Converted to be Converted

John 21:1-19
Acts 9:1-6
Earlier this weekend, we were at a restaurant, when someone approached questioning why as a faith community we were given words and phrases to recite like “mellifulous meterist” “onymonopoetic rhymer”,“impetuous dithyramb?” or such intimate phrases as “vanity conceived within our breasts!” For over a Century, Reformed Worship was marked by the most eloquent of prose, the highest most learned proofs, carefully constructed legal arguments for faith which would humble the finest philosopher or jurist. Televangelists have used the most elaborate film clips and pyrotechnics, to amaze and stupefy. But ultimately, these are all words, and even if, the most elaborately constructed, these are only a highly developed convincing, a sales pitch, for prose only allow us to argue, to comprehend, to explain and interpret, and try to understand, not to feel. Poetry, Psalms, Songs, slow down our speech, painting pictures, developing rhythm, growing ideas, drawing illustrations, catching us up and challenging us as human beings to place ourselves into a different reality.

Conversion is not an inescapable legal proof, or philosophic argument. According to the Protestant Reformers and the Evangelists of John and Acts this morning, Conversion is not the abandonment and rejection of one set of beliefs for another, not trading gods or even exchanging No God For God. Gospel Preaching, the experiences of life, do challenge a person TO believe. But Conversion is from Belief, to deeper more profound commitments. Baptism may occur once in life, as we are given to God, never to be taken back from God, as we abandon worldly desires for faith. But we are Converted and converted over and over throughout our human existence.

The 21st Chapter of John is different from all that went before, so much so, that many believe this was added by a different witness. The 20th Chapter of John had been filled with one story after another of the Resurrection appearances of Easter, even marked in time, as: Early on the Third Day before the dawn, later that same day two were walking on the road to Emmaus, On towards evening the Disciples were again in the upper room for fear, and Six days later locked away. This 1st Chapter after the 20th, evades all reference to time, “After these things, Jesus revealed himself again, and revealed himself in this way.” Rather than the story of an Easter Appearance of the Resurrected Jesus, this is a Revelation for the Community of Faith. In John it is virtually impossible to separate Theology from Christology, to believe in Christ is to believe in God; but also, one cannot separate Theology from Christology from Ecclesiology, belief in God and Christ from The Community of Faith.

The Gospel had begun with confronting the followers of John the Baptist, who were following Jesus, Andrew, James and John, “to Come and See.” Andrew had found his brother Simon, saying “We have seen the Lord!” And Jesus found Nathaniel the Canaanite of Galilee, revealing to him all that had happened in Nathaniel's life, inviting him to come and see far greater things. To the Fishermen he had promised “Follow me on the Way, and I will make you Fishers of Men.” According to John, Jesus and the disciples had gone to a Wedding where the guests were without Wine, and Jesus provided an overwhelming supply, far greater than any had ever tasted. So here at the end, there is a catch of fish, by these same disciples, a catch greater than any had seen 153 different kinds!

Here, after Easter is over, the disciples were aimless, lost, without hope, their Rabbi, the one they had known was the Messiah to change the world, had been crucified, dead and buried, and raised so there was not even a body or grave to hold. Human beings cannot live without hope! We must have a purpose, an aim, a reason for rhyming! More than going through the motions set by the meter, we are thrilled by the clap of thunder, awed by the streak of lightning, we desperately need to love, we need to believe in something beyond ourselves. When Simon Peter said he was going fishing, it was not the thrill of the Opening of Trout Season, not awaking before dawn giddy that the fish had been whispering to him all night! His brother and friends were worried, they were not about to let him go off into the darkness in a boat alone at night. However, being aimless, only sharing company without any desire or hope of catching, they caught nothing, until confronted by the reason for their hope. They witnessed him a hundred yards off, they joined him in the breaking bread and sharing of a breakfast.

As Americans we take for granted eating at least three meals a day, every day. Later this morning, over breakfast Larry will be speaking with us about differing Spiritual disciplings. One of the ancient acts of faith, that was present in Judaism and early Christianity was Fasting, choosing to set apart the time we routinely eat, as a time of prayer. We eat so much and have so much, we rarely take pleasure in a meal, in the tastes and textures of foods, by fasting, we cleanse our palate and our mind, as well as our bellies, of all that has been, and when ready when actually hungry, we break the fast, giving thanks to God for our human desires of taste and sense, and our yearning for what cannot be sensually known.

The Gospel of John is beautifully written, eloquently told. Three different times, we hear Peter wrestling with his conversion, struggling with his faith. First when they walked along the Road, and Jesus asked “Who do you believe I AM?” And Simon Peter leapt to say “You are the Christ”. Second the night when they were at Table, and Peter having denied that Jesus should serve him, confesses “Even though all the others fall away, I will not abandon you” and Jesus responds that before the cock crows Peter would deny him three times. Here now, in this last revelation of the Gospel of John, Jesus walks along beside Peter and again three times asks him of his love. There are times in which I imagine the difference between Judas and Simon Peter, is that while both betrayed and abandoned him, Judas isolated himself from forgiveness, and Simon Peter though he had sinned still wanted to hope, so this conversation became his conversion.

Somehow, we have gotten the impression that knowing the hour and place of our conversion is important, that at 10:22pm on a foggy morning the haze parted and in a shaft of sunlight we suddenly believed. The point of the New Testament stories of Conversion are not to KNOW that this person was Converted and when and how; But Rather, so What? SO each of us can also believe!
In one of her essays Flannery O'Conner described that “This man needed to be knocked down off his horse in order to be able to hear Jesus, to be able to listen and to believe!” Ironically, there is no evidence in the Book of Acts that Saul was riding a horse, but it is true that each of us need to be knocked down from our pretense, from our sense of having built ourselves up, in order to believe. The Ethiopian Eunuch who was a Priest of a different Faith, a Roman Centurian whose child was ill, a woman who had died, even the person so full of himself, so filled with hate that he would persecute others for not believing as he did, all were converted to believe and to live in faith.

Hans Kung described that we are called to live in METANOIA, that process of “breaking down” everything we have built ourselves up with, in order to approach life innocent as a child, to be healed of our desire for control.

I would confess to you, that I grew up in the church, never having known a time apart from the community of faith. As an infant, my mother died in my birth, and the vow which the congregation takes at baptism, of whether you will nurture this child, for me was very real. Several years ago, I met a man who was very hard to be with, he would throw papers and storm out of meetings, swearing profanity. When asked why, He said, “This is the Church, Here I can act out knowing you have to forgive!” To which we responded, “No, we chose to forgive, but we are each called to try again and again to act in faith and commitment.”

I recall when Logan's parents were married in this Sanctuary. They described having two very well behaved dogs who with a handler, they wanted to have as the Ring Barer and Flower Girl. On the appointed day, the Groom and Bride stood before the congregation, as two Golden Retriever 6 month olds jumped over members in the pews. When they got to the Chancel, I took hold of the collar of one with the rings, and they bolted, but we had the rings! And we asked the couple, of their INTENTIONS, then of their VOWS of COMMITMENT to one another, then for the GIFTS of love they presented to one another. This day, they renew that CONVERSION yet again as they present their child, giving to him their love and their faith.