This was my second week in a row preaching and leading worship at Lena United Methodist Church, where my wife Christin is the youth director. If you haven’t read last week’s sermon yet, please read that one first, as this one is really part two in my series on Peter the apostle.
For this week, I tried something different and began the sermon section of the service with a skit. If you’ve been to a BadgerTEC weekend, you know what skit I’m talking about. It’s a monologue from Peter’s perspective on Easter morning, as he reflects on following Jesus for three years of his life. He talks about when Jesus called him out of the boat, about the time when Jesus changed his name from Simon to Peter, and about the last supper. In the monologue, we hear especially about Peter’s guilt over betraying Jesus three times, and how he doesn’t see himself anymore as Peter the Rock, but as just Simon. He fears his life is over now that Jesus is dead.
After I did the monologue, Christin gave a children’s message about forgiveness, using the illustration of food coloring (our sins) staining water (our lives), but bleach (Jesus) washing it clean. In addition to the Gospel reading during the sermon, we read Psalm 30 as a congregation.
Last week, we heard some of Peter’s story. We talked about his call as a disciple, about how he left everything to follow Jesus. Today, we saw a little of how his journey might have felt.
We also talked last week about how he frequently didn’t seem to quite know what was going on, like when one minute he recognized Jesus as the Messiah, the son of God, but the next minute tried to stop him from going to Jerusalem to the cross.
And we talked about how if God chooses Peter, this confused, wavering, overly-enthusiastic fisherman, if God chooses him to build the church on, then God can also choose us. God chooses us as we are, calling us to follow, not waiting for us to get everything figured out first.
This week, we’re hearing some more of Peter’s story, and how his story is really a story of forgiveness. Hopefully you’ve gotten a glimpse of how devastating it must have been when Jesus was arrested and killed.
Especially for Peter, after everything he’d gone through with Jesus, think about the survivor’s guilt he’d feel after denying, not once, but three times that he even knew who Jesus was.
The portrayal of Peter I did a few minutes ago ends with the women going to the tomb, and of course, we know what they found there. It was Easter Sunday, and the tomb was empty. The women get there, (reading from Mark 16) “As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.
But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is no here. Look, there is the place they laid him.
But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”
Jesus is alive, and even though he doesn’t know it yet, Peter’s life isn’t over. Far from it.
Our reading for this morning comes a few days after Easter. Peter and the others have heard Jesus is alive, he’s even appeared to them in the locked upper room where doubting Thomas touched the wounds in Jesus’ side and hands. But even though they know Jesus is alive, they still don’t know what that means. They’ve spent three years following Jesus, and that chapter of their lives is over.
And Peter in particular, I think, still feels this deep guilt from denying Jesus. So, in this story, a few days later, they go back to their previous lives. Not knowing what else to do, they go fishing.
And while they’re out fishing, Jesus appears to them again, waves to them from the shore, and calls them in to eat breakfast. That’s where today’s reading from John 21 picks up.
John 21:15-17
15When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.
You probably haven’t directly denied Jesus like Peter did, but if you’re anything like me, I suspect there have been times you’ve failed to live out your faith in the way you wanted to.
Personally, I’m really really good at seeing opportunities to follow Jesus’ call to live out my faith…after the opportunities have passed.
I don’t think I’ve ever flat out denied knowing Jesus or being a Christian, but I’ve had moments where I see someone in need and then walk the other way. I’ve even done it wearing a Christian t-shirt.
Even on our mission trip this summer, walking around as a church group, during an activity where the whole point was to share the love of God with people in need, I saw someone sitting on the sidewalk and walked past instead of stopping and talking to him.
I don’t think I’ve done anything quite like what Peter did, but I can understand a little of how he’s feeling. That’s why what happens on the shore here is so important.
Jesus doesn’t give up on Peter. Instead of yelling at him, lecturing him, or worse, ignoring him or abandoning him, Jesus gives him another opportunity. Three times, he invites Peter to “feed my sheep.”
Instead of giving up on Peter, Jesus invites him to participate in the work Jesus is doing, in God’s work. Jesus calls us over and over to try again.
At some point, Peter begins to realize the depth of God’s love for him. This video shows one way Peter’s conversation with Jesus might have gone.
[The video is “Grace” by The Skit Guys. Mobile link.]
It’s not that hard to picture what forgiveness looks like, especially with illustrations like Christin used where the stain of sin is erased.
But actually feeling forgiven, accepting that God’s forgiveness is actually for you can be harder. But when we truly realize the depth of God’s forgiveness, it changes us. We hear God’s call to feed my sheep and we get excited to get involved.
God’s forgiveness changes everything.
As Psalm 30 puts it, surely the Lord’s anger is but for a moment; the Lord’s favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
God turns our shame, our guilt, our mourning into dancing. Peter thought everything was over, and that even if Jesus was alive again, surely this time he’d choose someone else, someone stronger, more faithful. But Jesus doesn’t give up on him.
And Jesus doesn’t give up on us. Ever. Whether we publicly deny him three times, or we miss opportunities to follow Jesus’ teaching and feed our neighbor’s, or if we leave the church for 20, 40, or 60 years, Jesus still doesn’t give up on us.
Is there anything you’re holding on to that you think is so bad that even though you’ve heard over and over that God forgives you, you’re still holding on to it?
What is it for you that seems unforgivable? Whatever it is, God can handle it.
Nothing you have done, or will do in the future will ever be enough to stop God from loving you. Jesus forgives Peter for denying him. I promise God has forgiven you.
God doesn’t give up on you. Instead, God keeps calling you as well to feed my sheep. Maybe that means literally feeding people, donating food to people in need. Maybe it means showing love to people who are struggling to see why anyone would love them. Maybe it means sharing what it is God has forgiven in your life. Maybe it means being here in worship reminding each other of God’s forgiveness.
Like Peter, we’ll fail, over, and over. I’m sure this wasn’t the last time Peter messed up. And we, as the church, will keep messing up. But that’s ok, because Jesus is there on the shore, waiting to offer us another chance. Because Jesus doesn’t give up on us.
We pray.
Holy God, you call us again and again to drop our nets and follow you. And when we mess up and go back to where we were before, you keep on calling us. You don’t give up on us. Instead, you call us to lives of service, feeding your sheep, taking care of each other. Forgive us when we stray, and remind us over and over of your love, the love shown in Jesus on the cross. It’s in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Image: “Sheep” by David Reid via flickr.com used under Creative Commons License.
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