Sermon of September 27, 1998

Rev. Djalma Araujo

"THE ULTIMATE QUESTION"

John 21: 15-19 Recently I read a story which I thought you might enjoy hearing: God decided to end the world by the year 2000, and for that he decided to call the three most influential leaders in the world: President Jim Carter, President Fidel Castro, and Bill Gates. And so God announced to them His intention and asked them to announce to their respective people. President Carter called for a Press Conference with CNN and said: "I have Good News and I have bad news". The Good News is that we have been right - There is a God. The Bad News is that He is ending the world". Fidel Castro called on his press and said: I have bad news and worse news". The bad News is that we have been wrong all along. There is a God." "The worse News is that He is ending the world." Bill Gates got on his computer and sent out a world-wide e-mail on the Internet. He said: "I have Good News and Better News. The Good News is that God thinks that I am one of the three most influential people in the world. The better news is that we don't have to upgrade Windows 98." I, too, have Good news and Better News to tell all of you: The Good News is that God loves you, and the Better News is that you have nothing to do in order to obtain God's forgiving and accepting Love. All you have to do is to be open to His grace and Redemption. The Gospel lesson this morning speaks about the last appearance of the Risen Lord before His disciples in Tiberias. The drama takes place at the shore of the sea of Tiberias. John 21 tells us about Peter and his companions going to fish all night long; hard labor, no results as the new day begins. Here they see this stranger by the edge of the water and He asks them: "Children haven't you caught anything"? The answer was categorical. "Not a thing"! Then comes the mandate: "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some". So they cast it.. What a surprise! They were not able to haul in the great quantity of fish. The stranger is recognized by the beloved disciple, JohnThere by the beach, breakfast has been prepared by Jesus who invites His disciples to come to break bread with Him. The text says that when they finished eating breakfast Jesus said to Peter: "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" "Yes, Lord. You know that I love you." He said: "Feed my Lambs". A second time He said to him, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" He said to him: "Yes, Lord, you know that I love You." He said to him: "Tend My sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me? Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, ‘Do You Love Me?’ " "Lord you know that I love You." Jesus said to him: "Feed my sheep." This is indeed the third confession Peter makes before the Lord. The First one, The Confession of His Faith: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." The second confession of Peter was The Confession of Human Condition, Luke 5:8, "…I am a sinful man, O Lord." In our text we have the third confession of Peter, The Confession of his Love. Why would Jesus want to hear that confession three times? I think that Jesus wanted Peter to really have a conviction of what he was saying. To understand that love is not a four letter word only, love goes beyond words. Love needs to be translated into action. Here is Peter's second chance in life after having denied Jesus three times. Peter is asked three times to affirm his conviction to love Christ. Commitment Do you realize that loving is not easy? Because to love means to commit ourselves. I often wonder why some people are afraid to love! Loving means to engage yourself with others. Do you realize that to love means that you become open to accept the other person as he or she is? Have you ever truly loved someone? Have you ever come to your father, or mother, spouse or son or daughter hugging them and saying into their ears: "I really love you" ? To love means that you really care. As human beings we have the tendency to take life for granted, and to take others for granted, particularly those close to us. In his book, Don’t Tell Dad, Peter Fonda talks about his relationship to his father, Henry Fonda. He says that he was never sure how his father felt about him. That in many occasions he would have wanted for his father to hug him, and he wanted to tell his father how much he loved him, and that did not take place until Henry's becoming critically ill, both of them embrace each other and he finally tell his father: "I Love you." And, Peter heard the words, "I love you, son." We never think that one day we will loose those we love so much. I never thought of that until last December when my father had a massive heart attack. When I saw him lying in bed with tubes connected and no assurance that he would live it was then when I got in touch with my own mortality. I then realized how close my father was to dying. I suddenly felt that I would not be able to see him again as before. When I left home on that Sunday afternoon to come back to San Diego, I embraced my Mother and kissed her to say good-bye. I felt clearly that this was to be my last good-bye to my Dad. But I also felt that something was unfinished. I wanted to ask him: "Dad do you love me?, What do you think of me?" Of course now it is too late. In one of my last phone conversations with him I did say: "Dad I miss you. I love you very much." Not long after that, my Dad left to be with his Creator. I was left with a tremendous emptiness in my heart that will never be occupied again. "Do You Love Me?" asked Jesus. You have the capacity to love, but Do You Love Jesus? If so, tell Him so! Paul Tillich came to visit the United States after his retirement from the University of Chicago. He came to Chicago for a special lecture, and the press came to Dr. Tillich asking him the question : What is your understanding of God? Tillich answered: "Jesus Loves me, This I know, for the Bible tells me so." Do you love your fellowmen? If so, tell them so. One thing I know and that I am certain - that God loves you. He loves you and me as we are, in spite of ourselves, with all our human limitations; as imperfect as we are. Even in spite of our sins He is ready to forgive us and make us a new creation for His glory. The heart of the Gospel message is that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to die for us all so that we might live and live abundantly. The story comes to us about J.C.Penney. In 1929 J.C.Penney became critically ill and was hospitalized at the Kellogg Sanitarium in Battle Creek, Michigan. One night he reached the depths of despair and felt like dying. He sat at his bed and began writing letters to his children and to his wife. J. C. Penney, however, survived the night and he was surprised to be alive. The next morning provided him an experience that changed his entire life. He went downstairs and heard a group of people singing: "God will take Care of You". Hear what he says: "Going to the Chapel I listened with curious heart the singing of hymns, the reading of Scripture and the prayers of the saints. Suddenly something radical happen in my life. I felt as if I had been transported from hell to Paradise. I felt the power of God as I never had felt it before. I realized then that God with His love was there to help me." J.C.Penney experienced the comfort of Gilbert Beenken's words that "other men see only a hopeless end, but the Christian rejoices in an endless hope." Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant, or rude. Love bears all things, hopes all things, and endures all thing’s. "The Ultimate Question is from Jesus to you and to me: "Do You Love Me?"