Loading...Sermon April 10, 2016
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, LSW
The Church of the Nativity and St. Stephen, Newport, PA
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.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ John 21:15
Please be seated.
Earlier this week, I heard a news story about the comedian Tracy Morgan. He appeared on Oprah’s show, Super Soul Sunday.
You may remember that Mr. Morgan nearly died in a traffic accident about two years ago. He suffered numerous injuries, including a traumatic brain injury. He spoke with Oprah about his experience and recovery.
Morgan believes he had a near-death experience after the crash and as a result he says his whole outlook about relationships has changed. Here’s what he said:
"Something's different, the way I am with people, something's just different," he admitted. "I find myself saying 'I love you' 200 times a day to strangers. I don't care. I don't have to know you to love you. I love you. That's how we're supposed to be as human beings. We're supposed to take care of each other. What we see sometimes down here on Earth, there ain't no room for that up in heaven."
//www.supersoul.tv/supersoul-full-episodes/tracy-morgan-full-episode
“I find myself saying ‘I love you’ 200 times a day to strangers.” Can you imagine doing that? …saying, “I love you,” to total strangers?
Yet, I would challenge us that that’s what this Gospel story of Jesus’ encounter with Peter is saying to us.
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus comes a third time to see his disciples. They have returned to the Sea of Galilee and Peter decides to go fishing. Remember, fishing was the occupation of a number of disciples prior to following Jesus. They had returned to something they knew. Even though they’d seen Jesus a couple of times in the previous weeks, they’d just gone back to what they knew.
Jesus comes and questions Peter, especially. Jesus keeps questioning Peter, “do you love me?” Peter gets annoyed, because Jesus asks this three times. I think we can all relate. “Okay, God, I already told you once that I loved you, why do you keep asking?” What Jesus calls Peter to do and what Jesus calls us to do is important…tremendously important.
If we love Jesus, we must love people and show them Jesus’ love. Maybe not everyone will follow Jesus, too, but we are charged with loving them anyway. The work is not always easy. We may have to connect with people we wouldn’t particularly choose to be connected with. It’s a challenge. Yet, I think Tracy Morgan’s words describe what we are called to do.
And in our reading from Acts this morning, we hear of a man, Ananias, who was called by God to love and to take care of Saul. Ananias has a vision where he’s given instructions to go take care of Saul. Ananias must have been incredulous or at least puzzled.
“Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to our saints in Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name.” Acts 9:13-14
God tells Ananias that God will use Saul for God’s work. God will use Saul to spread the Gospel…to create more followers of Jesus’ teaching. Ananias goes as God commands; however, I can’t help but believe that he was a little scared and maybe even a little confused. Even so, Ananias, embodies Jesus’ command to “feed my lambs,” “tend my sheep,” and “feed my sheep.”
In Ananias’ faithful act of loving Saul, an amazing evangelist was birthed who spread the Christian Faith from Jerusalem to Rome. Ananias had to take the risk to love the stranger.
Jesus asks us to say 'I love you' 200 times a day to strangers. Jesus says we don’t have to know the person to love them. We’re supposed to love human beings. We’re supposed to take care of each other.
Now, just to embed Jesus’ command in our being, let’s put ourselves in this conversation between Jesus and Peter. I’ll ask you the questions and for each one respond: Yes Lord, I love you.
Let’s say that: Yes Lord, I love you
Leader: People of The Church of Nativity and St. Stephen, Do you love me?
Congregation: Yes Lord, I love you.
L: Feed my sheep. (slight pause) People of The Church of Nativity and St. Stephen, Do you love me?
C: Yes Lord, I love you.
L: Feed my sheep. (slight pause) People of The Church of Nativity and St. Stephen, Do you love me?
C: Yes Lord, I love you.
L: Feed my sheep.
Amen
(Last piece thanks to The Rev. Paul Carlson, https://modernmetanoia.org/2016/03/28/easter-3c-feed-my-sheep-oh-look-a-squirrel/ )
