Going to Extremes
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For May 5, 2019:
Going to Extremes
by Tom Willadsen
Acts 9:1-6 (7-20), Psalm 30, Revelation 5:11-14, John 21:1-19
It seems that fear of “The Other” is a global phenomenon. March’s shooting in New Zealand and the Easter bombings in Sri Lanka have made people all over the world afraid to practice their faith. Perpetrators of this kind of terrorism attack specific kinds of people. One’s identity is what imperils individuals. It is not just religions, however, who are attacked. Political affiliations, ethnic identity, gender identity are just some of the other bases that terrorists use to justify their attacks.
Religion alone is not the weapon. It is, rather, extremism that makes any affiliation potentially toxic and dangerous to others. Another word for “extremism” is “certainty.” If I am certain that my way is the only acceptable one, it is not much of a stretch to justify exterminating people who have refused to see my light.
Extremism is at new extremes in the world today. Extremism has been around for a long time. We’re marking the 25 anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda. The Atlantic just ran an article about the changed status of the United States internationally by contrasting the way our nation responded to ethnic cleansing in the former Yugoslavia.
Domestically we can look back at the attack on worshipers at Emanuel Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina in 2015, the deadly demonstration in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017, the March attack at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, and of course, Timothy McVeigh’s attack in Oklahoma City in 1995.
The only thing that really baffles me is the Buddhist extremists in Myanmar, (formerly Burma) who attack Muslims, Christians and Rohingyas, an ethnic group that includes Muslims and Hindus.
Whenever there is an attack of terrorism committed by someone with a religious affiliation there is a stampede of people who claim the same faith who say, “This is not what ______ is about! We are heartbroken that someone claiming to be _____ would do such a thing! ____ is a religion of peace!” Here’s the most recent example from The New York Times.
In the News
There is no greater news story since Easter than the terrorist attacks on Christians in Sri Lanka. Once again, the world is horrified that the targets of violence are selected because of their religion. It was not too many weeks ago we were horrified by the attacks on the mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. In the case of the latter attacks, the white supremacist ideology of extreme white nationalists in the United States has been exported to other nations. While Americans have lots of things to fear. (The 2019 Global Emotions Report, Gallup’s annual snapshot of the world’s emotional state, released March 25, found that most Americans (55%) recalled feeling stressed during much of the day in 2018. That’s more than all but three other countries, including top ranking Greece (59%), which has led the world in stress since 2012. "Even as their economy roared, more Americans were stressed, angry and worried last year than they have been at most points during the past decade," Julie Ray, a Gallup editor, wrote in a summary report.) The fact is that white nationalist extremists are responsible for nearly three fourths of all deaths due to terrorism in the United States. Have we met this enemy?
In the Scriptures
John 21:1-19
In the John reading it is not clear how much time has passed since Jesus revealed his wounds to Thomas. It appears that the disciples have returned to their chosen trade. They were fishers of men, but they’re fishers of fish again. Jesus must be a morning person. He appeared to Mary when it was so dark she did not recognize him. In this reading he’s already got a charcoal fire going and fish and bread on the barbie at first light.
For an amateur Jesus has really good luck with fishing. The disciples follow his advice — even though they’ve been fishing all night and have not caught anything, it had not occurred to them to throw the net off the other side of the boat — and catch a huge amount of fish.
When they realize it’s Jesus on the shore they start to head in. But Peter, who was either naked or not decently dressed while fishing, puts proper clothes on and jumps into the water.
I have contended in these pages that Simon earned the name “Peter” not because of the solid foundation his faith provided to the first Christians. No, Jesus called him Peter because he’s about as smart as a rock.
The rest of this reading takes place after breakfast. For once the disciples have brought something to the potluck, Jesus did not need to work a miracle with loaves and fish this time.
Three times Jesus asks Peter “Do you love me?” At the third time Peter is hurt that Jesus kept asking him. It is significant that it was Peter whom Jesus asked. It is significant that Jesus asked Peter three times. It was Peter who denied Jesus three times. This conversation offers something like redemption for Peter. He goes on in the sequel (Acts) to turn into quite a preacher and a bold, courageous leader for the early church.
Acts 1:1-6 (7-20)
We know a lot about Paul. He has a great pedigree among the Jews and is a citizen to the Romans. There’s a little Presbyterian in him too. Paul asks the high priest in Jerusalem for a letter permitting him to arrest followers of “The Way,” i.e., the first Christians 150 miles away in Damascus. Before he starts the actual persecution, he gets the paperwork in place. He’s no vigilante, no loose cannon; he has written permission from the highest authority to persecute. (Presbyterians feel a little better about this kind of thing when it’s properly authorized.)
All this makes Saul’s transition to Paul, blindness to sight, persecution to evangelism even more amazing. Immediately something like scales fell from his eyes. Immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues.
Revelation 5:11-14
In the Book of Revelation the term that is most used for Jesus is “Lamb.” There are clear references back to the Passover, the sacrificial lamb, the power of the blood of the lamb to keep the angel of death away. Of the gospels, John uses lamb imagery the most. Jesus refers to himself as The Good Shepherd only in John’s gospel.
The image of the Lamb being in the throne — the place for the king — should be startling. All of creation, every creature above, below and around the earth praises the Lamb. Indeed, the Lamb is worthy of praise.
Psalm 30 has themes of resurrection, “You brought me up from Sheol,” and transformation, weeping is turned to joy by morning. There’s a more subtle echo of Peter’s short-lived confidence on the night when Jesus was arrested, v. 6
As for me, I said in my prosperity,
“I shall never be moved.”
But when the Lord, v. 7b
hid your face;
I was dismayed.
In v. 11 the psalmist praises God for clothing him with joy. Perhaps those joyous clothes were just the thing to wear to jump into the sea to meet one’s Savior.
In the Sermon
I contended above that it is not the content of faith, or any ideology, that is perilous but it is extremism; it is certainty. Timothy McVeigh didn’t say, “I could be wrong!” before blowing up the Murrah Building in 1995.
What can one make of an extremist like Paul? His reputation as a persecutor of Christians had reached Damascus before he did. He was zealous; he was determined; he was righteous, because he knew he was right. What tools would he have used against Christians if he were in the modern age?
Saul’s transformation to Paul, the scales falling off his eyes, is one of the great transformations of all time. One can hardly blame Ananias for being reluctant — no, fearful — of going to see him. What kind of vision or experience would you need to approach someone whom you knew only as your bitter enemy?
One may recall the parable of the Good Samaritan at this point. That name is so familiar to use that we do not hear the scandal behind Jesus daring to tell a story in which a Samaritan was “good” while leaders of his, and his questioner’s faith were not “good.” (Jesus does not use the word “good” in the parable; we’ve added it for nearly 2,000 years.) A modern rendering of this story would have the part of the Samaritan played by a member of an Islamic terrorist cell in your city. The very idea that one of those people could be God’s chosen agent, a faithful doer of God’s will, is shocking.
Ananias’s reluctance to go to Saul would be like ours in approaching a terrorist.
Think of John Newton, the man who wrote “Amazing Grace.” The story is often told of how the former slave trader literally turned around, not just his life, but his whole being. That moment of stark pain and guilt, that feeling that made him “a wretch” in song, was a dramatic epiphany.
Another example of someone who had a Paul-like transformation is Arno Michaelis. (He was mentioned in one of the illustration columns for The Immediate Word, April 21.) Michaelis was a former white supremacist skinhead, a founding member of the influential white supremacist punk band Centurion, who found his way out of that life. Following the shooting at the Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, in 2012, Pardeep Sikh Kaleka, the surviving son of one of the men who was killed in that rampage, reached out to Michaelis and the two of them now work together to teach all people of the need to love and serve one another. They wrote The Gift of Our Wounds together.
Theirs is a powerful story of transformation. If anything Michaelis was more of a wretch than John Newton before seeing clearly and turning away from a life fueled by hatred.
You may want to give some attention to the Muslims who were not behind the bombings in Sri Lanka. The New York Times article linked above tells how they are fearful of reaching out in support of their Christian neighbors. Emotions are high in the wake of attacks like those that Sri Lanka is recovering from. People want swift action of some kind when faced with this kind of tragedy. Justice can look a lot like vengeance when emotions are high and wounds are raw.
Recent news has revealed that there were warning signs that an attack on Christians was imminent, but no action was taken. At this writing at least two Sri Lankan officials have been fired (or ‘sacked’ as the BBC says).
For 21st century Protestants in the United States, it seems to me that most of us are in a position similar to that of Ananias. We have faith, but are reluctant, even fearful, to share it because we don’t want to look like hypocrites or fanatics. Your worshipers may also identify with the Muslims in Sri Lanka who have disavowed their connection with terrorism, yet do not want to offer support, sympathy or encouragement to their Christian neighbors. We live in a fear-filled, stress-filled world. We need to find the courage to be kind. We need to build bridges to one another as Ananias did with Paul. We will risk being misunderstood, but our humanity, and the gospel of Jesus Christ demands we try.
SECOND THOUGHTS
Extra
by Mary Austin
John 21:1-19
“That’s so extra,” one of my young friends said the other day. She meant over the top, too much, an annoying excess. When she said it, it wasn’t a good thing, like an extra serving of mashed potatoes would be, or an extra snow day off from work.
In this appearance after his resurrection, Jesus goes out of his way to be “extra.” He has already appeared in the locked room, astonishing the fearful disciples there, and now he takes the time to show up back in Galilee. The disciples are back doing what they know how to do, using this bewildering time to do work that feels solid and real and familiar to them.
Jesus comes back to serve breakfast by the side of the same lake where he fed the crowd of 5,000. (John 6:1 and following.) This is a much more intimate scene, but with the same joyful excess. When the crowd has dinner, there are twelve baskets full of leftovers. This time, there’s a wealth of fish, 153 of them. Some commentators suggest that this was the number of nations in the ancient world, giving us a vision of the completeness of God fishing for people.
Brian Stoffregen suggests that Chapter 21 of John, where the authorship is in dispute, functions “as an epilogue to the gospel. An epilogue is added to complete some lines or thoughts left unfinished in the main story. (Whether or not the epilogue was added by "John" or a later writer can be left for the scholars to debate.) In this sense, chapter 21 answers the question: “After one has confessed before the resurrected Jesus, ‘My Lord and my God,’ then what?”
As Jesus appears for breakfast, and then questions Simon Peter, he’s inviting the disciples to see him in a new way, and to see themselves in a different light. Just like they were encouraged to find a way to feed the crowd, Jesus uses their efforts to make breakfast complete. He’s showing them again how be his followers in the world.
In the same way, when public figures seek a new role, they have to see the world in new ways, and show us that they have the skills for a new challenge. As Joe Biden begins his race for the Democratic nomination for President, voters are wondering if he’s kept up with changes in the electorate, in how women are treated, and in the role of people of color in the party. “When Joe Biden first ran for Senate in 1972, 40 percent of Democrats believed that whites had a right to segregate neighborhoods.”
Today, he seeks the presidential nomination of a very different Democratic Party, one that is increasingly progressive, diverse and well educated. “Uncle Joe” was an affable vice president, and a foil to a then young, less experienced Barack Obama. Does he have the gravitas and substance to be a contender for the nomination? Over the next few months, we’ll see if he can see the electorate differently. “In some cases, Mr. Biden’s nearly 50-year record in Washington isn’t merely moderate, but out of step with the mores of today’s Democratic Party.” His party has shifted around him. What they believed was often very different from what many Democrats believe today. “Nearly 40 percent opposed interracial marriage when Mr. Biden first sought a Senate seat, according to the General Social Survey. Nearly 80 percent opposed legalizing marijuana and believed same-sex sexual relations were wrong. Over all, three-quarters of Democrats were whites without a college degree, and about half of Democrats were moderate or conservative whites without a college degree.” American society has shifted, and Mr. Biden’s party has changed. “Today, the Democratic Party is in transition. Over all, it is roughly divided between its past and its future, and split about evenly between white voters with and without a college degree, between voters older or younger than age 50, between self-identified liberal and moderate voters. And the nonwhite share of voters isn't too far from even, at 42 percent.” Mr. Biden will need to take an example from Jesus’ playbook, and learn to see his party as it is now, and help them see him as he is now.
Politico proposes that Joe Biden’s toughest opponent will be…himself. “Perhaps Biden’s biggest challenge — apart from his age itself — will be to persuade Democratic voters not to view his past through the prism of the present.” Paradoxically, “It would likelier be a lot easier for Biden if he were a Republican. One of the signal features of the 2016 campaign was the capacity of GOP voters to sweep aside Donald Trump’s past, both his words and deeds. The once “strongly pro-choice” Trump, the Trump who embraced a substantial wealth tax, who openly celebrated a sybaritic lifestyle, became a heroic figure among supply-side economists and evangelical Christian leaders.” Re-invention isn’t limited to any one political party, or any particular candidate.
Then there are the other questions: Does he tweet? Use Instagram? Can he give women a firm handshake and then step back? All of that will shape whether the country can see him in a new role.
Maybe all of that feels so extra to a man who has been in politics for decades…but a new daybreak comes to us all.
Simon Peter finds Jesus’ gaze fixed on him, in a way that must have been unsettling. Three times Jesus asks if Simon Peter loves him, perhaps to match his three denials. Asking the same question three times probably feels like he asks until Simon Peter has it clear in his own mind that Jesus isn’t angry, and he isn’t a failure, and then Jesus tells him to go out and continue their work. Simon Peter has to see himself anew, so he can pick up Jesus’ work and continue it.
The fish, the questions and the appearances are all so extra. They remind us that Jesus’ love and forgiveness are so extra, too, all in the good way.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Ron Love:
Revelation 5:13 “Then I heard every creature…”
Dr. Mary Cameron, who has a doctorate in historical geography, reported that homes that were being built after the 1950s were, increasingly, being designed without front porches, and that, by the 1970s, the front porch had disappeared altogether from home designs. One reason for this is air conditioning, as people no longer needed to sit in the cool breeze to avoid the summer heat. But, this was only a minor reason. The most significant reason was the dawn of television. Prior to television people would sit on their front porch and socialize with neighbors. Television brought people indoors where they stayed cocooned in front of their entertainment box.
* * *
Acts 9:15 “for he is an instrument whom I have chosen”
John Donne lived for many years in poverty, relying on wealthy friends to sustain him. After he received a substantial inheritance, he used some of the money to pay for his education. He also used his new-found wealth on womanizing and travel. In 1601, Donne secretly married Anne Moore, with whom he had twelve children. After his marriage, Donne had a conversion experience, and, in 1615, he became an Anglican priest. In 1621, he was appointed Dean of St Paul's Cathedral in London. He served as a member of parliament in 1601 and 1614. He also became an established poet, recognized for his strong, sensual style. His compositions included sonnets, love poems and religious poems. One of his better known and more popular poems is No Man Is An Island.
* * *
Acts 9:4 “why do you persecute me”
In the Spring of 1573, Roman Catholic authorities in Antwerp arrested Maeyken Wens, who was an Anabaptist. They subjected her to torture, trying to get her to renounce her beliefs, as she opposed the Catholic teaching on baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Failing to convert Wens, on October 5 they sentenced her to death. Her tongue was screwed tight so that she could not speak to bystanders when she was taken to be burned at the stake. While in prison she wrote a letter to her husband saying, “Oh, how easy it is to be a Christian, so long as the flesh is not put to trial, or nothing has to be relinquished; then it is an easy thing to be a Christian.”
* * *
Acts 9:4 “why do you persecute me”
Aharon Appelfeld was nine-years-old when he heard that the Germans had shot his mother and grandmother on their farm in Romania. The young Jewish boy knew what was happening to his family, and he jumped out of a second-floor window into a corn field. He was later caught and taken to a forced-labor camp in Transnistria. From there he escaped into the forest and found a group of Ukrainian criminals. He became their slave boy, but knowing he was Jewish they kept him alive. He later left them and took refuge with a village prostitute. But, when one of her clients recognized Aharon as a Jew, he fled once more. Aharon spent the rest of the war working as a cook for the Soviet army.
In 1946 he immigrated to Israel. It was there that, along with teaching at the university, he became a novelist. Appelfeld, in his novels, rarely ventured into historical analysis or first-person anecdote of the Holocaust. Instead, the murder of six million European Jews hung ominously in the background of his books, addressed obliquely through the presence of dirtied trains, curls of smoke, and characters with disabilities or missing limbs. In preparing a novel, Appelfeld would write ideas down on paper and put them in a drawer. Then, after several years, he would remove them and prepare a manuscript for publication. Appelfeld said that writing stabilized his life and gave shape to the family members he had lost during the Holocaust.
Regarding the list of family members’ names that he used in his novels, Appelfeld said, “This list gave me a ground that I understood. I was not alone. I still had my family. They exist in me. I made myself a family on paper. I wrote it down, and they became real.”
* * *
Acts 9:4 “why do you persecute me”
In the movie The Devil’s Advocate, which was released in 1997, Kevin Lomax, who is played by Keanu Reeves, is a defense lawyer who specializes in jury selection. Even though he is appalled by the actions of his clients and allows witnesses to lie on the stand, he is driven, not by justice, but by a motivation to always win. Realizing his success, John Milton, who is played by Al Pacino, the senior partner in a New York City law firm, entices Lomax to relocate in the city with a huge financial package with many perks attached to it. Lomax’s wife, Mary Ann, who is played by Charlize Theron, is at first excited about the opportunities that the Big Apple has to offer. But, she slowly becomes disillusioned and desires to return home to Gainesville, Florida. Her husband refuses, because he is riveted by the big cases that he is assigned and his ability to continue to win.
As the movie progresses, and after Mary Ann suffers many personal disappointments and tragedies, causing her to commit suicide, the audience learns that John Milton is Satan. In the closing scene Lomax and Milton have a violent confrontation when Lomax learns who the senior partner really is. In the exchange of dialogue, Milton says that the greatest sin he uses is “vanity.”
Even though he is Satan, he cannot overcome free will. But what he can do is create situations where the vanity of an individual empowers them to do wrong. Milton says in the movie, “Vanity, definitely my favorite sin.” Realizing this, Milton says that all that he has to do is “set the stage,” and an individual’s vanity, a desire for success and notoriety, will lead an individual to personal destruction. In the case of Lomax, vanity caused him to forsake the intimacy that Mary Ann craved so that he could continue a winning law practice.
* * *
Acts 9:15 “for he is an instrument whom I have chosen”
Patricia Lockwood is a poet and the daughter of a Catholic priest. Her father, Greg, was a married Episcopal priest when he decided to join the Roman Catholic Church. The Pope allowed the married man to be ordained into the Catholic order. In May 2015, Lockwood published her memoir titled Priestdaddy. The title of the book comes from the fact that her father was a married Roman Catholic priest.
In her book, she recounts how the image of the church changed with the movie The Exorcist, instead of the sunnier days depicted in Going My Way and The Bells of St. Mary’s. In her book, she recounts the first time her father saw the movie The Exorcist. Rev. Lockwood was on board a nuclear submarine, and there was not enough room for him to leap out of his chair with fear. Ms. Lockwood recounts his experience with these words, “Put yourself in his place. You’re a drop of blood at the center of the ocean…All of a sudden you look up at a screen and see a possessed 12-year-old with violent head vomiting green chunks and backwards Latin. She’s so full of demon that the only way to relieve her feelings is to have sex with a crucifix. You would convert too. I guarantee it.”
* * *
Acts 9:10 “Here I am”
John Young, who died in January 2018 at the age of 87, was, at the time of his death, the longest serving astronaut for NASA. Young was an astronaut for 42 years. During those decades he flew in space six times and walked on the moon once. He was the only astronaut to fly in the Gemini, Apollo and space shuttle programs. Young retained a single-minded devotion to the space program that kept him working 12-hour days into his 70s. His only hobby was staying fit enough to maintain his active flight status. At his retirement, Young played down his accomplishments, saying, “Anybody could have done it. You’ve just got to hang in there.”
Young continued to believe in the importance of space exploration and manned space flights. Astronaut John Young said, “Our ability to live and work on other planets in the solar system will end up giving us the science and technology that we need to save the species. I’m talking about human beings. I’d hate to miss all that fun.”
* * *
John 21:17 “Feed my sheep”
Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth President of the United States, taking office on March 4, 1861. Lincoln was a student of the Bible, and direct quotes from the scriptures or allusions to Bible passages are scattered throughout all of his speeches. In fact, absent of knowledge of the Bible, an individual can never fully comprehend the wisdom and depth of Lincoln’s public oratory and written correspondences. Regarding the scriptures, Lincoln said, “I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this book.”
* * *
Psalm 30:1 “I will extol you, O LORD”
Revelation 5:13 “I heard every creature…”
John Ashcroft, as a senator from Missouri and later as the United States Attorney General in the George W. Bush administration, was a controversial and polarizing figure. Putting politics aside, Ashcroft’s Christian faith remains unquestionable. The night before he was sworn into the Senate in 1995, family and friends gathered around a piano in a private Washington, D.C. dining hall. His father, James, requested that John play and all would sing the hymn “We Are Standing on Holy Ground.”
After the joyful singing, James asked everyone to be quiet so that John could listen carefully to his advice. Father spoke to son with these words: “The spirit of Washington is arrogance, and the spirit of Christ is humility. Put on the spirit of Christ. Nothing of lasting value has ever been accomplished in arrogance. Someday I hope someone will come up to you as you are fulfilling your duties as senator, tug on your sleeve, and say, ‘Senator, your spirit is showing.’”
* * *
Psalm 30:1 “I will extol you, O LORD”
Revelation 5:13 “I heard every creature…”
The title of the hymn We Are Standing on Holy Ground is simply Holy Ground. The confusion arises from the chorus. The song was written by Geron Davis. Geron, along with his wife Becky, have composed a number of contemporary songs for Christian worship. Geron and Becky have joined with Geron’s sister, Alyson Lovern, and her husband Shelton, to form the singing group “Kindred Souls.” The lyrics for the chorus of Holy Ground are:
We are standing on holy ground
For I know that there are angels all around
Let us praise Jesus now
For we are standing in His presence on holy ground.
* * * * * * * * *
From team member Bethany Peerbolte:
Acts 9:1-20
You want me to talk to HIM!?!
I am amazed by the call of journalists. They must balance in the middle of all view points while being an advocate for all angles. They agree to research situations in dangerous areas of the world. Often interviewing people who would easily see them killed for a wrong move. The questions asked need to be affirming so that the interviewee does not get defensive, while also being challenging enough to gain new information. This balance can be thrilling to watch unfold. In a recent news segment about the drug turf wars near tourist destinations in Mexico, Avery Haines does an exemplary job of interviewing a member of one of the top drug gangs in Playa Del Carman. “The Narco Riviera” is Haines’ report on what she saw and heard while investigating in Mexico. Haines admits she understood the wrong question could get her, and her crew, killed. In her key interview, she carefully peels back the layers of how this one man got into the gang, why he stays, and what his plans are for the future. Haines’ deep respect for journalism drives her to ask hard questions, but their root is always from a place of compassion. This allows the man to be open and reveal the honest human predicament driving so many to drug gangs.
Ananias is sent on a similarly dangerous mission. To meet with the man who has pledged his life to killing all people of “The Way.” Ananias is not a passive agent of God, he pushes back asking about Saul’s past behavior. Ultimately Ananias is rooted in compassion, and if God says this man is ready to change then Ananias is ready to be an instrument of God’s grace. The few verses following the healing do not seem to hold the tension that must have existed as the community welcomed Paul into the fold. The stress over making a wrong move is missing, and the carefully worded questions. The interview between Haines and the gang member is probably a better representation of how those days unfolded. It also shows what people rooted in compassion can achieve when they allow space for tough questions to be asked and accept the answers without judgement.
* * *
Acts 9:1-20
Forgiveness Breaks the Chains
When we speak of forgiveness in the church it is often from the perspective of the forgiver, or as a sinner forgiven by God. Rarely do we seek the other angle, to see what it is like to be forgiven. Carole Braverman taught at a private high school, and like all schools took roll every morning. One year she began taking roll and called out looking for “Lisa,” after a moment a student replied “Liza.” She looked at her paper and indeed it was supposed to be Liza. She had mispronounced the students name. The next day, she made the same mistake and again the student quickly corrected her. Braverman recounts how that small mistake became a daily hit to her confidence. Every day she would mispronounce the name and every day she was corrected. She began to dread taking roll, and beat herself up over not being able to correct the mistake. One day she saw the student on campus. Calling out to her “Lisa,” she began the routine of apology and slumped shoulders. The student ran up to her with a huge smile and hugged her. Liza assured her it was not a big deal and that Braverman could call her Lisa, she wouldn’t mind at all. From that day forward Braverman never said the students name wrong again. “It was as if the girl’s forgiveness had released me from some enchantment, like in a fairy tale” Braverman says.
Paul certainly must have felt like he was in some like of fairytale with curse casting and lifted enchantments. In the vulnerable state of blindness, he depended on others in a way he never had to before. When Ananias comes he must have felt a tinge of fear that this person would seek revenge for the killing of his friends. Paul quickly learns why so many had committed themselves to “The Way.” Ananias does not seek revenge, he touches Paul and releases him from his darkness. Then Paul spends days with the community he persecuted. One by one receiving their forgiveness. The scales fell from Paul’s eyes but more scales fell away with every new encounter with Jesus’ followers. Forgiveness breaks the enchantment of sin and leaves us free to live as we had only dreamed before. With the right pronunciations.
* * *
Psalm 30
Sunflower Yellow from Black
In college I worked in a hardware store, and by far my favorite task was mixing paint. Customers would come with a paint color, usually with some ridiculous name like “practical tan.” I would enter the color into the computer system and it would give me the formula to mix the paint. The pigment options were red, blue, yellow, white, and black. One day a woman came in wanting a yellow for her daughters room. The color she picked was called Brilliant Sunflower. I entered the name in the computer and out popped the formula. The two pigments needed were yellow and….black. I paused, thinking there must be something wrong. The amount of black it was asking me to put into the can was significant. I was certain it would come out grey, not yellow. Sure that it was wrong I just put the yellow into the can. The color that came out was, well gross. Like the yellowing walls of all my college rental homes. I quickly hid the bad mixed paint and went along with the original formula. I put in the yellow pigment, and the black, and I prayed.
The color that came out was gorgeous. It shined and caught the light, reflecting a brilliant sunflower tone. I was genuinely shocked it wasn’t grey and dull. The black didn’t lessen the shine it gave it depth! The darkness was exactly what the yellow needed to develop alongside to become the perfect color for a child’s room. This Psalm shows the same formula works in our lives too. We will experience pain in life. That darkness cannot be avoided, but it does not dampen our shine. The pain we experience turns to joy when placed in God’s care. Weeping in the night turns to joy in the morning. It may seem counterintuitive, but pain is an essential ingredient to experiencing shining brilliant joy.
* * *
Psalm 30
Comprehensive Worship
These verses demonstrate a completely full and all-embracing worship. When we worship, Psalm 30 asks us be truthful about what we have been through. Even when we sit on the other side of answered prayers our testimony and worship is fullest when we remember what has been.
I met a man a few years ago who had a presence about him. It is hard explain but it was as if something was chasing him but he wasn’t afraid of it catching him. His lack of fear did not mean he let the thing overcome him, if anything he worked to always stay two steps ahead. It wasn’t long until I learned what motivated him. In his youth he had been in a gang. He admitted to doing terrible things to belong, until one day he was held at gun point. Looking down the barrel of a hand gun he prayed for God to save him. The gun jammed. Since then he lived on a second chance and he did not take it for granted. Best yet, he told everyone what God had done for him, many times. If it wasn’t such an amazing story I think I would have been tired of hearing it a week after meeting him. His worship was a comprehensive representation of what God had done for him because it didn’t leave out the hard truths of how he got into the situation from which God rescued him. The complete picture is more powerful than a single answered prayer.
* * *
John 21:1-19
What would you do for a breakfast with Jesus?
Klondike has built an entire brand on the notion that people are willing to fulfill crazy requests for the things they love. Their slogan “what would you do for a Klondike bar” has been tauntingly sung for decades. I shudder to think what Peter would do for a Klondike bar. He is the most impulsive and “act now think later” disciple among the twelve. This impulsive act in John may be my favorite. He figures out the guy on the shore is Jesus, he puts on clothes to jump in the water…to get soaking wet. He leaves the other disciples to haul in the miraculous catch of fish just so he can be the first dripping wet person to say hi to Jesus. Oh Peter.
We all know a Peter, someone who acts firsts and thinks second especially when it comes to something they love. In the past year, in my area alone, I have heard of people placing a hand on a house to try and win it. A local news station gave away concert tickets by holding a toe wrestling contest. My favorite was the Michigan radio station that gave away final four tickets to someone willing to burn their couch. This is my favorite because I went to Michigan State University so I know couch burning is a weekly casual pastime for students. The idea that someone thought a Spartan fan wouldn’t burn their couch for tickets is absurd. The radio station was shocked when hundreds of people called in matches in hand to win their tickets.
If our favorite bands, teams, and ice cream bars can rally so much enthusiasm, maybe Peter isn’t too far from sanity. It’s Jesus! The man who taught and loved them for so many years. Who predicted his death and rose from the dead. This is the guy who saved the world from the power of death. Maybe throwing on your best Sunday outfit and jumping into the water isn’t so crazy after all.
WORSHIP
by George Reed
Call to Worship:
Leader: Let us extol our God who has drawn us up.
People: We cried to God and we were healed.
Leader: Let us sing praises to God and give thanks.
People: God’s anger is for a moment; God’s favor is forever.
Leader: God has turned our mourning into dance.
People: God has removed our sackcloth and clothed us with joy.
OR
Leader: God is at work in our world in new ways!
People: We celebrate God’s presence and work among us!
Leader: God’s creative work continues today.
People: We rejoice in the newness of God’s love each day.
Leader: Share God’s renewing grace with everyone.
People: We open our hearts and lives to all God’s people.
Hymns and Songs:
Spirit of the Living God
UMH: 393
PH: 322
AAHH: 320
NNBH: 133
NCH: 283
CH: 259
W&P: 492
CCB: 57
Renew: 90
God of the Sparrow God of the Whale
UMH: 122
PH: 272
NCH: 32
CH: 70
ELW: 740
W&P: 29
Morning Has Broken
UMH: 145
H82: 8
PH: 469
CH: 53
ELW: 556
W&P: 65
STLT: 38
O Sons and Daughters, Let Us Sing
UMH: 317
PH: 116/117
NCH: 244
CH: 220
ELW: 386/387
W&P: 313
Jesus Calls Us
UMH: 398
H82: 549/550
NNBH: 183
NCH: 171/172
CH: 337
LBW: 494
ELW: 696
W&P: 345
AMEC: 238
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
UMH: 400
H82: 686
PH: 356
AAHH: 175
NNBH: 166
NCH: 459
CH: 16
LBW: 499
ELW: 807
W&P: 68
AMEC: 77
STLT: 126
Breathe on Me, Breath of God
UMH: 420
H82: 508
PH: 316
AAHH: 317
NNBH: 126
NCH: 292
CH: 254
LBW: 488
W&P: 461
AMEC: 192
O God of Every Nation
UMH: 435
H82: 607
PH: 289
CH: 680
LBW: 416
ELW: 713
W&P: 626
Behold, What Manner of Love
CCB: 44
Live in Charity
CCB: 71
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God who is ever new and ever renewing:
Grant us the grace to see the new things you are calling us to
so that we might faithfully follow your path to eternal life;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because you are the God of newness. Your mercies are new every morning. Help us to understand what you are doing among us in new and different way so that we can join in your redeeming work. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially the ways we are stuck in old and certain ways.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We want to be right but in our desire for rightness we often feel the need to exclude those who have different views. We begin to draw lines that separate us from our sisters and brothers and we see them not only as being wrong but being evil. We forget that we are children of the God who is love. Open our hearts to the truth that we are all your children and help us to share rather than to condemn. Amen.
Leader: God is making us anew right now. Receive the gift of God’s Spirit and share that gift with others.
Prayers of the People
We bless you, O God, because you are always new. You come and renew us and all creation each day.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We want to be right but in our desire for rightness we often feel the need to exclude those who have different views. We begin to draw lines that separate us from our sisters and brothers and we see them not only as being wrong but being evil. We forget that we are children of the God who is love. Open our hearts to the truth that we are all your children and help us to share rather than to condemn.
We give you thanks for the newness of this day. We thank you for the opportunity to open our hearts to all around us.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all your creation. We pray for those who find it difficult to let go of the past and see you at work in their lives. We pray for those who feel pushed aside and excluded.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together saying:
Our Father....Amen.
(Or if the Our Father is not used at this point in the service.)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children’s Sermon Starter
For many of us it is Spring and there are signs of new life all around us. Bring paper cups with soil in them and a pack of bean seeds. Talk to the children about the fun of planting things and seeing new life. Have the children plant the seeds in the cups and tell them you will bring them back for them to check on next week.
Water the soil and place in sunlight and by next week there should be shoots growing up. If not you have lesson for patience next week!
Just like these plants we can also be looking for new things that we can do to serve Jesus by taking care of others: being friendly, helpful and loving.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Breakfast on the Beach
by Chris Keating
John 21:1-19
Gather ahead of time: A copy of Joseph Jastrow’s famous “Rabbit/Duck” illustration. (One is available here.)
Background
John 21:1-19 is filled with rich details, including the emotionally-distraught disciples seeking comfort in the familiar routine of fishing, but whose nets are empty; Jesus calling to them from the beach at daybreak; the overwhelming and surprising catch of fish; their recognition of Jesus, the barbecue on the beach, and Peter’s reconciliation with the Lord. Choosing a direction to go and planning to keep the story simple for children will be among the first decisions to be made in preparing a children’s sermon.
A couple of interesting details are worth noting. Commentators debate the significance of the number of fish. Some note that the name “Yahweh” occurs 153 times in the Hebrew scriptures (I’ll take Wikipedia’s word on this!); Jerome believed it was a reference to the known species of fish at the time; Augustine saw it as a theological representation of a rather complex series of mathematical computations. There are also Eucharistic implications of Jesus breaking bread with the disciples, and the relationship between Peter’s denying of Jesus three times and Jesus’ asking, “Do you love me?”
Welcoming the children
As the children gather, welcome them and ask them about a time when they went on a picnic. Share with them that today’s story about Jesus tells about a time when Jesus fixed breakfast for the disciples. He surprised them by appearing on the beach when they had gone fishing. The disciples had worked and worked all evening but had not caught a single fish. But then Jesus calls to them from the beach and suggests that they put their nets on the other side of the boat. Even though it was Jesus, the disciples did not recognize him until they got closer.
Sometimes, we don’t see things very clearly. On a foggy day, it might be hard to see more than a few steps ahead of us. If we are nearsighted and wear glasses, we sometimes can’t see details of things far away. Or sometimes, we look at something and are not sure exactly what we see. Hold up the picture of Jastrow’s “rabbit/duck” illustration. What do the children see? Ask them if they see a rabbit, or do they see a duck? (Younger children may have a hard time catching on, and so you can encourage them by pointing out how the different images appear.) This is called an optical illusion or an ambiguous image, because sometimes our eyes play tricks on us. If you turn your head one way you might see a duck, but turn your head the other and you’ll only see a rabbit. (If they are interested, you can invite them to read the book, Rabbit! Duck! By Amy Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld.)
The disciples weren’t sure who they were seeing! They looked and looked at Jesus. Peter was not sure who was calling to them, but the Beloved Disciple (probably John) said, “It’s the Lord!” Peter was so excited that he jumped into the lake and swam to the shore.
It was Jesus, and the surprises kept coming. Before they had even brought the fish out of the boats, Jesus had prepared a fish barbecue for them. He fed them, and gave them new instructions on what it meant to follow him now that he was raised.
Sometimes, following Jesus means seeing things in new ways. When we look at the picture, we might see things one way, but if we change our perspective, we will see things differently. It’s still the same picture. Jesus asked the disciples to fish from the other side of the boat, or to try new things. What would happen if you asked the people in church to switch seats? Would they see worship differently? Maybe! After Easter, we follow a risen Jesus who calls us to see things differently.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, May 5, 2019 issue.
Copyright 2019 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
- Going to Extremes by Tom Willadsen — It seems that fear of “The Other” is a global phenomenon. One’s identity is what imperils individuals. Religion alone is not the weapon. It is, rather, extremism that makes any affiliation potentially toxic and dangerous to others.
- Extra by Mary Austin — Jesus goes to excess to make his love and forgiveness known to his disciples in this appearance by the lake shore.
- Sermon illustrations from Ron Love and Bethany Peerbolte.
- Worship resources by George Reed that focus extremism; new things God is calling us to.
- Children’s sermon: Breakfast on the Beach by Chris Keating — The disciples see the risen Christ in new ways and are called to believe in all that he has promised.
Going to Extremesby Tom Willadsen
Acts 9:1-6 (7-20), Psalm 30, Revelation 5:11-14, John 21:1-19
It seems that fear of “The Other” is a global phenomenon. March’s shooting in New Zealand and the Easter bombings in Sri Lanka have made people all over the world afraid to practice their faith. Perpetrators of this kind of terrorism attack specific kinds of people. One’s identity is what imperils individuals. It is not just religions, however, who are attacked. Political affiliations, ethnic identity, gender identity are just some of the other bases that terrorists use to justify their attacks.
Religion alone is not the weapon. It is, rather, extremism that makes any affiliation potentially toxic and dangerous to others. Another word for “extremism” is “certainty.” If I am certain that my way is the only acceptable one, it is not much of a stretch to justify exterminating people who have refused to see my light.
Extremism is at new extremes in the world today. Extremism has been around for a long time. We’re marking the 25 anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda. The Atlantic just ran an article about the changed status of the United States internationally by contrasting the way our nation responded to ethnic cleansing in the former Yugoslavia.
Domestically we can look back at the attack on worshipers at Emanuel Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina in 2015, the deadly demonstration in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017, the March attack at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, and of course, Timothy McVeigh’s attack in Oklahoma City in 1995.
The only thing that really baffles me is the Buddhist extremists in Myanmar, (formerly Burma) who attack Muslims, Christians and Rohingyas, an ethnic group that includes Muslims and Hindus.
Whenever there is an attack of terrorism committed by someone with a religious affiliation there is a stampede of people who claim the same faith who say, “This is not what ______ is about! We are heartbroken that someone claiming to be _____ would do such a thing! ____ is a religion of peace!” Here’s the most recent example from The New York Times.
In the News
There is no greater news story since Easter than the terrorist attacks on Christians in Sri Lanka. Once again, the world is horrified that the targets of violence are selected because of their religion. It was not too many weeks ago we were horrified by the attacks on the mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. In the case of the latter attacks, the white supremacist ideology of extreme white nationalists in the United States has been exported to other nations. While Americans have lots of things to fear. (The 2019 Global Emotions Report, Gallup’s annual snapshot of the world’s emotional state, released March 25, found that most Americans (55%) recalled feeling stressed during much of the day in 2018. That’s more than all but three other countries, including top ranking Greece (59%), which has led the world in stress since 2012. "Even as their economy roared, more Americans were stressed, angry and worried last year than they have been at most points during the past decade," Julie Ray, a Gallup editor, wrote in a summary report.) The fact is that white nationalist extremists are responsible for nearly three fourths of all deaths due to terrorism in the United States. Have we met this enemy?
In the Scriptures
John 21:1-19
In the John reading it is not clear how much time has passed since Jesus revealed his wounds to Thomas. It appears that the disciples have returned to their chosen trade. They were fishers of men, but they’re fishers of fish again. Jesus must be a morning person. He appeared to Mary when it was so dark she did not recognize him. In this reading he’s already got a charcoal fire going and fish and bread on the barbie at first light.
For an amateur Jesus has really good luck with fishing. The disciples follow his advice — even though they’ve been fishing all night and have not caught anything, it had not occurred to them to throw the net off the other side of the boat — and catch a huge amount of fish.
When they realize it’s Jesus on the shore they start to head in. But Peter, who was either naked or not decently dressed while fishing, puts proper clothes on and jumps into the water.
I have contended in these pages that Simon earned the name “Peter” not because of the solid foundation his faith provided to the first Christians. No, Jesus called him Peter because he’s about as smart as a rock.
The rest of this reading takes place after breakfast. For once the disciples have brought something to the potluck, Jesus did not need to work a miracle with loaves and fish this time.
Three times Jesus asks Peter “Do you love me?” At the third time Peter is hurt that Jesus kept asking him. It is significant that it was Peter whom Jesus asked. It is significant that Jesus asked Peter three times. It was Peter who denied Jesus three times. This conversation offers something like redemption for Peter. He goes on in the sequel (Acts) to turn into quite a preacher and a bold, courageous leader for the early church.
Acts 1:1-6 (7-20)
We know a lot about Paul. He has a great pedigree among the Jews and is a citizen to the Romans. There’s a little Presbyterian in him too. Paul asks the high priest in Jerusalem for a letter permitting him to arrest followers of “The Way,” i.e., the first Christians 150 miles away in Damascus. Before he starts the actual persecution, he gets the paperwork in place. He’s no vigilante, no loose cannon; he has written permission from the highest authority to persecute. (Presbyterians feel a little better about this kind of thing when it’s properly authorized.)
All this makes Saul’s transition to Paul, blindness to sight, persecution to evangelism even more amazing. Immediately something like scales fell from his eyes. Immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues.
Revelation 5:11-14
In the Book of Revelation the term that is most used for Jesus is “Lamb.” There are clear references back to the Passover, the sacrificial lamb, the power of the blood of the lamb to keep the angel of death away. Of the gospels, John uses lamb imagery the most. Jesus refers to himself as The Good Shepherd only in John’s gospel.
The image of the Lamb being in the throne — the place for the king — should be startling. All of creation, every creature above, below and around the earth praises the Lamb. Indeed, the Lamb is worthy of praise.
Psalm 30 has themes of resurrection, “You brought me up from Sheol,” and transformation, weeping is turned to joy by morning. There’s a more subtle echo of Peter’s short-lived confidence on the night when Jesus was arrested, v. 6
As for me, I said in my prosperity,
“I shall never be moved.”
But when the Lord, v. 7b
hid your face;
I was dismayed.
In v. 11 the psalmist praises God for clothing him with joy. Perhaps those joyous clothes were just the thing to wear to jump into the sea to meet one’s Savior.
In the Sermon
I contended above that it is not the content of faith, or any ideology, that is perilous but it is extremism; it is certainty. Timothy McVeigh didn’t say, “I could be wrong!” before blowing up the Murrah Building in 1995.
What can one make of an extremist like Paul? His reputation as a persecutor of Christians had reached Damascus before he did. He was zealous; he was determined; he was righteous, because he knew he was right. What tools would he have used against Christians if he were in the modern age?
Saul’s transformation to Paul, the scales falling off his eyes, is one of the great transformations of all time. One can hardly blame Ananias for being reluctant — no, fearful — of going to see him. What kind of vision or experience would you need to approach someone whom you knew only as your bitter enemy?
One may recall the parable of the Good Samaritan at this point. That name is so familiar to use that we do not hear the scandal behind Jesus daring to tell a story in which a Samaritan was “good” while leaders of his, and his questioner’s faith were not “good.” (Jesus does not use the word “good” in the parable; we’ve added it for nearly 2,000 years.) A modern rendering of this story would have the part of the Samaritan played by a member of an Islamic terrorist cell in your city. The very idea that one of those people could be God’s chosen agent, a faithful doer of God’s will, is shocking.
Ananias’s reluctance to go to Saul would be like ours in approaching a terrorist.
Think of John Newton, the man who wrote “Amazing Grace.” The story is often told of how the former slave trader literally turned around, not just his life, but his whole being. That moment of stark pain and guilt, that feeling that made him “a wretch” in song, was a dramatic epiphany.
Another example of someone who had a Paul-like transformation is Arno Michaelis. (He was mentioned in one of the illustration columns for The Immediate Word, April 21.) Michaelis was a former white supremacist skinhead, a founding member of the influential white supremacist punk band Centurion, who found his way out of that life. Following the shooting at the Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, in 2012, Pardeep Sikh Kaleka, the surviving son of one of the men who was killed in that rampage, reached out to Michaelis and the two of them now work together to teach all people of the need to love and serve one another. They wrote The Gift of Our Wounds together.
Theirs is a powerful story of transformation. If anything Michaelis was more of a wretch than John Newton before seeing clearly and turning away from a life fueled by hatred.
You may want to give some attention to the Muslims who were not behind the bombings in Sri Lanka. The New York Times article linked above tells how they are fearful of reaching out in support of their Christian neighbors. Emotions are high in the wake of attacks like those that Sri Lanka is recovering from. People want swift action of some kind when faced with this kind of tragedy. Justice can look a lot like vengeance when emotions are high and wounds are raw.
Recent news has revealed that there were warning signs that an attack on Christians was imminent, but no action was taken. At this writing at least two Sri Lankan officials have been fired (or ‘sacked’ as the BBC says).
For 21st century Protestants in the United States, it seems to me that most of us are in a position similar to that of Ananias. We have faith, but are reluctant, even fearful, to share it because we don’t want to look like hypocrites or fanatics. Your worshipers may also identify with the Muslims in Sri Lanka who have disavowed their connection with terrorism, yet do not want to offer support, sympathy or encouragement to their Christian neighbors. We live in a fear-filled, stress-filled world. We need to find the courage to be kind. We need to build bridges to one another as Ananias did with Paul. We will risk being misunderstood, but our humanity, and the gospel of Jesus Christ demands we try.
SECOND THOUGHTSExtra
by Mary Austin
John 21:1-19
“That’s so extra,” one of my young friends said the other day. She meant over the top, too much, an annoying excess. When she said it, it wasn’t a good thing, like an extra serving of mashed potatoes would be, or an extra snow day off from work.
In this appearance after his resurrection, Jesus goes out of his way to be “extra.” He has already appeared in the locked room, astonishing the fearful disciples there, and now he takes the time to show up back in Galilee. The disciples are back doing what they know how to do, using this bewildering time to do work that feels solid and real and familiar to them.
Jesus comes back to serve breakfast by the side of the same lake where he fed the crowd of 5,000. (John 6:1 and following.) This is a much more intimate scene, but with the same joyful excess. When the crowd has dinner, there are twelve baskets full of leftovers. This time, there’s a wealth of fish, 153 of them. Some commentators suggest that this was the number of nations in the ancient world, giving us a vision of the completeness of God fishing for people.
Brian Stoffregen suggests that Chapter 21 of John, where the authorship is in dispute, functions “as an epilogue to the gospel. An epilogue is added to complete some lines or thoughts left unfinished in the main story. (Whether or not the epilogue was added by "John" or a later writer can be left for the scholars to debate.) In this sense, chapter 21 answers the question: “After one has confessed before the resurrected Jesus, ‘My Lord and my God,’ then what?”
As Jesus appears for breakfast, and then questions Simon Peter, he’s inviting the disciples to see him in a new way, and to see themselves in a different light. Just like they were encouraged to find a way to feed the crowd, Jesus uses their efforts to make breakfast complete. He’s showing them again how be his followers in the world.
In the same way, when public figures seek a new role, they have to see the world in new ways, and show us that they have the skills for a new challenge. As Joe Biden begins his race for the Democratic nomination for President, voters are wondering if he’s kept up with changes in the electorate, in how women are treated, and in the role of people of color in the party. “When Joe Biden first ran for Senate in 1972, 40 percent of Democrats believed that whites had a right to segregate neighborhoods.”
Today, he seeks the presidential nomination of a very different Democratic Party, one that is increasingly progressive, diverse and well educated. “Uncle Joe” was an affable vice president, and a foil to a then young, less experienced Barack Obama. Does he have the gravitas and substance to be a contender for the nomination? Over the next few months, we’ll see if he can see the electorate differently. “In some cases, Mr. Biden’s nearly 50-year record in Washington isn’t merely moderate, but out of step with the mores of today’s Democratic Party.” His party has shifted around him. What they believed was often very different from what many Democrats believe today. “Nearly 40 percent opposed interracial marriage when Mr. Biden first sought a Senate seat, according to the General Social Survey. Nearly 80 percent opposed legalizing marijuana and believed same-sex sexual relations were wrong. Over all, three-quarters of Democrats were whites without a college degree, and about half of Democrats were moderate or conservative whites without a college degree.” American society has shifted, and Mr. Biden’s party has changed. “Today, the Democratic Party is in transition. Over all, it is roughly divided between its past and its future, and split about evenly between white voters with and without a college degree, between voters older or younger than age 50, between self-identified liberal and moderate voters. And the nonwhite share of voters isn't too far from even, at 42 percent.” Mr. Biden will need to take an example from Jesus’ playbook, and learn to see his party as it is now, and help them see him as he is now.
Politico proposes that Joe Biden’s toughest opponent will be…himself. “Perhaps Biden’s biggest challenge — apart from his age itself — will be to persuade Democratic voters not to view his past through the prism of the present.” Paradoxically, “It would likelier be a lot easier for Biden if he were a Republican. One of the signal features of the 2016 campaign was the capacity of GOP voters to sweep aside Donald Trump’s past, both his words and deeds. The once “strongly pro-choice” Trump, the Trump who embraced a substantial wealth tax, who openly celebrated a sybaritic lifestyle, became a heroic figure among supply-side economists and evangelical Christian leaders.” Re-invention isn’t limited to any one political party, or any particular candidate.
Then there are the other questions: Does he tweet? Use Instagram? Can he give women a firm handshake and then step back? All of that will shape whether the country can see him in a new role.
Maybe all of that feels so extra to a man who has been in politics for decades…but a new daybreak comes to us all.
Simon Peter finds Jesus’ gaze fixed on him, in a way that must have been unsettling. Three times Jesus asks if Simon Peter loves him, perhaps to match his three denials. Asking the same question three times probably feels like he asks until Simon Peter has it clear in his own mind that Jesus isn’t angry, and he isn’t a failure, and then Jesus tells him to go out and continue their work. Simon Peter has to see himself anew, so he can pick up Jesus’ work and continue it.
The fish, the questions and the appearances are all so extra. They remind us that Jesus’ love and forgiveness are so extra, too, all in the good way.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Ron Love:Revelation 5:13 “Then I heard every creature…”
Dr. Mary Cameron, who has a doctorate in historical geography, reported that homes that were being built after the 1950s were, increasingly, being designed without front porches, and that, by the 1970s, the front porch had disappeared altogether from home designs. One reason for this is air conditioning, as people no longer needed to sit in the cool breeze to avoid the summer heat. But, this was only a minor reason. The most significant reason was the dawn of television. Prior to television people would sit on their front porch and socialize with neighbors. Television brought people indoors where they stayed cocooned in front of their entertainment box.
* * *
Acts 9:15 “for he is an instrument whom I have chosen”
John Donne lived for many years in poverty, relying on wealthy friends to sustain him. After he received a substantial inheritance, he used some of the money to pay for his education. He also used his new-found wealth on womanizing and travel. In 1601, Donne secretly married Anne Moore, with whom he had twelve children. After his marriage, Donne had a conversion experience, and, in 1615, he became an Anglican priest. In 1621, he was appointed Dean of St Paul's Cathedral in London. He served as a member of parliament in 1601 and 1614. He also became an established poet, recognized for his strong, sensual style. His compositions included sonnets, love poems and religious poems. One of his better known and more popular poems is No Man Is An Island.
* * *
Acts 9:4 “why do you persecute me”
In the Spring of 1573, Roman Catholic authorities in Antwerp arrested Maeyken Wens, who was an Anabaptist. They subjected her to torture, trying to get her to renounce her beliefs, as she opposed the Catholic teaching on baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Failing to convert Wens, on October 5 they sentenced her to death. Her tongue was screwed tight so that she could not speak to bystanders when she was taken to be burned at the stake. While in prison she wrote a letter to her husband saying, “Oh, how easy it is to be a Christian, so long as the flesh is not put to trial, or nothing has to be relinquished; then it is an easy thing to be a Christian.”
* * *
Acts 9:4 “why do you persecute me”
Aharon Appelfeld was nine-years-old when he heard that the Germans had shot his mother and grandmother on their farm in Romania. The young Jewish boy knew what was happening to his family, and he jumped out of a second-floor window into a corn field. He was later caught and taken to a forced-labor camp in Transnistria. From there he escaped into the forest and found a group of Ukrainian criminals. He became their slave boy, but knowing he was Jewish they kept him alive. He later left them and took refuge with a village prostitute. But, when one of her clients recognized Aharon as a Jew, he fled once more. Aharon spent the rest of the war working as a cook for the Soviet army.
In 1946 he immigrated to Israel. It was there that, along with teaching at the university, he became a novelist. Appelfeld, in his novels, rarely ventured into historical analysis or first-person anecdote of the Holocaust. Instead, the murder of six million European Jews hung ominously in the background of his books, addressed obliquely through the presence of dirtied trains, curls of smoke, and characters with disabilities or missing limbs. In preparing a novel, Appelfeld would write ideas down on paper and put them in a drawer. Then, after several years, he would remove them and prepare a manuscript for publication. Appelfeld said that writing stabilized his life and gave shape to the family members he had lost during the Holocaust.
Regarding the list of family members’ names that he used in his novels, Appelfeld said, “This list gave me a ground that I understood. I was not alone. I still had my family. They exist in me. I made myself a family on paper. I wrote it down, and they became real.”
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Acts 9:4 “why do you persecute me”
In the movie The Devil’s Advocate, which was released in 1997, Kevin Lomax, who is played by Keanu Reeves, is a defense lawyer who specializes in jury selection. Even though he is appalled by the actions of his clients and allows witnesses to lie on the stand, he is driven, not by justice, but by a motivation to always win. Realizing his success, John Milton, who is played by Al Pacino, the senior partner in a New York City law firm, entices Lomax to relocate in the city with a huge financial package with many perks attached to it. Lomax’s wife, Mary Ann, who is played by Charlize Theron, is at first excited about the opportunities that the Big Apple has to offer. But, she slowly becomes disillusioned and desires to return home to Gainesville, Florida. Her husband refuses, because he is riveted by the big cases that he is assigned and his ability to continue to win.
As the movie progresses, and after Mary Ann suffers many personal disappointments and tragedies, causing her to commit suicide, the audience learns that John Milton is Satan. In the closing scene Lomax and Milton have a violent confrontation when Lomax learns who the senior partner really is. In the exchange of dialogue, Milton says that the greatest sin he uses is “vanity.”
Even though he is Satan, he cannot overcome free will. But what he can do is create situations where the vanity of an individual empowers them to do wrong. Milton says in the movie, “Vanity, definitely my favorite sin.” Realizing this, Milton says that all that he has to do is “set the stage,” and an individual’s vanity, a desire for success and notoriety, will lead an individual to personal destruction. In the case of Lomax, vanity caused him to forsake the intimacy that Mary Ann craved so that he could continue a winning law practice.
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Acts 9:15 “for he is an instrument whom I have chosen”
Patricia Lockwood is a poet and the daughter of a Catholic priest. Her father, Greg, was a married Episcopal priest when he decided to join the Roman Catholic Church. The Pope allowed the married man to be ordained into the Catholic order. In May 2015, Lockwood published her memoir titled Priestdaddy. The title of the book comes from the fact that her father was a married Roman Catholic priest.
In her book, she recounts how the image of the church changed with the movie The Exorcist, instead of the sunnier days depicted in Going My Way and The Bells of St. Mary’s. In her book, she recounts the first time her father saw the movie The Exorcist. Rev. Lockwood was on board a nuclear submarine, and there was not enough room for him to leap out of his chair with fear. Ms. Lockwood recounts his experience with these words, “Put yourself in his place. You’re a drop of blood at the center of the ocean…All of a sudden you look up at a screen and see a possessed 12-year-old with violent head vomiting green chunks and backwards Latin. She’s so full of demon that the only way to relieve her feelings is to have sex with a crucifix. You would convert too. I guarantee it.”
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Acts 9:10 “Here I am”
John Young, who died in January 2018 at the age of 87, was, at the time of his death, the longest serving astronaut for NASA. Young was an astronaut for 42 years. During those decades he flew in space six times and walked on the moon once. He was the only astronaut to fly in the Gemini, Apollo and space shuttle programs. Young retained a single-minded devotion to the space program that kept him working 12-hour days into his 70s. His only hobby was staying fit enough to maintain his active flight status. At his retirement, Young played down his accomplishments, saying, “Anybody could have done it. You’ve just got to hang in there.”
Young continued to believe in the importance of space exploration and manned space flights. Astronaut John Young said, “Our ability to live and work on other planets in the solar system will end up giving us the science and technology that we need to save the species. I’m talking about human beings. I’d hate to miss all that fun.”
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John 21:17 “Feed my sheep”
Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth President of the United States, taking office on March 4, 1861. Lincoln was a student of the Bible, and direct quotes from the scriptures or allusions to Bible passages are scattered throughout all of his speeches. In fact, absent of knowledge of the Bible, an individual can never fully comprehend the wisdom and depth of Lincoln’s public oratory and written correspondences. Regarding the scriptures, Lincoln said, “I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this book.”
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Psalm 30:1 “I will extol you, O LORD”
Revelation 5:13 “I heard every creature…”
John Ashcroft, as a senator from Missouri and later as the United States Attorney General in the George W. Bush administration, was a controversial and polarizing figure. Putting politics aside, Ashcroft’s Christian faith remains unquestionable. The night before he was sworn into the Senate in 1995, family and friends gathered around a piano in a private Washington, D.C. dining hall. His father, James, requested that John play and all would sing the hymn “We Are Standing on Holy Ground.”
After the joyful singing, James asked everyone to be quiet so that John could listen carefully to his advice. Father spoke to son with these words: “The spirit of Washington is arrogance, and the spirit of Christ is humility. Put on the spirit of Christ. Nothing of lasting value has ever been accomplished in arrogance. Someday I hope someone will come up to you as you are fulfilling your duties as senator, tug on your sleeve, and say, ‘Senator, your spirit is showing.’”
* * *
Psalm 30:1 “I will extol you, O LORD”
Revelation 5:13 “I heard every creature…”
The title of the hymn We Are Standing on Holy Ground is simply Holy Ground. The confusion arises from the chorus. The song was written by Geron Davis. Geron, along with his wife Becky, have composed a number of contemporary songs for Christian worship. Geron and Becky have joined with Geron’s sister, Alyson Lovern, and her husband Shelton, to form the singing group “Kindred Souls.” The lyrics for the chorus of Holy Ground are:
We are standing on holy ground
For I know that there are angels all around
Let us praise Jesus now
For we are standing in His presence on holy ground.
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From team member Bethany Peerbolte:Acts 9:1-20
You want me to talk to HIM!?!
I am amazed by the call of journalists. They must balance in the middle of all view points while being an advocate for all angles. They agree to research situations in dangerous areas of the world. Often interviewing people who would easily see them killed for a wrong move. The questions asked need to be affirming so that the interviewee does not get defensive, while also being challenging enough to gain new information. This balance can be thrilling to watch unfold. In a recent news segment about the drug turf wars near tourist destinations in Mexico, Avery Haines does an exemplary job of interviewing a member of one of the top drug gangs in Playa Del Carman. “The Narco Riviera” is Haines’ report on what she saw and heard while investigating in Mexico. Haines admits she understood the wrong question could get her, and her crew, killed. In her key interview, she carefully peels back the layers of how this one man got into the gang, why he stays, and what his plans are for the future. Haines’ deep respect for journalism drives her to ask hard questions, but their root is always from a place of compassion. This allows the man to be open and reveal the honest human predicament driving so many to drug gangs.
Ananias is sent on a similarly dangerous mission. To meet with the man who has pledged his life to killing all people of “The Way.” Ananias is not a passive agent of God, he pushes back asking about Saul’s past behavior. Ultimately Ananias is rooted in compassion, and if God says this man is ready to change then Ananias is ready to be an instrument of God’s grace. The few verses following the healing do not seem to hold the tension that must have existed as the community welcomed Paul into the fold. The stress over making a wrong move is missing, and the carefully worded questions. The interview between Haines and the gang member is probably a better representation of how those days unfolded. It also shows what people rooted in compassion can achieve when they allow space for tough questions to be asked and accept the answers without judgement.
* * *
Acts 9:1-20
Forgiveness Breaks the Chains
When we speak of forgiveness in the church it is often from the perspective of the forgiver, or as a sinner forgiven by God. Rarely do we seek the other angle, to see what it is like to be forgiven. Carole Braverman taught at a private high school, and like all schools took roll every morning. One year she began taking roll and called out looking for “Lisa,” after a moment a student replied “Liza.” She looked at her paper and indeed it was supposed to be Liza. She had mispronounced the students name. The next day, she made the same mistake and again the student quickly corrected her. Braverman recounts how that small mistake became a daily hit to her confidence. Every day she would mispronounce the name and every day she was corrected. She began to dread taking roll, and beat herself up over not being able to correct the mistake. One day she saw the student on campus. Calling out to her “Lisa,” she began the routine of apology and slumped shoulders. The student ran up to her with a huge smile and hugged her. Liza assured her it was not a big deal and that Braverman could call her Lisa, she wouldn’t mind at all. From that day forward Braverman never said the students name wrong again. “It was as if the girl’s forgiveness had released me from some enchantment, like in a fairy tale” Braverman says.
Paul certainly must have felt like he was in some like of fairytale with curse casting and lifted enchantments. In the vulnerable state of blindness, he depended on others in a way he never had to before. When Ananias comes he must have felt a tinge of fear that this person would seek revenge for the killing of his friends. Paul quickly learns why so many had committed themselves to “The Way.” Ananias does not seek revenge, he touches Paul and releases him from his darkness. Then Paul spends days with the community he persecuted. One by one receiving their forgiveness. The scales fell from Paul’s eyes but more scales fell away with every new encounter with Jesus’ followers. Forgiveness breaks the enchantment of sin and leaves us free to live as we had only dreamed before. With the right pronunciations.
* * *
Psalm 30
Sunflower Yellow from Black
In college I worked in a hardware store, and by far my favorite task was mixing paint. Customers would come with a paint color, usually with some ridiculous name like “practical tan.” I would enter the color into the computer system and it would give me the formula to mix the paint. The pigment options were red, blue, yellow, white, and black. One day a woman came in wanting a yellow for her daughters room. The color she picked was called Brilliant Sunflower. I entered the name in the computer and out popped the formula. The two pigments needed were yellow and….black. I paused, thinking there must be something wrong. The amount of black it was asking me to put into the can was significant. I was certain it would come out grey, not yellow. Sure that it was wrong I just put the yellow into the can. The color that came out was, well gross. Like the yellowing walls of all my college rental homes. I quickly hid the bad mixed paint and went along with the original formula. I put in the yellow pigment, and the black, and I prayed.
The color that came out was gorgeous. It shined and caught the light, reflecting a brilliant sunflower tone. I was genuinely shocked it wasn’t grey and dull. The black didn’t lessen the shine it gave it depth! The darkness was exactly what the yellow needed to develop alongside to become the perfect color for a child’s room. This Psalm shows the same formula works in our lives too. We will experience pain in life. That darkness cannot be avoided, but it does not dampen our shine. The pain we experience turns to joy when placed in God’s care. Weeping in the night turns to joy in the morning. It may seem counterintuitive, but pain is an essential ingredient to experiencing shining brilliant joy.
* * *
Psalm 30
Comprehensive Worship
These verses demonstrate a completely full and all-embracing worship. When we worship, Psalm 30 asks us be truthful about what we have been through. Even when we sit on the other side of answered prayers our testimony and worship is fullest when we remember what has been.
I met a man a few years ago who had a presence about him. It is hard explain but it was as if something was chasing him but he wasn’t afraid of it catching him. His lack of fear did not mean he let the thing overcome him, if anything he worked to always stay two steps ahead. It wasn’t long until I learned what motivated him. In his youth he had been in a gang. He admitted to doing terrible things to belong, until one day he was held at gun point. Looking down the barrel of a hand gun he prayed for God to save him. The gun jammed. Since then he lived on a second chance and he did not take it for granted. Best yet, he told everyone what God had done for him, many times. If it wasn’t such an amazing story I think I would have been tired of hearing it a week after meeting him. His worship was a comprehensive representation of what God had done for him because it didn’t leave out the hard truths of how he got into the situation from which God rescued him. The complete picture is more powerful than a single answered prayer.
* * *
John 21:1-19
What would you do for a breakfast with Jesus?
Klondike has built an entire brand on the notion that people are willing to fulfill crazy requests for the things they love. Their slogan “what would you do for a Klondike bar” has been tauntingly sung for decades. I shudder to think what Peter would do for a Klondike bar. He is the most impulsive and “act now think later” disciple among the twelve. This impulsive act in John may be my favorite. He figures out the guy on the shore is Jesus, he puts on clothes to jump in the water…to get soaking wet. He leaves the other disciples to haul in the miraculous catch of fish just so he can be the first dripping wet person to say hi to Jesus. Oh Peter.
We all know a Peter, someone who acts firsts and thinks second especially when it comes to something they love. In the past year, in my area alone, I have heard of people placing a hand on a house to try and win it. A local news station gave away concert tickets by holding a toe wrestling contest. My favorite was the Michigan radio station that gave away final four tickets to someone willing to burn their couch. This is my favorite because I went to Michigan State University so I know couch burning is a weekly casual pastime for students. The idea that someone thought a Spartan fan wouldn’t burn their couch for tickets is absurd. The radio station was shocked when hundreds of people called in matches in hand to win their tickets.
If our favorite bands, teams, and ice cream bars can rally so much enthusiasm, maybe Peter isn’t too far from sanity. It’s Jesus! The man who taught and loved them for so many years. Who predicted his death and rose from the dead. This is the guy who saved the world from the power of death. Maybe throwing on your best Sunday outfit and jumping into the water isn’t so crazy after all.
WORSHIPby George Reed
Call to Worship:
Leader: Let us extol our God who has drawn us up.
People: We cried to God and we were healed.
Leader: Let us sing praises to God and give thanks.
People: God’s anger is for a moment; God’s favor is forever.
Leader: God has turned our mourning into dance.
People: God has removed our sackcloth and clothed us with joy.
OR
Leader: God is at work in our world in new ways!
People: We celebrate God’s presence and work among us!
Leader: God’s creative work continues today.
People: We rejoice in the newness of God’s love each day.
Leader: Share God’s renewing grace with everyone.
People: We open our hearts and lives to all God’s people.
Hymns and Songs:
Spirit of the Living God
UMH: 393
PH: 322
AAHH: 320
NNBH: 133
NCH: 283
CH: 259
W&P: 492
CCB: 57
Renew: 90
God of the Sparrow God of the Whale
UMH: 122
PH: 272
NCH: 32
CH: 70
ELW: 740
W&P: 29
Morning Has Broken
UMH: 145
H82: 8
PH: 469
CH: 53
ELW: 556
W&P: 65
STLT: 38
O Sons and Daughters, Let Us Sing
UMH: 317
PH: 116/117
NCH: 244
CH: 220
ELW: 386/387
W&P: 313
Jesus Calls Us
UMH: 398
H82: 549/550
NNBH: 183
NCH: 171/172
CH: 337
LBW: 494
ELW: 696
W&P: 345
AMEC: 238
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
UMH: 400
H82: 686
PH: 356
AAHH: 175
NNBH: 166
NCH: 459
CH: 16
LBW: 499
ELW: 807
W&P: 68
AMEC: 77
STLT: 126
Breathe on Me, Breath of God
UMH: 420
H82: 508
PH: 316
AAHH: 317
NNBH: 126
NCH: 292
CH: 254
LBW: 488
W&P: 461
AMEC: 192
O God of Every Nation
UMH: 435
H82: 607
PH: 289
CH: 680
LBW: 416
ELW: 713
W&P: 626
Behold, What Manner of Love
CCB: 44
Live in Charity
CCB: 71
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God who is ever new and ever renewing:
Grant us the grace to see the new things you are calling us to
so that we might faithfully follow your path to eternal life;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because you are the God of newness. Your mercies are new every morning. Help us to understand what you are doing among us in new and different way so that we can join in your redeeming work. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially the ways we are stuck in old and certain ways.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We want to be right but in our desire for rightness we often feel the need to exclude those who have different views. We begin to draw lines that separate us from our sisters and brothers and we see them not only as being wrong but being evil. We forget that we are children of the God who is love. Open our hearts to the truth that we are all your children and help us to share rather than to condemn. Amen.
Leader: God is making us anew right now. Receive the gift of God’s Spirit and share that gift with others.
Prayers of the People
We bless you, O God, because you are always new. You come and renew us and all creation each day.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We want to be right but in our desire for rightness we often feel the need to exclude those who have different views. We begin to draw lines that separate us from our sisters and brothers and we see them not only as being wrong but being evil. We forget that we are children of the God who is love. Open our hearts to the truth that we are all your children and help us to share rather than to condemn.
We give you thanks for the newness of this day. We thank you for the opportunity to open our hearts to all around us.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all your creation. We pray for those who find it difficult to let go of the past and see you at work in their lives. We pray for those who feel pushed aside and excluded.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together saying:
Our Father....Amen.
(Or if the Our Father is not used at this point in the service.)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children’s Sermon Starter
For many of us it is Spring and there are signs of new life all around us. Bring paper cups with soil in them and a pack of bean seeds. Talk to the children about the fun of planting things and seeing new life. Have the children plant the seeds in the cups and tell them you will bring them back for them to check on next week.
Water the soil and place in sunlight and by next week there should be shoots growing up. If not you have lesson for patience next week!
Just like these plants we can also be looking for new things that we can do to serve Jesus by taking care of others: being friendly, helpful and loving.
CHILDREN'S SERMONBreakfast on the Beach
by Chris Keating
John 21:1-19
Gather ahead of time: A copy of Joseph Jastrow’s famous “Rabbit/Duck” illustration. (One is available here.)
Background
John 21:1-19 is filled with rich details, including the emotionally-distraught disciples seeking comfort in the familiar routine of fishing, but whose nets are empty; Jesus calling to them from the beach at daybreak; the overwhelming and surprising catch of fish; their recognition of Jesus, the barbecue on the beach, and Peter’s reconciliation with the Lord. Choosing a direction to go and planning to keep the story simple for children will be among the first decisions to be made in preparing a children’s sermon.
A couple of interesting details are worth noting. Commentators debate the significance of the number of fish. Some note that the name “Yahweh” occurs 153 times in the Hebrew scriptures (I’ll take Wikipedia’s word on this!); Jerome believed it was a reference to the known species of fish at the time; Augustine saw it as a theological representation of a rather complex series of mathematical computations. There are also Eucharistic implications of Jesus breaking bread with the disciples, and the relationship between Peter’s denying of Jesus three times and Jesus’ asking, “Do you love me?”
Welcoming the children
As the children gather, welcome them and ask them about a time when they went on a picnic. Share with them that today’s story about Jesus tells about a time when Jesus fixed breakfast for the disciples. He surprised them by appearing on the beach when they had gone fishing. The disciples had worked and worked all evening but had not caught a single fish. But then Jesus calls to them from the beach and suggests that they put their nets on the other side of the boat. Even though it was Jesus, the disciples did not recognize him until they got closer.
Sometimes, we don’t see things very clearly. On a foggy day, it might be hard to see more than a few steps ahead of us. If we are nearsighted and wear glasses, we sometimes can’t see details of things far away. Or sometimes, we look at something and are not sure exactly what we see. Hold up the picture of Jastrow’s “rabbit/duck” illustration. What do the children see? Ask them if they see a rabbit, or do they see a duck? (Younger children may have a hard time catching on, and so you can encourage them by pointing out how the different images appear.) This is called an optical illusion or an ambiguous image, because sometimes our eyes play tricks on us. If you turn your head one way you might see a duck, but turn your head the other and you’ll only see a rabbit. (If they are interested, you can invite them to read the book, Rabbit! Duck! By Amy Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld.)
The disciples weren’t sure who they were seeing! They looked and looked at Jesus. Peter was not sure who was calling to them, but the Beloved Disciple (probably John) said, “It’s the Lord!” Peter was so excited that he jumped into the lake and swam to the shore.
It was Jesus, and the surprises kept coming. Before they had even brought the fish out of the boats, Jesus had prepared a fish barbecue for them. He fed them, and gave them new instructions on what it meant to follow him now that he was raised.
Sometimes, following Jesus means seeing things in new ways. When we look at the picture, we might see things one way, but if we change our perspective, we will see things differently. It’s still the same picture. Jesus asked the disciples to fish from the other side of the boat, or to try new things. What would happen if you asked the people in church to switch seats? Would they see worship differently? Maybe! After Easter, we follow a risen Jesus who calls us to see things differently.
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The Immediate Word, May 5, 2019 issue.
Copyright 2019 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
