"Remembering, Rejoicing, and Re-Committing"
John 21:1-17
“I’m going fishing,” says Simon
Peter. And others apparently say, “I’ll
go with you.” So, it’s back to life as
usual.
Do you find
yourself wondering-- why would the
disciples go fishing just days after Jesus’ resurrection?
After the
resurrection, the disciples had locked themselves into a room, because they
were afraid. But Jesus had come to them
and said, “Peace be with you.” He showed them his wounds, and they
recognized him, and they rejoiced!
Again, Jesus said, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And then he breathed on them, saying,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.” The followers
have been blessed and sent by the risen Christ.
So…
What’s going on here? Shouldn’t
the disciples be out preaching?
Shouldn’t they be fishing for people?
And why is
the story here at the end of John’s
gospel anyway? The words at the end of
chapter twenty sounded like they were the end:
“Now Jesus
did many other signs in the presence of his disciples which are not written in
this book. But these are written so that
you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that
through believing you may have life in Jesus’ name.”[1]
Doesn’t
that sound like the end?—like things were pretty well wrapped up?
But it
isn’t the end. This is just one more
reminder that the Bible isn’t tidy. The
work of the Spirit isn’t tidy.
“After these things, Jesus showed
himself again.”
The
disciples had fished all night, but they didn’t catch anything. At dawn, Jesus appears on the shore—but they
don’t recognize him. “Children, you have
no fish-- have you?”
“No,” they
shout back over the water.
“Cast your
nets to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.”
They throw
out the net and soon it’s filled with fish.
Do you have a sense of déjà vu?
Haven’t we been here before?
In Luke’s
gospel, in chapter 5, the fishermen had
fished all night and hadn’t caught anything.
Jesus says to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets
for a catch.” They caught so many fish
that their nets were beginning to break, and they were amazed at the
catch. At that point, Jesus told them,
“Don’t be afraid. From now on you’ll be
catching people.” And the disciples left
everything and followed Jesus.”
So again
I’m wondering: Why are the disciples
back fishing for FISH?
In John’s gospel, we have this
fishing story with an amazing catch at the end of the story-- after the resurrection. We hear Jesus saying “Follow me,” as though
it’s a beginning.
The first
disciples were having a hard time figuring out how to live after the
resurrection, so they were holding on to what was familiar to them.
It seems they needed a new
beginning—a new call. So Jesus takes
bread and fish and gives it to them, and they share a meal together. Then Jesus says to Simon Peter, “Do you love
me?” Peter says, “Yes, Lord. You know I love you.” (Now this is the same Peter who denied Jesus
three times on the night he was arrested, because he was afraid.) Jesus says, “Feed my lambs.”
A second
time, Jesus asks Peter: “Do you love
me?” Peter says, “Yes, Lord. You know I love you.” Jesus says,
“Tend my sheep.”
A third
time, Jesus ask, “Do you love me?” Peter
says, “Of course I love you!” Again,
Jesus says, “Feed my sheep.”
More than two thousand years later,
we’re trying to figure out how to follow Jesus in this new time. I don’t have to tell you that this is a
challenging time for the church—and not only for smaller congregations like
Littlefield.
The
church in North America has been in decline.
We are
in a time that I think can be spiritually bewildering… and discouraging. I think a lot of people are wondering, with
Ezekiel:: “Can these bones live?”
We are
living in a time of huge change… and cosmic SHIFT: technological, cultural, political, and
religious. Think about it: When I was in the process of moving here to
Dearborn 18 years ago, a few of us had email accounts. Technological things that we take for granted
now—websites, Google searches, Facebook, Twitter, Pintarest, e-books, etc.—we didn’t have any of them 20
or so years ago.
A few weeks ago, the
Pew Research Center for Religion & Public Life reported in a massive study
that 22.8 percent of Americans identified with no organized religion, a dramatic rise from
16.1 percent in 2007, the last time the nonprofit research group took such a
sweeping look at religion in America.. [2]
Society is
changing. And, according to Harvey Cox,
we are now experiencing the biggest shift in Christianity since the 4th
century. So it’s no wonder we feel
bewildered… disoriented… and maybe anxious
or afraid.
It’s
tempting to just go fishing. And yet… there have been times of disruption and
change and loss before, in the world, and here at Littlefield.
Back in 1960,
Littlefield had 1,250 members. But a lot
of things started changing. For a
variety of reasons, mainline churches began to lose prestige and power and lost
anywhere from a quarter to a third of their members. This was just the beginning of some
challenging times for Littlefield Church.
Harry Geissinger came to be the senior pastor and brought
strong visionary leadership the congregation needed. The 1960’s and 1970’s were tumultuous times
in our society, in the world, and in the church. Life in the metro Detroit area was marked by
social upheaval and a series of crises in the 1960’s, including block-busting
and the 1967 race riot. The congregation
struggled with the impact of “white flight” out of its Detroit neighborhoods
and significant growth in the number of Arab Americans in its Dearborn
neighborhoods.
The changes in the community reduced the size of the
Littlefield congregation. Some churches
might have packed up and moved to the suburbs.
But, as a mission study done during this time observed,
“In the face of tremendous social changes going on all around it, Littlefield
Presbyterian Church did not split apart or turn in on itself. It didn’t close down or lose faith….”
In the mid- to late-seventies, a need emerged and was
identified: to develop a relationship with our Arab-American neighbors, to
bridge cultural differences and overcome misunderstandings among Christians and
Muslims. Since that time, Littlefield
Presbyterian Church has taken a leadership role in carrying out a ministry of
reconciliation.
In 1979, Bill Gepford began his work as Director of
Arab-American Relations in Dearborn and Assistant Pastor of Littlefield. This
was a result of “a strong sense of mission and faith in the future…” This pioneering program was supported by the
General Assembly, the Synod of the Covenant, the Presbytery of Detroit, and
Littlefield Church.
1986 was a big year at Littlefield. The first Interfaith Thanksgiving Service was
held at Littlefield, with participants from the Muslim, Christian, and Jewish
communities, and the service continued for many years until many communities in
the region started holding their own interfaith Thanksgiving services.
The same year the congregation’s holiday basket project
served 80 families and continued to do so until a few years ago. One of the things that was so impressive
about this program was how it brought together local organizations like ACCESS,
Fordson High School and McDonald Elementary
schools, merchants, and others to work
together to feed hungry people.
In the late 1980’s, there were three classes of English
as a Second Language being held at Littlefield, operated by the Dearborn Public
Schools, and in 1990 the congregation began a cooperative relationship with the
YWCA to offer a Head Start preschool program.
Both of these partnerships served the people in the community and
provided supplemental income to help fund Littlefield’s mission.
So
it was a disappointing and anxious time when we lost both these community programs
a couple of years ago. We have another
congregation renting space on weekends, and that helps. But, as our finance committee has been
telling us, “If nothing changes, Littlefield only has a couple of years.”
Now,
I have to tell a little story. At some
point shortly after I’d moved here and bought a house, I was having a
conversation with someone who said, “Well, we’re only going to be open for
another 2 or 3 years.”
What
I discovered was that a couple of our elders with business experience had
looked at the finances a few years before that and projected that “if nothing
changes, the church would have to close in 5 years.”
That
was 18 years ago. Obviously, some things
did change.
In
the Presbyterian church, every time a pastor leaves, the congregation does a
mission study. After Del Meester left in
1994, the mission study said it well:
“Outreach to the community is at the heart of Littlefield Church’s
ministry….Our primary challenge is the one that has always faced
Christians: to discern what God is
calling us to do, and to reflect and model God’s love, justice, and peace…. The
members of Littlefield believe that the work of the Holy Spirit among us gives
us energy and mission and that we are called by God to re-invent and re-orient
ourselves with regard to who we are and what to do as God’s people.“
A
few months after I got here, Doris Edwards came to me with an idea for holding
a Peace Camp at Littlefield, and by the next summer, in 1998, we held our first
Peace Camp. We’ve held one almost every
year since, and are gearing up for Peace Camp 2015.
The
events of September 11, 2001 changed all our lives and had a major impact on
our congregation’s life, as we had a renewed sense of urgency about working to
further understanding and cooperation between different religious groups. We
had a series of Christian-Muslim Dialogue days in those years, as well as a
number of educational forums. In recent
years, we have held an Interfaith Prayer for Peace service in September. We find ways to come together to grow in
understanding and pray together for
peace.
So
here we are. Today we remember and give
thanks for 85 years of mission and ministry at Littlefield. It’s easy to get discouraged when we look
around at the small numbers. But
Littlefield continues to be a very special congregation with a unique
mission.
The
new people who have joined us in recent years seem to think Littlefield is a
special place. We’re thrilled to have
children again. And for a small
congregation, we have wonderful music.
A
little later in the service, we’re going to have some time for “rejoicing”, so
we’ll continue to count our blessings then.
This is a challenging, sometimes confusing,
sometimes anxious, but also exciting time to be doing ministry! Things are changing, and we have so much
learning and discernment to do, in order to serve Christ faithfully in this new
time, with new possibilities.
When we feel like giving up and going fishing,
Jesus keeps showing up.
Do you love me? If you do, feed my sheep.
Do we hear him calling? Follow
me. The world needs you to be salt and light…
and to love one another and your neighbors.
Now
to the One who by the power at work within us
Is
able to do far more abundantly
Than
all we can ask or imagine,
To
God be glory in the church
And
in Christ Jesus,
To
all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Rev. Fran Hayes, Pastor
Littlefield Presbyterian Church
Dearborn, Michigan
June 7, 2015
[1]
John 20:30-31.
[2] http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/u-s-becoming-less-christian-study-finds-unaffiliated-group-grows-n357561
[3]
Ephesians 3:20-21
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