Feed My Sheep
John 21:15-19
Foods Resource Bank Growing Project Kick-off
April 22, 2007
Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf
Another glorious Easter has come and gone. Another powerful Holy Week is over. Another
year of Taizé has ended. Even the amazing experience of Godspell has passed into history. For
some among us Lent, Holy Week and Easter were powerful experiences, calling forth gifts and
talents we didn't know we had. For some of us they were exhausting. For some of us bringing the
disciples to life was a powerful yet unsettling experience, opening our awareness to the humanity
of the names we hear as we listen to the gospel story. For some it has been a time of personal
loss. For some it has been a time of birth and new life. But now, all of us must pick up the pieces
of our lives and figure out if and how we might be different because of what we have experienced.
John 21:15-19
Foods Resource Bank Growing Project Kick-off
April 22, 2007
Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf
Another glorious Easter has come and gone. Another powerful Holy Week is over. Another
year of Taizé has ended. Even the amazing experience of Godspell has passed into history. For
some among us Lent, Holy Week and Easter were powerful experiences, calling forth gifts and
talents we didn't know we had. For some of us they were exhausting. For some of us bringing the
disciples to life was a powerful yet unsettling experience, opening our awareness to the humanity
of the names we hear as we listen to the gospel story. For some it has been a time of personal
loss. For some it has been a time of birth and new life. But now, all of us must pick up the pieces
of our lives and figure out if and how we might be different because of what we have experienced.
That's pretty much where we find the disciples in our story from the gospel of John. It is more
than a week following the experiences of that first Easter day and in the few verses preceding our
scripture, Peter has announced to the others that he is going fishing and several of them -
probably those who had been fishermen before Jesus called them from their nets- went with him.
Perhaps they needed time to think, to make sense of what it all meant, to figure out what they
were supposed to do now. Perhaps they were still afraid that the forces that had crucified Jesus
would come after them. Perhaps they just needed some food to feed themselves and the others in
their group. We don't really know why they went fishing that night, we just know that they went.
But even though they fished all night, they had nothing to show for their efforts. Then a stranger
called out to them from the shore, inviting them to cast their nets from on the other side of the
boat -resulting in a huge catch. The stranger, of course, was the Risen Christ, who proceeded to
cook some the fish they caught for them to eat. Then, after they had been fed once again by the
gracious love of God, the Risen Christ turned to Peter and asked, "Simon, son of John, do you love
me more than these?" ... "Yes, Master, you know I love you." ... "Feed my lambs."... "Simon, son
of John, do you love me?" ... "Yes, Master, you know I love you." ... "Shepherd my sheep."
......"Simon, son of John, do you love me?"... "Master, you know everything there is to know.
You've got to know that I love you." ... "Feed my sheep...."
Because Jesus experienced God's love as the power and energy that gave him life, he sought
to demonstrate that love by showing us in thought, word and deed how God's love looks, sounds,
smells, tastes, and feels. As a matter of fact, I think it's safe to say that if Jesus had just gone
somewhere every day to sit and meditate and pray and simply feel love for the whole human
race, no matter how deeply he felt that love, no matter how intense his emotions were, we would
not be gathered in his name! It is because Jesus acted with love, in love, through love, because
of love that we are here today! And as Jesus acted in love, he discovered what he wanted his
followers to discover: it is living in love that feeds the spirit every bit as much as fish and bread
feed the body. It is trusting love and following where it leads that transforms the world one heart,
one life, one village at a time. And it is acting with Love that leads to life, true LIFE, abundant,
joyful LIFE for all of God's creation.
The Risen Christ fed those fishermen turned disciples with the fish they caught as they dared
to cast their nets on the other side of the boat. It was a partnership. As they used the talents and
skills that they had in response to the call of Christ the result was beyond anything they could
have hoped for or imagined. But the catch and the feeding were not for them alone. There were
O:\Sermons\Sermons 2007\04-22-07 john 21-15-19 FRB kickoff.docLast printed 6/11/2007 1:05:00 PM - 2 -
more lambs to be cared for more sheep to be fed. Christ wanted them and all who would seek to
walk in they way of God to understand that just as we are fed, we are called to feed; just as we
are nurtured and nourished, we are called to nurture and nourish; just as we are cared for and
loved, we are called to care for and love God's lambs, God's sheep, God's creation -every part and
parcel of it.
One of my favorite poets, Ann Weems puts it this way:
He said "Feed my sheep"
There were no conditions
Least of all feed my sheep if they deserve it
Feed my sheep if you feel like it.
Feed my sheep if there are any left-overs.
Feed my sheep if the mood strikes you
If the economy's OK
If you're not too busy
No conditions .... Just "Feed my sheep."
Could it be that God's kingdom will come
When each lamb is feed?
We who have agreed to keep covenant
Are called to feed sheep
Even when that means that grazing will be done
On our own front lawn.
We live in a hurting, hungry, needy world. From Blacksburg to Baghdad, from Plainfield to
Uganda, from Joliet to Orlando there are sheep that need feeding, lambs that need caring for,
people who need to be loved. We can't, of course, feed, care for, tend and love them all. But we
can use the gifts and the talents, the skills and the love we have in partnership with Christ trusting
that God will use what we do and the results will be beyond anything we could have hoped for or
imagined.
Such has been the case with Vernon and Carol Sloan -farmers from Ohio- who felt moved to
do something about hunger in Africa. From their efforts and their willingness to cast their nets on
the other side of the boat and try something different, the program known as Foods Resource
Bank was born. Such has been the case with this congregation as Pat and Darrell invited us to
participate in FRB. In the four years we have been participating in an FRB growing project -in
partnership with congregations in River Forest and Forrest and God- we have been responsible for
sending $325,570.38 to programs that provide food security for many of God's children.
FRB, of course is not the only way we are called to tend God's flock. But what we have
experienced in FRB gives me hope that when we offer who we are and what we have to Christ,
the results will always be beyond anything we could ever hope for or imagine. So, today we are
ready to kick-off our 2007 Growing Project.
Do you love me?
Yes, Lord, you know that we do!
Feed my sheep!
than a week following the experiences of that first Easter day and in the few verses preceding our
scripture, Peter has announced to the others that he is going fishing and several of them -
probably those who had been fishermen before Jesus called them from their nets- went with him.
Perhaps they needed time to think, to make sense of what it all meant, to figure out what they
were supposed to do now. Perhaps they were still afraid that the forces that had crucified Jesus
would come after them. Perhaps they just needed some food to feed themselves and the others in
their group. We don't really know why they went fishing that night, we just know that they went.
But even though they fished all night, they had nothing to show for their efforts. Then a stranger
called out to them from the shore, inviting them to cast their nets from on the other side of the
boat -resulting in a huge catch. The stranger, of course, was the Risen Christ, who proceeded to
cook some the fish they caught for them to eat. Then, after they had been fed once again by the
gracious love of God, the Risen Christ turned to Peter and asked, "Simon, son of John, do you love
me more than these?" ... "Yes, Master, you know I love you." ... "Feed my lambs."... "Simon, son
of John, do you love me?" ... "Yes, Master, you know I love you." ... "Shepherd my sheep."
......"Simon, son of John, do you love me?"... "Master, you know everything there is to know.
You've got to know that I love you." ... "Feed my sheep...."
Because Jesus experienced God's love as the power and energy that gave him life, he sought
to demonstrate that love by showing us in thought, word and deed how God's love looks, sounds,
smells, tastes, and feels. As a matter of fact, I think it's safe to say that if Jesus had just gone
somewhere every day to sit and meditate and pray and simply feel love for the whole human
race, no matter how deeply he felt that love, no matter how intense his emotions were, we would
not be gathered in his name! It is because Jesus acted with love, in love, through love, because
of love that we are here today! And as Jesus acted in love, he discovered what he wanted his
followers to discover: it is living in love that feeds the spirit every bit as much as fish and bread
feed the body. It is trusting love and following where it leads that transforms the world one heart,
one life, one village at a time. And it is acting with Love that leads to life, true LIFE, abundant,
joyful LIFE for all of God's creation.
The Risen Christ fed those fishermen turned disciples with the fish they caught as they dared
to cast their nets on the other side of the boat. It was a partnership. As they used the talents and
skills that they had in response to the call of Christ the result was beyond anything they could
have hoped for or imagined. But the catch and the feeding were not for them alone. There were
O:\Sermons\Sermons 2007\04-22-07 john 21-15-19 FRB kickoff.docLast printed 6/11/2007 1:05:00 PM - 2 -
more lambs to be cared for more sheep to be fed. Christ wanted them and all who would seek to
walk in they way of God to understand that just as we are fed, we are called to feed; just as we
are nurtured and nourished, we are called to nurture and nourish; just as we are cared for and
loved, we are called to care for and love God's lambs, God's sheep, God's creation -every part and
parcel of it.
One of my favorite poets, Ann Weems puts it this way:
He said "Feed my sheep"
There were no conditions
Least of all feed my sheep if they deserve it
Feed my sheep if you feel like it.
Feed my sheep if there are any left-overs.
Feed my sheep if the mood strikes you
If the economy's OK
If you're not too busy
No conditions .... Just "Feed my sheep."
Could it be that God's kingdom will come
When each lamb is feed?
We who have agreed to keep covenant
Are called to feed sheep
Even when that means that grazing will be done
On our own front lawn.
We live in a hurting, hungry, needy world. From Blacksburg to Baghdad, from Plainfield to
Uganda, from Joliet to Orlando there are sheep that need feeding, lambs that need caring for,
people who need to be loved. We can't, of course, feed, care for, tend and love them all. But we
can use the gifts and the talents, the skills and the love we have in partnership with Christ trusting
that God will use what we do and the results will be beyond anything we could have hoped for or
imagined.
Such has been the case with Vernon and Carol Sloan -farmers from Ohio- who felt moved to
do something about hunger in Africa. From their efforts and their willingness to cast their nets on
the other side of the boat and try something different, the program known as Foods Resource
Bank was born. Such has been the case with this congregation as Pat and Darrell invited us to
participate in FRB. In the four years we have been participating in an FRB growing project -in
partnership with congregations in River Forest and Forrest and God- we have been responsible for
sending $325,570.38 to programs that provide food security for many of God's children.
FRB, of course is not the only way we are called to tend God's flock. But what we have
experienced in FRB gives me hope that when we offer who we are and what we have to Christ,
the results will always be beyond anything we could ever hope for or imagine. So, today we are
ready to kick-off our 2007 Growing Project.
Do you love me?
Yes, Lord, you know that we do!
Feed my sheep!
