Sermon 5.5.2019
I
will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up, and did not let my
foes rejoice over me.
O LORD my God, I cried to you for
help, and you have healed me.
O LORD, you brought up my soul
from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the
Pit.
Sing praises to the LORD, O you his faithful ones, and
give thanks to his holy name.
The book of psalms is a great repository of the the character of God and our human interactions with Him. These ancient songs and poems still vibrate with vitality and great truths that fortify and nourish us in good times and help us cope, strive and overcome …in hard times.
When in a tie of trial and testing let the Book of Psalms be your first port of call I a storm.
The writer of today’s psalm testifies…to us …witnesses to us of his down to earth experience of keeping faith with God…..
O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.
God didn’t let him down
His enemies did not defeat him
God lifted him our of a dark place…and restored his well-being
Look at what actions the believer engaged /engages in in relating to God
He exalts…..the cries/prays…..the praises……he thanks….. So must we.
The Gospel
Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
What’s going on here???? 1. they are without Jesus 2. Appear to be reverting to their old lives. They are in the dark………and producing nothing.
Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.
What changes occurred to Jesus’ appearance with the resurrection????
****Mary M in the garden thought He was the gardener….
****The disciples on the road to Emmaus walked with Him but did nor ‘recognise Him ‘until he broke bread.
*****In
relation to the folk in the upper room….Jesus had to say; ”It
is I”
**** And now P and those fishing with him fail
to recognise Jesus…until Jesus speaks and they do as He says..then
That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea…..
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.” Now none of the
disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they
knew it was the Lord…
This was now the third time that
Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the
dead…..
With the mention of the number 3 , the symbolic number for completeness, we are back to the terrain of last weeks sermon. Peter is again centre stage in this incident.
Very recently after the arrest of Jesus and possibly with in the very hearing of Jesus ….Peter had even with foul language, 3 times vehemently denied knowing Jesus….3 times repeating ”I do not know Him” .
Peter deeply shamed himself and in that deep shame wept many bitter tears .
The 3 denials were public ,now publicly Jesus 3 times asks Peter the same restorative question of reconciliation to the impetuous and large hearted Peter.
When
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.”
A 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.”
He 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.
Bishop
Tom Wright sums up the scene and this sermon, beautifully:
The three questions correspond to Peter’s three denials. Three for completeness, yes, but three also for reminder. The smell of the charcoal fire lingers.
Peter’s night of agony—and Jesus’ own night of agony—returns.
But because Jesus’ night of agony, Peter’s night of agony can be dealt with.
Jesus is the Passover lamb who takes away the sin of the world, Peter’s sin included, your sin, my sin.
So ,like Paul ,in our reading from Acts we can hear Jesus call our name and we can answer like Paul; ”Here I am Lord….Here I am”
Amen.