April 22, 2007
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The
Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church Now, at the end of April, the cod season along the Norwegian coast is close to the end. From January/February till the end of April the ”skrei”, which is the ”travelling cod”, comes south from the Barents Sea towards the Norwegian fiords to spawn. A huge amount of them are coming. Then it is due time, both for professional fishermen and amateurs, to go fishing by hooks and by nets. Much of my leisure time at this time of the year has been spent on this exciting hobby. We put the nets into the water in the afternoon or evening, and then we get up early next morning to take them up before office time. Sometimes the result is poor. One single time I can remember that we got no fish at all, just like the 7 disciples in the beginning here today. Some of you might remember that we read, in early February, from Luke 5 about Peter’s fabulous catch of fish. Today we have heard a simular story. Nearly a repeat. Last time the nets were empty after a whole night’s struggle, Jesus asked them to go out to the deep water, in the middle of the day. And against all odds, they caught a lot of fish. In today’s Bible story, the circle is being comple-ted, in several ways. The fishermen are back where it started. Now the Risen One asks the fishermen to put down the nets from the right side of the boat. As if that should make any difference.. But it is about letting Jesus be the Lord, and obeying his word. They have obviously learned that now. So the story repeats itself, with an adventurous catch! One of the 7 disciples, where 5 are named, is the one who tells this story to us. The evangelist John is an eye witness. So he remembers details, as here, the exact amount of fish they got this morning. One of John’s specialities is that he never mentions his own name directly. Here he tells that the sons of Zebedee, meaning James and John, are part of this fishing crew. And next he calls himself the disciple whom Jesus loved. It is not the eye witness himself that is in focus, even if he is in the middle of the event. But notice: John is the first one to recognize the Master this morning. The case was the same on Easter morning, then John also was the first to see the connection, and believe in the resurrection. This is quite fascinating: Some people seem to have an easier access to faith than others. Peter is slower in this way. Even so, Peter is the one to be chosen here. The main point in the Bible story lies in what happened after the big catch of fish. The questions that are being asked. The task that is given, and who is the one that gets it. Try to imagine Peter, leaning on one of his elbows and enjoying his breakfast on the beach. The fresh fish and bread tastes so good.The sunlight gleaming in the water mirror of the Sea of Galilee. The mood around the charcoal fire is a good one! The power of resurection has become obvious one more time, by another miracle at the Sea of Galilee. The risen one is in their midst. They finish their breakfast. Then Jesus takes Peter aside and asks him 3 questions. They are, all of them, about Peter’s love. Simon, the son of John, do you love me more than these? The questions at the fire are giving him an associa-tion. They help him think of another charcoal fire. Just a couple of weeks earlier. Then it was night, it was cold and nasty. Peter had sworn that he didn’t know Jesus. It was a terrible night. So what now, some weeks after the resurrection? Did Jesus want revenge now? Did he confront Peter and accuse him of his cowardice? He who had boasted that even if everyone left Jesus, he would never let him down... Peter doesn’t start to excuse himself. But I think his voice is meek as he answers: yes, Lord, you know that I love you. I imagine that Peter is looking downward, feeling ashamed as he answers. And Jesus continues: feed my lambs. Two more times this is repeated. That is 3 questions. One for each time that Peter denied, the last time he sat at a charcoal fire. Feel the pain of Peter. We hear that he felt hurt the third time. Feel how the truth hurts. Feel what it is like when every dark corner and every shame has to face full day light. Feel what it is like for a betrayer to meet the love that is without betraying. Lord, you know everything. Peter gets help to settle up. Another of the disciples, Jude went the way of rebelling. Peter gets help to go the way of reckoning. Along this road, there are some steps from acknowledgement to confession. But from confession to acquittal, there are no steps. Follow me. Feed my lambs. Someone has called this occurence at the Sea of Galilee after Easter Peter’s ordination. Jesus installs the first Christian minister. He is to be a shepherd for the congregation. Next Sunday we will dwell more with the Shepherd theme. What is strange, is that when Jesus points at the one who gets the main responsibility to lead his church on, he is only interested in one thing. That is about Peter’s love. If he loves Jesus. Isn’t that amazing and worth a thought? Should we not have thought that Jesus would ask him if he had learned anything from his mistakes? That he would have asked him to not talk as big from now on? And that Peter for the future should think more, before he spoke or acted, he, the impulsive one? No, the only thing he asks about is Peter’s love. In reality, this is what Christianity is all about. Love. The ten commandments are summarized in the double commandment of love, to love God above all things, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself. The apostle Paul, that we also have heard about today, how he was converted from a persecutor of Christians to be an eager follower and missionary, - one of the most famous statements in all his letters is that love is the greatest. In 1.Cor 13, he writes that it is even greater than faith and hope. And we learn again from the story about Peter that our defeats are not to separate us from Jesus or take our tasks in God’s vinyard away from us. But to the contrary, they tie us closer to him. That can happen if the main point is being moved from our love to him and to his love towards us. As it is expressed in John’s first letter: we love because he has loved us first. So the story from the shore of Sea of Galilee is repeated this morning. Our Master sets the table. Again he serves his disciples a meal and offers us forgiveness for our failures. With bread and wine as tools he raises us up from our defeats. He gives us a new start, with clean sheets of paper. Glory be to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, who was, is and shall ever be one true God now and forever. |
The Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church · 924 E. 21st St, Minneapolis, MN 55404-2952 · (612)874-0716 |