St. John’s United Church

God blesses those people who depend only on God. They belong to the kingdom of heaven! Indeed, God blesses those people whose hearts are pure. They will see God! (Matthew 5:3,8)

I think all of us are familiar with the idea that God is best met in special times — times in which we go to special places, most often by ourselves, and dwell in silence. Most of us have felt especially blessed when we have been able to spend time away from the bustle and hustle of daily life and to actually go up on a mountain and look around and see nothing for miles and miles but clouds passing by, and hills and valleys receding into the distance. The scriptures tell us that this is what Jesus did. “When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on the side of a mountain and sat down. Jesus’ disciples gathered around, and he taught them.” (Matt.5:1-2)

Others have the same feeling when they go deep into the woods where they can hear nothing, but birds singing in the trees and the sound of their own breathing. Others contemplate best beside a river with eddies of water swirling by, carrying leaves and bits of wood to a destination hundreds of miles from where they sit. For some, it is on the beach where the waves roll in one after another, pushing and pulling the gravel and sand and making whispering rattling sounds punctuated by the noise of the waves crashing and breaking on the shore. Still others like going out at late at night and staring up at the moon and the stars.

All of us have our places of refuge - our places where we go to meet God and to invite God to minister to us in the midst of the beauty, and the quiet, and the loneliness. We have a great sense of peace in these places. We can think – or, even better, we can let go of thinking - and just sense the wonder and beauty of the moment, and then, sometime later, return to our normal world, more refreshed and stronger than we were when we left it.

Today, we’re going to look within ourselves, and meet Jesus in the quiet space of our imaginations. So… Make yourself comfortable in your seat. Close your eyes. And breathe deeply. Breathe in slowly, and hold it. Breathe out slowly. Breathe in slowly, and hold it. Breathe out slowly. Relax your feet, and your lower legs. Keep breathing in deeply, hold it, and breathe out slowly. Let your thighs and hips relax, and then your stomach and your chest. Let your arms and fingers become limp. Let your neck sag, and relax your face and forehead. Keep breathing in and out deeply and slowly.

Picture it in your mind — you’re walking on the beach by the Sea of Galilee. It’s a perfect day! As you walk, you see the hot afternoon sun glinting off the waves. And you feel the beach’s warm sand squishing between your toes. You notice fishing boat after fishing boat drawn up on the sand. It’s the dry season - not a good time for fishing. And all the families who own these boats are using this down time to mend their nets. As you continue down the beach, you offer a friendly wave and a greeting to the men and women who are sitting on the boats. They’re all laughing and talking while their hands sew up the gaps in the well-worn nets. Two men ask you to sit and talk with them. They say their names are Simon and Andrew.

You sit and talk with them for a while, but your conversation is interrupted by a commotion a short way down the beach. There’s a crowd of people gathered there. They’re all talking excitedly with someone who’s hidden in the midst of the crowd. You strain to see just who’s generating all this excitement. Then, as the crowd drifts toward you, they part to let the person in the centre come through. It’s Jesus! And he’s coming right up to you! See the warm but commanding look in Jesus’ eyes as he talks to Simon and Andrew. Listen, as he asks about the nets they’re repairing. And, then, hear him say to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.”

You jump at the way Simon and Andrew simply drop their nets on the sand and follow after Jesus. It seems as if they’re all going to walk away, and leave you alone in the boat. But then, Jesus turns. He looks you right in the eye and tells you to come, too. Once again, you feel the warm sand as you jump off the beached boat, join the crowd, and follow Jesus down the beach. He hesitates, just for a minute, while he calls out to two men named James and John. And they, too, drop their nets in the sand and join the crowd following Jesus.

As you walk, Jesus draws others in the crowd aside to speak to them. But you see the sun beginning to dip below the horizon. You know this day is almost over, and you feel a bit sad. You wish Jesus would stop and talk to you, as he’s done to with all the others. Also, you feel a little frightened. For you remember how Jesus told Simon and Andrew they would be made to fish for people. You want to join in this fishing, but you don’t know how.

Jesus knows what’s on your mind. He draws away from the crowd, and gestures to you to be seated on a large rock that sits just at the edge of the sand. You sit on the rock, and look right into Jesus’ eyes. You see his look of concern as he asks what’s troubling you. You tell Jesus you want to follow him. But you don’t know how to fish like Simon and Andrew. Tell Jesus all the things that frighten you when you think about telling others about your life with him.

You hear Jesus tell you that he understands your fear. He tells you he told Simon and Andrew they would fish for people because they were fishermen and they would understand what he wanted of them. Jesus smiles gently as he tells you that you have your own way of telling others about him. Listen, as Jesus tells you of your strengths. He reminds you of the things you love to do. And he shows you how you can use those things to tell others about the wonders of living a life connected intimately to God. Jesus listens as you tell him the reasons you still feel afraid, or reluctant, to share your faith in him with others.

Then, Jesus remind you of the Psalmist’s words, “The Lord is my light and my salvation: whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evil doers assail me to devour my flesh, my adversaries and foes they stumble and fall.” You hear Jesus promise you the Psalmist’s words are still true. You hear him tell you that he will never leave you alone. And he reminds you how, in his love, you can walk in faith unafraid.

“Blessed are the poor in Spirit,” Jesus says,
“for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn,
for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are the those who hunger and thirst
for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied,
Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are those who make peace,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are treated badly for doing right,
for they shall belong to the kingdom of heaven.

In speaking a blessing, Jesus throws open the door of the Kingdom of God — a kingdom that is both now, and is to come – a kingdom in which we stand in the door way now, and where we will fully be in the future. In pronouncing the blessing, Jesus also describes God’s people — people who know that their identity and security is found only in God. God’s people are those who mourn because other members of God’s family suffer. God’s people are those who renounce the violent ways of the world causing that suffering. God’s people are those who actively strive to do God’s will, and, in their merciful actions, reflect God’s mercy, and bring God’s peace. God’s people are those whose actions, and whose very selves, may be rejected by the world. Most of all, God’s people are those who rejoice because they know they do God’s work as they seek to follow in Jesus way – a way travelled in company with Christ Jesus and with each other.

For the good news of the Gospel is that God meets us in our weakness, in our grief, in our hunger for salvation, in our attempt to do what is right, in our pain and suffering when we are persecuted. God meets us in the cross that we share with Jesus and blesses us. We become a sign of God’s presence and God’s goodness in the world. Thus, we are not simply receiving a gift; we are accepting a calling.

Blessed are those who realise
that they cannot live on bread alone,
but who need the word of God, too —
they will be fully nourished.

Blessed are those who remember
that the things which corrupt us
are not those which enter us
but those which come out of us,
and who strive after purity of heart —
they will be clean all over.

Blessed are those who, when they have sinned,
follow the example of the prodigal son,
and come back home to seek reconciliation —
they will cause heaven to ring with joy.
Blessed are those who stop
to bind up the wounds of today’s roadside wounded,
pouring in the oil of compassion
and the wine of hope —
they are the Good Samaritans of today.

Blessed are those generous doers who,
in the midst of all their work,
maintain a lonely place in their lives
for prayer, reflection, and relaxation —
they will not suffer burnout.

Blessed are those who remove the plank from their own eyes
before telling their brother / sister
to remove the splinter from his / hers —
their efforts at reforming others will bear fruit.

Blessed are those who remember that they are the branches
without which the vine cannot bear fruit —
for through their good works,
the Vine will bear the grapes of love.

Jesus stands and you know your time alone with him is at an end. Watch as he walks back into the crowd to tell others how they, too, can walk unafraid as they tell the good news. Breathe in slowly, and hold it. Breathe out slowly. Breathe in slowly, and hold it. Breathe out slowly. Breathe in slowly, and hold it. Breathe out slowly. When you are ready, you may open your eyes.

If you imagined an encounter with Jesus today, I invite you to believe the encounter was very, very, real. Know that you are blessed. For blessing comes as we engage God and the world in a new way. And what does the LORD require of us?

To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God.

PRAYER:
O God, bless each and every one of us, bless this community, and bless our country. Pour your creating Spirit into us that we might be remade in your image and live as signs of your love, your justice, and your mercy in this world. Amen.

Acknowledgements: Frank Fisher (Epiphany 3A & 4A); Richard Fairchild, Nancy Asbury, Claire Oatney

A meditation preached by the Rev. Myra Garvin at St. John’s United Church, Brockville
January 30, 2005 – Epiphany 4A