Sermons and Statements

Learning to identify birds, or how to plant trees, tie knots, or build a fire, are important skills that teach us about the world around us.  So are the things we learn in Scout troop or by going to camp.  We meet girls from different cultures and backgrounds, we try different foods, and we learn to live together in community.

I’ve been to Korea twice, most recently a few weeks ago.  The first visit included a border procession somewhat like what we’re going to do later today. We traveled by tourist bus on an immaculate, one lane, newly surfaced road walled in by electrified fences topped with razor wire.

That image we bear is a community image – we don’t just reflect Jesus, or the Spirit, or God the Father – we reflect that dynamic, relational Trinity.  The ancient church likened the trinity to a dance, a moving, dynamic, interdependent community – that is at the same time one.  It’s a circle dance (perichoresis), but not simple revolution.  It’s more like a transformative and evolving spiral in multiple dimensions. 

This story is a profoundly creative account of what it means to be a friend of Jesus and part of his body – what it is to be a fisher of people and a shepherd – as well as a sheep.  This holy band of seven disciples catches all nations when it fishes where directed – that’s what 153 fish are all about.  The rocky disciple puts on his wedding garment or his baptismal robe before he jumps in with both feet to follow Jesus – and this may be his most important act in the gospels.