April 17, 2016, the fourth Sunday after Easter

Earth day is Friday this year. The Episcopal Church has published a bulletin insert for this Sunday (which you can find in our e-connections this week.) We will celebrate earth day next Saturday at our evening service. (It seems even our national church has succumbed to the practice of celebrating before and not after a holiday.) We will plant flowers and say prayers to give thanks for the earth, and maybe to remind ourselves to care for the earth.

Most of the time we take the natural world for granted. We have gardens and pets but it has been a long time since many of us really depended on a good harvest for our livelihood. So we are apt to have a romantic view of agriculture. We think of green fields and peaceful animals on a hillside. We don’t think so much of backbreaking labor. We don’t think of long hours or worry about the rain.

My wife has a friend Tony, who is monk. He went to visit the Holy land and he was appreciating the world around him. His friend called him to come to evening prayer. Tony said, “No, I’m just enjoying looking at these sheep grazing and resting on the hillside.” His friend said, “Tony, I can tell you were born in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Those are goats.”

Part of the work of being a follower of Jesus is to know the truth. We are called to know we are known and loved. We are grateful for this and we are further called to know who we are in relation to God and to one another. We are the sheep who hear the shepherd’s voice.

Jesus was teaching (and probably staying warm) in Solomon’s Portico in the Temple. The religious leaders asked Jesus to declare openly if he was the messiah. Jesus perhaps knows they are not asking genuinely, but are they are trying to trap him. Jesus merely states that the sheep hear his voice. The works and words of Jesus should be enough, but there is also a connection. The sheep simply know when their true leader is calling them.

This is a connection of faith. It is not rational. There is an inexplicable and emotional connection based on years of leading and following, where the shepherd ahs cared for the sheep.

Something like this is at work when Peter raises Dorcas from the dead. Peter knows he has no power in himself. He is trusting in his years of following Jesus, and in his now growing experience of following Jesus after the resurrection. He has begin to see for himself that God is working through him for some greater purpose.

Peter has much to learn. As before (and many times in the gospels,) Peter thinks he knows what God is doing. It is when he surrenders to what God asks instead of insisting on his own way that he finds the right way. In this story, Peter is used by God for a powerful miracle. There will be more to come. The story ends with Peter staying with Simon the tanner – who in a strict understanding of his religion would be considered unclean.

We hold on to a romantic vision of the sheep and shepherd. We can cherish the love of God and also let go of our passive relationship. Of course, we should follow Jesus with the trust of a lamb, or a child. And we are not children. We are not dumb animals. God has given us blessing and gifts. We are also called to use our gifts.

We know that if we pay no attention to the natural world around us, we will suffer. If we leave it to others to do what they will for the sake of profit or to exploit the world for short-term gain – then we will suffer from pollution or the loss of our natural world, or the loss of the earth we need to sustain us. We need to pay attention to the relationships that sustain us.

Our connection to nature reminds us of our common life and our common commitment to people around us. We are dependent on the web of life that gives us water and clean air. We are dependent on growing things to nurture us. We are dependent on the hands and backs that grow our food and tend the animals that feed and clothe us. They are all our sisters and brothers and our lives are intertwined with theirs – even when we are unaware.

Jesus reminds us to be aware. We listen for his voice. We are called into one flock. We are also called to help others find their way to the life=giving love of God.

April 10, 2016, the third Sunday after Easter

Fishing is a strange way to pass the time. For some it is a hobby. For some it is a way of life. I used to fish just to get out of the house, and have an excuse to lean against a tree and rest. It was never about the fish. I wonder why Peter goes back home to Galilee to fish? This is a story about the resurrection that happens after the all the news and confusion of Easter. Maybe Peter has had enough and he needs to sort himself out. He goes back to what he knows. "I'm going fishing." His friends say, "We're going too."

They've seen Jesus. They don't know what o make of all this. Peter doesn't have a clue about sharing the good news. He knows about boats and nets and fishing, so that is what he does. They fish all night and catch nothing. (Maybe this is a sign that he needs to follow another career path.) They see a man on the shore cooking breakfast. "Hey kids! How's the fishing?" They tell him they haven't caught a thing. "Cast the net to right, then you'll find some." They nets are full and they recognize Jesus.

Peter throws on some clothes and jumps in the water and rushes to meet Jesus. Jesus is right there, cooking breakfast. He eats with them. He talks to them. They are glad. Everything is OK.

Jesus takes Peter aside. He speaks directly, face-to-face, eye-to-eye. He asks, "Do you love me?" Peter responds, "Yes Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus asks three times. Peter responds three times. Is Jesus giving him a chance to make up for his denials? Who needs to be encouraged? There are many commentators who reflect on this. There are different ways that "love" is used. Does Peter really love Jesus?

Jesus urges love all the time. Jesus is patient in his teaching. He hopes we understand. He gives us the example of his own sacrifice and his own suffering. He shows us what love is. Whatever the good news is, it must be wrapped up in love. Jesus tells Peter that love is shown in feeding or tending the sheep. Jesus doesn't urge Peter to offer correct teaching or to construct convincing arguments. There is no discussion about moral purity (except perhaps the need to forgive.) Jesus tells Peter to love, and to show that's love through service.

That service will not lead to accomplishment or glory in the usual sense. Peter will be honored in his service - but that honor comes at a cost. It will cost him his life. We know Peter's end and we know that it is the story he has to follow. Peter gives everything and he also gets everything. Peter is restored to his true self. He becomes everything we know he was not. Peter ends with faith and trust. He is led just as he learns to follow.

We can't miss that we also reflect on the conversion of our patron saint. Paul was not always an apostle. He had an earlier life full of zeal against the church. Paul was a rigorous Pharisee and a proud Roman citizen. He saw the church as a threat to order and as blasphemy to God. He is knocked off his horse and blinded - and sees the truth. Saul becomes Paul. He becomes blind and weak. He regains his sight and joins the church. It will take three years before God begins to use him as a special messenger to the Gentiles - to our world.

We are far removed from the first Easter. It is difficult for us to believe. It wasn't much easier for those who lived through those events. That's OK. Our work is not to force our own certainty. Jesus always comes to us. We meet Jesus where we are - because he comes and finds us. Jesus doesn't wait for the perfect or most gifted person to come along. Jesus simply finds people like us. Jesus touches us and transforms us. Jesus shows us truth we don't want to see. Sometimes we rejoice - sometimes we have to be knocked down to see.

Jesus gives us good words and truth that can heal us. We don't have to be clever or charismatic. We have to offer the truth we know to the people we know. Instead of articulate expressions of faith, we offer love in relationships. We seek to know the stranger as a friend. Then we love them as a friend. We can let God do the rest.

Intellectually, it is hard to believe that it can be that simple. The resurrection is a mystery. It is difficult to explain or justify. The truly difficult work is to love. We'd rather not get to know the stranger. We'd rather stick to what we know and the familiar faces we trust. Jesus urges us to explore the margins of our territory. He would have us seek sisters and brothers that are unknown to us. He would have us gather in another huge catch of fish. He would have us gather a multitude on the beach for breakfast - and know him together - and be known together - that all may know love.