Ministry Updates for Tuesday, April 14th, 2020
Scripture for Reflection – John 21:1-3
After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. 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. 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.
Reflection – Easter is Over?
In order to simplify things in our minds, we tend to reduce them to codes or sound bites. We talk about a movie being good or bad, rather than how it moved us. We talk about our grades in a class, rather than the exciting things we learned. We talk about Easter as a day, rather than a new beginning. We ‘shrink things down’, we make them safe and simple. The only problem is, when we do this, we misrepresent reality, and then end up living with a half-truth or a lie.
I would like to spend this week focusing on this story of Peter and the risen Christ so that we might remember how the risen Christ reflects a new beginning for us. In this story, Peter, the one Christ chose to lead the movement after he was gone, is leading the group nowhere. Or to be more accurate, he is leading them backward. Back to their life as fishermen.
There was nothing wrong with them being fishermen. It was most likely the right move for them at the time. But after having experienced Jesus, after being exposed to his teaching, preaching, miracle feedings and healings, after being empowered to do God’s work, it would no longer be a faithful response to go back to their old life. Shrinking Easter to just a day and even calling it a miraculous day would still leave the disciples disconnected from God and their calling.
In the historical practice of the Christian Church, we speak of Easter as a season. It runs for 7 weeks from Easter Sunday to Pentecost. That is the practice of the church. In the practice of our lives, Easter is what we hope for any time something very important to us comes to an end. In lives where we lose loved ones, get knocked down, feel drained of hope and the end seems inevitable, we get to, by faith, remember Easter… That Christ is risen from the dead. That he is Lord of everything. That we can be made whole again. That God’s calling on our lives is how we demonstrate our belief in the resurrection both to ourselves and to others.
Prayer
God our creator, God of the changing seasons of our lives, God of transformation, we confess that we find comfort in retreating to our old ways. Through Jesus Christ you have healed us, taught us, fed us, encouraged us and called us to be part of your kingdom on the move. Help us return to and keep our eyes focused on your leading, so we do not wander or stray for the tremendous life that you have in store for us. Amen.