Peter Haresnape’s Homily for Easter 3
After the torchlight red on sweaty faces
After the frosty silence in the gardens
After the agony in stony places
The shouting and the crying
Prison and palace and reverberation
Of thunder of spring over distant mountains
He who was now living is now dead
We who were living are now dying
With a little patience[— T. S. Eliot, “The Wasteland“]
After the busyness and disruption of Easter, we get back to work, the children go back to school, and Simon Peter gets together with his friends and goes fishing.
A long night of work, and nothing to show for it, but then, through the sudden provision of great abundance, they recognise the Lord in the mysterious, almost unrecognizable form waiting by the shore.
In another city, in another time, another mysterious figure appears to another disciple of Jesus Christ. It is the fearsome spectre of Saul of Tarsus, Pharisee of Pharisees, persecutor-by-appointment, and he appears in an almost unrecognizable form to the disciple Ananias, no longer sustained by breathing threats and murder but fasting, humbled, blinded, and suddenly receptive.
We might imagine that Ananias came to know Jesus through the witness of one of those eating breakfast on that other morning. Perhaps for him, all the stories of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection were stories he had learned through the witness of others, just as we did. This was a delicate time. The actions of women and men of faith and conviction were shaping the world. Whose stories would be remembered? Whose would be forgotten? This was a delicate time, and it still is.
At the shoreline meal there is a strange sense that these are numbered, precious days. The scripture says that none of them dared to ask, “Who are you” – they knew it was the Lord. This was now the third time that Jesus had appeared to them after he was raised from the dead. It was not the last time, but, there would be a last time. Imagine those days, those disciples, meeting Jesus in the strangest of places, their hearts yearning to see him, but fearing to name him, to claim him, knowing that his visit was for this time only, knowing that it would never again be the way it was.
So when Jesus asks Simon Peter ‘do you love me’, the disciple’s response has all of this longing to have his every word mean everything it possibly can. To say to his friend what needed to be said, to express love even as he knows that this love will not keep Jesus among them. Simon Peter’s words are earnest, honest, confused and hurt and unified in love. His impossibly alive friend is here again and this fragile moment is the moment of listening and struggling to understand and to get it right just this once. There may not come another moment.
And Ananias is fully in the moment, praying a prayer that is short, clipped, to the point. It is a prayer you say when you think you might change your mind, or when you want to keep a lungful of air in case you need to make a quick getaway. And, it is liturgically complete, solemnly whole, and heartfelt in all its breathlessness. And immediately, the scales fell from his eyes, and he rose and was baptized, and he ate food and was strengthened, and immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the Synagogue, saying ‘he is the Son of God’!
And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honour and glory and might forever and ever!”
And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshipped.
Three scriptures, three revelations of Jesus Christ communicated to us, his disciples, in these last days after his time on earth. After the brutal revelation of the crucifixion, the Lord persists in new revelations, some terrifying and strange like blinding light, some as ordinary and absurd as making breakfast for his friends coming off a hard night shift.
And all the while, he is glorified by all of creation, worshipped forever and ever, and he continues to invite his friends for breakfast, and invite his enemies into the company of his friends.
Simon Peter does not get blinded by the Lord, but fed and forgiven and given a task and mysterious words about how he is to be killed. Saul does not get punished for his murderous persecution, but derailed from his mission and taken aside until Ananias can hear the call to come and tend him, for the Lord says, “Saul is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honour and glory and blessing!”
This worship we participate in through the reading of the Revelation is directed toward the Lamb who was slain, who is worthy to open the seals, to set in motion the complex visions to follow. The writer of Revelation has wept because there is no one worthy, until he is shown the Lamb, looking as if it has been slain. Now the whole host of creation sings in praise.
Simon Peter’s insistent proclamation of devotion allows Jesus to give him a purpose, and to share with him that he is surrendering his future. This is a fragile moment.
Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”
Ananias’ willingness to follow God’s call in Damascus, and those three days of prayer, fasting and blindness for Saul mark an in-between time. Despite the evil he has done, Saul is somehow worthy to carry God’s name – and to suffer for it.
It seems that suffering and worthiness are connected in all of our readings. There are consequences to following God’s call. Ananias fears these consequences when he is sent to tend to an enemy, but he obeys. Jesus asked the Father if the cup could pass from him, but stayed in the garden to await his trial. Simon Peter and Saul both respond out of their own weakness to the call on their lives.
You don’t need to be worthy to suffer. You don’t need to suffer to be worthy. But in those fragile moments where we encounter Jesus at work, we must look beyond fear and suffering and the possibility of death to act out our love, and gracious compassion, and so bring Jesus fully present.
In those moments, surpassing death and pain and fear, the Lamb is accorded worthy to open the seal,
and the stranger with food to share
or a desperate need for prayer
can become who they truly are.
Amen.
John 21:1-19
Jesus Appears to Seven Disciples
After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. 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 as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.
When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out 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, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
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.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved 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. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”
Acts 9:1-20
The Conversion of Saul
But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; and taking food, he was strengthened.
For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?”
Revelation 5: 11-14
Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”
And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”
And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
