September 9, 2007

When God Goes Fishing

Rally Day 2007

John 21:15-19

John 21:15-19   ¹⁵When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?"
      "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you."
      Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."

    ¹⁶Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?"
      He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."
      Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep."

    ¹⁷ The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"
      Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you."

    Jesus said, "Feed my sheep. ¹⁸ I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." ¹⁹Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!"

Bishop Roger Herft, Anglican bishop of Newcastle, NSW, Australia, tells of a Croatian refugee he met in mid 2001. This man had fled his war-torn country and arrive din Australia some years before. Since then his marriage had broken up and he lost custody of his children. To add to his agony 24 members of his family, including his 84 year old grandfather and four month old niece, had been killed during the most recent conflict in Croatia. He said to Bishop Herft, "Where is God when it really matters? I'll tell you where. God has got fed up with us. He has put up a board saying, 'Gone Fishing', and has left us to live in this bloody mess." Has there ever been a time in your life when you felt like God has gone fishing?

Bill and Sandy felt like God had gone fishing. They were parishioners of mine twenty years ago. They traveled from Morristown, Ohio to Canfield for the fair. They called me and we visited near the rock in the fairgrounds on Labor Day. (They said except for a few gray hairs I looked the same.) It is not easy to get caught up on the past twenty years in one hour. There was just time for the highlights. They said they had been through some hard times. Their three daughters finished school and moved away. There are no jobs in their area. When gas hit three dollars a gallon, they lost most of their trucking business. Sandy lost her best friend to cancer. My former congregation, the Morristown United Methodist Church is near the end. They only draw about 12 on an average Sunday. Sandy said to me, “Russ, we went through some hard times. It was hard to get out of bed. The truth is there were days we really had no reason to get out of bed.” She didn’t say it but I know it is true. There were days in her life when she felt like God had forgotten them. There were days when she felt like God had gone fishing.

Have you ever felt like God has gone fishing? Nothing in your life is working out. The relationships in your life have grown old and stale. There is isn’t enough money to pay the bills. Your job is just that a job. It pays the bills but you no longer find it challenging. Yours dreams of having an exciting life is nothing more then a memory. You are tired and frustrated with everyone and everything. You pray for change but everything stays the same. Your soul hungers for God but God seems distant. You feel like God had forgotten you and has gone fishing.

This morning’s sermon is for everyone who feels like God has gone fishing. One of the great divine promises in our lives is that God never abandons us! We may not always experience Him first hand but God is always present. God is there when we need encouragement. God is there when you need forgiveness. God is there when you need direction. To underscore these three wonderful divine points I will use this wonderful resurrection story from the twenty-first chapter of John. So if you are ready for my three divine points say, “Amen!”

When We Need Encouragement, God Is There

William Arthur Ward once said, Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I will not forget you.

History will always remember it was Wellington who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo. He was brilliant, demanding, and not one to shower his subordinates with compliments. Yet even Wellington realized that his methods left something to be desired. In his old age a young lady asked him what, if anything, he would do differently if he had his life to live over again. Wellington thought for a moment, then replied. "I'd give more praise," he said.

For three years the disciples traveled with him. They heard the lessons. They saw the miracles. They experienced the power that came from being with the Master. They dreamed of greatness but through human eyes those dreams of greatness ended suddenly when Jesus died on the cross. The eleven disciple, Mathias had not yet replaced Judas Iscariot, are discouraged. The most discouraged disciple was Peter. With all of his big talk, he disowned Jesus when he needed him the most. Jesus’ appearance to the disciples, and especially to Peter, says, “I still love you. I still trust you. I still believe in you.” Jesus hadn’t gone fishing. He was still with them! Have you ever felt discouraged? When was the last time you encouraged someone else? God has not gone fishing. He is right here with us trying to encourage you to do something with your life. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

When We Need Forgiveness, God Is There

In his book, Lee: The Last Years, Charles Bracelen Flood reports that after the Civil War, Robert E. Lee visited a Kentucky lady who took him to the remains of a grand old tree in front of her house. There she bitterly cried that its limbs and trunk had been destroyed by Federal artillery fire. She looked to Lee for a word condemning the North or at least sympathizing with her loss. After a brief silence, Lee said, "Cut it down, my dear Madam, and forget it." It is better to forgive the injustices of the past than to allow them to remain, let bitterness take root and poison the rest of our life.”

Not long before she died in 1988, in a moment of surprising candor in television, Marghanita Laski, one of our best-known secular humanists and novelists, said, "What I envy most about you Christians is your forgiveness; I have nobody to forgive me." 

This resurrection appearance relates directly back to Holy Week. Peter had denied Jesus not once but three times. So Jesus asks Simon Peter three times, “Do you love me?” That question was painful for Peter to hear but that question asked three times is significant because it means that Peter is completely forgiven. Jesus came to offer forgiveness to Peter. Have you ever needed forgiveness? When was the last time you forgave someone else? God has not gone fishing. He is right here forgiving you! And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

When We Need Direction, God Is There

John Wesley once said, “I want the whole Christ for my Savior, the whole Bible for my book, the whole Church for my fellowship, and the whole world for my mission field.”  The Westminster Confession of faith says the purpose of life is to glorify God.

Jesus encouraged the disciples. He forgave Peter. However, the question that still burned with their souls was, “Now what?” They knew their lives would never be the same. They knew they couldn’t go back to the way things were. They knew all this happened for a reason. They knew God had a purpose for their lives. They needed direction. Jesus says, “Feed my sheep.” In others words, Jesus is saying be the kind of church that the world needs. Have you ever felt like you needed some direction in your life? What are you going in your life to glorify God? God has not gone fishing. He is here with us! And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

In the Louvre in Paris, France, hangs the great masterpiece Goethe’s Faust. The painting is of Faust seated at a table playing chess with Satan, himself. At first glance it looks like Satan is winning. The evil one sits there smugly thinking he has victory in hand. If you take a moment to study the picture you can almost hear Satan yell out, “Checkmate.” Several years ago, an international check player came to study the picture. It was through his skillful eye that he saw something that a casual chess player would have missed. The professional player saw that Faust had one more move. That one move would alter the outcome of the game. Certain defeat would turn into absolute victory. The amateur would miss it but the professional saw it. I love that masterpiece because it really tells the story of our world today. There are times when it looks like Satan is going to win. The evening news gets uglier every night. Things look bad. It looks like the game is over. There are many people who just want to give up. However, ours is not the first generation that wanted to give up.

Many wanted to give up on that Friday evening many years ago. Jesus hung on the cross, dead! It was over. Everyone went home defeated, checkmate. Satan had won, or had he? God had one more move, one more move that would turn complete defeat and turn it into absolute victory. We come here on this Sunday morning to remember that move. We come here every Sunday morning to remember the resurrection. One of the great promises of our faith is that our victorious God is omnipresent, always with us! He is with us when we need a word of encouragement. He is with us when we need forgiveness. He is with us when we need direction. God doesn’t like fishing. He is always with us. He is with you right now!

Bill and Sandy sat near the rock at the Canfield Fair on Labor telling me about their lives in the past twenty years. Their lives sounded like your life. Their lives included some hardship. They didn’t say it but I knew it was true. They felt like God had gone fishing and forgot them. Then it happened. Sandy reached into her purse and grabbed a picture of Amanda. Bill and Sandy’s whole demeanor changed. It was as if the burdens of their lives were lifted when they showed me that picture of Amanda. She was their first grandchild and they couldn’t have been more proud. Bill said, “She came at just the right moment for us.” Sandy said, “She reminds us that God is alive and well.” That picture reminded me that God doesn’t like fishing. He is with us all the time. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”