For
Sunday, May 5, 2019, 3rd Sunday of Easter Yr C, Readings: Acts 9:1-6 (7-20), Psalm 30, Revelation
5:11-14, John 21:1-19
But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard
from many about this man, how much evil he has done..." But the Lord said
to him, "Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name
before Gentiles and kings and...the people of Israel..." [Acts
9:13a-15]
Weeping may spend the night, but joy comes in
the morning…Hear, O Lord, and have
mercy upon me; O Lord, by my
helper. [Psalm 30:6, 11]
Then I heard every creature in heaven and on
earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them singing, “To
the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessings and honor and glory
and might forever and ever!” [Revelation
5:13]
...Jesus stood on the beach [and] said to
them, "Children you have no fish, have you?" They answered him,
"No." He said to them, "Cast the net to the right side of the
boat"...and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so
many fish...When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with
fish on it, and bread...Jesus said to them, "Come and have
breakfast..." When they had finished breakfast Jesus said to Simon Peter,
"Simon son of John...do you love me...Feed my sheep."
[John 21:4a-5a, 6b, 9, 12a, 15a, 17c]
Distrust and suspicion
seem to be the new “normal” in the fraught times of today, and so it was with persecuted
Christians in Paul’s time. It’s no wonder that Ananias was more than reluctant to
lay hands on and restore the sight of a man he believed to be brutally evil. He
was fearfully explaining to God how this man Saul, set loose from his sudden
affliction, had the local authority to persecute the Christian community in
Damascus with abandon.
It’s a rare occasion for me to use the
word or the concept of evil because it is so much more complex and substantial than
merely despicable. More often I use the adjectives of terrible, horrible, or even
vicious but there are exceptions. I firmly believe that the persecution – harassment,
torture, and murder, in particular – of any group for reasons of their religion,
race, ethnicity, etc., is truly evil, even more so when done in the name of God. And yet, God instructs Ananias to
go to Saul as an instrument whom I have chosen
to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel.
[Acts 9:15] Ananias follows God’s instructions, and the conversion of
Saul is complete with his baptism. He, with the same force as a persecutor,
becomes the new voice for Christ, who was Crucified and is Risen. This begs the
question: who or what in my life is an instrument of God, however I perceive
them, be it dangerous, offensive, simply dismissable, or, actually evil? How
will I know? Do I need to know?
Jesus is cooking breakfast by the sea
when we encounter this passage from John. Another unexpected post-Resurrection
appearance. Aiding them in their fishing, he tells the disciples to throw their
nets to the other side and they struggle in to shore with nets so full they can
hardly manage – and the nets never break! After dressing to impress, Peter
swims ashore to greet the Lord, and the real agenda for this moment commences
directly after the fresh fish were grilled and devoured. Peter was hurt by the
continuing questions of Jesus as to whether Peter loved him. It seems that
Peter has forgotten his recent triad of denials! Yes, of course, says Peter and
Jesus tells him to “feed my lambs.” After the second round Jesus tells Peter to
“tend my sheep.” And the third time, Jesus says, “Feed my sheep.” He then says Follow me.
In Matthew 4:19, Jesus first calls Simon
Peter and his brother Andrew to follow him and he will teach them to be fishers
of people. Now they and we are called again to follow and to tend and feed the
smallest to the oldest, all who belong to our Most Worthy Lamb, the Lord Christ,
as his own instruments to bring his Name to all we meet. Let the scales fall from
our eyes and hearts and souls, let us dust off our Lenten promises and good
intentions, overcome our reluctance to give of ourselves in new and different
ways, and go fishing in God’s pastures, caring for the Flock and following.
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE,
PRAY
Leader: ~ Risen Christ, Lord of the Way, You constantly
wait for us to return to Your shore to be fed, loved, and energized to follow You.
Turn the tide to pull us in from drifting on the shallow sea of earthly wants to
set our sails toward You.
Jesus,
Son of God
RESPONSE:
Our help and our direction
~
Risen Christ, Lord of the Way, remove the scales of unhampered power and
personal glory from all who navigate the halls of governments, globally and locally, that obscure the eternal rewards of positive stewardship for Your people and Your Earth. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
Jesus,
Son of God
Our help and our direction
~ Risen Christ, Lord of the Way, grant hope and
healing for all in physical or emotional pain and lift the hearts of all who
give them care. We
now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions
Jesus,
Son of God
Our help and our direction
~
Risen Christ, Lord of the Way, release the grief of those who weep in the night to let the
morning bring the joy that our beloved now live again in Your eternal kingdom. We pray especially
for: add your own petitions
Jesus,
Son of God
Our help and our direction
~ Risen Christ, Lord of the Way, we pause in this moment to offer You our
other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud
or silently… add your own petitions
Jesus,
Son of God
Our help and our direction
~
Risen Christ, Lord of the Way, nourish the spirits of all who are chosen to guide
us on our journey to You, that as they feed our souls through Your Word and
Sacraments, we, in turn, will be shepherds to Your flock, feeding each sheep with
Your love. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
Jesus,
Son of God
Our help and our direction
The
Celebrant adds: Christ Jesus, Most Worthy Lamb of God,
You transformed the resistance of Paul and the reluctance of Ananias
into instruments of faith and trust to bring Your presence into this world. Restore
our inner vision of You in this life for the next, converting us from complacence
to Your love in action. We ask through the fullness of the Holy Spirit, and the
power of the Almighty, who together with You reign as One God, now and forever.
Amen.
All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. For more information or comments, contact: Leeosophy@gmail.com