John 21:1-25 Finding Jesus in Places of Loss and Devastation

On Wednesday, as I sat downstairs reading John 21, a particular set of questions puzzled me and a particular set of verses struck me. I need to confess to you this morning that those questions and verses couldn’t be further from my mind. Several of my friends in Santa Barbara lost homes in the Tea Fire this week. Parts of my college, Westmont, a place I love deeply, literally burned to the ground. One of my fellow pastors lost his home in Sylmar. I am less worried about why there are exactly 153 fish in the net (I still have no idea by the way), and more worried about them. And I am reading the passage a little differently this morning.

The strange thing is that I probably should have been reading the passage more like this from the beginning. I just didn’t see it. As I read John 20 last Sunday, I was struck by the last two verses:

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name

This seems like a conclusion. It seems like the book is over. This is about as real an ending as you can get.

But then we have chapter 21. It seems that the author can’t stop telling the story. He finished writing, but God didn’t finish working. God kept speaking and moving in his community, and he had to keep telling the story of Jesus. So the author keeps writing. It is true of us as well. God keeps changing lives and forcing us to open up to what he is doing. God keeps working, so we keep writing and telling the story, that old, old story in new times and places. So together we read the Scriptures and see God working in our world.

We live in a situation very similar to the situation of those disciples gathered in Galilee. Jesus has died, so he is no longer present in our midst. But Jesus is risen, so he walks among us, both seen and unseen, and the Holy Spirit is constantly our guide. Here on the seashore, Jesus reveals himself again to the disciples. Whether they are in Galilee to escape the danger present in Jerusalem, or because they don’t know what else to do, or because they are waiting for Jesus, Peter decides to go fishing. We know from the other gospels that Peter was a fisherman by trade. The disciples know what they are doing, and engage in a fairly mundane task. They don’t seem to expect Jesus to appear on the shore, but isn’t that just how Jesus likes to work? In surprising ways.

The disciples are gathered, knowing that Jesus has risen, but probably still a little lost as to what his resurrection means for them. They had left everything to follow Jesus, and now the disciples don’t have a teacher to follow throughout Palestine. They are a little aimless, but it is in their aimlessness that Jesus reveals himself to them.

And it is at the end of a long and disappointing night that Jesus chooses to reveal himself. The disciples have toiled all night to catch fish – a job they know well. And they have gained nothing. They are faced with failure and disappointment. But in this failure and disappointment Jesus reveals his presence and brings an abundant blessing of fish.

At daybreak, “Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, ‘Lads, haven’t you any fish?’ ‘No.’ They replied. He said, throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some. When they did, they were unable to haul in the net because of the large number of fish.”

I imaging that those disciples felt a little like the firefighters in Montecito, Sylmar, and Orange County. Disappointed. Dejected. They knew how to do their jobs, but in one night in Montecito they watched as they failed to keep over 200 homes from burning. In one night in Sylmar, they could not save a mobile home park of 500 residences. Failure. They are unable to do what they are trained to do. And the people are also disappointed and dejected, although I imagine that we relate more to the disciples’ feelings about Jesus’ death. He may have risen, but he doesn’t walk with them teaching throughout the countryside. His absence that night is real absence, just like the loss of homes, businesses, and colleges is real loss. There is joy – for the disciples the resurrection, for us – our lives and safety. The absence and loss are still real. But it is here that Jesus reveals himself and works a miracle.

The disciples get more than they bargained for when they drop that net. They have a net bursting with fish. And the Beloved Disciple gets it. He exclaims, “It is the Lord!” The Beloved Disciple has the eyes to see Jesus even through his loss, toil, and disappointment. He offers a testimony to what he sees, telling the others that Jesus is standing on the shore, and as a result, leading them to Jesus.

I’m learning now, in the midst of these fires and destruction, that there are still people who get it. People who see Jesus on the seashore. People like Russell and Allison Smelley, whose house burnt down only two years after their 15-year-old daughter died of a brain tumor. But they remind us that we “tread lightly in this world” for our citizenship is in heaven. Or the people like Jill Wolf, who told the local media that “they are only things” as she combed through the ashes of her house. Or the students who prayed together while they were locked inside the gym as the campus burned around them. We have been given people like the Beloved Disciple, people with eyes to see, people who get it. They see Jesus standing there, alive and present in the midst of burned neighborhoods, and they point Jesus out to the rest of us.

And it is here, in the midst of failure, loss, and disappointment that Jesus promises the disciples that he will reveal himself to others. This is a call story after all. Peter hauls in a net full of fish, is asked if he loves Jesus more than he loves fishing, and he gets told to care for God’s sheep instead of those fish. We can’t forget that Jesus has called Peter to be a fisher of people, and the catch is large. And Jesus promises that out of Peter’s struggles, failures, and disappointments, Jesus will still bring in a large catch of disciples for the Kingdom of God, in spite of Peter’s very failure to acknowledge Jesus in his most important hour, right before the crucifixion. Peter hears his restoration with his own ears, and he sees this large catch with his own eyes. That morning Jesus brought fish up to the boat, but the disciples had to follow his instructions to cast in their net and then work to bring the fish to Jesus on the shore. Jesus works through the disciples, and the disciples follow Jesus. And they see a huge blessing, a huge harvest coming out of a night of disappointment.

God has been teaching me to have the eyes of the Beloved Disciple, to see Jesus in our midst and to expect a harvest from our faithful response to his instructions in hard times. As Montecito burned, the news spread, and God’s people started praying. The news quickly traveled to area churches and to everyone connected with Westmont in any way. People started praying – for God’s mercy to save a college that transforms so many lives, to protect lives as people evacuated and battled the fire, to save homes, and for the hurricane strength winds to calm down. And you know what? God showed up for us too. While the firefighters did what they were trained to do, toiling through the night, people in Santa Barbara opened their homes to students and friends, reassuring them that though they had to literally run for their lives from the fire, they were not alone. As they battled the flames, God did calm the winds, from strong winds that should have blown for another two days, to calm conditions where lives and homes could be spared. And the same thing happened in Sylmar. People started praying, and God calmed the winds there as well. They had one day of high winds, when it should have been three. We see God standing here, perhaps in a place we wouldn’t have expected, in a place of loss and destruction.

And I am learning to expect a harvest coming out of this destruction as well. If God shows up and brings in a harvest for his Kingdom through the disciples, and then shows up in our own devastation, I am going to expect him to bring in a harvest for his Kingdom through his disciples now as well. And I am already starting to see the signs. Montecito residents have long been reluctant to accept, support, or encourage, the Christian Westmont College in their neighborhood. Westmont is seen as a threat to their way of life, their peace, and their comfort. But people have already begun to say that Montecito residents are glad for Westmont’s presence. The tensions are being lessened as the community sees what a difference it makes to have a community who prays and loves each other and loves the world right at their doorstep. As Westmont proclaims, “It is the Lord” who sustains them, who surrounds them, and who brings them through these struggles stronger and more secure in their faith, they are a witness to the surrounding neighborhood, and I am going to follow the story of the disciples, expecting that testimony to bear fruit, both in Montecito, and through the churches in Sylmar and Orange County.

So if I am following the story of the disciples, what should I expect next? In John 21, the disciples gather with Jesus for a Eucharistic meal. They eat a meal communally…the last of three communion stories in John’s Gospel. But this isn’t the communion meal that we take on Sundays in our churches, enclosed from the community around us by walls. This communion meal is out in the open, surrounded by outsiders, and it includes an expectation that the disciples will serve those outside, drawing in that huge catch of fish. It is the communion meal of a church that is continually going outside its own walls because they realize that Jesus can not be kept inside those walls. They have seen Jesus walk right through the walls to meet them inside, and now they have seen Jesus leave those walls behind to meet them on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus is already out in the community, and just as he drew the fish to the boat, he draws people to himself so that Peter (and the other disciples too) can feed his sheep.

And I do see us following the story of the disciples here too. We are to take the communion meal out into the world, surrounded by people who are not normally part of our community, and we are expected to serve out in the open. We are seeing, again, that Jesus can’t be kept locked inside walls, either the literal walls of our churches and homes, or the invisible walls of our communities and hearts. Jesus is going out into the neighborhoods, calling people to himself, and waiting for us to proclaim that “It is the Lord.” He is waiting for us now, in the middle of these fires, to go out into communities that are devastated, serving them in whatever way is needed, by giving money, helping provide shelter and the basic belongings of a new life, and loving and praying for them as they grieve. And he is waiting for us to continue to go out into the cities long after these fires have passed, still loving those who are broken, and still inviting others to see that it is Jesus who gives us life and breath and every good gift. And still proclaiming that “It is the Lord” in their midst, whether they have the eyes to see or not.

God is still at work, even in places we might not expect, revealing himself to the world in the midst of these fires, reminding us that he works good even in the worst of circumstances, calling us to recognize that “It is the Lord!” in our midst, and leading us out into the middle of broken communities to proclaim his name and serve those Jesus calls to follow him. Let us take communion here this morning, as a community that proclaims his name, and then take his communion and his love out into all the world, loving those Jesus already loves. Amen.

All Saints Day 2008 - Revelation 7:9-17

All Saints Day is important to me. It is one of my favorite church holidays, not because it is happy, but because it is good. And I know it is good because I’ve been there. I’ve seen my share of death in too few years. I’ve said goodbye to too many people. Friends, I know what it is to cry. I know what it is to be unable to focus because thoughts of a loved one are constantly on your mind. I know what it is to hear a song, see a movie, visit a location, even just hear a word, and images, memories, replay in your mind. So why is it that I love a holiday that reminds me of those who are no longer here? All Saints and All Souls Day is a time to honor those who have gone before us. It is a time to remember the saints in my own life and to remember the many things they taught me. And I love God’s promise of life in his presence that we are reminded of today.

A little over three years ago, I moved to North Carolina to start school at Duke. The day before I moved, one of my friends, Alyssa, from the church in Santa Barbara, had a seizure and ended up in ICU. She was vibrant, a runner, vocalist, and actress. She was on one of our praise bands, and only two weeks earlier, she had had a conversation with pastor Doug about wanting to lead people into worship. She wanted to help others worship God with the same love and passion she had. Alyssa was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. She lived the next 10 ½ months with grace, joy, and laughter before passing into the loving arms of Jesus on July 4^th, 2006.

I tell you Alyssa’s story not because she is unique. I know many of you could share similar stories. I tell you about Alyssa because you need to know a little about her story to understand the words Doug shared at her Celebration of Life service. Doug told the story of Alyssa asking to lead worship at the church. And he told us that now, since Alyssa had passed into the arms of Jesus, she got to fulfill that desire. As Alyssa worshipped around God’s throne, she got to lead all of us into worship. Because of her life, we were all gathered in one room, to worship God, remember his faithfulness, and celebrate the gift he had given to us all in Alyssa.

Alyssa joined the great crowd of saints who worship around the throne. That crowd that we read about in Revelation. There is a multitude no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language. They are dressed in white, the same color that Revelation describes Jesus as wearing, because they have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb. And they are all worshipping together. The angel tells John that this crowd has come out of the great tribulation. They serve God day and night. And here is the part I really love, “Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them, nor any scorching heat. For the lamb at the center before the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

These saints have seen pain on earth. They have hungered and thirsted and cried. At times in the Roman world, Christians were persecuted for their faith. They were fed to the beasts in the coliseums. They were told to worship the emperor instead of Jesus, or alongside Jesus. They were told to sacrifice to other gods. And even when things were peaceful, they struggled to survive. They worked hard to have food from day to day. They battled all variety of illnesses. And they saw death, from life in this world and at the hands of the Roman authorities.

But John isn’t worried about the death of the saints. He sees exactly where the saints live – gathered around the throne of God. Death is not the end for God’s saints. They are resurrected. As Paul tells us, because Jesus was resurrected from the dead, we know that we too will be resurrected if we live in Christ. As we proclaim on Easter, Jesus rose from the dead. As we proclaim every day, Jesus lives. He lives! And NOTHING, absolutely nothing, can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, not even persecution, famine, war, and death. No, we pass from this world that is seen, into a world that is not seen, but no less real, as we live with God.

Our other scripture this morning gives us a view into that crowd of saints. We hear some of the names, and we remember some of the stories. We read of so many Old Testament figures. People like Abraham, who was given a promise by God that he would receive a son, and learned to trust that God keeps his promises, even when God asked Abraham to give him back his only son. And people like Moses, who murdered a man, but was redeemed by God to lead Israel out of exile in Egypt. And people like David, who sinned repeatedly, but still loved God their whole lives. These are our witnesses, that great cloud of saints who have followed God. Not perfect people, but people who walked with God. People like us. People like the saints we have said goodbye to. Hebrews takes over a chapter telling their stories because their stories are important to our faith. As we remember how God has acted in the lives of these Biblical people, we remember a little more that God still acts in our own lives, and that God can be trusted to be faithful. Their lives give us examples for us to follow. Their lives teach us about God.

That is why the church recognizes saints after all. These are people who understood what it meant to walk with God, and they did so faithfully. The saints are people who saw God’s promises, and now see his promise of resurrection fulfilled. And we have plenty of saints to learn from. People like Augustine who explored just about every religion and every lifestyle in the Roman world before coming to know Christ. And then he faithfully led the church as a pastor and then finally as a bishop, fighting against false teaching, and encouraging the people. Or people like John Wesley, who founded Methodism, not to create a new denomination, but to revive the churches in England through the spiritual disciplines, praying, fasting, preaching, and giving away the vast majority of his income for his entire life to take care of the poor.

But it isn’t just the lives of the saints who still speak. It is also the lives of the souls who have gone to be with Christ. Those who lived quietly in a small corner of the world, faithfully trusting God day after day after day after day. Those people who taught our Sunday school classes, and first showed us who God is as they taught us the stories of the Bible. Those relatives who prayed for us because they knew that God answers prayers. Those friends who challenged us to trust God when life was hard, and who trusted God for us when we couldn’t. I have them in my own life, grandparents, friends, housemates, men and women of the churches I’ve attended. I know you have them too.

Who are your saints? Who taught you to live faithfully by their own example? And how will you pass on their stories? If it is important for us to remember the lives of the saints in Hebrews, it is important for us to remember the lives of the saints in our own lives too. So how will you remember them? Will you keep their pictures up on your walls? Will you remember their lives at family dinners? Will you watch old family videos and look through old photo albums together?

You know the lessons of their lives. I would consider myself faithful if I lived as trusting as Alyssa, knowing that God is good, regardless of her circumstances, and finding joy in the simple pleasures of life. I am seeking to “run with perseverance the race marked out for me, fixing my eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” Will we be a part of that crowd around the throne who lived faithfully? People whose lives still speak of God’s faithfulness after we have passed into the loving arms of Jesus? Let us pray and persevere that it may be so.