NUCC

April 22, 2007

Easter 3

John 21:1-19    Peter

Acts 9:1-6        Paul

This morning we will be listening to three songs that Front Porch Swing might play at the Tufts Mansion during a Saturday night jam session.  Like so many “jazz standards,” these are love songs.  Romantic love songs.  What place do they have in church on the Third Sunday of Easter?  What do these songs have to do with the scripture readings we have just heard?

• About the Risen Christ appearing to the disciples while they are fishing in the Sea of Galilee.
• About the Risen Christ appearing to appearing to a man named Saul, who was hunting down Christians and trying to eradicate this new movement called “The Way.”

Let’s see what happens. 

LITTLE BOAT (O BARQUINHO)

Picture a little boat in some secluded bay down in Brazil.  That’s where this tune comes from, and the great Brazilian guitar player Joao Gilberto made it popular.  In the song two lovers are out in their “little boat.”  Or picture a boat up north, perhaps at Moon Beach.  It’s a beautiful day and the water is calm and peaceful.

Picture another little boat, this time on the Sea of Galilee.  Instead of a pleasure boat this is a working boat with fishermen and nets.  Thanks to Jesus they are hauling in quite a catch.

How could this story have any connection to a love song?  Well, think about the question Jesus asked Simon Peter:

“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”

“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”

Three times!  Do you remember another time when Peter was asked a question three times?  Yes, it was on the evening before the crucifixion, in the courtyard when Peter denied that he ever knew Jesus ---- three times!

Hmm.  Do you love Jesus?  I was asked that question by a sweet little old lady with a gentle Swedish accent.  Mrs. Anderson.  I was a young minister in my first church and making a hospital call.  Mrs. Anderson, I believe, was testing me.  She wanted to know if her new minister loved Jesus!

To tell you the truth no one had ever asked me that before.  People asked me if I believed in Jesus.  They wanted to know what I thought about Jesus.  But love Jesus?

Well, I answered Mrs. Anderson in the affirmative.  Yes, I loved Jesus.  But that question has continued to haunt me, and I continue to examine myself.  Do I really love Jesus?  How do I love Jesus?  How do a show my love for Jesus?

I’m still working on a more complete answer.  I believe the people participating in our “Experiencing God” group also are asking themselves:  “Do I love Jesus?”  What about you?

ON THE SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET

This isn’t necessarily a love song.  But I think the love we discover from Jesus might just connect to “On the Sunny Side of the Street.”  And I believe this little tune connects to our lesson from Acts this morning.

Just picture this man named Saul.  He is one angry dude.  He truly believes that this Jesus and these people following his Way have it all wrong.  He is out to eliminate their movement.  But then, while on his way to the city of Damascus to root them out and bring them to jail, Saul has an amazing thing happen to him.

He is blinded by a flash of light.  He is struck to the ground in a daze, and then he hears someone speaking to him:

“Saul, Saul, why are you out to get me?”

It is the Risen Christ.  He instructs Saul to go into the city, which Saul does.  He goes into the city and stays at a place on “

When I think of Saul/Paul I remember some lyrics from “On the Sunny Side of the Street.”

I used to walk in the shade

With my blues on parade.

But I’m not afraid.

This rover’s crossed over.

Saul had some “blues on parade.”  He was a determined, unhappy, hate-filled man.  But he “crossed over” ---- the use the words of our song.  He crossed over to be, as I said the greatest church starter in history.

On this Third Sunday after Easter I invite you to leave your “blues on parade” and “cross over” to living in the love of the Risen Christ.  I invite you to live on the “sunny side of the street” as you joyfully and enthusiastically follow Jesus.

Living in the light of the Resurrection is living “on the sunny side of the street.”  Living in the light of the Resurrection means trusting in the power of God enough to leave your blues behind.  Living in the light of the Resurrection may mean falling to the ground in wonderment.  Or living in the light of the Resurrection may simply mean saying:  “Thank you God.  Thank you for this day.  Thank you for this life.  I also want to be your disciple.  I will follow you.”

TAKIN’ A CHANCE ON LOVE

Things are mending now

I see a rainbow blending now

We’ll have a happy ending now

Taking a chance on love

There’s quite a bit of happy optimism in those lyrics.  If we are realistic we know that love doesn’t just happen.  Love takes commitment and work and effort.  That’s what I tell couples getting ready for marriage.

When you walk down that wedding aisle or when you stand there waiting at the end of the aisle, you may think to yourself:  “Yikes!  Am I ready for this?  What kind of chance am I taking?”  After all the statistics are not particularly good.  A lot of marriages don’t last.

Karen would tell you that when she was walking down the aisle of St. John’s United Church of Christ on August 19 in 1967 she wondered if she was really ready to let go of her daddy’s arm and repeat marriage vows with the fellow who had asked her to marry him the previous February.  But she “took a chance on love” and she’s been married to that fellow for almost 40 years.  She and he are now the proud grandparents of three beautiful grandchildren ---- and she’s off visiting one of them right now.

“Taking a chance on love.”  I believe Jesus challenged his followers to “take a chance on love.”  When he asked Peter if he loved him he was challenging Peter to “take a chance on love.”  When he appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus, he was challenging Saul to “take a chance on love.”

Fortunately each of these men responded in marvelous ways.  The bumbling Peter and the hateful Saul became great, if not perfect, followers of “The Way.”  Taking a chance on love was not always easy for them.  They were involved in some difficult decisions for the early church and had some real debates about what it meant to be a follower of Jesus.  They experienced troubles, pain, imprisonment, and, we believe, violent death.  At times “taking a chance of love” must have seemed like the wrong chance.  But they knew it was the right chance.

Today each of us is challenged to “take a chance on love.”  How will you show your love for Jesus?  Might it mean taking a chance?  Might you experience some difficulties because you decide to love Jesus and follow in his way?  I think you might.

But the chance is worth it ----- because eventually you’ll be living “on the sunny side of the street.”