His Resurrection and Your Life

This is now the third time, and Simon Peter still does not know the Man.  The last thing he has said in this Holy Gospel, prior to this fishing expedition, is that he was not with Jesus, and that he is certainly not one of that Man’s disciples.  It seems that he was right on that count, because he’s back to where he was before the Lord Jesus ever called him to follow.

To be sure, there’s nothing wrong with going fishing, in itself, whether for the fun of it or for your livelihood.  The same goes for you, as well, whatever your own pastimes and occupations may be.  Christ has died, and Christ is risen, and Christ will come again.  But here in the meantime you have your life in the world, a job to do, a family to feed, or at least yourself to look after, and all the other good gifts that God entrusts to your stewardship.  Simon Peter likewise had a household to provide for, a wife and a mother-in-law, and fishing was something he knew and understood.

It was Jesus that he did not know or understand.  Not yet.  Therein lies the problem.  It’s not that he doubted or denied the Resurrection, not after the first two appearances.  But there is still the unresolved fact that he denied the Lord Jesus Himself in His Passion.  So at this point, everything is pretty much up in the air for Simon Peter, who really doesn’t know what do with himself.

Perhaps it’s not so different for you, from one Sunday morning to the next, as you go about the days of your week.  Christ is risen, He is risen indeed! Alleluia!  That’s good news and a great answer to all of your needs.  But maybe it doesn’t seem to answer your most immediate questions and concerns.  What are you supposed to do with yourself?  What difference does the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus make in your daily dealings?  Or does it really matter in this body and life?

Of course the answers to these questions are going to be different for you than they were for Simon Peter.  You’re not one of the Twelve Apostles, and most of you will never be a Minister of the Gospel, a pastor, or even a full-time church worker.  We may certainly hope and pray that some of you young men will grow up to become pastors someday, but what about your life right now?  And for any and all of you, no matter what your future holds, how should you approach and think about your chores and duties, your job, and your responsibilities here and now?  It can feel like a very long way between Good Friday and Easter and your desk or the diapers you have to change.

Your day-to-day life can seem very worldly and mundane, but it’s not as though you can simply step out of the world to serve some supposedly “higher” or “more spiritual” sort of calling.  Nor are you prone to attempt it, even if you could, when you think back on your missteps in the past, your mistakes and major mess-ups.  Who are you to suppose that you could ever live a holy life?  You’ve got your hands full, just trying to manage your days, juggle your obligations, and get by.

It stings and pricks your conscience, doesn’t it, when you are confronted with even little reminders of your checkered past?  Like that little charcoal fire, laid there at the feet of Jesus on the beach, recalling the fire that set the scene of Simon Peter’s adamant denials.  Ouch!  That one cuts to the quick and leaves a mark.  But lesson learned, right?  Or maybe not, yet.

It’s not that you must now “try harder” and “do better” next time.  It is rather that you need to learn where, and when, and how to follow Jesus.  That you learn to know Him, as He truly is, and that you be with Him where He is.  Not by heroic bravado or extraordinary efforts to prove yourself, but by the grace, mercy, and forgiveness of this crucified and risen Lord Jesus Christ.

None of the disciples knew Him, and neither do you know Him, except by His Voice, and by the good gifts that He gives you with His Word.  You learn to recognize Jesus, your Good Shepherd, in His love for you, and thus do you know and believe and confess that He is the Lord.

It is when you have been taught to know Him in this way that you truly know yourself, and that you know your place in the world, and that you know what to do with yourself and your life.

The Lord Jesus calls you to Himself, to eat and drink what He provides.  But He does not call you out of the world in order to reach Him.  The little boat of His Church, even a very little boat like Emmaus, brings you safely to Him; and you are cleansed in the same waters that uphold the whole Church as you come to His Meal.  As the Lord has already bathed you in those waters, in your Holy Baptism, you need not throw yourself into the sea, as though to drown your grief and sorrow, or as though to cleanse your hands and head of all your guilt and shame.  No, the Word of Jesus washes you daily with His free and full forgiveness, while His Baptism remains and avails for you, no matter how many times you have fallen short, sunk up to your neck, and even gone under.

Where Jesus is concerned, you are not called to offer Him your works or sacrifices of propitiation.  He simply calls you to Himself, to receive what He gives, to eat and drink from His hand, to find in Him your life and health and strength, and so to live by faith in Him.

He does also call you to work, as He commands you to love and serve your neighbor.  But your labors of love are not for the Lord’s benefit, as though He needed anything from you; nor are they meant for your atonement and reconciliation with God.  Your works are for your neighbor.

The Lord does not need the fish that He enables you to catch and asks you to bring, but these are the men, women, and children whom He calls and brings to Himself through you and your nets.

Your nets need not be large and strong.  Simply cast them at His Word on the right side of your little boat, and see how He fills them, and yet they are not torn apart.  Your nets need not be those of the apostolic ministry and the pastoral office — nor should you take those nets to yourself apart from the Lord’s Call — but work with the nets of your own office and stations in life.

If you are a mother, cast your net for your children.  If you are a husband, cast your net for your wife.  If you are a shopkeeper, cast your net for your customers.  And if you are a fisherman, cast your net for fish, and feed your family and your neighbors with the catch your Lord provides.

Your life is holy, even as you live and work in this world with all of its mundane obligations, because you are holy by the washing of the water with the Word of Christ.

You are called to Christ Jesus, to be fed by Him, to live by His grace, and to rest in His peace.  But you are not called to laziness and negligence in respect to your neighbor and your place on earth.  Here you are called to work with the strength that God provides, to serve faithfully and well, and to care for others in the hope and confidence of the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus.

You are not expected to give more than you have received.  Nor could you ever do so.  For what do you have that you have not received?  But what, then, have you received?  And what is it for?

The Lord would have you enjoy His gracious gifts and delight in them, because He loves you, but He would also have you put them to good purpose and use them in love for your neighbor.  Thus do your time, treasures, and talents become alms — that is, works of mercy and gifts of charity — for the widows and orphans, for the lame, the poor, and the blind, and of course for your own spouse and children, for your brothers and sisters, and for your fellow Christians.

What, then, do you have in your hand?  And what is in your heart?  When there is faith and love there, then whatever is in your hand will be extended to the neighbor God has laid at your gate.  Is it silver and gold?  Is it medical knowledge and skill?  Or food and clothing?  Or a listening ear?  Or carpentry, plumbing, and electrical know-how?

The holy Apostles received from the Lord what they have also delivered to the Church in His Name and holy remembrance, that is, the Ministry of His Gospel; His preaching of repentance for the forgiveness of sins in His Name; His Holy Baptism; the Bread of Life, which is His Body given for you; and His Cup of Salvation, which is the New Testament in His Blood, poured out for you.  From generation to generation, this sacred “Tradition” of the Gospel — this Holy Ministry of the Word and Sacraments of Christ — has been handed over, as also now from your pastors to you.

So it is that the Cross and Resurrection of Christ Jesus are for you, and they are yours, in the sure promises and certain hope of Him who stands on the beach and beckons you to Himself, to break your fast with His Feast.  So it is that you shall not die but live forever in and with Him.

In that holy faith and confidence, your life right here and now has sacred meaning and purpose.  Whether you have much or little, the Lord Jesus provides all that is needed for all that He would have you do, and for the neighbor He would have you serve.

Do not despise that poor man, or that poor woman, whoever they are.  For you could no more walk from your mother’s womb than he or she could.  You are both alike conceived and born in sin, subject to death, and of yourself unable to do or accomplish anything.  Your works without the gracious providence of the Lord could accomplish nothing; and if He did not open His hand to supply your needs, you would not have anything to eat or drink or wear, nor anywhere to live.

But now the Lord Jesus has raised you up to stand, and He upholds you with His strength.  He has drawn you up out of the water, cleansed you of all your sins, and sanctified you by His Life-giving Holy Spirit.  He has opened His heaven to you, and His Father is well-pleased with you, no matter what your past has been.  Therefore, your labors are not in vain, but they bring forth the fruits of the Lord Jesus who loves you.

Would you know His love for you, and would you rest in His peace?  Come, then, little children, beloved disciples of Jesus.  Come and eat what He has prepared for you.  For He is the Lord, and here He has come to feed you with Himself.  So does He manifest Himself to you again, who was crucified for you and raised from the dead, that you might live in Him, both now and forever.

In the Name + of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

The Best Guitarist in the World?

I don't know. I'm not sure there is any one "best guitarist" in the world. Maybe Guthrie Govan, or Joe Bonamassa, or Andy McKee, or Yngwie Malmsteen; or maybe none of the above. I have my personal favorites, to be sure, but whether any of them is "the best," who am I to say?

How in the world could anyone meaningfully measure and realistically compare the ability and skill, the artistry and creativity, the versatility, virtuosity and value of Antoine Dufour and Christopher Parkening with that of Gus G and Synester Gates, with that of Brad Paisley and Keith Urban, with that of Paul Gilbert and Joe Satriani, with that of Al Di Meola and Phil Keaggy, with that of Zac Brown and Zakk Wylde, with that of Jack White and the Edge, with that of Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton, with that of Slash and Mark Tremonti, with that of John Petrucci and Steve Lukather, with that of Orianthi and Steve Vai, with that of Carlos Santana and Michael Angelo Batio, with that of George Lynch and Mark Knopfler, with that of Kirk Hammet and James Hetfield, Glen Tipton and K.K. Downing?

How does one evaluate and quantify the "bestness" of living guitarists like Eddie Van Halen and Jimmy Page, who were surely among the greatest in their heyday, but who haven't contributed much in many years, especially as compared to the likes of B.B. King and Tony Iommi? And where does one situate Jimi Hendrix and Randy Rhoads in the hierarchy of the guitar, when they've been dead these past many years, and yet their music is still being enjoyed all over the world?

If there were any one "best guitarist" in the world, I suspect that he (or she) is probably a session player in Nashville, New York, Houston or Los Angeles, inconspicuously if not anonymously making the stars in the limelight sound good. Or, maybe "the best guitarist in the world" only plays for himself, for the love of the music, and for the pleasure of his family and friends. Perhaps such personal joy and the generous entertainment of local neighbors are further aspects of "bestness" that we should be hard-pressed to calculate, or even to discern.

It occurs to me that, what is true when it comes to the guitarists of the world, is likewise applicable to the whole broad spectrum of talents and trades with which people all over the world are variously occupied. The "best of the best" are not necessarily those who manage to make a name and trunkloads of money for themselves, but are more likely those who quietly go about their tasks in faithfulness and love, simply doing what they have been given to do. In any event, life isn't a competition — those who attempt to make it so, lose. "Greatness" in the Kingdom of God, which is where the only true and real life is lived, is found in the humility of repentance and the confidence of faith; it is not "compared" from one citizen to the next, but measured solely in relation to the Cross of Christ, who pours out His "greatness" for us, and upon us, in Self-sacrificing love. Wherever such genuine greatness is poured out in love for the neighbor, whether by the playing of guitar, or by whatever task is taken up in faith, there is the sweetness of a life that is being lived well.