Text: Genesis 33:1, 3-5, 8-11; John 21: 1-6, 9-11, 15-17
Oh friends, on this All Hallow’s Eve we find ourselves with two ghost stories of our scriptures…
Okay, okay, they aren’t exactly ghost stories.
But they are about people who were lost, left for dead, and cast out.
They are about relationships coming back from the brink of death.
They are about betrayal and reconciliation and forgiveness.
About laying old demons and ghosts and mistakes to rest so that new life can burst forth.
And while we might not usually think about these two scriptures as stewardship material, both of them tell a story about the hurt and harm that comes when we prioritize our own economic and social well-being at the expense of others… and about the abundance of life we find when we allow God to restore us.
The first story we heard this morning began with conflict in the womb!
Two twin brothers vying to be first and for their place in the world.
And when Jacob comes out second, clinging to the heel of his brother, Esau, he becomes the vulnerable one.
Only, Jacob… with the blessing of his mother… was not satisfied with his place.
He schemed to steal his brother’s birthright, blessing, and inheritance.
Jacob took what did not belong to him and damaged relationships and lives in the process.
He has to flee for his life… which leads us to wonder if any of it was worth it.
Many of our families have experienced pain and conflict and bickering when a loved one dies.
Who gets what, how things are divided, what was said in the will or what was promised… the tension and stress of these realities are compounded by grief that comes out sideways.
I’ve experienced this in my own extended family and the heartbreaking division and separation that resulted and still has not been reconciled.
But the story of Jacob and Esau is not limited to a family squabble about inheritance.
It is also a story about how the happenstances of our birth: where and when we are born impact our ability to thrive in this world.
It is a story about the unequal distribution of wealth and resources.
And it is also a story about what happens when any party focuses on their own self-interest at the expense of others.
This past week, I participated virtually as a director at the fall meeting of Global Ministries.
As we celebrate ministry from everywhere-to-everywhere, we also celebrate the outpouring of compassion and love that is a key part of our mission.
And, I was reminded once again of the damage that inequity has not just on the vulnerable, but on the entire world.
From climate change, to global migration, to the disparity in Covid-19 vaccination distribution, our lives are interconnected.
Any belief that we can procure and protect our own individual or national economic security without a ripple of consequences that impact others and ultimately come back to us is false.
Our gospel reading is one of the resurrection stories that John records, but to fully understand its message we also must go back in time.
We return to the shoreline where a struggling fisherman heard the call to drop his nets and follow Jesus.
Peter’s life was transformed in that moment as he left behind his livelihood to embark on God’s mission at work in his life.
Most of us could not make such a drastic and risky change in our lives and we cannot help but admire him for doing so.
And yet, even Peter, had moments where he put his own well-being and security above the call of Jesus in his life.
In a moment where he could have stood up for his Messiah, Peter denied that he knew the Lord.
Not once. Not twice. But three times.
He got tangled up in his own self-interest and the guilt and the shame haunted him.
Even after experiencing the miracle of the resurrection, Peter wasn’t sure what to do with himself and instead of carrying on the ministry and getting to work, he acted like none of it had every happened.
He went back to business as usual and put his boat out to sea to catch some fish.
I see in Peter’s story a journey that many people of faith have experienced.
We have conversion moments and mountaintop moments along our faith journey that radically shift our minds and transform our hearts.
We become more loving and generous and bold in our faith.
But there are moments that we become caught by those old fears or shame or selfish desires and we slip back into business as usual.
Our energy and passion for God’s work in the world starts to wane.
Faith becomes about me, rather than we.
We see this when folks burnout.
We see this when churches become inwardly focused and maintain the status quo.
We see this even in denominational conversations when the fears about the budget and funding lead us to cuts that eliminate vital ministries.
And in all of those cases, our ministry becomes more known by arguments and complacency, rather than the life-giving power of Jesus.
Imagine if that is where those stories each ended.
A world in which self-interest and fear, division and inequity ruled the narrative.
But friends, that is not the end of these stories.
Our scriptures this morning are stories about how when we return back to our relationships we have the opportunity to repair the harm and God restores us to abundant living.
They are about the restoration of dignity.
The restoration of broken relationships with our neighbors.
The restoration of our relationship to God.
The restoration of a new economy – God’s economy.
Jacob returns home and seeks to repair any harm caused to his sibling by inundating him with gifts of lifestock and servants and wealth.
Goats and sheep and camels and cows and donkeys… all sent as a gift of reconciliation.
Jacob is making amends for what he had stolen.
And yet even as he is preparing to grovel and beg for his life from his elder brother, Esau runs out to meet him with radical love and forgiveness.
Esau is focused on love and can’t even begin to comprehend this gift.
“I have enough. I have plenty. Keep what is yours,” is his response.
When we are focused on love and reconciliation… there is always enough.
Because there is no mine and yours. No winners and losers. No divisions of class.
We simply work to care for one another.
Or as Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson put it – we practice gentleness… magnanimity… “yielding me for the sake of we.”
It is not just our relationships that are restored, but our very souls and our communal life together.
In the same way, Peter is struggling when he realizes that he cannot simply return to the old ways. They fish all night and catch nothing.
But a familiar voice calls out from the sea shore and challenges him to throw his net on the other side.
Jesus sets a feast of forgiveness and abundance, reaching out, ready to offer grace.
Three questions follow their breakfast by the water.
Three opportunities to confess and proclaim.
Three chances for Peter to reconcile his guilt and shame over his denial.
And in the instructions that follow each question, Jesus shows Peter… and shows us… how to move forward.
Feed my lamps.
Take care of my sheep.
Feed my sheep.
Be about the work of the church.
Focus on what I have called you to do.
Love one another.
Be generous with what you have.
Forgive.
Repair.
Restore.
And you will find life and abundance.
Love God.
Love your neighbor.
Love yourself.
We don’t have to sacrifice everything in order to be good stewards.
We are simply asked to remember that the well-being and life of the people around us is essential to the well-being and life of ourselves.
We are asked to remember that abundance is meant to be shared.
That burdens are as well.
And that God’s money story is one of blessing, provision, forgiveness, and love.
May that story change our lives. Amen.
