfigured - his face "shone like the sun and his clothes became bright as light." He was joined by Moses and Elijah. Peter asks Jesus if he should set up three tents on the mountain, but Jesus leads them back down the mountain to the valley below.

Mountaintop experiences are uplifting, aren't they? They booster our faith and provide us with strength to continue the work. I imagine Peter's faith was changed forever when he heard a voice from a cloud speaking.

That said, remember that Jesus came with them off the mountain. In times when we are in the valley, Jesus isn't on the mountaintop - he's in the valley with us. Can you think of a time when your faith was strengthened in the valley?

I've been thinking about this. Is it easier to see (and experience) God on the mountain, or in the valley? Do we come close to God in darkness, in the valley, because our need of God is so great?

Thank God that God is on the mountains and in the valley with us.

 

Seeing Jesus

I've written several posts over the past few weeks, where I share thoughts about how amazing I find some of the nativity and epiphany stories. I'm amazed that Joseph followed the guidance of God through dreams, that the Magi undertook the journey they did, that they recognized a king in a baby, that they were led by their dreams to disobey Herod.  They are all actions of faith, I think.

Now I'm reading Luke 2:22-40. This passage of the gospels features Mary and Joseph bringing their new child to present him at the Temple. There, they encounter Simeon and Anna. Both of these faithful people recognize Jesus as the Messiah. Immediately. With seemingly no questions. 

• Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, "Master now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word." The Holy Spirit had revealed to Simeon that he would live until he saw the Messiah.  He looks at this child, and he is convinced.
• Anna, who lived at the Temple, saw Jesus. Verse 38 says, "At that moment she came and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem."

I sometimes hear people wonder why the disciples heard, received, and responded to Jesus' call so easily and quickly. It seems to me that they are demonstrating the same faith that Simeon and Anna did. The same response that the Magi had. They saw Jesus, and knew what to do.

Amazing, to me

A very long time ago - over two thousand years ago - magi traveled from the East, maybe Persia, to Judea, to find a king. They traveled a long distance, following a star. A star, of all things - but they were probably people who studied stars, and they were convinced they should follow this one, and that it would lead them to a star.

Amazing, to me, that they did this.

They arrived in Judea, and traveled to Jerusalem, to the King's house. That's sensible enough - where else would you look for a king? The were able to speak to King Herod. This king was afraid - so afraid that he had murdered his beloved wife, Mariamne, her two sons, her brother, her grandmother, and her mother.  He also killed his first born, Antipater.  The man was not mentally stable, and he had a dark, violent streak.  He (maybe slyly) asked the magi to continue their quest, and to report back to him on what they found.

The Magi continued on their journey, following the star, until they arrived in Bethlehem. They found what they did not expect, I imagine, when they started this journey. They found a baby with his mother, not in a palace, but in a humble house. This? This is the king we are searching for? I don't know if they said that, but I would have.

Amazing, to me, that they were convinced that this was the king they were seeking.

They demonstrated great faith and presented gifts to this Infant King - gifts fit for a king. And they knelt and honored him. They were then warned in a dream to ignore what King Herod had told them, so they returned home a different way. They did not tell Herod where the newly born king could be found.

Amazing, to me, that they believed the dream, disobeyed the orders of the king, and headed home a different way.

What would you have done?

 

Real

I'm (slowly) reading the book of a sermons called Between a Rock and Holy Place by Rev. Tom Nolan. I'm reading it slowly because it is a book of seasons through the season (Advent, Christmas ... all he way through Ordinary time).

I'm a little behind and catching up. In what I read today, Tom tells the story of a Christmas pageant in Kentucky. The characters - Mary, Joseph, angels, and others - were played by preschoolers.  Jesus was someone's baby brother.

As the angels left the stage, one of them stopped and stared in amazement at the baby in the manger.  "Look! It's a real baby."

In the Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples that they need to have a child-like faith.  In Matthew 18:3, Jesus says, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

As I read about the angel who was amazed that the baby was real, I am reminded that we can have that kind of faith, too. We can believe that Jesus, the child, the man, the son of God, is real.

What difference will it make in our lives and in the world if we have that kind of faith?

 

The Magi's Decision

Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse (New Hampshire)

I'm still thinking about Matthew 2. In it, the Magi come to Herod (on the way to Bethlehem) and tell him about the Messiah. Herod is jealous, anxious, and threatened. He tells them, "Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” (Matthew 2:8b)

They leave, and they find Jesus. They present him with gifts and homage, and when it was time, there was a dream, warning them to not return to Herod.  They go home another way.

As I was thinking about that passage, two thoughts occurred to me:

• It takes courage to "go home another way" when the king has ordered you to return.  When are the times in our lives when we need to stand up for what we believe?
• Did the Magi understand what would be the consequences of not returning to Herod?  I'm sure they didn't. "When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the magi." (Matthew 2:16). The death of the infants can be directly linked to the exit of the Magi. Understand that I am not at all saying that the Magi were to blame, but there are often unintended and unseen consequences to what we do.

Dreams

John Brown's Fort in Harper's Ferry, WV

At the end of last month, in worship, we read Matthew 2. In this chapter, Magi come from the east to see the new Messiah. They stop and have a conversation with Herod who directs them to come back to see him after they find the baby. The Magi follow the star to Bethlehem and find Jesus.  After that, Joseph takes Mary and Jesus to Egypt to escape the slaughter that Herod is about to command.  All of the children two years old or younger in or around Bethlehem are killed.  Later, after Herod dies, Joseph has another dream; it is OK for them to return home. There is one more dream - don't go to Judea, go to Nazareth.

Think about all the dreaming that is in this passage:

• The Magi are warned in a dream to not return to Herod.
• Joseph had a dream, warning him to go to Egypt to avoid the slaughter.
• Later, Joseph has a dream that they can return home.
• Once they are in Israel, he has another dream: don't go to Judea.

I was impressed by all of the dreams, and by all of the following of dreams.  I have many dreams - a few weeks ago, I dreamed Tr@mp was living in a box in my mother's garage. It was a dream that felt very evil. Anyway....  I have many dreams, but I don't see them as messages from God. I can't imagine allowing a dream to direct my actions.

But the Magi and Joseph believe the dreams to be messages from God, and they followed them. And they weren't wrong. How did they know? What in their faith allowed them to believe? I'm not asking the questions because I think God is going to send me messages in my dreams, but for a broader reason. How do we know when God is calling us to action?

I think part of it is that we believe God WILL call us to action. Is that a product of grace? Is that a grace-motivated faith? I think it probably is.

Advent in Scripture, Week 4

Centering Prayer
O God, our God, my God, you are Emmanuel. You are with us. Be with me now, and open my heart to hear your message. Amen.

Please Read
Matthew 1:18-25

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to divorce her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."
All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: "Look, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel," which means, "God is with us."  When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.

Questions to Consider

• When the angel appears to Joseph, the angel says, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife.” What do you think Joseph was afraid of?
• As we read this passage, we see that Joseph was a righteous  and considerate man. How hard would it have been for him to do what the angel asked him to do?
• Is God calling you to do something that makes your afraid or that you think would be too hard to do?  How will you respond to God?
• What does it mean to you that the name of the son is to be Emmanuel, meaning “God is with us”?

Closing Prayer
O God, sometimes we are afraid. Help us to respond as Joseph did, with courage in our fear and strength in our worry. In your son’s name, Amen.

Advent in Scripture, Week 3

Centering Prayer 

O God, our God, my God, you are our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Amen. ( inspired by Psalm 46)

Please Read

Luke 1:46b-55

"My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowly state of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name; indeed, his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.  He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. He has come to the aid of his child Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."

Isaiah 35:3-7

Strengthen the weak hands and make firm the feeble knees.  Say to those who are of a fearful heart, "Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you."  Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be opened; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool and the thirsty ground springs of water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp; the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

Questions to Consider

• The passage from Luke is known as Mary’s Magnificat. Imagine Mary singing it as she realizes what is happening in her life. What reality of the world around her does she declare needs the intervention of God?
• What does this tell us that God values in her world (and our world)?
• In a world with people desperate for the presence of God, as described in Isaiah 35, how can we say to the fearful, “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God.”

Closing Prayer

O God, if you are with us, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Thank you for surrounding us with your love. Amen.    (inspired by Psalm 46)

Advent in Scripture, Week 2

 On the Fridays in Advent, I'm posting an "Advent in Scripture" passage, looking at one or two of the Revised Common Lectionary passages for the coming Sunday, along with questions to consider and a couple of short prayers.  I pray you have a blessed Advent.  

Centering Prayer

O God, our God, my God, I have calmed and quieted myself. Open my spirit to hear your Word. Amen.  (Inspired by Psalm 131)

 

Please Read

Isaiah 11:6-10

The wolf shall live with the lamb; the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the lion will feed together, and a little child shall lead them.

The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den.

They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.

On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.

 

Matthew 3:1-3

In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.'"

Questions to Consider

1. The kingdom described in Isaiah 6-10 sounds beautiful – the very description of peace. If  the Kingdom of God is now and not yet, do you believe the kingdom as described is possible?
2.  Slowly reread Isaiah 6-10 again. Imagine what is described. What gets in the way of this kind of peace?
3.  In Matthew, John the Baptist is calling for repentance. He says that the one coming is the one Isaiah described as the voice of one crying out to prepare the way of the Lord.” How can you prepare the way of the Lord so that the peace described in Isaiah 11 can come to be?

 

Closing Prayer

O God, it is hard for me to imagine peace. Forgive me when I am an obstacle to your work in the world, and help me to prepare a way for you. In your son’s name, Amen.

God Saved the World

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:16-17)

A few weeks ago, this was part of the basis of the sermon in our church. As I was listening, and it may have been because the preacher pointed it out, I noticed that the passage is about God saving the world.

We often hear that and are thankful God has saved us - you or me. We don't often hear it as God saving the world, not individuals. Don't get me wrong, I believe God has by grace given me (and you) eternal life. But I think it's more.

What difference does it make that God has saved the world, not just individuals?

• If God has saved the world, then we're not judging who is saved and who isn't.
• If God has saved the world, then even that person we hate is saved.
• If God has saved the world, then God loves all of us - ALL OF US.
• If God has saved the world, then maybe God has also saved the planet, and we need to get our acts together so that we don't destroy what God has saved.
• If God has saved the world, then when we hurt someone, we are hurting who God loves and has saved.
• God has saved the world because it is God's nature to love. The world is not loved because of what it has done, but because God is who God is.

Thank God that God has saved the world.

 

Holding on to Jesus

In the Gospel of John, after the resurrection of Jesus, Mary is in the garden.  She mistakes Jesus for the gardener, but finally recognizes him.  Here is John 20:16-17:

Jesus said, “Mary.”  Turning to face him, she said in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” meaning “Teacher!”

Jesus said, “Don’t cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I ascend to my Father and your Father, my God and your God.’”

The last time I read that passage, back in March, I wrote in my journal, "How do we need to let go of Jesus?"

How do we hold on to Jesus when we shouldn't? 

Maybe we hold on to incorrect preconceptions of Jesus? Maybe we hold on to Jesus, demanding forgiveness or grace when it has already been given? Maybe we hold on to Jesus out of anger against someone else, hoping Jesus will "bring us justice."

Is there a way that you hold on to Jesus that you need to stop? 

 

Gone Fishing, Part 3

 But we can’t forget Simon Peter – one of my favorite disciples.  Hear these words from John 21:15-19.

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.  Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.”  (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.”

Earlier in worship today, we read from John, chapter 18.  I wanted us to pause and remember what Peter had experienced as Jesus was being tried, convicted, and tortured.  At the Passover supper, Jesus told Peter that he would deny him three times before the rooster crowed.  And, as we heard today, that is exactly what happened. 

Peter is a leader of the disciples.  Does he lead? No. He takes them back to unsuccessful fishing. Why is that?

Earlier in the passage we are reading, when Peter realizes Jesus is on the shore, he puts on his clothes and jumps into the water to swim to shore.  Now I know that at this time in history, fishermen often worked only in a loin cloth, and to go to the teacher undressed would have not shown proper respect, but I can’t help but be reminded of Adam and Eve, in the Genesis story. After they eat of the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they know that they have sinned. They hear God looking for them, and they hide, because they are ashamed of their sinfulness and of their nakedness. I think Peter, who dresses before diving into the water, feels the same way.

Sometimes the scarcity we focus on isn’t what we do not have – it is who we are. Sometimes we focus only on our sin, our fears, our shame. This is where Simon Peter was that morning. He knew he had betrayed the teacher and friend he loved, and this betrayal is all he can see. Jesus pulls Simon Peter aside after breakfast, and changes his viewpoint and his life, once again. 

Peter, do you love me? Peter, do you love me? Peter, do you love me?  Three times. Three betrayals, three questions, until, finally, Peter can move forward, and feed Jesus’ sheep. Jesus is connecting the love Simon Peter feels toward him into action – love “my sheep” as you love me. 

Several years ago, Jeff Taylor, the president of the Foundation, and I met with a potential donor named Linda.  She died last month, but she left a legacy for her church and for those her church reaches who suffer from mental illness. Following our meeting with her, Linda created a Mental Wellness trust at the Foundation.  She shared (and she asked that the information I’m sharing with you be shared at her funeral) that her family fostered negativity, and that she suffered from mental illness and abuse throughout her life.  She eventually joined a United Methodist church in her community.  They took her in, loved her, and taught her that she is loved by God, and is a beloved child.  She wrote in the preamble to her trust, “I do know that God loves me, and I have been nourished and sustained by God’s grace.  My prayer is that my gift can provide hope to suffering folks who feel at the end of their rope.  May the Lord bless others through me…Just as the Lord loves me, God will love all of my brothers and sisters who whom this trust can provide light and hope.”

Because of the church, Linda experienced abundant love. She gave each month, generously, to the trust she built, and what she has created what will be a beacon of light and hope for others. She gave every month, even though she always lived in the fear of not having enough.  Her love was bigger than her fear, and so she followed Christ.

This chapter in John, often thought of as an epilogue to the gospel, reminds us to turn our eyes to Jesus, instead of to what we do not have – instead of only seeing our fear. The gospel story is not a story of what happened – but a story of what can happen when we follow the Christ. Thomas Troeger writes, “The epilogue affirms, through its story of the risen Christ on the shore of the Sea of Tiberius, what the prologue (of John) affirms as the story of Christ’s early ministry begins: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” The epilogue awakens memories of the darkness – the darkness of our hunger, the darkness of our failure to recognize Christ, the darkness of our denial, but at the same time it reminds us that none of this darkness has overcome the light.  For the risen Christ still calls, still feeds, still empowers even doubters and deniers for the ministry.”

Where do you, either as a person or as a church, focus so much on scarcity that you cannot see Christ? Cannot follow? Cannot feed the Lord’s sheep?

And what are you going to do about it? It’s time to stop fishing so that you can fish for people.

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. 

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.

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.