"Goings and Sendings" - Sermon for 3rd Sunday of Easter 2016

Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who gathers us to send us out.

So, the last two weeks we've really been spending our time looking at being sent out, first on Easter as Christ is no longer in the empty tomb, going out into the world to show forth the good news that he has been resurrected, and last week as at first the disciples instead of going out like Jesus calls them, they instead stay in the upper room, scared and afraid, but they finally do figure it all out, that the love of God overcomes fear and even with the wounds we find in this world, Christ's love brings us salvation.

And since we’ve gotten these couple weeks past Easter Sunday, I’ve found myself saying recently, now that Easter's done I can go do that, or now that Easter’s done that is coming up. But, I have to remind myself even though Easter Day may be passed, but the Season of Easter continues, this is not the 3rd Sunday after Easter, but it's the 3rd Sunday of Easter. We still walk in the midst of Easter, the newness and grandness of Christ Resurrection should be on our lips and palpable in our actions in the world.

We've been sent out, we've been shown that the things in this world can't overcome us, that the reality of God's love through Christ is greater than any power or reality of this world.

But, we still often think, ok, well, what do we do? What's next? What's the step we should be taking now?

I see the disciples with the same question in our Gospel for Today. It's a while after our lesson from last week in the upper room, we don't really know how long, but long enough for them to travel from Jerusalem back to their home area of the Sea of Galilee, or as John calls it here, the Sea of Tiberius. 

We find the disciples gathered, they've gotten out of that upper room where their fear kept them for a time. I'm sort of amused by Peter and the rest here though. After all this work, all these travels with Jesus for three years, all the teaching, the healings, the miracles, all that they've gone through in the last weeks as Jesus was killed, buried, and rose from the dead, what do they do? They go back to exactly what they were doing before Jesus called them.

They go fishing. And they can't catch anything, and Jesus shows up, tells them, throw your nets on the other side, and they proceed to catch an amazing bounty of fish. You’ve heard this before haven’t you.

In Matthew, Mark, this is simply a call story, Jesus shows up and tells them to follow him. In Luke we find this exact situation of fishing, not catching anything, and then Jesus telling them to throw to the other side and they come up with this huge catch. But, they all occur right at the beginning of the Gospels. It's not an after the resurrection appearance, but instead is the call story of the disciples, it's not after they've known Jesus for years, but the very first interaction they have with him.

It's strange to see it here at the end. They've already been called to follow him, haven't they? 

But, what are they doing? They're acting as if nothing happened. 

Seems to me that they need to have another call, another moment of Christ telling them, leave your nets and follow me.

Peter certainly needs to hear this, the last we really heard from him was before the Christ's death, where three times he denies that he even knows Christ. In the midst of his guilt at feeling like he abandoned Jesus, here Jesus again appears to him on the shore, and just as he saw at the first, the nets that were empty become overfilled yet they don’t break, and he's so excited to again see Jesus that he jumps off the boat and swims to the shore.

As they sit there on the shore around a meal, Jesus asks him, Simon Son of John, do you love me more than these? Yes, Lord you know that I love you, Simon, son of John, do you love me? Yes, Lord you know that I love you, Simon, Son of John do you love me? Lord, you know everything, you know that I love you. In those words, Jesus gives Peter back himself, no longer is he the denier, but he is the solid rock again. But, a solid rock who still isn't sure what to do.

And so, in those statements of love, Jesus gives him exactly what he's looking for, acknowledgement, reestablishment, authenticity, but also gives him a plan, Feed my lambs, tend my sheep, feed my sheep. Follow me.

Peter is asking, ok, well, what do I do? What's next? What's the step I should be taking now?

He's asking our question. And as he again eats with Christ, as he is again called by Christ, he finds his answer. As Jesus communes with him he finds himself again.

We started Easter by talking about how this is a sending place. And it could be asked then, well, why have church buildings then? If we're called to be out there, why do we have here? Why do we gather?

Because it is here, in the midst of everyone of you, that we ourselves commune with Christ. It's here that Christ both shows us his love in feeding us with the bread of life, and the wine of new covenant, and also asks us, do you love me? And calls to us, Follow me.

If all we do is go out there we're going to be just like the disciples in their fishing boats, listless, unclear about their purpose, not catching anything, just returning to where they were before. 

We come together because it's together that Christ feeds us, so we can again be sent to feed his lambs. It's here that Christ tends us, so we can again be sent to tend his sheep. It's here that Christ gathers us, so we can be sent out again to feed his sheep.

Gathering for Worship is a necessity, not because if we don't come God won't love us, but because if we don't come we become lost, listless, drifting on a sea, making no catches. 

A favorite professor of mine from Seminary, Craig Nessan gave this image as a description of worship. That we are sent out into the world, to feed the lambs, tend the sheep, care for the least, and then we are gathered back, together as the whole body of Christ, to be renewed for our journey, fed for the way, and shown the path.

We gather so we can be sent, and we are sent so we can gather. If we stay inside nothing gets done out there, but if we stay out there we get lost and empty.

People of God, remember you are sent out into the world, and remember you are gathered back together, but in all of it remember that it is the love of Christ that goes with you where ever you may go. The Love of Christ which will always find you, no matter how lost you may feel. The love of christ that is so powerful it will make you jump out of boats to swim to shore.

Amen.