May Letter From Pastor Don
“Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. 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.”
~ John 21: 2-3
One of the most intriguing stories in all the gospel accounts of the resurrection is found in John 21. After running to the tomb following Mary’s report of finding it open and empty, after hearing Mary Magdalene exclaim, “I have seen the Lord,” after seeing Jesus and hearing him say, “peace be with you” and receiving the Holy Spirit when Jesus breathed on him, and after being in the house with Thomas and the other disciples when Jesus appeared to them and invited Thomas to touch his wounds, Simon Peter decided to go home and go fishing on the Sea of Galilee. What?!
Simon, let me get this straight, after what you’ve seen and experienced over the last week—an amazing Passover meal with Jesus, you cut of a guys ear and Jesus heals him, your Rabbi was arrested, you denied knowing him, just like he said you would, he was tortured, crucified, died and was buried, and three days later is ALIVE, he appears to you several times, including breathing the power of the Holy Spirit on you, and after all of this you decide to go home and go fishing?! You decide to return to the “same-old-same-old?”
I wonder if Simon Peter, James, John, Thomas (the one Jesus invited to touch his wounds), Nathanael and the other two disciples were surprised when they caught nothing, like the night they first met Jesus three years earlier (Luke 5:5)?
Henry David Thoreau, in Walden wrote, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life and see if I could learn what it has to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” In my estimation, Peter and the other disciples resigned themselves to doing what was familiar, what they knew, what was comfortable. I suspect this because I’m inclined, when left to my own devices, to retire to the same. Thoreau went on the write, “I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation… I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life.”
Jesus stood on the lakeshore to remind the disciples he came “that they may have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10); that he gave his life so they could have new life, he gave the gift of the Holy Spirit that they would be empowered to accomplish the unimaginable. The time had come for them to deliberately live in the newness of resurrection life and fish for people.
Now is the time for us to deliberately live as Easter people too, empowered by the Holy Spirit to accomplish the unimaginable, and fulfill the gospel call to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Don
~ John 21: 2-3
One of the most intriguing stories in all the gospel accounts of the resurrection is found in John 21. After running to the tomb following Mary’s report of finding it open and empty, after hearing Mary Magdalene exclaim, “I have seen the Lord,” after seeing Jesus and hearing him say, “peace be with you” and receiving the Holy Spirit when Jesus breathed on him, and after being in the house with Thomas and the other disciples when Jesus appeared to them and invited Thomas to touch his wounds, Simon Peter decided to go home and go fishing on the Sea of Galilee. What?!
Simon, let me get this straight, after what you’ve seen and experienced over the last week—an amazing Passover meal with Jesus, you cut of a guys ear and Jesus heals him, your Rabbi was arrested, you denied knowing him, just like he said you would, he was tortured, crucified, died and was buried, and three days later is ALIVE, he appears to you several times, including breathing the power of the Holy Spirit on you, and after all of this you decide to go home and go fishing?! You decide to return to the “same-old-same-old?”
I wonder if Simon Peter, James, John, Thomas (the one Jesus invited to touch his wounds), Nathanael and the other two disciples were surprised when they caught nothing, like the night they first met Jesus three years earlier (Luke 5:5)?
Henry David Thoreau, in Walden wrote, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life and see if I could learn what it has to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” In my estimation, Peter and the other disciples resigned themselves to doing what was familiar, what they knew, what was comfortable. I suspect this because I’m inclined, when left to my own devices, to retire to the same. Thoreau went on the write, “I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation… I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life.”
Jesus stood on the lakeshore to remind the disciples he came “that they may have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10); that he gave his life so they could have new life, he gave the gift of the Holy Spirit that they would be empowered to accomplish the unimaginable. The time had come for them to deliberately live in the newness of resurrection life and fish for people.
Now is the time for us to deliberately live as Easter people too, empowered by the Holy Spirit to accomplish the unimaginable, and fulfill the gospel call to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Don
Posted in Letters From Pastor Don
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