Your Ordinary is Extraordinary (MTKA)

John 21:1-14

After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. 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 after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, ‘Children, you have no fish, have you?’ They answered him, ‘No.’ He 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. That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!’ When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the lake. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.

When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish 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, a hundred and fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’ Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

A few years back — and before COVID — my sister, Marie, was hospitalized in late spring. She had a lingering cold, which included a nagging cough. After a while she had trouble breathing. So late one night she was admitted to the hospital in Vermillion, South Dakota, not far from home. The preliminary diagnosis was pneumonia. By morning her situation had gone from bad to worse. The doctors decided to airlift her immediately to Sanford Medical Center in Sioux Falls. That decision probably saved her life.  

Doctors found bacterial pneumonia. Marie was going into septic shock, which was causing her internal organs to shut down. A doctor at Sanford impressed upon our family the gravity of the situation. “We’re going to do everything we can to try to save your sister,” he said, “but there are limits to what we can do.” It wasn’t long before several of us were heading to Sioux Falls to be at her bedside. 

Marie ended up being in intensive care for about a week. Thanks to powerful antibiotics, an army of skilled healthcare professionals, and lots and lots of fervent prayer, she gradually turned the corner. As she did, she started keeping a journal. One of her entries was particularly poignant to me: “I used to be in the fast lane,” she wrote. “Then I got sick and moved into the slow lane. Then my lane disappeared. Now I’m waiting and hoping for another one to show up.”

Marie’s journal entry reminds me a little of the story of Easter. Or maybe I should say, it reminds me of the stories leading up to Easter and those that came after. The followers of Jesus had been operating in the fast lane. It started back in Galilee when a young rabbi asked a group of fishermen if they wanted to tag along behind him. They said yes. They barely had time to go home and tell their families before they were traipsing up and down the Galilean countryside.

The rabbi called them “disciples.” Another word for it was apprentices —someone who learns on the job. Jesus was saying things these disciples had never heard before. “The kingdom of God has come near,” he announced. Their lane was about to get faster. Jesus healed sick people. He fed hungry people. He preached good news to the poor and discouraged and lost.  

For their part, the apprentices weren’t always sure what to do next. They had to use their imagination. It was as if God had a dream to love and bless the world through this rabbi named Jesus. But what about them?

Maybe you know this story. Over the next three years, some amazing things happened. The apprentices did what Jesus did, or at least they tried. They took risks, made mistakes, learned a lesson or two, and then tried it again. They did this day after day, in village after village. They came to believe that God really did have a dream to love and bless the world. And get this, God wanted to use ordinary folks like them — farmers and fishermen, tax collectors and homemakers — to help make it so.  

Eventually this ragtag band ended up in Jerusalem. During one fateful week, life in the fast lane slowed down considerably. Any number of sobering events transpired. There was a last supper. An arrest in a garden. A trial before the Roman governor. A criminal’s death on a rough-hewn cross. In the blink of an eye, the slow lane was in danger of disappearing altogether.

So, what do you do when everything falls apart? Run and hide? Pray like crazy? Gather at the bedside of someone you love? Beyond that, what do you do when the answer to your prayers seems to be no? That’s what happened to those apprentices. The rabbi from Nazareth, the one through whom God set out to love and bless the world, was suddenly gone. And the lane on which they’d been traveling was gone too.  

Now what? Well, I can tell you this: On Sunday there was a rumor going around that the tomb was empty. Some even claimed to have caught a glimpse of the rabbi. But you know how it is: People are always spreading rumors. They’re claiming to see things that may or may not amount to a hill of beans. And really, are you are the kind of person who believes such things anyway? Maybe you’re more likely to pack up your bags and head home?  

Peter and some of his fishing buddies headed home. And for old time’s sake, they decided to go fishing. They didn’t have much luck. They spent a whole night out on the lake without so much as a single bite. They had to be discouraged. Early the next morning, they saw a stranger on the shoreline. They didn’t recognize him — not at first — but they were open to some friendly advice. “Why don’t you try fishing on the other side of the boat?” said the stranger. Even though their livelihood was fishing, they did what he suggested. Would you believe they soon caught more fish than they knew what to do with? And someone put two and two together: “It’s the Lord!” Peter got so excited that he put on his clothes, jumped in the lake, and swam to where Jesus was standing. 

Do you see what was happening here? Peter and his buddies had gone from life in the fast lane, to the slow lane, to no lane at all. They were just about ready to give up. Suddenly a new lane opened up right before their eyes. Jesus was there, but he looked different. And then he was serving them just about the best breakfast they’d ever eaten.  

Clearly this story was about more than fishing. Because of Easter, the Risen Christ was alive and loose in the world. He was going to wherever his followers happened to be. He whispered Mary’s name as she wept in the garden. He spoke peace to frightened followers hiding behind locked doors. He encouraged a group of fishermen to make a change and try fishing on the other side of the boat.

In all these instances and more, Jesus was reminding them of why he had called them in the first place. This was about mission. It was about God’s dream to love and bless the world. And it was about God’s plan to use ordinary fishermen and farmers, tax collectors and homemakers to do some extraordinary things, and in the process, to help make God’s dream come true.

Friends, it’s easy for us as followers of Jesus to lose track of why we are here and what we’re supposed to be doing. As I see it, an apprentice of Jesus has one main purpose: To do what Jesus would do if he were in our place.  Sometimes it’s hard to know what that is, but often it’s not. We’re to love God and love our neighbors; we’re to turn the other cheek; we’re to forgive 70 x 7; we’re to heal the sick, feed the hungry, pray for the discouraged, fight for the down-and-out, pass on faith to our children, tell the good news of Jesus.

Do you hear what I’m saying? Ultimately being a follower of Jesus is not simply about going to church, or reading the Bible, or learning how to pray. These are good things, mind you, but they’re only means to an end. Again, our work is to strive to do those things Jesus would do if he were in our place. 

Will we do them perfectly? Of course not. Like those early apprentices, we’re going to learn on the job. We’re going to take risks and make mistakes. Hopefully we’ll learn a lesson or two. And then we’re going to try it all over again. Ordinary people doing some extraordinary things!

Just about the time we’re feeling stuck or ready to give up, Jesus comes and finds us, and says: “Why don’t you try fishing on the other side of the boat? You know that person who rubs you the wrong way, maybe you need to see them as one of my children. You know that ‘poor me’ attitude that can get you in trouble, maybe you need to imagine all the possibilities of what I can do through you. You know that problem you’re having with money, or the kids, or your health, or your marriage, or your job, maybe you need to ask for more of my help. Trust me, when I am walking beside you, you may see a lane opening up that you did not see before.”

Friends, please be aware: Jesus doesn’t say this only to individuals. He says it to churches too. He wants us at Bethlehem to remember why we are here and what we’re supposed to be doing. We’re reminding ourselves of this each week during the season of Easter. Our mission: Bethlehem is becoming together, sharing in the work of God’s vision for a healed world.  We’re not exactly sure where this work will take us. But we can say this: When the Risen Christ shows up — and whether we always recognize him or not — he’ll probably encourage us to be open to fishing on the other side of the boat.  

In the end, it comes down to this: God has a dream to love and bless the world through Jesus. And God has a plan to use fishermen and farmers, tax collectors and homemakers, to help make it so.  

Do you want to be a part of this plan? There’s room for you. You don’t have to be an expert; only an apprentice learning on the job. You can learn to do what Jesus would do if he were in your place.   And who knows, with Jesus walking beside you, you may even see a lane opening up that you did not see before. Amen.