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I hate math, well I guess that’s not totally true, I am not naturally math minded if that’s a thing, so it’s not intuitive for me. Can you relate with that? Have you ever been uncomfortable with something because its hard or confusing or strange and new? For me math is that way, confusing, and hard. In school as a kid, that discomfort that I felt around math led to some pretty poor grades, I avoided it, gave it half the attention it deserved, because I was sure I wasn’t going to get it right, heck I didn’t even know where to begin, so it was easier not even to try, to go focus on something easier for me, something I was good at. For any youth listening, this was not a good strategy. When I got older, and decided I wanted to go to college, my history with math, and the discomfort I carried with me since intentionally avoiding it as a kid, left me ill prepared even for the relatively few math courses I needed to take to complete my degree… but that’s a little off topic, I want to look at my choice to avoid that thing that challenged me, that thing that looked hard and confusing. I bet you could come up with one or two times in your life when you took a similar path…
We don’t need to look too far into this morning’s scripture passage to find the disciples taking a similar path either. Jesus was dead, he had been killed by the roman empire at the behest of members of the Jewish religious leadership, and though he had appeared to the disciples in the days since his death, in effect proving his resurrection to those he loved and charged with doing his work in the world after his death… he was gone from this physical existence. Those he left behind, were left reeling with the loss of their companion, their teacher, and their friend. The work and teachings he had left to that small band of disciples, were no small thing either. They required guts, guts to stand up and speak truth when needed, to offer help to those thought of as unworthy or seen as unclean. To act in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. It took open hearts and minds to look outside of societal norms and expectations to find the path of love and of justice. So naturally when faced with that path, that hard, unknown path, the disciples did what many of us would, they went fishing. They set down the mantle that Jesus had handed them and they took back up that life they had known before Christ called them. Remember, many of the men following Jesus had been fishermen when Christ found them at work on the seashore. They had been what their families had been for many generations, what their communities expected them to be, and what society as it was in those days dictated as their path. But that’s what made Christ’s charge to them so difficult, or a big part of it, the idea that they could choose something different, something new, something counter to the norm that challenged old fashioned ideas, and longstanding powers structures. The idea of taking on that work… that path, well that would have been a lot even with Christ’s tangible guidance and presence, but to take those first steps on one’s own… that’s a lot!
Today is Earth Day, well actually, Earth Day was earlier this week, but we are observing that special day today. We have heard prayers, been reminded of psalms, and we have even shared songs that celebrate the beauty of our lush round home and the tremendous gift that all creation is. And maybe you have felt that nagging feeling, either this morning, or perhaps earlier this week, that we bear some responsibility for this amazing planet. I wonder, what is our responsibility? Are we supposed to protect the water? The land? The sky? How? How can a few hundred people in Southern Maine hope to impact a world so large, a planet home to more than 6 billion people, when that world is set on producing and consuming, ingesting resources and expelling waste, no matter the cost. It would be so much easier if someone would show us the thing we can do, the simple solution we can pursue to undo the damage humanity has done, and to establish a better way of living moving forward. But I am afraid there is no simple solution, no one thing we can do, and no one person with the answer… maybe we should just go fishing? Or whatever we were doing before Christ came into our lives… maybe we already are.
Given all of that, I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to imagine ourselves on that boat with the disciples. We are all there from time to time. Doing what’s easy, what’s safe, or what we know, because that other stuff, like making change, and opposing injustice, is too much for us, it’s too big, It’s too hard! Where would we even begin?
Enter Jesus, sitting on a beach, tending a small fire. He calls out to the disciples, who don’t have a clue that it is him, and he does a little miracle, not by moving a mountain, or calming a storm, not by raising the dead or giving sight to the blind, but by making a net do what nets do… actually the miracle is subtler than that in my opinion, from that beach in that early morning stillness, Jesus calls out to his followers and shows them what they are capable of, he reminds them of their worth their value! In that moment, they know him.
But Peter doesn’t rejoice upon recognizing his teacher… and he reminds me of my kids in this moment. I have three kids, each very different, all different ages, but all of them at some point in their lives has colored on something they were explicitly told not to color on, and all of them have done just about the same thing when I caught them doing it… I walk in see them creating their latest masterpiece on the wall or the hardwood floor, and they instantly tense up, and then exclaim “I’m not doing anything” before I can even ask… Peter recognizes Jesus on that morning and he tenses up, suddenly feels too exposed so he throws on his clothes, and then jumps in the water out of sight for good measure. He knows in that moment where he should be, what he should be doing… and I think he is embarrassed. Ashamed even… thus the exaggerated reaction to Christ’s presence. And I can’t help thinking that that is a very human thing to do. And like I said at the beginning of this message, I want you to be super honest with yourself. I bet many of you have felt that way before, guilty, ashamed, embarrassed at a choice you made, something you said, an action you took, or didn’t take. For many of us this is a turning point, a reminder to correct course, to reconsider choices, but for some, especially those who are judged, ridiculed, called out and or attacked, it can be a reason to dig in their heels, put up walls, double down on their position. I guess Jesus really understood people, because he didn’t get angry with Peter or any of the other disciples for fishing when they should have been doing the work he had set before them, he made them breakfast, reminded them that they could achieve amazing things, and that truly amazing things are possible with God.
But he did pull Peter aside didn’t he, and he reminded him, gently, to tend his flock, feed his sheep, feed his lambs. Why didn’t he say this to everyone else, they were all his disciples… When I first read this I thought, well that makes sense, Peter has always been a leader amongst the disciples, it makes sense that Jesus would give him this mandate… but I have since changed perspective somewhat, especially when I wrestle with what this might mean to us today. I think that this one-on-one chat that rounds out this morning’s passage, sits in conversation specifically with the third verse of the passage. Peter said, “I’m going fishing, and the others said, we’ll come with you”. There is no denying the influence Peter had over the others, and knowing his disciples as he did, Jesus knew this, and by saying these things to Peter, he is not only articulating the work he had set before them but reminding Peter of the power of influence.
Ok so let me try to pull together all these disparate ideas into something that might be useful to us today… oh yeah and I’ll try and illustrate why I thought this might be a good Earth day passage…
Standing in any place on the planet today, chances are you won’t have to look too hard for some sign of human civilization, and more often than not, this includes some sort of pollution. Our air is filled with smog, our water with chemicals, our wild places with errant cans or plastic bags. The planet is warming, and arctic and Antarctic ice is receding more and more each year. The effect of the rapidly growing human population of earth, and the harvesting of earth’s natural resources is undeniable. The problem feels too big, and the fear is that it’s too late… In the face of this reality, there are some who can’t imagine any effort they make will influence the current situation, so they take no action at all. A familiar story… We are charged as Christians with loving the world as Christ loves us. This means loving one another, fighting for justice, and acting to ensure that all peoples have access to food, water, and safety. But this also means loving all creation as well, the planet, its green vegetation, blue waters, and its teeming life of all sorts, not only because those plants, and animals are the sustainers of human life, but because they are God’s good creation, and we are stewards of that creation.
By sharing the story of that breakfast on the beach, the author of John’s gospel reminds us that we are all human, capable of making mistakes, and of being overwhelmed by life… but they do not scold us for this weakness. Instead, they show us the power of empowering another. By sharing that brief conversation between Jesus and Peter, they remind us that our actions, even when unintended, may influence those of another. This is a powerful incentive to persevere in the face of difficulty, and a reminder to remember that our actions do not effect only ourselves. By sharing the kind words and actions of Christ, his choice to forgive and uplift the disciples when he could just as easily have chosen to berate and to scorn them, the author of the gospel reminds us of our work to love.
There is no denying that our planet needs our attention, our immediate action. So live out your commitment to our world and those who live on it, fight for the future of this earth. Be a beacon, an example for those looking for a path forward. But remember that you are only human, and when you are feeling overwhelmed, when you slip up and shrink back from the fight, cut yourself some slack, you are not in this alone. Christ is always right there, on the beach with a kind word and a warm meal to revive your spirit and to lift you up, and to remind you of your potential to make change.
Amen