FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, ATLANTA, GEORGIA

Sermon by Rev. Craig N. Goodrich
Associate Pastor Administration/Executive Director

 

May 24, 2009

 

A WALK ON THE BEACH

 

Scripture:  Psalm 1, John 21:1-22

 

 

The cover of our bulletin this morning says: “Memorial Day Weekend” and so it is. The news anchors have pronounced it the unofficial beginning of summer, and talked of how many Americans are traveling this weekend (one in ten) and how gas prices compare to last year (significantly lower). Here at Church we mark this weekend by beginning our summer schedule. But Memorial Day is actually tomorrow, Monday, and it is a day on which we as Americans remember those who have given their lives in the service of our country.

 

It goes back to 1868 just after the Civil War when General John Logan ordered that on May 30th flowers should be put on the graves of union and confederate soldiers in Arlington National Cemetery. Initially called Decoration Day, for decorating graves, the South refused to recognize the day until after World War I, instead choosing to celebrate Confederate Memorial Day. In 1971 Congress passed the law which provided that Memorial Day would always be celebrated on the fourth Monday of May. (www.usamemorialday.org). It is still a time to decorate the graves of the fallen, those who gave their lives. This past Thursday 1200 soldiers of the US 3rd infantry placed small American flags on each of 260,000 graves in Arlington National Cemetery.

 

In our bulletin each week we list those connected with our own congregation who are in the military and we pray for them. We know that by serving in places like Iraq and Afghanistan they place their lives on the line and we are grateful to them and all who serve. And at the close of our worship today in their honor we will sing the hymn “Eternal Father Strong to save” the Navy Hymn which is in fact a prayer for “those in peril on the sea.”

 

Looking back over the 160 year history of this congregation, we know that those who have worshipped here have been affected by the wars in which our country has been engaged.

 

Out in the Narthex centrally located the two middle doors is a plaque, maybe you have seen it, though I suspect most of you have not. It reads:

 

“In honor of the Men of First Presbyterian Church who gave their lives in World War II.” Then listed are the names: Sidney Moise Burroughs, William Brennan Cogburn, Lawrence Lott Edge, William Daniel Grant, III; Rufus Dewitt King, Jr, Alden Taylor Mann, III, Joseph Michael Pavlovski, Jr, William Langdon Peterson, Brooks Sheldon and James Silver V.” Maybe some of you knew them. Let me know, would you? It is a good time to remember them and gives thanks for them and also Richard Howard Whitner, Jr. who died in France in World War I in 1918. The second mosaic under the window of Abraham honors him. These are members of this congregation who gave their lives in the service of this country.  Let’s remember them and all the others who fought and died in wars since. Let’s remember them and sacrifice, a sacrifice that allows us even today to freely worship as we choose.  

 

But we are here this morning, first and foremost, not to celebrate Memorial Day as citizens of America. We are here this morning because we are Christians. Our traditions and our worship go back to a time long before there was a United States of America and even long before John Calvin, the father of Presbyterianism, whose 500 birthday we celebrate this summer. No, our roots go back as the story of our windows tell to the covenant people of Israel and to Jesus Christ our lord. On the cover of our bulletin week in and week out, is a description of who we are. In our Purpose Statement we say that we are “Disciples who proclaim and serve THE LORD JESUS CHRIST in all we say and do.”

 

So amid all the other claims on our lives, all of our other identities: as Americans, as workers, family members, republicans or democrats the reason we are here today is to worship God and follow Jesus Christ, the one who gave his life for all of us and for the whole world. This is our primary identity and our calling. So how do we follow Jesus?  What does it mean to his disciples?

 

In the gospel lesson for the morning Jesus makes his third resurrection appearance to the original disciples. A group of them including Peter, Thomas, Nathanael and the sons of Zebedee who would be James and John, and two other disciples have returned to the Sea of Tiberias (also known as the Sea of Galilee). This is the place where at the beginning of his ministry Jesus initially found them and called them to follow him.   Now three years later, Peter announces “I am going fishing” and the others say “we will join you”. And so they return to their trade. Had they given up on Jesus and themselves? Were they bored, anxious, discouraged? All we know is that they returned to what they knew. Maybe that is how they thought they would continue with their lives, seeking a return to normalcy, putting Jesus and their traumatic experiences with him behind them. We do the same thing don’t we? In times of stress or after being shaken we seek to return to that which we know, that which is safe and familiar.

 

But the problem for these disciples is that they fish all night without any success. Weary and frustrated as the sun rises their nets are empty. They see a stranger on the beach who calls to them “Hey, have you caught anything?” They shout back “No” and the reply comes “Cast the net on the right side and you will find some.” I imagine that there might have been a pause as they asked themselves “are you kidding, we have been fishing all night!”, but they obey. And their net comes up bursting with fish so many they cannot haul it in. It is a miracle. Without Jesus their efforts produced nothing, with him there is overwhelming abundance.

 

When John sees the catch he knows that the stranger on the beach is Jesus and cries out “It is the Lord!” which sets Peter off. He dons his tunic and plunges overboard so eager he is to get to Jesus, maybe determined not to come in second as he did at the tomb. If you remember, it was John who outran Peter and got there first on Easter morning and found the grace empty.

Well, as Peter is swimming to shore and the other disciples are hauling in their brimming net and making for land, Jesus is waiting on the beach, having prepared a breakfast of bread and fish, cooking on a charcoal fire. He invites them “Come have breakfast” and they share the meal together. You can imagine just how hungry and tired they were. Grateful and awed, they know that they are in the presence of the risen Jesus. Jesus the gracious host, providing abundantly what they need.  And so it is that he does the same for us. We are provided what we need not through our own plans and efforts but by the grace and love of Jesus. “Come have breakfast” he says to you and to me and so we too are fed.

 

But discipleship is not just about receiving grace and being fed. After breakfast Jesus takes Peter aside. They pull away from the others and walk along the beach just the two of them. It is a walk that changes Peter’s life forever. You remember that on the night Jesus was arrested, Peter had denied Jesus three times. “I do not know the man!” Now as they walk, Jesus asks Peter three times “Simon son of John do you love me?” Each time Peter responds in the affirmative, “Yes, Lord you know that I love you.” And each time Jesus gives a command, “then feed my sheep.”  The gospel writer tells us that when asked the third time Peter is hurt, upset that Jesus keeps asking. But there is no condemnation for Peter but rather grace and forgiveness for each denial. And then a mission to care for and to feed the sheep.  Peter who had given up on himself is restored back to life and to hope. And so it can be for you and for me when we falter and fail.

 

 Jesus concludes with a foretelling of Peter’s death and how it will glorify God. Tradition has it that Peter himself was crucified (but upside down because he thought he was not worthy to die in same manner as Jesus).

 

Then Jesus says to Peter simply, “Follow me!” The words are the same words Peter heard on the same shore years before. The story might end here, but as they walk Peter notices that John is following. He can’t help himself, “but Lord, what about him?”  Is he competing still? Or is he expressing concern? We don’t know, but Jesus responds “What is that to you?  [You] follow me!” And we know that Peter did just that even to his death.

 

Well, what does this text mean for us today? If we were in Peter’s place, how would we respond to Jesus’ question, “Do you love me?” How do we show our love for Jesus? The question itself bothers us doesn’t it? It embarrasses us, love Jesus?  Do I love Jesus?

 

Peter responded “Yes, Lord you know that I love you.” What would you say? We want to skip right over that part and get on with feeding sheep and serving others. But don’t you see that that service has got to come out of our love for Jesus? If we love Jesus we will love others. We might ask ourselves, if we are not loving others, could it be that we are not loving Jesus? And if we are not   loving Jesus, it may be because we have forgotten that we belong to him, claimed and marked for him in our baptism.

 

 

 

 

In Sunday School this morning Professor George Stroup described John Calvin as the single person having the most influence on our Reformed tradition and therefore on our own First Presbyterian Church. This is what Calvin said:

 

We are not our own: let not our reason nor our will, therefore, sway our plans and deeds. We are not our own: let us therefore not set it as our goal to seek what is expedient for us according to the flesh. We are not our own: insofar as we can, let us therefore forget ourselves and all that is ours.”

 

He goes on:

 

“Conversely, we are God’s: therefore let us live for Him and die for Him. We are God’s: let his wisdom and will therefore rule all our actions. We are God’s: let all parts of our life accordingly strive toward him as our only lawful goal.” (emphasis added) (Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 3, chapter 7.2, John T. McNeil, Editor, The Westminster Press Philadelphia, page 689 (1960).

 

Our Presbyterian Brief Statement of Faith puts it more simply, “In life and in death we belong to God.”

 

Why is this so hard for us?  There is something in us that fights against God’s ownership. I struggle with this every day. We want to be our own. We want to be in control. We want what we want. We want to fulfill our own desires. And yet, deep down inside we know that in order to be our true selves, our best selves, we need to give ourselves to God and to each other. Theologian Elton Trueblood says what we know is very true:

 

“In the conduct of one’s own life it is soon obvious, as many have learned the hard way, that empty freedom is a snare and a delusion. In following what comes naturally or easily, life simply ends in confusion, and in consequent disaster. Without the discipline of time we spoil the next day the night before, and without the discipline of prayer, we are likely to end by having practically no experience of the divine-human encounter….We have not advanced very far in our spiritual lives if we have not encountered the basic paradox of freedom, to the effect that we are most free when we are bound…..With one concerted voice the giants of the devotional life apply the same principle to the whole of life… Discipline is the price of freedom.” Elton Trueblood, from The New Man for Our Time, reprinted in A Guide to Prayer by Reuben P. Job and Norman Shawchuck, Upper Room books, p.226 (1983).

 

Discipline. If we are to be disciples we must exercise the practices, the disciplines of the faith. I hope this summer that you will make time to learn more of Jesus and what it means to follow him. Even though we may be on a summer schedule, don’t neglect the discipline of attending worship, of Bible Study and of prayer. I encourage you to come to summer Sunday school and learn more about these spiritual disciplines.  Joan Gray and Florida Ellis are teaching on the book “The Celebration of Discipline” including the practice of prayer, meditation, confession, worship, silence, service and more. And there is opportunity to learn more of John Calvin. And there continue to be opportunities to follow Jesus in serving others wherever you find yourself, but especially here together in our community ministries. Don’t take the summer off, do something specific this summer to deepen your discipleship. And if you go to the beach, step away from the crowd and take a walk with Jesus!

 

And just this final thought. Tomorrow is Memorial Day when we honor those who gave their lives in the service of our country. Thank God for them and for their sacrifice. But consider that it is also a good time for us to remember that we are called to give our lives in God’s service. Paul in Romans said it: Present your lives as a living sacrifice. (Romans 12).

 

You see, it all begins with our hearts, with our wills. And surrendering them to God, as a daily discipline, giving our lives in self offering.

 

Calvin said it, “we are not our own, we are God’s.” He illustrated this by using a personal seal. It showed an open extended hand in which was a flaming heart. The motto reads “I give thee my heart earnestly and eagerly!”

 

Would that we would all join the fellowship of the flaming heart! Hearts set aflame by the love of God in Jesus Christ. Hearts given to God for his glory and his purposes.

 

I urge you, in response to God’s great love, declare your love for Jesus, give him your heart and your life. Follow him as his disciple, loving others as he has loved you.

 

There is no greater challenge! There is no greater service! There is no greater freedom!

There is no greater joy!

 

Thanks be to God!

 

Alleluia!

 

Amen