Vines, Branches, and Fruit

Rev. Debbie Cato
John 15:1-8

Fairfield Community Church

April 28, 2024 

Gracious God, may your Holy Spirit open our hearts and minds to your

words of love and grace this day.  Amen.

  

 

Vines, Branches, and Fruit

 

 

I love to garden.  When asked what my hobbies are, I always say gardening.  Unfortunately, gardening is much harder than it used to be because I cannot kneel or squat, and it’s hard for me to use a shovel or any large tool. And I always have weeds and I can’t plant what I want. My arthritis really sucks.  So, most of my gardening is relegated to pots and a raised bed.  How many of the rest of you like to garden?

 

Those of us who like to garden know that cutting back, pruning, and deadheading are an important part of getting the results you want.  Certain flowers benefit from being deadheaded.  Pinching the first flowers produced by pansies will result in fuller plants and more blossoms later in the season.  Yet it’s so hard to take off those first flowers!  It’s counter-intuitive.  Those first flowers are so pretty that it’s easy to ignore the advice to pinch them off.  But pruning them now results in more beautiful plants later.

 

A lot of plants are like that.  They do better if you cut them back – prune them, than if you just let them go.  Marie pruned the roses in the front of the church a few weeks ago.  She cut them back to almost stubs.  But soon they will grow and produce beautiful flowers for us to enjoy. They will come back much better than if she had left them unpruned.

  

Vines left alone become thick trailing plants that attach themselves to other things.  They will grow uncontrollably and result in one big tangled mess. If you want to see an example, I have some in my backyard that are out of control!  A vine grower is needed to keep the vines in order.  The paradox is that the vine grower must cut away lifeless, unproductive branches and prune those branches that are productive.  At some point, all branches need to be cut.  Young vines are not allowed to produce fruit for the first few years. This means drastic pruning is needed each season so the plant can develop to its fullest.[1] 

In a vineyard, the best grapes are produced closest to the central vine. 

Understandably, that is where the nutrients are the most concentrated.  Jesus

draws an apt description of the life of a disciple from this metaphor of nature. 

Jesus is the true vine, God is the grower, and we are the branches.  Through this

image, two aspects of God’s created world are held together – we must be pruned

to bear fruit.[2]

 

Jesus is speaking a word of hope and reassurance to his disciples – and to us all these years later.  Reassurance that comes from remaining close to Jesus, weathering whatever storms may come.

 

Using the contemporary language of Eugene Peterson’s The Message, Jesus says, “Live in me.  Make your home in me just as I do in you.”  The idea of making a home, of finding your heart’s true home in Jesus, brings a sense of peace to the turmoil that often characterizes our lives.[3]

 

When someone is having a hard time, we often will casually give the advice to “hang in there.”  Those words are not very helpful for someone who desperately wonders how to do just that.  Jesus offers so much more than hanging in there.  Yes, hard times will come, but living, abiding, finding our home in Jesus the vine and God the grower sustains us, promoting even greater well-being.[4]

 

As Jesus counsels and prays with his disciples, he invites them to stay close to him by placing their trust in him.  He warns them that they cannot go it alone, trusting in their own strength.  On their own, they would be cut off from their life source.  They would bear no fruit.

 

This is a good word for us today.  The temptation is strong for us to go it on our own.  We live in a society that promotes independence and making something of yourself.  Though a valid goal, self-worth often become equated with our own success and what we can produce.  It becomes very easy to think that it is all up to us and our own resources.

 

God as master gardener offers a better plan for our lives.  Let us find our home in God’s word and place our trust there.  The harvest will be bountiful.  We are chosen to bear fruit.  Jesus is the one who has made this possible.  Here is real hope for hanging in there on the vine of life.[5]

 

Our connection – the branches connected to the vine ensures new life and new growth.  When God is doing maintenance, when we are being pruned, we are assured that new life and new growth will result. As long as the branches remain

connected to the vine, they live and produce full leaves and abundant fruit.  Our

challenge – our community’s challenge is to stay connected to the vine. Stay

close to Jesus.

 

In John’s mind, there are branches that do not produce fruit.  They fail to live in love and are concerned only with themselves.  The branches that do not yield fruit are the ones in the community who profess faith but do not engage in acts of love.  A sign of discipleship is doing good works for the right reasons. There is an African proverb that says:  “Because we are, I am”  Because we are, I am.  The well-being of the community determines who I am.  If others are doing well, I am doing well.  If others are hurting or struggling or mistreated, I am suffering.  My self-worth is based on the well-being of the community. 

 

If we are the branches, how close to the vine are we?  Are we close enough to draw our nutrients from Christ?  Are we “Living in Jesus?” Do we “make our home in Jesus and allow Him to make His home in us?”  Do we live in love? We can only be fruitful if the answers to the above questions are “yes”.    We don’t have to do it on our own.  We can draw our strength from Christ Himself.  

 

“Abide in me,” Christ says.  Abide in me.  What a wonderful invitation.  Will you say, “yes?”  Amen.

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[1] Feasting on the Word.  Year B, Volume 2.  Fifth Sunday of Easter.  John 15:1-8. Homiletical Perspective. Barbara J. Essex. P 473.
[2] Feasting on the Word.  Year B, Volume 2.  Fifth Sunday of Easter.  John 15:1-8.  Pastoral Perspective. Nancy R. Blakely. P 472.
[3] Feasting on the Word.  Year B, Volume 2.  Fifth Sunday of Easter.  John 15:1-8.  Pastoral Perspective. Nancy R. Blakely. P 474.
[4] Feasting on the Word.  Year B, Volume 2.  Fifth Sunday of Easter.  John 15:1-8.  Pastoral Perspective. Nancy R. Blakely. P 472.
[5] Feasting on the Word.  Year B, Volume 2.  Fifth Sunday of Easter.  John 15:1-8.  Pastoral Perspective. Nancy R. Blakely. P 476.

A Good Shepherd

Rev. Debbie Cato
John 10:11-18
Fairfield Community Church
April 21, 2024

God our helper, guide us into and through your Word, that we might be shaped by your Spirit’s message to us today and transformed for service in your world. Amen.

 

A Good Shepherd

 

In John's Gospel, Jesus makes a number of “I am” statements.  Statements that
define the very character of Jesus.  

In John 6, Jesus says, “I am the bread of life.”   (John 6: 35, 48)

          In John 8, he says, “I am the light of the world.”    (John 8: 12, 9:5) 

In John 8, Jesus also says, “I am the resurrection and the life.”     (John 8: 58)

In John 14, he says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”    (John 14:6 )

              In chapter 15, Jesus says, “I am the true vine.”   (John 15:1)  

And today, we read in chapter 11, “I am the good shepherd.”    (John 11:25)

 I am the good shepherd.  Very few of us have experienced the actual job of a shepherd.  I have never met a shepherd; have you?  When we think of God as our “shepherd” we use our imaginations to understand, or we try to visualize who God as our shepherd would be like.  What does that mean?  What does it mean to say, “the Lord is my shepherd?” 

Most people – even those not that familiar with the Bible, recognize the 23rd Psalm – a comforting psalm; a peaceful psalm.  “The Lord is My Shepherd I Shall Not Want,”  it says.   This Psalm promises that when the Lord is our shepherd, we will lack nothing.  We will have what we need.  We will have enough to eat; enough to drink; enough safety and shelter to live.  Even though we may be in deep distress; even if we are in extreme danger; even if darkness surrounds us; God is guiding us and protecting us and providing for us.  No matter what is happening in our lives, Jesus, the good shepherd is with us. 

The psalmist reminds us that we are utterly dependent upon our shepherd.  God is the one who meets our needs.  God is the one who slows us down and restores our very being.  We are reminded that God suffers with us in our pain and in our sorrow and in our loss.  God guides us. God fights off enemies that want to harm us.  The psalmist offers us God’s promise that: “goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole life long.” 

 Imagine that. The All-Mighty, All-Knowing, All-Powerful God is our shepherd.  He meets our needs.  He causes us to rest & be restored.  He leads us in the right way of living.  He protects us from evil and honors and blesses us. He never stops pursuing us with goodness & kindness. What a beautiful picture that paints.

We find another Old Testament reference to God as a shepherd in Ezekiel.  The prophet Ezekiel, living in exile in Babylon with the Israelites, invokes the notion of God as the shepherd of Israel.   He portrays the people as “sheep” to be led and protected and cared for.  God tells Ezekiel, “I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will let them lie down and rest” says the Lord God.  “I will search for my sheep; I will rescue them.  I will bandage the injured; I will strengthen the weak.”  How comforting to  people living in exile in a foreign land.  How comforting to us to know that God will search for us; God will rescue us.  God will strengthen us.

Deep in the Hebrew tradition is this iconic understanding that God will intimately shepherd His people.  The prophet Isaiah said that the promised Messiah would “gather the lambs with his arm,” and “gently lead those that are with young.”  Isn’t that beautiful?  “He will gather the lambs with his arm.” God provides protection and identity for God’s own.  He gathers us in his arms.  He holds us close.  This paints a beautiful, very intimate picture of God.  Can you picture yourself gathered in his arms?

God is not off somewhere that He cannot be accessed.  He is not distant. He is with us.  He rescues us; he protects us; He holds us close.  God holds us close.  I love that imagery.

In our Gospel lesson today, Jesus says, “I am the Good Shepherd.”  

      I am He,  Jesus says.  I am the one who gathers the lambs in my arms.

                  I search for my sheep; I rescue them;

It is I who bandages the injured; who strengthens the weak.

                             “It is I.  I am He,” Jesus says. 

I love that image:  “I am He who gathers the lambs in my arms.”  Jesus fulfills the hopes of Israel for a good shepherd.  The One sent from above; God made flesh.  The Messiah himself is the promised good shepherd. 

Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd because “I know my sheep and they know me.”   This paints a picture of a relationship; of time spent together; of conversations.  It paints a picture of trust and care.  This tells us that our Lord has personal knowledge of each one of us. He is interested in us.

This is no long-distance relationship.  The shepherd knows which of his sheep like to run ahead; which lambs are the most playful; which ewes are the most attentive; which rams are the most defensive. This is a shepherd who knows his sheep.  He calls their names; he counts their heads when they enter and leave the sheepfold. This is a shepherd who loves his sheep.

 Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd because I lay down my life for my sheep.”   I lay down my life for my sheep.  In this same passage, Jesus refers to himself as the sheep gate.

When sheep were out in the pastures, the custom was for the shepherd to usher them into the sheepfold each night. The sheepfold was typically a stacked stone compound, high enough to keep out predators, but without a door. When all the sheep had been safely gathered for the night, the shepherd would lay down in the opening to the sheepfold and literally become the sheep gate.  That is how the shepherd would sleep.  Nothing could go in or come out of the sheepfold unless it came by the shepherd first.

But then, of course, Jesus really did lay down his life for His sheep. He died on that cross for us.  Here in John, Jesus makes it clear that he will lay down his life of his own accord — he’s choosing to give his life for His sheep.  He freely lays down his life because he loves his sheep – he loves us.

I think that deep down inside – even the most independent of us, realize that we need God's guidance and leadership to make our way down the road of life. We all need someone to help us get across the potholes, over the rocks, even down the nice smooth newly paved paths.  Jesus tells us,

 “Come to me.  Let me be your shepherd.  Let me guide you through this time.”  Deep down inside, each and every one of us yearn for guidance in life.  Jesus invites us to accept His divine guidance.  Guidance from the good shepherd.  We know to whom we belong.  He calls our name.  We can be comforted by the sound of his voice.  We can trust that our Shepherd is always with us. 

Forgive me if I’ve told this before but I’m going to tell it again. There’s a story about two men who were called on, in a large classroom setting, to recite the Twenty-third Psalm.  One was a great speaker trained in speech technique and drama. He recited the 23rd Psalm in a powerful way. When he finished, the audience cheered and even asked for an encore so that they might hear his wonderful voice again.

Then the other man, who was much older, repeated the same words--'The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want...' But when he finished, no sound came from the large class. Instead, people sat in a deep mood of devotion and prayer.   Finally, the first man, the trained speaker, stood to his feet.  'I have a confession to make,' he said. 'The difference between what you just heard from my old friend, and what you heard from me is this: I know the Psalm, my friend knows the Shepherd."  I know the Psalm.  My friend knows the Shepherd.

 The only question that remains at this point is this: Do you know the Shepherd? Just as God promised Ezekiel, He promises us “I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep,” says the Lord God. “I will search for my sheep; I will rescue them.  I will bandage the injured; I will strengthen the weak.” I will gather you up in my arms.  Amen.  

Jesus Shows Up

Rev. Debbie Cato
Luke 24:36– 48
Fairfield Community Church
April 14, 2024 

Redeeming God, as we hear your Word spoken to us, open our eyes to see the risen Christ, open our ears to hear the good news of his salvation for all the world, and open our minds to understand the mysteries of your love. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.

  

Jesus Shows Up

  

We are going backwards in time a little bit.  Because we were doing a series focused on Peter, we finished up last week, looking at the third time Jesus appeared to the disciples after his resurrection – because it featured Peter.  Jesus spent time with Peter, connecting the dots between loving Christ and feeding his sheep.  Jesus was letting Peter know two important things: he was forgiven for denying him three times and, if Peter loved Jesus, he must tend to; he must feed his sheep.  The two are tied together.  We cannot say we love Christ without caring for those Christ loves. Do you love me?  Feed my sheep.

 

Today we go back in time to the first time Jesus appeared to the disciples after his resurrection.  Jesus had appeared to two people walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus and because they were so amazed with this encounter, they turned around and walked the seven miles back to Jerusalem to tell the disciples.  The disciples were locked in a room out of fear for their own safety when the two arrived to tell them about their encounter with the risen Jesus.  Our passage today begins with … “³⁶ While they were still talking about this” – so while the two were still talking about the experience they had with Jesus on their walk to Emmaus, “Jesus himself stood among all of them in the room and said to them, “Peace be with you.”  Peace be with you.  The perfect words to hear when you arelocked behind doors, scared to death for fear of your own life, and overwhelmed with all that has happened over the last few days.  Peace be with you. 

Now, the followers who were locked in that room were so distressed and out-of-sorts that they thought Jesus was a ghost, and that frightened them even more! In Luke’s account, they had not believed the women who told them the news that Jesus had risen.  Now they were listening to this crazy story about an encounter along the road to Emmaus. So, they certainly were not expecting to see Jesus.  Of course, they were in a locked room and yet there he was – in the room with them! How did he get in?! It’s no wonder they were “terrified and thought they were seeing a ghost”! 

I think Jesus understood their fear and lack of recognition.  He does several things to show them who he is and that he is real.  Jesus is like that.  Jesus does not chastise them for their fear or disbelief.  He is not disappointed in them.  He is not angry. Jesus gives them the proof that they need.  The physical signs.  He allows them to come to the realization that it is him, in their own time.  He shows them grace. 

First, Jesus shows them his hands and his feet; the nail holes in his hands, the holes in his feet.  Jesus knows that if they see the holes the nails made from his crucifixion, they will realize who he is.  After they see the nail holes, he tells them to touch him.  A ghost does not have flesh and bones. The physical touch reinforces that he is real. Then Jesus tells them he’s hungry.  He asks if they have anything to eat.  He takes a piece of boiled fish from them and eats it in front of them.  A ghost does not get hungry or eat but a human does.

And then, then when they stop being afraid… when they realize it is the risen Lord, when they know with certainty Jesus is alive, when they open their hearts, Jesus sits down with them and completely opens up their understanding of the scriptures – The Law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms.  Our Old Testament.

Now the disciples have the benefit of hindsight.  They understand that Jesus was crucified, he died, and three days later he rose from the dead.  Now they get that part.  Although Jesus had told them several times it was going to happen, they get it now.  They lived it. They felt all the emotions.

Now when Jesus teaches them about all that scriptures say, they understand.  I imagine they were attentive students.  Luke tells us, “their eyes were opened.”  They get it.  Jesus’ teachings fall into place.

The disciples began by hiding behind locked doors and ended up with their eyes opened by the resurrected Lord.  We cannot escape our fears.  It begs the question:  What locked door is each one of us hiding behind?  Believe me, each one of us is hiding.  Our fear may be very personal, such as the fear of hearing the dreaded word “cancer” or “divorce”.  Other fears may be unemployment, loneliness, loss.  Sometimes our fears are on a national level.  War.  Terrorism.   Underlying our fears is the one that we cannot seem to talk very easily about – the fear of death; our own or that of someone we love.  We don’t want people to know we’ve lost control.  We don’t want people to know we are struggling.  So, we hide. We want to look like we have it all together.  Like there’s nothing wrong in our world. So, our fears hold us captive.  Sometimes our fears can completely consume us, as if we are behind locked doors. We are looking for security.  An assurance that nothing will go wrong.  Nothing bad will happen.  It is difficult to enjoy life, to experience the joys and blessings that God has for us if we are so focused on our security.[1]  The resurrected Christ gives us his peace.  But not security.

Jesus suddenly appeared in the midst of his early followers when they were filled with fear and worried about their security.  He brought change to their lives as they moved from fright and alarm, to joy mixed with disbelief and puzzlement, to open and understanding minds and hearts.  That huge shift in the core of their beings led them to take great risks, witnessing to the risen Christ.  Jesus did not bring them security.  They all risked their lives following his call.  They had come to understand that Jesus had conquered the ultimate threat – death itself, and their fears were groundless.  Jesus’ words “Peace be with you!” came to fruition in their hearts.[2]

 It can come to fruition in your heart too.  In the midst of whatever else is going on, you can feel the peace of Christ.  It is available to you.  The risen Christ makes himself known to us in large and small ways.  As people of faith, we are to be witnesses to Christ’s presence among us, in our words and in our deeds; our faith demands nothing less.[3]  We have the peace of Christ – and that’s no small thing. 

The power of the resurrection is the power to plant the seeds of transformation.  The hope of the resurrection is grounded in the experience of those first followers.  Closed minds can be opened. Fear can be overcome.  Locked doors can be flung open.  The word of God calls us to peace rather than security.  May the peace of Christ be with you.  Amen.

 

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[1] Feasting on the Word.  Year B.  Lent through Eastertide.  Luke 24:36b-48.  Pastoral Perspective.  P. 426.  Nancy R. Blakely.
[2] Feasting on the Word.  Year B.  Lent through Eastertide.  Luke 24:36b-48.  Pastoral Perspective.  P. 428.  Nancy R. Blakely.
[3] Feasting on the Word.  Year B.  Lent through Eastertide.  Luke 24:36b-48.  Homilectical Perspective.  P. 429  Barbara J. Essex

Here's My Heart

Rev. Debbie Cato
John 21:1-19

Fairfield Community Church

April 7, 2024 

God of second chances and God of new life.  We have spent our days wandering. Like Peter, we have milled about through nearly every state of faith. We have had courageous days and fear-filled days, learning days and questioning days. We have had days where we run to you, days diving out of the boat, days of deep joy, and days where the pain of the world feels too close to bear. So, as we bring our wandering hearts to you, we ask that you draw us in. Allow this story to spark something new in us. Allow this story of grace to give us pause and pull us in, closer to you. We are listening. Amen.

Here’s My Heart

 

 

This Sunday, we are finishing our series on Peter with his encounter with the risen Christ. In this final week, we come full circle with Peter. He has dropped his nets, walked on water, professed his faith, been rebuked, had his feet washed by Jesus, denied Jesus three times, and run to the tomb.[1] And now, Jesus once again meets him at the shoreline where Peter is casting his nets. They are back to where it all began.  They are back at the shoreline. 

 Jesus offers abundant nourishment to the disciples and a new command to Peter: “Feed my sheep.” He asks Peter three times, “Do you love me?” It’s as if Jesus says, “Here’s my heart,” which washes over Peter’s three denials like a healing balm. No matter how far we wander, we can trust our hearts to God. No matter if our faith is strong or weak, what we can give is our love.[2]

Today’s scripture reminds me of the times we would go camping and fishing.  We would camp beside a cold-water lake and fall asleep to the sounds of frogs croaking and water softly splashing on the shore.  I loved the fresh air and the beautiful scenery.  I loved how relaxed I felt when I camped; away from my job, household chores, and the demands of life.  But I really didn’t like the fishing part.  First of all, my husband thought that the best fishing was in the wee hours of the morning – well before it was lawful to be awake.  It was always so cold – I just couldn’t warm up.  Then, my husband had a rule.  We couldn’t talk.  He said that you had to be quiet and just sit and wait for the fish to bite.  Now he could sit there for hours but me… well, fishing just wasn’t that fun.  So most mornings, I would stay snuggled in my sleeping bag while he went fishing by himself.  It was a win-win.  He could sit and wait for the fish to bite without listening to me whine and complain; without telling me to stop talking.  I could stay warm and sleep until it was the “right” time to get up and start the day.

But boy, I sure loved waking up to the crackling sound of freshly caught fish frying in the pan.  There was nothing quite like the smell of fresh trout cooking over the camp fire early in the morning.  I would crawl out of my sleeping bag for that.  Fried trout and eggs– the perfect breakfast in the crisp early morning air of the campsite.  There’s something about food cooked over a campfire and eating outside that makes it taste better.  Makes me hungry just thinking about it! 

That’s what I think of when I read this passage in John’s Gospel - a fish fry at the lake.  The story of the resurrected Christ’s fish fry for his friends conjures up sounds and smells from my past. 

We read, “After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias.”   We are talking about things that have happened since Jesus’ resurrection according to John’s Gospel.  Christ rose from the dead and the resurrected Christ showed himself to Mary Magdalene who was weeping at the tomb on Easter morning.  That same evening, he came to his disciples who were locked in a room, paralyzed with fear.  A week after that, Jesus appeared to his disciples again, this time for the benefit of Thomas whose doubt got in the way of his belief.  And now, after these things, Jesus shows up again, at the same place where he first called his disciples to follow him; the same place where Jesus miraculously fed the five thousand.  The resurrected Christ shows up in Galilee, to find his disciples fishing in the Sea.

Now this may seem strange to us.  After seeing the resurrected Christ, the disciples are back at their old line of work without any indication of how the events in Jerusalem changed their lives.  Surely, they didn’t just pick up where they left off – before Jesus called them to follow him, before they spent three years under his teaching, seeing him perform miracles and challenging the religious leaders.  Surely, they didn’t just forget the horrific events of Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion!  Surely, they didn’t ignore his resurrection and the time they spent with the risen Christ!  Surely, they just didn’t go back to their old lives as fishermen as if nothing had happened! 

John’s Gospel leaves us wondering these things, but if we look at the Gospel of Matthew or the Gospel of Mark we can make sense of it.    The disciples received a message from an angel telling them to return to Galilee.  The angel says, “Go to Galilee.  You will see Jesus there.”

So, they headed to Galilee.  I imagine that while they were waiting for Jesus, they decided to go fishing.  To do something they were familiar with; to put some normalcy into their lives. I imagine that they got into one of the fishing boats and cast their nets to catch some fish and then they sat back, each wrapped up in their own thoughts.  I imagine that after all the drama of the preceding week they appreciated the quiet of the sea.  I imagine that as they waited for Jesus, they quietly tried to wrap their minds around everything that had happened; everything that had been revealed to them.  The last few days had been an emotional roller-coaster.  In a matter of a week, they had been lifted up to the giddy heights of Palm Sunday, sent spiraling down into the utter depths of despair on Good Friday, and then been swept up again to the heavens by the glory of the resurrection.

They fish all night – the best time for fishing in the Sea of Galilee, yet the trip proved fruitless.  They didn’t catch a thing.  Not a single fish landed in their net.  As they return to shore in the dim wee hours of the morning, a stranger hails them from shore.   “Hey lads…haven’t caught any fish, have you?  Try there on the right side of your boat and you’ll catch some!” Odd as it seems, they take his advice  - this stranger, and they toss the net over the right side of the boat and it immediately fills with so many fish – big fish at that, that they can’t haul the net in. 

When the disciples get to shore, Jesus is waiting for them, hunched over a campfire, cooking fish and bread.  “Come and have breakfast,” he says.  The disciples ask no questions.  They know who he is.  Jesus could have put on a show, but he didn’t.  He could have rocked them and shockedthem, and showed them that he was the death-defeating king of the world, but he takes another tack.  He feeds them.

 A cooked breakfast of fresh fish awaits them on the beach, exactly what they need after a long, fruitless night on the Sea. Graciously, Jesus invites them to contribute from ‘their’ catch which they have struggled to land and bring ashore.  They take the time to count the catch – 153 whoppers! And the net didn’t even break. 

To speak of Jesus’ provision, inevitably links this celebration meal with the one they had shared only a few days before in the upper room.  There, Jesus took bread and a cup, just as he now took bread and fish, and he distributed it to them.  That meal, he taught them, expressed the sacrifice of his body and blood on the cross.  But, what they really did not under-stand then, they now see with new clarity.  Jesus’ ultimate provision was giving himself on the cross, to cleanse away sins and to provide nourishment with the new life of the kingdom of God. 

A holy wonder falls upon the disciples.  In awestruck silence they eat the fish that Jesus’ has prepared for them.  They get it.

After breakfast, Jesus confronts Peter.  Jesus asks Peter three separate times, "Do you love me?"  We have come to understand this as Jesus’ way of canceling out each one of Peter's shameful denials of Jesus on the night he was arrested and betrayed.   The self-loathing that Peter must have felt.  The guilt, the shame would have been overwhelming.  Jesus’ knows that Peter must fully experience forgiveness.  It is this forgiveness that clears the way for Peter to fully and completely serve Jesus.  Peter restored is Peter re-commissioned. 

 But Jesus' persistence demonstrates more than the scorekeeping of rights and wrongs.   There is something bigger at stake here.  The risen Christ ties each of Peter's confessions of love for him to a repeated command -- "Care for my sheep."  Jesus’ concern is not just for Peter’s welfare and self-confidence; he is genuinely concerned for his church.  Peter is directed to his work:  “Feed my lambs, take care of my sheep, feed my sheep.”

What took Peter three times to get --and what takes all of us a lifetime to practice -- is that Jesus' question about "loving" and his command about "feeding" are one command. Peter didn't understand immediately the implications of what it means to love Christ. Truly loving Christ means feeding the sheep -- it means loving, protecting, caring for all those whom Christ loves.

"Peter do you love me?" -- "Then feed my lambs"; "Peter do you love me?" -- "Then tend my sheep"; "Peter do you love me?" -- "Then feed my sheep." Loving Christ and loving and tending Christ's flock are one and the same thing.

In this passage, Jesus brings the disciples back to where it all began, seeing it now through eyes which have been opened by the experience of the years with Jesus but mostly, by his death and resurrection.  He calls them to reaffirm that first commitment.

The graciousness of this breakfast communion with Jesus is overwhelming.  These are ordinary men whom Jesus invited to his table of fellowship that day.  Jesus’ provision for his disciples is thoroughly practical.  Just as in the upper room when he took a basin and towel and ministered to his disciples’ practical needs, so in the lakeshore breakfast, his provision is similarly down-to-earth.

 In Jesus’ preparation of this meal for his disciples, he confirms that he is the giver of gifts; the source of life-sustaining nourishment.  The magnitude of the catch confirms the abundance of Jesus’ gifts.   And the fellowship of the meal, confirms the intimacy of the relationship between the risen Lord and his disciples.

This same provision; this same fellowship with the risen Christ is available today – for you and for me.  It is a practical relationship, expressed amid the everyday.  It is based on Christ’s initiative and our willingness to put all our dependence on Christ rather than on our own abilities.

But with this intimate fellowship we share with Christ; with our declaration of love, comes a command.  “Do you love me?”  he asks. “Then tend my sheep.”  Amen.

 

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[1] Rev. Lisle Gwynn Garrity.  Sanctified Art.  The Second Sunday of Easter.  Theme Connections.
[2] Rev. Lisle Gwynn Garrity.  Sanctified Art.  The Second Sunday of Easter.  Theme Connections.