Do You Love Me?

April 26, 2015                                                                                   

John 21:15-17

Story: A pastor was teaching a Sunday school class about the 23rd Psalm. He told the children about sheep, that they weren’t very smart and needed lots of guidance, and that a shepherd’s job was to stay close to the sheep, protect them from wild animals and keep them from wandering off and doing dumb things that would get them hurt or killed. 

He pointed to the little children in the room and said that they were the sheep and needed lots of guidance. Then the pastor put his hands out to the side, palms up in a dramatic gesture, and with raised eyebrows said to the children, “If you are the sheep then who is the shepherd?” 

There was an awkward silence. 

Jennie, a young second-grader, said, “Jesus: Jesus is the shepherd.” 

The pastor, obviously caught by surprise, said, “Well, then, who am I?” 

Jennie thought for a moment, then said with a shrug,

“I guess you must be the sheep dog.”
—Patrick T. Gray, theadvent.org/sermons/pg050706.htm. Retrieved October 17, 2006.

Prayer

We start the transition process in earnest as of this past Monday night when I presented the council with an outline & time line of the transition process. You can get yours today in the gathering center… needless to say… after the presentation they felt very over-whelmed. You see… my role here is to poke you… prod and challenge you to think differently about ministry. I will not change anything at Good Shepherd. Any change will come from you… and in fact… you already know what you need to do… you really do! Furthermore… none of what I will share is all that new… you’ve heard most of this before. So… in the end… I asked the your leadership this question to think about, and I offer it to you as well…

What will Good Shepherd need to do to be effective for God?

And today’s message is a clue…Do You Love Jesus?

Today is often referred to as “Good Shepherd Sunday” which refers to Jesus as the Good Shepherd. This often means we hold Jesus up as a shepherd who watches, cares, and protects over us… his sheep. Isn’t that just wonderful?... we’re sheep!

If you know anything about sheep… you know then that sheep are often pretty dumb… they’re stinky… smelly…and prone to wandering off. While the metaphor may be appropriate… it’s rather insulting… But it’s probably important for us to remember and before we think to much of ourselves none of us are nothing more than lost sheep and in need of a shepherd… ie… Jesus.

And… Jesus uses this sheep imagery in our reading today to challenge Peter not only in his faith… but also his commitment.

Jesus says, Do You Love Me?

Let’s keep in mind that Peter and all of Jesus’ friends have wandered off… Yes… this same Peter who said he would follow, defend, protect, love, and never turn away from Jesus has been called out. And now… Peter is feeling the weight of his failure. Keep in mind that Jesus hasn’t dismissed or been critical of Peter. Jesus has forgiven and still loves Peter and all his friends.

Jesus hopes Peter has learned something not only about himself, but has learned something about Jesus as well. That Jesus is about love & forgiveness & grace.

Some believe this story is the charge for pastors to be shepherds over their flocks… feed my sheep… give great sermons… bible studies…visit people… care for the sick & lonely and be the shepherd.

I suggest this story is all about Peter and not about pastor’s or congregations. This is about Peter and in turn us as a lost sheep… and after-all we have a little bit of Peter in all of us. So… Jesus wants to know… Do You Love Me? This is an intentional question from Jesus. Jesus is looking for a decision from Peter. Jesus is also looking for a decision from us as well.

Lutherans get nervous here… “Make a Decision.” Here’s the distinction… this is not a question of faith… Faith is the Free Gift of God. In baptism, God took care of that… however, we have the propensity to always abandon Jesus… all his friends did and in the end had to make the decision to follow Jesus again. This is why Luther believed in daily communion with God.

Our gospel story Peter is a broken man and in need of forgiveness and grace. Jesus is asking Peter and us to make a decision… Peter… “Do You Love Me?” When Jesus called Peter at the start Peter was a fisherman. Jesus calls him to be a disciple-maker… A fisher of People. After Jesus dies, Peter reverts back to fishing for fish. Jesus comes and challenges Peter to make a decision… Do You Love Me?

Calvin Miller in his book, “Into the Depths of God” shares a story of when he was first married… When Barb and I were first married, we moved to Kansas City, where I continued my seminary studies. She had never really seen me as a student, at least not in “her” house. Late one night I was reading Augustine when she came to me, slipped her arm around my back and said, “Do You Love Me?” “Yeah,” I said. “Sure I love you.” never missing a paragraph of Augustine.

Now… it’s hard for a woman to go from that wonderful euphoria of a honeymoon to nearly being ignored. So she leaned a little closer and said a second time, like Jesus said to Peter, “Do You Really Love Me?” And I said, “Sure I love you.”

Again I went on reading. And then she asked me a third time. “Sure I love you,” I repeated, getting a little exasperated. “Your mother loves you, the world loves you, and I love you… and I’m busy.”

It’s the only time in 40 years of marriage that I heard her swear.

When people ask you questions of love, and most certainly when Jesus asks you, the world must stop and you must answer them earnestly…. Jesus is asking… Do You Love Me?

Will You Make a Commitment?

Jesus asks Peter a 2^nd time… “Do You Love Me?” The language used here is emphatic… and Jesus’ tone has risen… Peter…. DO YOU LOVE ME? In the first Do You Love Me Jesus is looking for a decision… now Jesus is looking for a commitment. Peter responds in a wimpy tone… Yes, Lord, I love you. Often our response is the same… were more comfortable splashing on the surface. The deeper water is dangerous and unpredictable.

I remember talking with someone about participating in an event… they emphatically said, “No… I’m not going to do that.” I asked why? They responded, “You stretched me to far last time. I was way out of my comfort zone… and I didn’t like that… No!!”

Miller quotes Ian Thomas, “The tragedy of the People of Israel was 40 years in the wilderness. Every day they spent in the desert could have been spent in Canaan. For God had given them the land, but they would not believe that God who had brought them out was the God who could bring them in.”

Will You Live by the Will of Jesus?

Jesus asks Peter a 3^rd time… and even more emphatically… PETER>>> DO YOU LOVE ME?

The previous “Do You Love Me’s” were about Decision & Commitment. Now Jesus wants Peter’s and our total submission and we rarely grant this to anyone. Again Miller says, “It is hard to abandon what we want in favor of what God wants.” God wants all of us… not just the times we think it’s good for us. When we submit our will to the will of God, only then, will we experience the kind of life God has in store for us. Perhaps even the kind of faith community we dream about,

Do You Love Jesus?

Closing:

Do we want to be effective for God?

God already Loves Us… Forgives Us… Loves Us

Jesus asks us, Do You Love Me?

o    Can I decide and say earnestly… Yes Lord, I love You.

Jesus asks, Do You Love Me?

o    Yes, Lord, I commit my life to you.

Jesus asks… DO YOU LOVE ME?

o    YES… LORD, I WILL LIVE MY LIFE FOLLOWING YOU!!

See You Out on the Road!