Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. 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. Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus 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 boat, and you will find some." So they cast it and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. The 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. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off. When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish that you have just caught." So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. 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. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
This past week since Easter Day has been chock full of news all over our Nation. The continuing saga of America's unemployment crisis got a whole lot more difficult. The news that Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma taking a stand so that America's unemployed will continue to not receive unemployment compensation because he has held up the funding is news that is heart breaking for all of us. As many continue to be unemployed and face the stresses of an economy that still has yet to recover, many still find it very difficult to pay their mortgages/rent, buy food, clothing, medicine and many other basic necessities. Fuel prices are still high and though health care reform passed there are still many who cannot pay for it.
Among the many points I have been wanting to make during this Easter Week is that Jesus Christ faced his death and won the victory of his resurrection, because God loves all. The resurrection is the Christian's hope that death is not the last word. For many who are just trying to live day in and day out in these difficult economic days, the resurrection might be the last thing we are thinking of. It is hard to think of God without pleading to God to bring about a resolution to all of these things that are hurting so many people. There is so much that is going on that we just do not understand. How can a country that claims to be among the greatest on earth not allow unemployment benefits to those who are without work? How can a nation risk so many of it's citizens becoming homeless, hungry and without the means to provide for themselves and their families? Where is God in the midst of all this crap?
The disciples in today's Gospel were alone and afraid. They were also hungry and in need of food. They worked together all night to come up with food, but came up empty handed. When Jesus came and directed them, suddenly they had such an abundance they did not know what to do with it all. So, they shared it together. The risen Christ was there with them.
The resurrection is something that no one can completely understand. The Easter mystery is beyond human comprehension. The love of God that allowed God's Son to experience the cross and rise from the dead is not something we can put adequately into words. However, the crucified and risen Christ lives when we all come together to help one another. That love and compassion of God that cannot be put into words is suddenly very real when humans reach across the tables of our lives to help others who are in need. For this reason, Christians and all people of good will should not just accept unemployment compensation just being frozen with no possibility of people being given some hope. All people should contact our Senators and tell them to do something about Sen. Tom Coburn and all the others who keep our Government from using the tax dollars that we send to them, from being used to help our neighbors in need.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church said some powerful things in a sermon she preached at the Great Vigil of Easter.
What are you most afraid of? What wakes you up in the middle of the night? For some here tonight it's probably about where the next paycheck will come from. I have one friend who's just been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and another whose son is in jail for statutory rape. For almost all of us, there is some primordial fear linked to thoughts about our freedom and our own mortality.
Fear can keep us from life and hope, and any possibility of new creation. I've known people who died a lot younger than they probably should have, because they just weren't able to acknowledge that their symptoms were signs of something serious. It was somehow easier to ignore that intuitive knowledge than it was to face the possibility and get more information, like going to the doctor.
We've been haunted this week by the story of an Irish immigrant girl in South Hadley who committed suicide because her classmates taunted her so unmercifully. She saw no hope.
Fear could paralyze the people of Haiti, but they go on, with the help of their friends, working yet one more time to build a society of abundance for all.
Fear could have stopped Martin Luther King that night after his house was bombed. But that experience of violence led him deeper into his conviction that God had something else in mind. He went forward in hope, even though it led to his death 42 years ago in Memphis.
The Presiding Bishop also said:
He (Jesus) insisted that God's intent is for a feast for all people, not just the rulers of the Roman empire. He healed and fed and welcomed people who had been put out of the feast by religious rules or their own suffering. At the end of his ministry, he turned his face toward Jerusalem and the feast that waited for him there -- a feast he celebrated with his disciples in an upper room, and continued through the ages in the banquet we're going to share here -- but also the feast of his own life, made holy in its offering. He went to Jerusalem to challenge the un-wise, who insist that power, rules of exclusion, and violence rule this world. Jesus offered an alternative kingdom, where all are welcome to the feast, none is excluded, and no one lives in fear or want.
Fear not, for God is with us. Christ is risen, trampling down death, entering into hell to search for those who can find no way out, going ahead to wait for his disciples. Fear not, and join the feast created before the beginning of the world.
How might this blog entry continue the focus of the full inclusion of LGBT people in society and the Church? What affects one person ultimately affects everyone. When any person or group of people is not considered a priority in terms of what can be done to help them, all of humanity suffers. When the equal rights for LGBT people can be considered a secondary or even something not to be pursued, then any person can be considered a secondary concern. When Jesus Christ rose from the dead, he was concerned for all of God's children and not just those who are heterosexual. As LGBT people continue to raise our concerns about equal rights for us, so we need to be concerned about equal rights for everyone. Our concern and work for equality for LGBT people must be coupled with our concern that every human person is perceived with the dignity and respect of any one of God's loving children.
As this Easter Week prepares to draw to it's close and continues into the rest of the Easter Season, we would do well to reflect on the meaning of what the last two weeks have been about. The passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is not just as a wonderful story from the Bible, but they are events that mirror the experiences of humankind. Every one is invited to not only read those stories, but to find themselves in them and to search for God's will for their lives through the Gospel story. As we get to the story of the risen Christ, do we see him caring for our needs as well as those of others? Do we understand that God is calling us to so much more than just an abstract retelling of age old narratives? God brought Jesus back to life in the resurrection to bring hope to all of God's children who even today are still searching for that hope. The hope that was in the resurrection is found when we recognize the crucified and risen Jesus in all of God's people. May that hope be alive in all of us this day.
Almighty Father, who gave your only Son to die for our sins and to rise for our justification: Give us grace so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness, that we may always serve you in pureness of living and truth, through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for Friday in Easter Week, Book of Common Prayer, Page 224).
Look with pity, O heavenly Father, upon the people in this land who live with injustice, terror, disease, and death as their constant companions. Have mercy upon us. Help us to eliminate our cruelty to these our neighbors. Strengthen those who spend our lives establishing equal protection of the law and equal opportunities for all. And grant that every one of us may enjoy a fair portion of the riches of this land; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for the Oppressed, Book of Common Prayer, Page 826).
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