April 29, 2001
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MINDEKIRKEN, SUNDAY APRIL 29, 2001 JOHN 21, 1-19 Isn`t this an extraordinary text so filled with important stories! We meet Jesus who reveals himself as the resurrected Christ this meeting with his disciples is fundamental for his whole church without his resurrection there would have been no church to build! And secondly we meet Jesus as the maker of miracles he shows us that he is still the same who has his power from the Father himself! And then we meet Jesus as the church-builder who calls shepherds to his church This is really something on one and the same Sunday! 1.And actually the bottom line is the same in all three stories: Jesus is always GIVING more to us than he demands from us! We are so preoccupied about service in the church . We look around and then we may see that there is so terribly much to take care of and so few people to take care of all these tasks. Burned out co-workers seem far too often to be the result a "catch 22" situation where we much too easily may see the result: Enthusiasm is changed into apathy and tiredness and finally you wonder whether it is worth going on at all. Maybe part of the reason for so much burnout and apathy in the church might be that we often start a the wrong end: That we list up all the tasks in our church and then tend to tell new members what we think their contribution should be instead of asking them: What would make you feel comfortable and happy in our church? Jesus is anyhow not starting by demanding he is first of all giving us a self-presentation: He is revealing himself first and foremost he shows WHO he is he is presenting himself through a miracle . To create hope to create meaning All hope all kind of meaning must have vanished for the disciples! But His presence created a new hope in the middle of the fear! So then we will have to begin with the presence of Jesus It is not our activity that may bring people to salvation it is the presence of Jesus! "Petter", age 22 is a young man I have spent a lot of time together with during the last six months. He is a drug addict as we say he was shot by some drug dealers four months ago he barely survived the bullet was just half an inch from his heart. Things like this happen in "good old Norway" as well. I hardly know anyone who is longing so intensely for the presence of Jesus like he does. For the time being he is in prison, because of drugs, and there too he is folding his hands in prayer and praying for Jesus to be near. When life is put on the edge then we may really realize what is left! Nothing of my activity, or my worry, for that sake, may save him. But when I sit down together with him and am bringing part of the love and presence of Christ into his life then you may actually see how all the evil forces are vanishing and you may feel a moment of heavenly presence! 2.The next thing Jesus shows to his disciples is almost a kind of "ID" : See who I am, when I am calling on you: Even though they had thrown their net all night without catching any fish at all they made another attempt when Jesus told them to do so. And the miracle is happening: They caught so much fish that their net was about to be ruined! If Jesus could become more present in our church then people who come to church should feel a little more of this joy and abundance that Jesus is showing through making this miracle He is present to make us celebrate to make abundance and joy! Far too often sadness and puritanism have taken care of us and we have been able to make a kind of a myth, saying that in church you will have to let most things go, if you should be able to live up to the ideals. What Jesus tells us today is: "Welcome to my party of joy!" 3.So then Jesus calls us to participate in a service in his church of love and abundance in his church of resurrection! BUT he does not want to have a single co-worker who is in his church because he feels that it is his duty, first and foremost. He only want coworkers who commit themselves to serve him quite simply because they love him, and feel that this is a service in pleasure! LIKE HE HAS LOVED US AND GIVEN US OF HIS LOVE, WE SHOULD ALSO LOVE EACH OTHER (SONG) Can you now realize that Jesus calls us to a service of love? Can you see how wrong it would be if we meet each other with anything else but love in his house? So then let us make his house not to become a house of duty but rather let us make it to become a house of love - and joy! And that miracle can only happen if you serve him because you love him! There is an old saying, telling us that the only human being in the whole world that you are able to change is yourself. So let us stop complaining about the fact that there is not enough love and joy in the church allow Jesus himself to create that wonderful change in you that could make other people praise God because you and your life exist! Amen
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The Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church · 924 E. 21st St, Minneapolis, MN 55404-2952 · (612)874-0716 |