THE SHORE AND THE SEA

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 3^rd Sunday  after Easter is, “The Shore and the Sea.”

Today’s 3 readings - especially the Gospel - got me thinking about this topic and this theme

And I want to spell shore both “SHORE” and “SURE”.

And the shore - s h o r e - is a metaphor for the sure - sure.

What? What are you talking about here? Hopefully, by the end of this sermon you’ll get what I’m trying to get at.  And I hope I will too.

Picture a person at the ocean - Ocean City or Rehoboth - and they are about 20 or 30 yards from the  shore - the beach - and the ocean becomes rough and pounding and the person gets caught in an undertow and is tossed a bit - and says inwardly “Uh oh! - I better get out of this water.”

How many situations have we found ourselves in - when things got antsy or angry - nasty and nauseous -  and we didn’t see it coming?

Life has it’s “Uh oh moments” - when we want an “Aha moment” - on how to get out of there.

We want to get out of the unsure and onto the sure.  We want to get out of the shaky and onto the steady.

So the title of my homily is, “The Shore and the Sea.”

I preached on this yesterday at the 4:30 and I began saying to myself during the sermon, “”Uh oh, this is getting muddy.  A better title would be,  “The Sure and the Unsure of Life” - yet I want to bring in the water …. because of today’s gospel.

ON THE WATERFRONT

We who live in this part of Maryland are lucky to live near the water - that is, if you like the water - that is,  if you like sailing or boating or paddle boarding or fishing or crabbing.

How much does geography form the personality?  Do we become where we come from? Do people who live in the Quad cities in the Midwest -  on the Mississippi and its tributaries - do they get a creeping inner fear because of spring flooding every year?

I lived on the Jersey Shore for 7 years and Nor-easterners could cause anxiety. What about people in the Caribbean in hurricane season? What about people in India who live right on the coast in the path of possible typhoons?

The coast has benefits - but also it has its worries.

In Israel the Mediterranean doesn’t show up that often in the scriptures, but it’s there. In the Gospels, the Lake of Galilee - or the Sea of Tiberias as it’s called in today’s gospel from John - is more central. It’s 13 miles north to south and 7 miles from east to west.  It’s there and Jesus was brought up not that far from it.

And in the gospel we have stories about storms at sea - when the disciples start to panic - and Jesus becomes the sure when things are unsure - and they are far from shore.

LIFE HAS ITS SURE AND ITS UNSURE

What does your list of the sure and unsure look like?

Death and taxes always makes the list for sure things.

So too marriages and babies.

So too wars and family feuds.

So too food.

So too  sickness and health.

So too addictions and sin and recoveries and resolutions.

So too unsure things like the weather - more or less depending upon where you live.  I hear that a weather reporter’s job in Arizona ain’t that desirable.

The whole insurance industry is based on the unsure - as they promise a surety - if there is a crash or a crisis.

The possibility of surprise - is the secret of humor and horse races - and the lottery.

People repeat themselves - but sometimes they don’t.

Some people ask the same question every time we see them: “What’s new?”

Sometimes it’s not the sermon we expected.

Which is more you: wanting the same or wanting the different?

I remember preaching a week long parish mission in  Ohio with my buddy Tom. We were near where Bob Evans started and that’s where the pastor ate every night. Well for 6 straight nights I got Cobb Salad - which Tom started to needle me about. I discovered Cobb Salad - and with extra blue cheese dressing it was a sure thing.

Is there a psychological test to find out if we like same or if we like different - the sure or the surprise?

TODAY’S FIRST READING

Today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles  tells about some people in the Mediterranean basin - some 2000 years ago - who told about someone - named Jesus - who was killed - especially for some of the things he said - and rose from the dead.

Now that coming back from death was a surprise.

And for the past 2000 years people called Christians base their life after death on his life and death and resurrection.

That’s some insurance policy.

They were told to shut up about this - but they didn’t - and somehow either we  or our ancestors joined this belief - and here we are right now.

TODAY’S SECOND READING

Today’s second reading from the Book of Revelation talks about the hereafter. It tells about a throne on which the Lamb that was slain sits - the Christ - and countless people - angels and humans - are praising him - giving him the glory - and all pray out and cry out, “Amen.”

In New Orleans you’ll hear the song this way: “I want to be in their number when the saints come marching in.”

That’s a song and a hope for that surety.

TODAY’S GOSPEL

In today’s gospel we have this Jesus - the Risen One - on a beach - at a fire - with bread and fish - and he wants to have breakfast with his followers.

That’s an interesting image.

They are out in the water - fishing - but they caught nothing.

Bummer.

But the man on the shore tells and yells to them where to cast their nets.

Don’t we all want to know where to cast our nets?

Don’t we all want to make a catch - when it comes to life?

And they catch a great catch - 153 large fish - and they had a great meal - a great feast - a great breakfast - a great communion.

And starting with Peter - our first papa - Jesus asks us if we love him more than anyone else  - and Peter - the one who denied him 3 times - says 3 times - you know I love you.

And three times Jesus tells Peter - and he tells us: Feed my sheep - take care of each other - love me, love me, love me.

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily is, “The Shore and The Sea.”

Coming to Mass is coming ashore time - eating with Jesus - communion with Jesus - being asked, Have you caught anything?

And then we’re  told the sure things are love and the feeding and caring for each other - and then going into the unsure of the next - singing. Amen.

Not bad.