Easter 3
This morning, as I was tying my shoes, my brand new glasses
fell apart. Completely unprovoked, the
right stem just fell off. This was just
the most recent in a string of irritations this week. I admit, these irritations were insignificant
compared with the great problems of the day, and the challenges many people
face. But they were still
frustrating. We all have weeks like
that. Weeks where nothing seems to go
right. Not major setbacks, but just lots
of little things that grind away like grit in the gears. So often, we talk about how our faith speaks
to the big stuff in life: sin, death,
and the reality of evil in our world.
But what does our faith say about the grit?
Right after my glasses fell apart, I read this week’s Gospel
Lesson and wondered, “what does this text have to say to me, given the week
I’ve had?” I pondered that for quite a
while. Maybe it said nothing. It was about bigger things – death being defeated in Resurrection, and
showing our love for Jesus by feeding his sheep. My insignificant irritations seemed a long
way from that beach on the Sea of Tiberius.
But, the more I reflected on it, the more I saw connections. Fishing was, after all, Peter’s daily work
before he crossed paths with Jesus. Now,
I’m not into fishing, but from my childhood fishing experience, I know that
fishing all day and not catching anything happens. (It happened to me a lot – which is why I’m
not into fishing.) Peter must have been
frustrated by the futility of his efforts.
Maybe even irritated. But then,
Jesus is there. The presence of Jesus
turns Peter’s frustration at empty nets into the joy of abundance. Jesus’ presence turns Peter’s irritation
into irrelevancy, as he pulls on his pants, dives into the sea and swims to
greet the Lord.
So, what does that have to do with my broken glasses? Everything!
The truth of the Resurrection, I think, puts everything in it’s proper
perspective, whether that is empty nets, broken glasses or the reality of sin,
death and evil in our world. Knowing
that Christ is alive helps us roll with the daily irritations, helps us see
abundance where others see scarcity, and gives us the courage to face the big
stuff that tears at our world. Knowing
that Christ is alive gives us the grounds for loving God all the more and the
strength to feed the sheep who graze in our neighborhood.
Oh… and it only took
the optician a couple of minutes to fix my glasses.
Peace,
Bishop Mike
Thanks for reading!
