A Sermon by Pastor Tom Lacey . . .

LUNCH WITH JESUS

John 21:1-14, Preached at Congregational Church of Boca Raton, April 22, 2007

One day a group of scientists got together and decided that humans had come a long way and therefore no longer needed God. So they picked one scientist to go and tell Him that they were done with Him. “God,” he said, "we've decided that we no longer need you. We're to the point that we can clone people and do many miraculous things, so why don't you just go on and get lost." After the scientist was done talking, God said, "Very well, how about this? Let's say we have a human-making contest." "Okay, great!" “But,” God added, "Now, we're going to do this just like I did back in the old days with Adam." The scientist said, "Sure, no problem," and bent down, scooping up a handful of dirt. God looked at him and said, "Oh, no, no, no. You go get your own dirt!" It’s rather simple: God is the creator and we are the created, as is this whole earth and universe.

Our text for the day is about getting your life connected to God’s life. You know, it’s a good thing when we do what we are best at doing. We really should be going about our business, being who we really are. The worst thing is to fake it. Peter and his six other companions go back home to Galilee, and what do they do? They do what they do. They go fishing. And that’s where Jesus meets them. If you’re a painter you should paint; if you’re a student then study; if you’re a parent, parent. If you’re a volunteer, then volunteer. The Lord can’t use if you if you lose you. Don’t follow someone else’s pattern; you’ve got yours. Accept who you really are. Be confident about your gifts. God knows who we are before we are born. It obviously takes us a little bit longer to get it figured out, but once we do, we can do some amazing things. It’s a bit like the farmer who stood leaning on a fence at the edge of his property. He watched as a red sports car came over the top of a hill and followed the road up to the spot where he stood. The driver pulled over to the side of the road and called out to the farmer. "Do you know how I can get to Route 91?" the driver asked. The farmer thought for a few seconds. "Nope." "Do you know where the nearest turnpike entrance is?" "Nope," the farmer replied. "How about the town of Hadley. Do you know which direction it is from here?" "Nope." Exasperated, the driver raced his engine. "You don't know very much, do you?" he said. "Nope," the farmer replied. "But I'm not lost."

What we want to see this morning is that we need to keep in mind two simple points to fulfill the God-given potential of our lives: Do what is right for you and listen to the Lord.

Now this may sound selfish, at least the first part, but I want you to compare it to the actual alternative: Do what is wrong for you. If we are doing what is right for ourselves, God can meet us there and turn a little into a lot. But if we are doing something which is against ourselves, then the Lord has to turn everything around and get us going in the right direction before anything good can come from our lives. It’s a shame when you meet someone and they are so unhappy about who they are. You just know that it doesn’t matter where they go or who they’re with, they will not find happiness. God could set down the perfect person for them, hand them their dream job, and give them 2.3 wonderful children, but because they aren’t happy with who they are, none of it will matter.

Scripture tells us to love others as ourselves, but if we don’t even like ourselves, it’s impossible to take on the gracious task of loving others. After all, who or what part of me is going to do the loving? If you’re having a tough time with choices you’ve made, and you’re getting down on yourself, reconsider. Look, if Jesus can forgive Peter for having denied him when he needed him the most, you’re easy. Don’t be so backward-looking. What happens from here forward matters even more. Make amends whenever possible. Give back to others if you’ve taken. Ask forgiveness to those you’ve hurt. And then turn around. What is coming next needs all your attention and everything you’re worth. So be hopeful. Be positive. God has infinite patience with us and an eternal plan that only takes our “Yes,” our “Amen,” to get it going.

When we look at our reading from John this morning, we see the setting has shifted from the environs in and around Jerusalem to the Sea of Tiberius, some 65 miles north. The disciples have reconvened on their home turf. Simon Peter declares he is going fishing and the other six named in this story follow his lead. If they intended to return to their former occupation, it was an inauspicious resumption of a career. They toiled throughout the night and caught not a single fish. But now a stranger calls out to them and tells them what to do next. Casting their nets on the right side in obedience, they are rewarded with a catch of fish so abundant that they cannot haul it in. It is at the moment of the catch that the beloved disciple, this gospel’s author, recognizes Jesus. John may have been the first to recognize Jesus, but it is Peter who springs into action and leaps into the sea, leaving the others to bring the boat and the fish to shore. The verb used is helko (to haul), which when used earlier is about drawing people to belief. I am sure you noticed that it is only after Jesus appears on shore and gives them new directions that even their fishing activity becomes fruitful.

Perhaps it’s rather startling to find the seven disciples named here suddenly out of Jerusalem and back in Galilee, going about their old business of fishing. Instead of spreading the gospel news, they are seemingly content to go about "business as usual."

But it is here, in the middle of a regular day or night, not on a mountain top, not on a retreat, where Jesus finds, instructs, and the implication is, sets them forward on their people-catching and Christian-making mission that would change our world forever.

You don’t have to go far from home to get started on a good work. Your workplace could use a voice of prayerful calm. Lead by example. Your home life would be helped with a more prayerful optimism; lead by example. The Lord is willing to start but then we have to lead. Don’t worry. Plenty of other people have done just that, and we have all been blessed by their example. You’ve probably never heard of Darryl Hill, but Darryl Hill was the first African-American to play football for the University of Maryland in the early 1960s. He received a great deal of abuse from fans throughout the South, however he was especially shocked by the shouts and taunts of the crowd at Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Wake Forest had deep Baptist ties, and its team was known as the “Deacons.” As the pre-game warm-up ended, Hill noticed Wake Forest’s captain approaching him. “I want to apologize for the behavior of my fans,” he said to Hill. Then, draping his arm over Hill’s shoulder, he began to walk him toward the Wake Forest side of the field, where the jeering was at its worst. By the time the two of them reached the middle of the field, the rude screaming had dropped to near silence. Who was this courageous captain of the Wake Forest Deacons? According to The Washington Post Magazine (February 1, 2004), the player’s name was Brian Piccolo, who, years later, would inspire the TV movie Brian’s Song, which dramatized his relationship with African-American player Gale Sayers, and his own battle with cancer. Doesn’t seem like much, but that’s all it takes—a greeting, a walk, and the world just may change again. God can do amazing things with the little things.

Don’t wait for the skywriting, the letters on the wall, or the golden invitation to take up what is yours to do. Jesus says it’s simple: “Try fishing on the right side of the boat.” We do things on the left side until we’re blue in the face, but all it takes is one little word of grace and how different things are. Don’t you know someone who is so close to getting it, to taking that step you so want for them? It’s not like they have to climb Mt. Everest to get there. More than likely, it’s as easy as turning to the other side of a boat. But for them it’s as difficult as flying to the moon. Take a look at any of the miracles Jesus accomplished. He doesn’t sweat through any of them. It’s a word. It’s a touch. It’s a command that’s followed, and then the change. We can finally see. The storm stops blowing all around us. We stand and walk. Our sins are forgiven. So if it’s up to you…get up those 15 minutes earlier. Fill out that application you’ve thought of. Do the dishes or the laundry or learn to cook a meal or two. Hold your tongue, or say the better word. And your net will be filled to overflowing.

Comedians Jack Benny and George Burns were having lunch in a restaurant. Benny, whose wife Mary had put him on a strict diet that prohibited any butter, agonized aloud for a few minutes about whether or not to butter his bread. Burns evidently got tired of listening to him dither and demanded that he “just make this one decision for yourself!” Benny buttered his bread and ate it with great satisfaction. When the check came, Burns told the waiter to give it to Benny, who complained, “Why should I pay?” “If you don’t,” Burns replied, “I’ll tell Mary about the butter.”

Who we listen to is very important. The more sure we are of what we are supposed to be doing in life, the more we know who has the final word. When Christian Herter was governor of Massachusetts, he was running hard for a second term in office. One day, after a busy day chasing votes (and no lunch) he arrived at a church barbecue. It was late afternoon and Herter was famished. As he moved down the serving line, he held out his plate to the woman serving chicken. She put a piece on his plate and turned to the next person in line. “Excuse me,” Gov. Herter said, “do you mind if I have another piece of chicken?” “Sorry,” the woman told him. “I’m supposed to give one piece of chicken to each person.” “But I’m starved,” the governor said. “Sorry,” the woman said again. “Only one to a customer.” Gov. Herter was a modest and unassuming man, but he decided that this time he would throw a little weight around. “Do you know who I am?” he said. “I am the governor of this state.” “Do you know who I am?” the woman said. “I’m the lady in charge of the chicken. Move along, mister.”

Jesus doesn’t stay with his disciples. He can’t. He blesses them, eats the meal with them, and tells them they are now the ones in charge. And off they went. That’s the thing. No matter how you look at these resurrection stories of the disciples, whether it seems as if they were hiding out back at home, you know they didn’t stay there for long. They ate their meal with Jesus and then got back to work and to the world, and it’s made all the difference. Let me tell you one more thing: Nothing has changed. The same goes for us: Sit and rest with the Lord, but then rise to serve his cause in this world.

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