The
Gospel of John tells us that this is now the third time that Jesus has appeared
to the disciples after being raised from the dead:
Easter
Sunday we were greeted with the story of an empty tomb. In John’s Gospel Jesus
meets and speaks with Mary in the garden. Last week we heard that Jesus
appeared to the disciples who were in a room behind closed doors and said,
“peace be with you.” A week later the
disciples were again in the house, along with Thomas, and Jesus came again and
said, ‘peace be with you.’ Today’s story has Jesus appear on the beach and
share a meal with the disciples.
Mary
is in the garden at the tomb, to be close to the last place she knew Jesus to
be. The fishermen are on the lake fishing, going about their occupation. It is
easy to determine what Mary and the disciples were doing.
I
have always wondered though what the disciples were doing when in the room
behind closed doors. Could it be that
they had gathered for weekly prayer, a shared meal, reading of scripture, singing
of hymns? And when engaged in these activities, Jesus appeared and was present
among them. Peace was shared.
The
Gospels share numerous accounts of the disciples and Jesus going to the Temple
to offer prayer, going to a quiet place for prayer, instances of going to the
Synagogue to read and hear scripture, meals that included the reciting of
psalms and hymns.
Praying
-worshipping- as a group was part of the disciples’ regular life. In fact, it
was part of the life and culture of the people around them too.
Do
you remember the disciples asking Jesus to teach them to pray, just as John the
Baptist had taught his disciples? I wonder
if the prayer Jesus had taught them was part of their weekly prayer when
meeting together? My guess is that it was. It was recorded in two of the
Gospels so was known by those in the decades following Jesus’ death and
resurrection. Many of the liturgical pieces that we use today are ancient, growing from the
time of the early church.
Jesus
meets the disciples on the beach for breakfast.
There
is quite a conversation! We hear an intense portion of the conversation where
Jesus asks Simon Peter three times, ‘Do you love me?’ It is not for a lack of response that the
question is asked more than once; Jesus is pointedly engaging Peter to reflect
on the question.
‘Do
you love me?’ Then offers the how, ‘Feed my sheep.’
At
the beginning of the week, Lutheran pastors in Atlantic Canada were at a retreat
where Bishop Susan Johnson led us in a three-day reflection of the Lord’s
Prayer.
The
combination of hearing Jesus’ words, ‘do you love me’ and ‘feed my sheep’,
along with the study of the Lord’s Prayer, had me realize that the Lord’s
Prayer asks the same question and gives the same response -it is the same
message as that on the beach.
“Do
you love me?’ ‘Feed my sheep.’
Bishop
Susan had us work through each section of the Lord’s Prayer: first hearing the
words as found in Luther’s Small Catechism, then hearing a short modern
interpretation, followed by a question for us to reflect on in a small group. We
learned that in praying the Lord’s Prayer we are intimately connected to
peoples and communities around the world; past, present, and future. For each
petition we worked hard to interpret the words for today, in this time and
place.
In
this prayer one focuses on the intimacy of God’s relationship with us, our
relationship with God, our relationship with ourselves and others, our relationship
with earth. Jesus, in teaching this prayer, reminded the disciples of the care
and intimacy that God extends to them and to us. Once receiving such a gift, we then extend care and intimacy to others.
‘Do
you love me?’ Yes, Lord – Our father, hallowed be your name, thy
kingdom, thy will, glory, and honour‘; Feed my sheep.’ Yes, Lord – with
daily bread, as we forgive those who trespass against us, on earth as in
heaven.
We
were given homework. We were asked to rewrite the Lord’s Prayer to illustrate
our understanding of each phrase; to make the prayer alive in us and around us,
now. A few years ago, for our mid-week Lent study the congregation reflected on
different re-writes of the Lord’s Prayer, noting how different translations,
words, and phrases, had the prayer expand in understanding.
‘Do
you love me?’ ‘Feed my sheep.’
With
Jesus’ words in mind, I invite you to take the next nine days and reflect on
the Lord’s Prayer; bit by bit – if you have a catechism the petitions are
separated out in the section on the Lord’s Prayer (or take a peek at the back
of the ELW pg. 1163 to see each petition). Take time to put the prayer in your
own words. Feel free to share them with me by email.
In
baptism, promises were made that we would learn the Lord’s Prayer. Through the
years – in Sunday School and church, as a bedtime prayer - it is a prayer that we learn by heart. I don’t remember a time when I didn’t know
the Lord’s Prayer. Repeatedly praying the prayer, it becomes part of us,
influencing our relationship with God, ourselves, others, and creation.
May
your reflection on the prayer, bring it to life once again, and resurrect
Christ within, to work through you, to be Christ in the world.
Jesus
asked me, ‘Do you love me?’ ‘Feed my sheep.’ My response is my homework version
of the Lord’s Prayer:
God-who-so-loves-the-world,
humans and creation… yet “beyond the beyond.”
Holy
is your name in a plethora of forms.
Come
with your vision; your kindom be now.
Warm
our will to be akin to yours.
May
earth be in relationship and wholeness as it is in the fullness of your grace.
Gift
the world with gratitude to live and share abundance.
Forgive
breaking and broken relationships
--sin—
As
we commit to reconciliation.
Council
us to live beneath our means.
Deliver
all from the hunger of wanting more.
For
in you and through you is commonwealth, life-giving energy, and extreme
exuberance. Amen.
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