Arise and Follow
John 21:15-19
April 21, 22, 2007

One of my friends tells a story about three small children who were having a debate about whose mother was the most loving. The first child says: "My mom loves me the most because when I give her a quarter, she gives it back so I can buy a piece of candy." "The second child argues that his mother loves him more because when he gives her a quarter, she gives him back two quarters for two pieces of candy. Seeing the direction of the debate, the third child scratches her head and says: "Well, my mom loves me the most because she keeps the quarter." "Then she tells me how much that quarter will help her pay the bills." At the heart of the children's debate are the questions: "Do you love me?" "And if you love me, how will I know?"

IN THE SCRIPTURE LESSON TODAY, JESUS ASKS PETER-NOT JUST ONCE-BUT THREE TIMES: "DO YOU LOVE ME?" You probably remember the context for this conversation. Chapter 21 seems to be "tacked on" the end of John's Gospel. And yet this is another very powerful, very moving story! Peter and his friends seem to have returned to their old way of life. We can only imagine what he is thinking. He has been on such an emotional roller-coaster ride. Perhaps Peter recalls previous experiences with Jesus? It hasn't been that long ago since he left his fishing nets at the seashore to become a follower of Jesus. Jesus even seemed to have a special place in his heart for him-he called him the "Rock"-someone strong and stable. But that didn't last too long! On the night when Jesus was arrested, the "Rock" crumbled. Peter denied Jesus three times. Then there was the devastation, the despair of Friday.

And yet, things changed dramatically on that first Easter morning! Sadness gave way to celebration as news of the empty tomb began to spread! Overwhelming joy filled his heart as Jesus began to appear to his disciples!
Even so, Peter seems to flounder, content to go back to the old secure life of being a fisherman-and his friends go with him! Peter is just so human-so much like all of us! We experience mountaintop moments, awesome worship services, motivating messages! And when they're over, we're often tempted to say, "Oh, that was nice-it made me feel really good!" But there's no change, no transformation. We go back to the same old same old… But Jesus isn't about to let that happen for Peter! Another fruitless fishing expedition becomes another fantastic epiphany!

And after breakfast, we hear echoes of previous conversations! In a way, this post-resurrection dialogue seems to "cancel out" each one of Peter's denials of Jesus. But Jesus' persistence demonstrates more than a simple matter of "keeping score" or "paying the bills." Jesus connects each of Peter's confessions of love for him to a thrice-repeated command. "If you love me, you will care for my sheep." It seems a bit odd to me that Jesus jumps from fishing to sheep-but maybe there is a method in his message?

Ellen and I have a great friend who is an outstanding, enthusiastic teacher-but he is also a master of mixing his metaphors. He'll be on a roll, lecturing, presenting his lesson-but then he'll say something that makes you think, "Huh?" He'll unload lines like these… "She's burning the midnight oil at both ends." "He's up a tree without a paddle." "Keep your ear to the grindstone."

The 21st chapter of John appears to be a mixed metaphor-two stories. The first is about fishing and the second is about shepherding. If we put the two together, we come up with something like "fishing for sheep" or "shepherding fish." The phrases sound fishy at first-but maybe they're not baaaad? Perhaps they provide a balanced picture of the ministry of the Church? And whether we're fishing or shepherding, we're to be loving! Jesus wants to make sure Peter gets the message! And what takes Peter three times to understand-and what takes most of us a lifetime to practice… Is that we answer Jesus' question, "Do you love me?" by taking care of the people Jesus loves. "Feed my lambs, tend my sheep, feed my sheep."

I suspect we have found this to be true in our other relationships. Saying "I love you" once is never enough. It is just the beginning. We must say "I love you" over and over again. And we must "live out" the words "I love you" over and over again. As we deepen our relationship with Jesus, our love for him will inevitably lead us to loving others as he loves us.

UNFORTUNATELY, WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE-ALL TOO OFTEN-THE OPPOSITE HAPPENS. One of the most important lessons I ever learned happened when I was in 1st grade, living on the south side of Chicago. There was a girl named Marcy Glass who lived in my neighborhood. She attended my elementary school-and I thought she was creepy. What made it even worse is that she had kind of a crush on me. One day she and a friend were hanging out across the street from my house. And I was yelling all kinds of mean things at her, trying to make her go away. She kept responding with that well-worn children's cliché: Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names can never hurt me!" Well, I thought I'd show her-so I picked up a small stone and hurled it across the street. I had no intention of hitting her-but I did. She ran off crying-and I ran and hid in my room-sobbing. It wasn't too long before Marcy and her parents rang our doorbell. My parents found me in my room-and we had an important conversation.

Mean words and insults and sticks and stones DO hurt people. We've seen this in the news with all of this Don Imus mess-I realize that the issue is complicated with free speech concerns and all of that. But we don't have to enact a law to say, "Stop-this isn't appropriate." Insults and slurs that support bigotry and racism and prejudices are not appropriate. Words DO hurt-and sometimes they push people over the edge.

Even worse, people are hurt by more than words. Tragically, we witnessed another heartbreaking episode this past week when God's sheep, God's children, were slaughtered instead of shepherded. In the quaint town of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is the home for some 25,000 fulltime students. The 2006 freshman class had a high school grade point average of 3.80 and an average SAT score of 1231. This is a world class university-and places like Virginia Tech should be safe and secure learning environments for promising young people. But last Monday, a misguided young man snuffed out the light and life of over 30 people. The fallen came from around the globe-from as far away as Romania and Peru and Nova Scotia-and as close as Louisville. One was Brian Bluhm, a graduate of Manual High School.

In his article last week, columnist Bob Herbert pointed out that there are nearly 200 million firearms in private hands in our country. More than 30,000 people-nearly 10 times the number of Americans who have died in Iraq-are killed each year by those guns. Again, these issues are complex and sensitive… But I wonder…if we continue to sow bullets and bombs, won't we continue to reap bullets and bombs? When will we ever learn…when will we ever learn?

I think about this incident and others that have happened since our youngest child was born 16 years ago-events that are shaping his life and the lives of countless others. My family lived in Waco when 80 people died at the Branch Davidian complex-14 years ago this week. Last week was the 12th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing-168 lives were lost-ironically the same number that were lost in a bomb blast in Baghdad a few days ago. Eight years ago this week, there was Columbine. Not to mention the tsunami and Katrina, the ongoing strife in the Middle East, genocide, the AIDS epidemic, and on and on.

I don't know about you, but there is a very real temptation to throw my hands up in despair, pull the covers up over my head, lock my doors, hide away, throw in the towel, give up on God, abandon my faith. But others in the community of faith, other quiet heroes, other examples, stories like the one we have heard today from John 21-remind me that there is love to be done. When Jesus jolted the world by coming out of the tomb-he didn't come out with his guns blazing! Although that would have been the natural thing for some to do, Jesus did not retaliate, attack, or seek to get revenge. No! Jesus took the worst the world could throw at him-and responded with love. What were some of the first words he spoke? "Peace be to you." "Peace be with you." Feed my lambs, tend my sheep, feed my sheep.

ARE THERE WAYS TO PULL THAT OFF? Born in Fancy Gap, about an hour south of campus, football coach and alum of Virginia Tech, Frank Beamer, reflected on the tragedy. "What's so amazing about this is that it is so opposite of what this place is all about." "There is usually calmness, caring, friendliness-and this was just totally the opposite." "My mission is to see that we're not going to let ONE person come and destroy the good things that happen here every day."

Many of us heard the inspiring story of Liviu Librescu, a 76-year-old engineering professor. Librescu survived the Holocaust and persecution in Communist Romania-he had looked Death eye-to-eye. Last Monday, he sacrificed himself by barricading the door with his body, while his students escaped through the window. And you may find that "tending Jesus' sheep" can mean a multitude of other God-given opportunities and avenues.

Sunday is Earth Day-you may look for new ways to preserve this planet for your grandchildren and great-grandchildren. You may decide to volunteer more of your time, make visits to the homebound or hospitalized, hammer nails for Habitat, donate food to Dare to Care, work a meal at Wayside Mission-Believe me, God has not run out of ideas!

I have to confess to you, last Monday was a difficult day for many, many people-and for me personally.
The news from Virginia Tech stunned me. We have good friends there-former members of this church and our church in Waco. And Don is an engineering professor. As these young lives were lost, I thought about my own kids, two of whom are away at college-and I just wanted to hear their voices. Our board meeting was last Monday night-and I have known for some time that Rev. Mary Beth Guy was going to announce her resignation from full-time ministry. She has served God and this church faithfully and well for over 30 years. The news would be difficult to hear. I really just wanted to call in sick and go home.

But then ol' Mary Beth did it again. After chemotherapy treatments, after being in meetings most of the day, after helping to unload new chairs for Chalice Hall… She received a call that one of our members was about to pass away. Without hesitation, Mary Beth hustled over to southern Indiana to the nursing home where Virginia was living out her final moments. And I thought to myself… There it is. She's done it again.

How do we respond to the mess and madness of the world? Each one of us cares for another-one person at a time. Feed my lambs, tend my sheep, feed my sheep. Arise and follow…there is love to be done.