Homily for 3d Sunday of Easter

Homily for the
3d Sunday of Easter

April 19, 1977

Acts 5: 27-32, 40-41
Rev 5: 11-14
John 21: 1-19
Practicum in Preaching

I was already a deacon when I took the required seminary course on how to preach well.  This a homily prepared for that course rather than for a church congregation.

This morning’s readings from the Scriptures offer us images of two transformations.  1st, Jesus has been transformed.  2d, his disciples have been transformed.

The Easter season announces the change in Jesus that results from his resurrection.  When he appears to Peter and the other disciples by the Sea of Tiberias—which we know more familiarly as the Sea of Galilee—they do not recognize him at first.  When the apostles stand before the Sanhedrin, on trial for their preaching, they boldly proclaim that the crucified Jesus has risen and been made Leader and Savior of Israel.  The vision of John in the book of Revelation shows us Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb, in heavenly glory with the Almighty Father.

Jesus’ transformation is wondrous enuf.  We know how long it took the apostles to grasp what had happened thru the resurrection of their Lord.  But much more wondrous is what happened to them when the reality of the resurrection sank into them.

Take Peter.  We know he was a rough, impulsive fellow, apparently the kind who’d rather act than think.  And we see a little of those qualities here in the abruptness with which he says he’s going fishing and in the way in which he plunges into the lake.  We also know that these qualities led him, at the Last Supper, to assure Jesus of his undying loyalty, his willingness to die for his Lord—only to lead him shortly after to deny even knowing Jesus.  If any of you saw the movie Jesus of Nazareth on TV Easter Sunday, you saw a very powerful portrayal of Peter.

Peter approaching Christ on the lakeshore (source unknown)

Now Jesus stands on the shore.  There’s no more rashness in Peter, but a charming sort of simplicity and sincerity.  Jesus asks him whether he loves his Master more than the others do, and Peter is much wiser than at the Last Supper, too wise to say, “Yes, of course!”  He says only, “Lord, you know that I love you.”  That is the only assurance he has now, the only one he can give Jesus.  He no longer relies on himself.  This change in the source of his strength from self to Jesus changes Peter from a denying coward to a courageous apostle.

In the 1st reading, we find Peter and the other apostles before the Sanhedrin.  They’re under arrest.  These are the same men who ran and hid from the Jewish police on Good Friday because they were scared to death.  After seeing Jesus alive again and receiving the Holy Spirit, they are different.  They are still plain, uneducated fishermen, but they are bold.  They are preaching to the leaders of their nation, saying they and the Holy Spirit have a message to deliver.  They count it a blessing to suffer for the name of Jesus.  The transforming power of the risen Jesus is at work.  It is a power which forgives and encourages because it is alive with love.

And the transforming power is at work now, among us here.  We have all sinned, like Peter and the 12.  We have denied Christ when it was more convenient not to be recognized as his followers.  We have been cowards and run away.  In our business dealings, we have sometimes found Christ embarrassing and put him aside.  We have run from our children because we didn’t have time for them.  When we gather with friends at school or at home we usually don’t think of Christ’s being there; we might have to speak more kindly and act honestly if we did.

But we can be forgiven, and we can love simply and sincerely like Peter.  We have to let the risen Jesus and his Holy Spirit transform us—not in a day, certainly, but day by day.  Seeing the risen Lord and loving him convinced Peter and the apostles that they had to be different.  They could risk martyrdom in order to be fishers of men and proclaimers of the Gospel even when it was inconvenient.  We receive the same call as Peter:  “Follow me.”  We wouldn’t be here in church this morning if we didn’t believe Jesus is risen.  It is our task now to bring the risen Christ with us when we deal with a customer or client, when we have friends over to our homes, when our children ask us for our interest in their games and projects, when our parents give us jobs to do for the family, when we go out shopping, and so on.  Will we now let Christ transform our noncommittal lives into a sincere announcement of our Christian faith?