On the Call to Serve
May 4, 2025
Traceymay Kalvaitis
John 21:1-19
After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he showed himself in this way. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach, but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!”
When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he had taken it off, and jumped into the sea. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off. When they had gone ashore,
they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them, and though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “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.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said
to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” After this he said to
him, “Follow me.”
Acts 9:1-20
[A year later…] …Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found
any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” He asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. For three days he was without sight and neither ate nor drank. Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” He answered, “Here I am, Lord.” The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem, and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength. For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus, and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”
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Today’s sermon is titled On the Call to Serve. What is it within us that draws us to certain things and repels us from others? This is an unanswerable question, but one worth asking on this day, in particular, as we remember that there are those among us, across the broad spectrum of humanity, that are willing to risk their lives on a regular basis to ensure the safety of others. What is the source of the impulse within us that calls us to give of ourselves in so many ways? We may have different names for the source of that impulse, so I will leave it unnamed.
Last month, when Mike Falcaro, his wife and their three children were on their way back home from filing their taxes, they rounded a corner to see two homes on fire.* Mike, an off-duty fireman in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, drove past the blaze and pulled into a driveway a safe distance away, told his wife to call 911, and ran towards the fire. He entered the first home, got no response, entered the second home and pulled two people to safety, then the neighbors were yelling that there was a dog in the first home. Mike entered again, crawling with his face as close to the ground as possible, with no equipment or protective gear, and he could not find the dog, but the rest of his crew arrived soon thereafter; they were able to rescue the dog and put out the blaze. Mike knew it was not a good idea to enter a burning building without protection, butin such instances, there is not much time to weigh the risk. Sometimes the call to serve comes as an invitation from outside ourselves; other times, the call to serve comes from a place deep within, a place I’m not sure even has a name.
In the case of Jesus’s disciples, the call came loud and clear, from Jesus himself. In our reading today from the book of John, Jesus appears for the third time after his death, this time on the shores of the lake where he first met some of his disciples. Jesus could not be more clear in his instructions to them. “Do you love me?” he asks. Feed my lambs and tend my sheep. Feed the people, care for the people, Jesus says. Jesus is not calling his disciples to serve. They have been called, years before, and they responded. They gave their lives over to be students of this great teacher. They were devastated and bewildered after his arrest and his execution. They were confused about what was expected of them after his reappearance. Here it is made clear. Jesus feeds them, he provides for them with an incredible catch of fish, and he commands them to serve others. There is one final command. Jesus says, “Follow me.” Follow me and feed the people. Follow me and serve.
In our reading from the book of Acts we find what is perhaps the most dramatic example in all of Biblical literature of a mind and heart reoriented…Saul, also known as Paul, yes, the same Paul that later authored at least 7 of the letters included in the Second Testament (some scholars say
13), the same Paul that is credited with founding the church. It is that same Paul who is introduced to us first as a man “breathing threats and murder against the disciples.” Perhaps he has convinced himself that he is serving the interests of the status quo, seeking permission to arrest and bring back disciples of The Way in chains to Jerusalem. Paul is relieved of his vision. Paul is told that someone will come to heal him, someone by the name of Ananias. Then Ananias is told to go to this notorious enemy of their movement and restore the enemy’s vision. For three days Paul is in darkness until the disciple of Christ brings him back into the light. We read in the following chapter that Paul “preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.” I probably don’t have to tell you what happened next, as it is part of the repeating pattern we see. The authorities plotted to kill Paul. The disciples helped to protect him but eventually he escaped to Tarsus, his homeland in present day Turkey, where he continued to preach and teach and establish communities of followers of Christ. Because of his radical experience of having his sight taken and restored, Paul became a passionate witness and devoted his life in service to The Way.
In closing, Friends, I lift up the impulse within us all that leads us to come to the aid of another and to extend ourselves in service for the betterment of humankind. We don’t have to run into burning buildings. Each time we offer our time and attention, each time we really listen, receptively and compassionately, each time we smile at a stranger or lend a helping hand, we are sharing the light of love, just as Jesus, the Christ, commanded. So be it. Amen.
*https://6abc.com/post/hero-off-duty-firefighter-saves-family-pets-during-blaze-lehigh-cou
nty/16008304/
Pastoral Prayer
God of grace and mercy, we lift our prayers with full hearts this morning. There are so many who are suffering in various ways. There are unprecedented numbers of people without shelter, there are communities in mourning in the wake of gun violence, there are nations at war, and on the surface of things it can appear that we, as a society are on the verge of collapse. But beneath the surface and in the midst of much strife we are still caring for one another in ways small and large. In this moment there are thousands of emergencies in progress around the world and there are people showing up to be of service, showing up to offer aid, showing up to save lives and often risking their own. Bless them, each and every one. God, we are grateful for the impulse within us to give of ourselves. May we remember what we are truly capable of. And may we never, ever, give up our yearning for a better, safer, world. So be it. Amen.
Benediction
I leave you with the following words, an ancient blessing from the book of Numbers, Chapter 6, verses 24-26:
May the Lord bless you and keep you;
May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.