3 Easter April 14 2013

Risen Lord, be known to us in the catching of the fish. Risen Lord, be known to us in the hearing of the Word. Risen Lord, be known to us in the tending of the sheep. Risen Lord, be known to us in the breaking of the bread. We have in the gospel of John a series of stories about Jesus after the resurrection. In each of the stories, the disciples do not recognize Jesus. In each of the stories, Jesus does something that causes the disciples to recognize him.

They had been in that room, with the doors closed and locked. It was so hot and stuffy. They were so afraid. And Jesus showed up, right there, in that locked room. They never knew how he had gotten in. But they knew it was him, they knew it because of what he'd said. Peace be with you. The hands, and the feet, the side. They just knew it. But what do they do next? What is there left to do. They might as well go back to fishing. It's really all they knew.

Early in the morning, just after daybreak, they were out in the boats. The sun was a beautiful round globe, glowing with morning warmth. Fishing, at least they knew how to do that well. Cast the net, pull in the fish. Although the night had brought nothing in, this morning not so much either. There seemed to be no fish in the sea on this morning. But the new guy said try the right side. Since what they were doing wasn't working, they gave it a try. They threw the nets out on the other side, and it filled so full and so fast they couldn't even pull the net in. And John recognized Jesus first, he said to Peter, It is The Lord. Peter in his exuberance put on his robe and jumped in the water.

The fire was set on the beach, Jesus already had some fish roasting, and he invited them to bring their catch and add it to what was already there. They roasted the fish, they were so hungry after a night of fishing, and weeks really of being afraid, not sleeping well, and all the rest. Come and have breakfast, come and eat. They knew it was Jesus in the breaking of the bread. And they knew who they were in the roasting of the fish.

We know it is Jesus in the breaking of the bread. The central act of what we do together, is to recognize Jesus in our midst, in the breaking of the bread. We are made into one body in the breaking of the bread. We are made into new creations in the breaking of the bread. We recognize our common humanity in the breaking of the bread. Jesus invites us into being who we are created to be, in the breaking of the bread. God's abundance meets our giftedness in the sharing of the meal.

And, we are invited into discipleship. This story not only shows us who we are, it also shows us what it means to be a follower of Jesus, what it means to be a disciple. Discipleship is nourished in the breaking of the bread, discipleship is about the Love that wins. Yes, Lord; you know that I love you. Feed my lambs. Yes, Lord; you know that I love you. Tend my sheep. And the third time, that frustrated Peter so terribly, Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you. Feed my sheep. Three times Peter repeats his love, three times for each of the times he denied Jesus by that other fire, just before Jesus was condemned to death.

But there it is. There is discipleship. Just like Peter we disciples deny that we know Jesus, and yet Jesus still knows who we are. Just like Peter we disciples deny that we know Jesus, and yet we are forgiven. Just like Peter. That is exactly what it means to follow Jesus. The Love that wins causes us to go and feed and tend. The Love that wins nourishes us so that we may feed and tend. The Love that wins washes over us and we are made into the people God intends for us to be. The conversation between Jesus and Peter centers around the question, "do you love me?" In the gospel of John, love is the definition of discipleship. Following Jesus is all about loving one another.

And as Peter shows us, love is an action, not a feeling. What you do matters. As parents or friends, employees or volunteers, citizens or neighbors, you are called to look for opportunities to care for the people and world God loves so much. So discipleship is the activity of love. No more, no less. Sometimes people try to make that so difficult. But it's not, really. And the first activity of love is forgiveness. We are not perfect people, and trying to be keeps us from the love and forgiveness that is available to us. We are not perfect, but we are perfectly loved.

This is actually the commissioning story in the gospel of John. In Matthew, the disciples are told to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. We are commissioned at Baptism to share in the work and ministry of our Lord. And yet, like Peter, we fall short, failing to give witness in word or deed to our faith in the living Lord. And yet Jesus doesn’t just commission and send us, Jesus also forgives us when we fall short. And Jesus doesn’t just forgive us, but calls us to try again. And Jesus doesn’t just call us to try again, Jesus also invites us to share what we have and gives us meaningful work to do. Your work is your discipleship. In your work, your school, your play, Jesus invites you to follow, by loving those you are with.

And, part of discipleship, part of following Jesus, is that Jesus, never, ever, gives up on us. Jesus keeps calling, keeps forgiving, keeps loving, so that we may be Jesus' hands and feet in the world, loving others. Following Jesus is never about judging people. Following Jesus is always about being loved and loving others.

Abundance and invitation. Here, have all you want, all you need, Jesus says, and give it away. Risen Lord, be known to us in the breaking of the bread. Give Jesus' love away, feed my lambs, tend my sheep, feed my sheep. Love wins.