Sermons

Third Sunday of Easter
Sunday 18 April 2010

Diane Flynn

Readings: Acts 9 v1-6, John 21 v1-19

In our two readings today, we see two very different ways that people connect with the Risen Jesus.

Firstly, we have Saul, who was a persecutor of anyone who walked The Way - the term for the new Christian movement. We read he was on his way to Damascus - 'still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples', This was a man who didn't believe Jesus was the Messiah, who was prepared to search out and hunt down anyone who did believe this. He didn't believe the Resurrection. This is the man who was then basically stopped in his tracks by Jesus - literally - Jesus spoke to him from Heaven. And from this literal stopping in his tracks, Saul was blinded, and told to go to Damascus. He had an extraordinary experience of Jesus, which completely changed him - he responded to Jesus, became known as Paul and went on to move others towards Jesus in an amazing way.

Saul met Jesus in extraordinary and exceptional circumstances.

Secondly, we have Peter, who had denied Jesus three times on the night of Maundy Thursday before the cock crowed. Jesus told him he would do this but Peter being Peter hotly said he would never deny Him, but when he was scared and frightened, he did just that. Now he had already seen the Risen Jesus twice since his Resurrection - this was the third time - so it seems hard to believe that anyone could concentrate on anything else other than that, but actually we read of Peter doing what he knew best - fishing. He went back to work. Maybe he had needed to come back down to earth and just get on with something normal in his life.

He must have had his denial of Jesus hanging over him and must have wanted so much to speak to Jesus about it. Was he ashamed - probably. Was he worried about Jesus response - probably.

But we see here that Jesus forgives him. Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves him, truly loves him and three times Peter replies Yes you know that I love you. These three affirmations of Peter are Jesus way of recognising Peters 3 denials, facing them with him and telling him, its ok, that is now got rid of. They are gone. Three denials but now three times telling Jesus he loves him and being asked by him. Peter hears he is forgiven.

Peter sees Jesus at work; he speaks with him, shares a meal with him. Peter met Jesus in the ordinary part of his life.

Two different ways that two different people had an experience of the Risen Jesus

Peter wanted to meet Jesus, Saul didn't - so Jesus had different ways of getting to talk to them and build a relationship with them - but in both instances they came to understand who the Risen Jesus was - he was different to anyone they had ever known - basically Jesus changed their lives forever.

We are all very different in our experiences of Jesus - some of us meet Jesus in the ordinary parts of our lives, some of us meet Jesus in exceptional circumstances, in unusual circumstances,
Whichever way, Jesus knows how to meet each one of us - what is best for us, as individuals. Sometimes it needs to be dramatic like Saul, sometimes it needs to be gentler like Peter - Jesus knows what he is doing.

What experience have you had of the Risen Lord? Dramatic or gentle?

My first experience of the Risen Lord was very dramatic and I think that's because it needed to be - Jesus knew that.
I hadn't had any dealings with God at all from the age of 11 until 29. I ignored him and didn't want to know him. I deliberately avoided him and wanted nothing to do with him. But when I had a major crisis in my life at 29 - a tragic bereavement, it was like being stopped in my tracks by something. I did think about God and I had dreams and pictures in my head of Jesus - alive and after the Resurrection. I felt great comfort that the person I loved who had died was with Him and I could bring this picture of the Risen Lord to mind whenever I felt my grief overwhelming me. The only previous image I had had of Jesus was that on a cross, suffering and I had never seen an image of the Risen Lord before. I eventually felt a great need to come to Church and I found my local church and decided to go one Sunday morning. I had never been to it and had not gone to any church for over twenty years at this point, but something was driving me there - I know now that it was the Holy Spirit, but then I didn't understand it all. As I entered the doors and looked up, I was faced with an enormous east window with a picture of the Risen Lord, arms outstretched, looking straight at me - it was in fact the exact same image that had been in my head all the time I had been grieving in the previous year. The same image. I had met the Risen Lord!

That window is in Manston St James Church in Crossgates and that image of the Risen Lord literally stopped me in my tracks that day and a bit like Saul, I became very overwhelmed. That was the day I started my massive journey of returning back to God - my journey of faith. I was stopped in my tracks by Jesus, because I needed to be.

I tell you this story, because firstly, it's my duty as a Christian to be a witness to Jesus, but also because it's an example of how the Risen Lord can change lives - he certainly changed mine and I am very very thankful for that..

Now I know that not everyone's faith journey starts off so dramatically and I am probably the exception to the rule. However, that's what our two readings tell us, as I said before - there are a number of ways that Jesus deals with us - for some it is dramatic, for some it is very gentle - he has been a lot more gentler since with me.

But whether we have dramatic or gentle experiences, the outcome is still the same - an experience with Jesus never leaves anyone the same - it changes them

Jesus chooses the unlikeliest of people - Saul the Christian hater and persecutor and Peter the simple fisherman.

No way in my plan of life 17 years ago, did I ever think I would be here now, talking to anyone about Gods Son - never -
But nothing is impossible with Jesus. Nothing

And from that experience with Him, he always tells people to do something!

Jesus told both Saul and Peter to do something: He told Saul ' Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do'. To Peter, he told him to 'Feed my lambs, take care of my sheep and feed my sheep'. Both Saul and Peter had their lives changed forever - they obeyed him and at great cost to themselves - we read in John about Peter's death and that it would glorify God!

Its still the time of Easter - the initial happiness of Easter Day or Easter Eve may now be in the past but it is still Eastertide, we still read of the risen Jesus as he travelled around giving instruction and allowing himself to be seen and heard and touched.
Where is our Eastertide journey going, after our Lenten journey?

Has Jesus made a difference in our lives?
Has he?
Can people who don't know Jesus, tell that WE know Him?

The Risen Jesus makes contact with us and sometimes we don't hear him or see him. He's there and we might not notice -but we need to watch out for him, be expectant to see him or maybe he will stop us literally in our tracks so we take notice. He will do what it takes to get our attention to do his work!

Jesus can change us in the ordinary parts of our lives and sometimes in the extraordinary parts of our lives, when we least expect it.
But when he does, we then have to deal with the consequences, because he will tell us what we then need to do for him - and it will cost us. It cost Saul and Peter

So, like Saul and Peter, how are we going to ensure that Jesus changes us, feeds us, leads us and then we obey him?

We are all loved by Jesus. We all matter to him
Let us listen out for Jesus; Let us watch out for Jesus,
Let us allow him to change our lives -
In the ordinary and in the extraordinary

© St Edmund's Church, Roundhay