Calls / Based on John 21:1-19 and Acts 9:1-20 / Delivered on May 5, 2019 to CCH

Calls / Based on John 21:1-19 and Acts 9:1-20 / Delivered on May 5, 2019 to CCH
Hymns: Softly and Tenderly, O How I Love Jesus, Hymn of Promise

John 21:1-19
21:1 After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way.
21:2 Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples.
21:3 Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will go with you." They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
21:4 Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.
21:5 Jesus said to them, "Children, you have no fish, have you?" They answered him, "No."
21:6 He said to them, "Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish.
21:7 That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea.
21:8 But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.
21:9 When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread.
21:10 Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish that you have just caught."
21:11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn.
21:12 Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?" because they knew it was the Lord.
21:13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish.
21:14 This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
21:15 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."
21:16 A second time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Tend my sheep."
21:17 He said to him the third time, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep.
21:18 Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go."
21:19 (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, "Follow me."


Good morning and happy third Sunday of Easter to you.   I am Darci Strutt McQuiston, one of the Lay Servants from the UMC up the hill from here.  I had so much fun last Sunday with you that I couldn’t wait to come back!  The speaker for today had a conflict come up so I volunteered to cover.

I’m going to let most of the lesson today be from scripture since there are two wonderful selections in the lectionary.  Both are examples of God’s call.  The first is from John, which I’ve read, and the second is from Acts.  I’ll read that one soon!

I’m going to look at these two passages and see what they tell us how God may view:
The past
Human mistakes
The future

Peter’s example
Peter’s recent history demonstrated poor choices.  Some of his antics, according to scripture, include cutting off a soldier’s ear, which Jesus healed, and denying he even knew Jesus three times.  He was told to be a fisher of men and to spread the Good News, but here we see him today naked on a boat back to his pre-Jesus life of fishing in the lake.

You and I may look at his behavior and think he was a lost cause.  He abandoned his relationship with Jesus when the going got rough and he abandoned his call.  Yet God had a different plan for him.  Jesus saw his past mistakes as something to correct not condemn.  Jesus asked him three times if he would care for his flock to match each one of Peter’s three denials.  In this way he called Peter to ministry a second time. 

Jesus told him his future included suffering.
21:18 Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go."
21:19 (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, "Follow me."

Jesus didn’t abandon Peter even though we might of.  He dealt with his past mistakes by giving him a chance to reconfirm his commitment to follow him.  Jesus didn’t promise a life of ease if Peter accepted his call this second time, yet Peter accepted his call. 

Here’s Saul, who we know as the Apostle Paul, receiving his call.

Acts 9:1-6, (7-20)
9:1 Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest
9:2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
9:3 Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.
9:4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"
9:5 He asked, "Who are you, Lord?" The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
9:6 But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do."
9:7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one.
9:8 Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.
9:9 For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
9:10 Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." He answered, "Here I am, Lord."
9:11 The Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying,
9:12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight."
9:13 But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem;
9:14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name."
9:15 But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel;
9:16 I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name."
9:17 So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."
9:18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized,
9:19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength. For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus,
9:20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "He is the Son of God."

Saul’s example
Saul’s recent history included breathing threats and murder against the Disciples.  Earlier in scripture we learned he held the coats of those stoning Stephen and approved of the stoning.  His reputation was so bad that Ananias had to argue with the Lord before he obeyed.  Saul saw following Jesus as a threat to the Jewish people and something he needed to stop.

I would have agreed with Ananias!  This guy is trouble!  Yet Jesus had other plans.

Since Saul was having trouble seeing Jesus was a good thing for the world, Jesus caused him to go blind.  Then Jesus provided the Holy Spirit as well as mentors in Damascus to help him correct his misperceptions and learn the truth.  Soon his error was behind him and he was proclaiming, “He is the Son of God.”

Like Peter, his future contained suffering.
9:16 I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.

These two scriptures had a similar theme running through them.  I’m assuming that’s why the creators of the lectionary put them together for this third Sunday of Easter.  Together, let’s try and understand what God may have wanted to teach us with these lessons.

We can see our human condition reflected in Peter and Saul.  Sometimes like Peter we start out with a passion for God and then fail in epic ways.  I can imagine how I would have felt in Peter’s shoes.  I may have thought myself unworthy of continuing to follow my original call.  Saul was filled with passion for what he thought was true only to find out he had been passionately wrong!  He had treated his Lord as an enemy.  That would have been hard to reconcile.   

These two examples tell us our past does not limit our future.  You still can start again.  Our God is a God of second chances.  Take it one step removed and realize that is true even of the person in your life you have a hard time forgiving.  Ananias was told, gently by God, ‘leave the calling to me.’  We should not judge the worthiness of who God calls.  The act of calling belongs to God.

We are children.  We will make mistakes.  We will require correction.  I reminded us last week that our sin has been removed.  It doesn’t stand in the way of our future.  God’s love provides correction.  We can repent, which means to change one’s mind.  Like Saul, we can see our old thoughts were wrong and experience God’s truth.

Finally, these two lessons teach us that suffering doesn’t mean God has abandoned us.  Suffering is part of each of these calls.  Following Jesus doesn’t promise and end to suffering.  It offers peace during suffering.  To follow Jesus in life means we follow Jesus in resurrection.  He is risen.  We will rise.

Amen