John 21:1-19
Real human emotions. This is what we get when we follow Jesus throughout the resurrection story. Today we have the disciples, lost, not knowing what to do, so they go back to what is familiar to them, fishing. Last week they were locked up for fear. The fear has passed, without Jesus day to day they are lost. What do they do, how can they do anything which would come close to what Jesus did?
So, lost and alone they go fishing once again.
Then Jesus comes to them. After a long night of catching nothing, he comes. He calls to them to see if they've caught anything and they haven't. They don't recognize him until after the catch. Someone does and Peter is in the water. Naked Orr mostly naked, and making his way to the one he follows. Jesus is already cooking fish and they breakfast together. A meal, one last one in John, by a beach, with the fishermen. Being lost has turned to joy.
Then the parting litany between Jesus and Peter. Now scholars believe this is written as a kind of forgiveness litany mirroring the three times Peter denied Jesus. There is no word here for forgiveness. No hidden words either such as blind and seeing or night and light which are key words to John's gospel. It's almost as if Jesus is gently revealing a way forward out of being lost. "Feed my lambs. Tend my sheep. Feed my sheep."
This is the thing about the story though, Jesus allows them to have their feelings. Whether its Mary at the tomb, the disciples in the upper room, Thomas who needs proof, or the disciples fishing he never belittles or takes away their feelings. They are allowed the process of grief, fear, doubt, and being lost. It will help them become the disciples he has trained. It helps us become the disciples Jesus wants us to be also.
We live in a world of quick fixes. Get rid of the pain, the fear, and be strong, go one. We need to allow ourselves our own times of pain, grief, fear, and all the rest. We are human after all. The danger is in not allowing our emotions to be and work through them. Jesus gently comes to each, giving them the signs or words they need, so they can go on and become the disciples for the world. The spreaders of good news.
When ever we stuff our emotions and don't work through them or acknowledge them they can overcome us. There was a news show on NPR regarding older adults and the children who are now taking care of them. They concentrated on fear and our news in this because the older adults were changing their whole personality because of fears instilled in them from news they were hearing all day long. The adult children were canceling their parents cable subscriptions and found they were much more healthy than before. Letting our emotions run us is not the way forward either. It does as much harm as denying them.
Benedictine structure gives us the way through many of these. Its what our Presiding Bishop has set up in the Way of Love. A way forward and a way of intentionally following Jesus and working through our emotions. Turn-lean into the emotion, what is it, why am I feeling this; Learn-learn from it why, how, who, what is it there for, is it something I need to overcome, forgive, let go; Pray-lift it up to Jesus, let it go if need be, find words of comfort; Worship-worship is a form of working through emotion praise, grief, blessing, are given up corporately, we are not alone; Bless-blessing others blesses us, it helps us to find our way through when we are lost; Go-cross into the boundaries of feeling and find others who can help; Rest-rest in the imagery of being not alone, the beach, the garden, the room all were places they felt alone, but then Jesus comes with gentle words of love and encouragement.
We are a part of the human family and meant to work through our emotions. Not appearing strong and well put together. I have always found others who have been there're on the journey. They need our witness of muddling through and that having human emotion is not a bad thing we deny. Only in working through it will we find our risen Savior there in the midst of it all. Peace, love and letting go. Amen.
Real human emotions. This is what we get when we follow Jesus throughout the resurrection story. Today we have the disciples, lost, not knowing what to do, so they go back to what is familiar to them, fishing. Last week they were locked up for fear. The fear has passed, without Jesus day to day they are lost. What do they do, how can they do anything which would come close to what Jesus did?
So, lost and alone they go fishing once again.
Then Jesus comes to them. After a long night of catching nothing, he comes. He calls to them to see if they've caught anything and they haven't. They don't recognize him until after the catch. Someone does and Peter is in the water. Naked Orr mostly naked, and making his way to the one he follows. Jesus is already cooking fish and they breakfast together. A meal, one last one in John, by a beach, with the fishermen. Being lost has turned to joy.
Then the parting litany between Jesus and Peter. Now scholars believe this is written as a kind of forgiveness litany mirroring the three times Peter denied Jesus. There is no word here for forgiveness. No hidden words either such as blind and seeing or night and light which are key words to John's gospel. It's almost as if Jesus is gently revealing a way forward out of being lost. "Feed my lambs. Tend my sheep. Feed my sheep."
This is the thing about the story though, Jesus allows them to have their feelings. Whether its Mary at the tomb, the disciples in the upper room, Thomas who needs proof, or the disciples fishing he never belittles or takes away their feelings. They are allowed the process of grief, fear, doubt, and being lost. It will help them become the disciples he has trained. It helps us become the disciples Jesus wants us to be also.
We live in a world of quick fixes. Get rid of the pain, the fear, and be strong, go one. We need to allow ourselves our own times of pain, grief, fear, and all the rest. We are human after all. The danger is in not allowing our emotions to be and work through them. Jesus gently comes to each, giving them the signs or words they need, so they can go on and become the disciples for the world. The spreaders of good news.
When ever we stuff our emotions and don't work through them or acknowledge them they can overcome us. There was a news show on NPR regarding older adults and the children who are now taking care of them. They concentrated on fear and our news in this because the older adults were changing their whole personality because of fears instilled in them from news they were hearing all day long. The adult children were canceling their parents cable subscriptions and found they were much more healthy than before. Letting our emotions run us is not the way forward either. It does as much harm as denying them.
Benedictine structure gives us the way through many of these. Its what our Presiding Bishop has set up in the Way of Love. A way forward and a way of intentionally following Jesus and working through our emotions. Turn-lean into the emotion, what is it, why am I feeling this; Learn-learn from it why, how, who, what is it there for, is it something I need to overcome, forgive, let go; Pray-lift it up to Jesus, let it go if need be, find words of comfort; Worship-worship is a form of working through emotion praise, grief, blessing, are given up corporately, we are not alone; Bless-blessing others blesses us, it helps us to find our way through when we are lost; Go-cross into the boundaries of feeling and find others who can help; Rest-rest in the imagery of being not alone, the beach, the garden, the room all were places they felt alone, but then Jesus comes with gentle words of love and encouragement.
We are a part of the human family and meant to work through our emotions. Not appearing strong and well put together. I have always found others who have been there're on the journey. They need our witness of muddling through and that having human emotion is not a bad thing we deny. Only in working through it will we find our risen Savior there in the midst of it all. Peace, love and letting go. Amen.
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