In just recent weeks, we witnessed Christ’s mesmerizing story of the resurrection didn’t we? We read about the disciple’s story of redemption, their faith being tested, their surfacing problems with doubt and even unto the time of Christs death, their discovery of liberation in what it means to follow Christ.
I want to start of by asking you a question. What is our purpose in physically coming to church? For some it may be to visit with friends. For others it serves as an escape from the harsh realities of the world for a few hours, a safe and familiar place. And then others come to gain a greater knowledge of God. All of those things may be present to some degree when we gather, but they are not the primary reason we gather together. The main reason we gather together today is to be more conformed to Christ, to look more like Jesus, to grow in Christs love. As we are transformed by Gods grace and grow in love, then our homes and world will be different. Its starts with our ultimate decision, Whom do we follow?
Did you know, scripture tells us that we can only please God in Spirit and in Truth? We please God not only by what we believe but by what we do.
Let me try to set the scene here. The disciples have seen the risen Lord already, and at this point in their journey, they tend to their old way of living as a life of a fisherman. Let us re-read the Gospel of John Chapter 21 starting at verse 3. They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing. But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. So Jesus *said to them, “Children, you do not have any fish to eat, do you?” They answered Him, “No.” And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you will find the fish.” So they cast it, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great quantity of fish. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved *said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about two hundred cubits away, dragging the net full of fish. So when they got out on the land, they *saw a charcoal fire already made and fish placed on it, and bread. Jesus *said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have now caught.” So Simon Peter went up and hauled the net to land, full of large fish, 153; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.
Ok, they have just had an encounter with faith in action along with Gods mysterious presence of strength. John gives us a story of a dark night of fishing failure, that is interrupted, transformed by Jesus into a story of great abundance. Think about this, the disciples did NOT know Jesus was on the shore. They saw a man! And that Man gave them advice to cast the net on the otherside. So what did they do? They took advice from a stranger! It just so happened it was Jesus. And think about this, when the disciples dared to actually do what Jesus commanded, to lay aside their own failures, frustrations, doubt, fear and to cast their nets on the other side of the boat, they reaped, they pulled in success, abundance and even new possibilities. What did they do? They followed Jesus instructions!
It is true that the disciples was told several times that Jesus physical presence on this earth will be limited and short lived very soon. Jesus was trying to give the disciples a mission and purpose to not only follow God, but to learn to tap into the strength of God by simply following instructions. But as we all know, to read the instructions to change the time on the VCR, if you remember that, is rather taxing. And changing our lives for the better in following Christ, can be just a strenuous, if we keep resisting to grow and learn. What have I always said, “Never be stagnant!”
The fishing experience was a story to call us, each of us into a vocation, a duty to serve and follow God. In the Book of Acts Chapter 9 we see the story of Saul of Tarsus, better known as Paul, that answered his vocation to serve God by the way into Damascus which he saw a blinding light that gave him a liberation above all. And now, in the Gospel of John, we see the disciples being asked a serious question, do you love me. Lets re-read the Gospel of John, Chapter 21 starting at verse 12.
Jesus *said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples ventured to inquire of Him, “Who are You?” knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus *came and *took the bread and *gave it to them, and the fish likewise. This was now the third time that Jesus revealed Himself to the disciples, after He was raised from the dead.
Now when they had finished breakfast, Jesus *said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He *said to him, “Tend My lambs.” He *said to him again, a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He *said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” He *said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was hurt because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus *said to him, “Tend My sheep.
At this point in the disciples lives, Christ has appeared to them at least three times after the resurrection. So todays reflection friends is just this, as part of Christs resurrection, he has given his disciples, including us, a vocation, a job to do. Three things he directly describes for each of us to do. First is to Tend my Lambs. So Tend in Greek (bos'-ko) means to properly feed, spiritually nourish by feeding people the Word of God. We are to absolutely be the example to help replenish peoples lives with Gods word. The Lamb, (ar-nee-on) is the little lamb, those malnutrition and lacking and even lost.
Second is to Shepherd my Sheep. Shepherd in Greek (poy-mah'-ee-no) is to herd, shepherd and protect. We are to serve one another, help one another and Love one another while even going to the point of carrying each others burdens.
Third is to Tend my Sheep. This being very similar to Tending the Lambs, but now, Jesus mentions to do to all people, all the sheep in his flock.
So what do we do now? What vocation or job do we exercise? As scripture says “Choose you this day whom shall you serve!”
Jesus made it fairly simple, at least to start. When he said, “Follow me.” The word follow, diluted by our culture, begs for a biblical definition. In our current day language, you can follow the directions (or not); you can follow a sports team (by simply reading the paper or watching TV); you can “follow your bliss” (though that might not get you beyond yourself); you can follow someone on Twitter (even if you don’t actually know them); you can follow someone on facebook; you can follow a crowd to protest a concern in front of the White House. So many things we can follow.
When Jesus invited the disciples, you and me to follow Him, he didn’t mean “Let’s just keep in touch.” He literally meant, “Come with me, right now. Live as I live. Learn a way of life and faith from me by watching, and then doing.” And some people did, but others did not. It was hardly surprising that young men working in their father’s fishing business walked away from that. The most highly revered career in that time was to be a rabbi. To “give up” a blue-collar job to become the follower of a rabbi (and therefore go into training as a potential future rabbi) was a no-brainer for some, and harder for others.
In one of my previous sermons, I mentioned to you that we are never to live the life of a Christian that doesn’t cost us something. Theres no such thing as a costless Christian. We give of ourselves to serve God. We give of ourselves to tend, protect, feed and nurture the sheep. When God says ‘Come, Follow Me’, what do we do? Who is in charge?
Andy Cook wrote this. An Admirer once asked Leonard Bernstein, celebrated orchestra conductor, what was the hardest instrument to play. He replied without hesitation: “Second fiddle. I can always get plenty of first violinists, but to find one who plays second violin with as much enthusiasm or second French horn or second flute, now that’s a problem. And yet if no one plays second, we have no harmony.”
Being a follower completes what God has planned. How many of you have heard, there’s too many chiefs but not enough Indians? Theres a lot of truth to that!
In closing I want you to listen to this poem written by Justin Farley
You say follow me,
but I’m not sure where you’re going.
You say follow me,
as if you’re leading me out
of the chaos and confusion,
but the closer I follow,
the thicker the clouds of darkness seem to be
and the less comfortable my life gets.
You say follow me,
but insist I leave “me” behind.
You say follow me,
but wait just a minute.
Let me look you over,
examine you and ask, “just who are you?”
You say follow me,
and my heart knows it’s what I was born to do.
You say follow me,
but my head has different plans.
It sees the storm clouds you’re brewing
and the confrontation that arises
wherever you go.
My mind makes up excuses,
finds ways to dismiss you and remain in the lead.
But you say follow me,
and I see the goodness and living water that flows
from the river you’re providing.
I see the beauty of your face
and if what you say is true –
it’s the greatest story the world will ever know.
But you say follow me
and it scares me because there’s still some doubt.
But does that doubt have anything to do with you
or because I know accepting you comes at a cost,
knowing that I’ll have to die to myself
and admit I’m lost?
You say follow me.
Grant that I may be willing to take up my cross and follow you.
Amen.
Join me in our prayer of confession