This sermon wasn't written in full, so the text is limited. In conversation with the congregation we "wrote" it together from their memories and ideas. What you have here are my initial notes.
3rd
Sunday of Easter; Yr. C, April 14, 2013
Acts 9:1-6, (7-20);
Psalm 30; Revelation 5:11-14; John 21:1-19
Sermon
preached at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church
Thomas Troeger wrote a reflection
about the reading from John in Feasting
on Word.[1] He says that the story John is telling in
today’s gospel echoes other stories in the gospel, stories the people would
remember. Let’s take some time and look
at it again … maybe some of you don’t even need to. What phrases or images remind you of other
stories we know in the life of Jesus?
Peter, James, John, Nathaniel and two others
go fishing.
They catch nothing. Jesus tells
them, “cast your nets on the other side”.
They catch so many fish that it nearly breaks their nets. (The calling
of Peter and the brothers in Luke 5:4-11.)
When they recognize Jesus, Peter
throws on clothes and jumps out of the boat to go to Jesus. There’s some echo there of Jesus coming to
the disciples on the water. That time,
they were petrified. When he calls out
to calm their fears, he says to Peter, “come”.
Peter goes out toward him, but ends up taking a dip. This time Peter jumps with joy and meets
Jesus at the shore.
When they get to shore, Jesus
has prepared a meal. He has fish
even though the boat with nets filled is still coming ashore. Echoes here of the feeding of the five
thousand, and the last supper. Fish and
bread, enough for all.
No one recognizes Jesus when they first see
him.
Echoes here of Mary at the tomb.
She first thinks that he is the gardener. Both John and Mary recognize Jesus. Those who love him will be able to see him,
and reveal him to others. Mary ran back
to tell the others. John calls it out to
his friends.
The three “I love you’s” that Peter makes remind us of the three denials he made earlier
during the passion, both trouble Peter.
One because he swore it would never happen, and the other because the
question is asked repeatedly. The
denials reveal the deep power of fear that can make us not only deny others,
but also ourselves. The affirmations
reveal the power of forgiveness and the responsibility of loving another.
Why would John write these echoes
into his story of Jesus? Perhaps to show
us the real power of resurrection!
Through God’s presence with us in Christ we will continue to be
fed. Through God’s presence with us in
the Holy Spirit we will continue to be led.
And those who love Jesus will be able to recognize Christ’s presence in
the world when it is not apparent to others.
Those who love Christ will see, and can witness to the power they
experience … and others will listen.
That’s what we do as church.
We live into the relationship with God that is our gift since
creation. We seek and try to follow
God’s guidance. We are fed, and we feed
one another. We keep our eyes open so
that we may see God in the world, so that we can proclaim it to others who
hunger and thirst for God.
As we think about St. Stephen’s, as
we look at our own lives, how is that happening? How do we look for Christ’s presence? Where do we see it? What feeds us? How might our coming together … whether on
Sunday morning or at other times … feed our spirits? How do we as members of this church witness
to the good news of the resurrection?
What stories do we share with the world?
Are we willing to do that?
If we began recording statements …
stories … about why you were a Christian, about where you find Christ in the
world, about why you even bother to come to church … would you do it? And if you did, what would you say?
Amen.
[1] Feasting on
the Word, Year C, Volume 2: Lent through Eastertide. Ed. by Bartlett, David L. and Barbara Brown Taylor,
Westminster John Know Press, 2009, pp. 423-5.
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