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10:30 am Worship

Friday, April 25, 2025

John 21: 4-6

⁴Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. ⁵Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” ⁶He said to them, “Cast the net to 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 there were so many fish.

Japanese philosophy contains an idea which affects every single thought and action of human beings, the idea called mujou. Western thinkers, it seems to me, too often resist this idea, even though doing so is futile. The central thought in mujou is this: The only thing which is truly permanent is change. All things change.

I am quite taken with many of the gospel scenes in which the risen Jesus meets with his disciples because Jesus takes such care to understand the pain in his followers’ hearts at their loss of him. The disciples are trying in every way they can to understand what happened, to deal with it, and to determine the future direction of their lives now that change has occurred. In almost every instance, they cannot recognize their Lord even when seeing and speaking with him. Why is this? I suspect it’s because they know he died. They recognize death, and its weight is such that even their eyes and ears fail them when confronted with an alternative truth. They know, deep in their hearts, all things change.

Mary did not know Jesus until he spoke her name. Thomas doubted until Jesus revealed his wounds. The two followers headed for Emmaus walked and talked with Jesus without recognizing him until he broke and blessed bread at the evening meal. We all know, even while hating it and resisting it: Change will happen. It happens in the workplace, in our homes and most intimate relationships. It occurs in hospitals and hospices, in the political landscape, in the marketplaces. What do we do when things change? Some despair. Some resist. Some continue on, attempting to find some sense of stability in the ordinary routine of life. Some collapse.

In the gospels, Jesus asks three very clear questions of those who come to him.

What do you seek? (John 1: 38) Who do you say I am? (Luke 9: 18) Do you love me? (John 21: 15). These questions, considered properly and with care, can provide everything we need to live in an ever-changing world. The questions offer us a map for our new lives, the lives we must live in the face of ever-constant loss and change. The third question, repeated three times in John 21, is, of course, the most important.

If we answer it properly, we will see and hear our Lord.

He is always present. He always knows our immediate need. He always responds in love. He comes to us in our confusion and offers us the compassion necessary to survive in an ever-changing world. Yes, our losses are real. Yes, we suffer. Yes, we are beloved.

Hymn of the day: In Christ Alone. Online at Rossford UMC - Media.

Rev. Lawrence Keeler