Bishops Letter
This month Bishop Steven writes
One of my favourite Easter bible passages is the account of the disciples
going fishing. You can find it in the last chapter of John's gospel.
The disciples are restless. Peter and his six friends are hanging around on
the beach with nothing to do. They decide to spend the night fishing. But
there is only frustration. They catch nothing.
Then far away in the mist, they see the stranger on the shore.
The stranger tells them what they already know: they have no fish. He
tells them exactly where to cast their nets one more time. Instantly they
are filled with a huge catch.
One of the disciples recognises Jesus and tells the others. Peter still isn't
thinking clearly. He puts on his clothes to jump into the sea leaving the
other six to bring the great catch to shore. Jesus meets them there. He
already has a fire lit and some fish and some bread to eat. He invites his
friends to breakfast. It's a great picture. What you need most after a
hard night's fishing is a hot meal.
After breakfast there will be some serious conversation. But first the
gospel story pauses and we wonder at the size of the catch (someone even
took the time to count the fish). We wonder too at the way Jesus meets his
friends in the unexpected places.
This story about fishing says something vital about the experience of every
man and woman. God made us to be fruitful. God made us with a purpose. We
are made by God to share in the work of creation. Work is important to our
well being.
When we don't know what we are supposed to be doing with our lives or in
our work there is a sense of inner restlessness. When our work fails to
bear fruit we become tired and frustrated and lose heart. For many people,
that script shapes their whole life's course.
You don't need to look far today to find that sense of restlessness in
young people who cannot find work. Some do not even know that this is what
they need to find fulfilment and look in other directions. We feel and
share the frustration of those who are unemployed or whose work is not
satisfying. We should feel anger and pain on their behalf and work to
shape society in a better way.
Work is about more than the money we earn or security for our families -
important though that is. Each and every person longs in the depth of their
being for fulfilling work which bears fruit as a core part of their lives.
This is the way God made us. It's part of being human.
Some find that deep satisfaction in their employment. Others find it as
they work at building a home or a family. Still others find it through
volunteering in the wider community or in the church. But without it we
feel incomplete: much less than we could be.
In this gospel story, Jesus is recognising the importance of fruitful work.
After all, he could have simply called out to the disciples on the shore to
come and have breakfast straight away. They would have been glad to be
there. But instead he takes time to help and support them in their work and
make the night's labour fruitful and satisfying before he calls them
together for a meal.
The news is full of talk about the recession and the credit crunch. But
every discussion focuses simply on how much money we will have: on interest
rates or inflation or earnings. People's working lives are not just about
what they earn. We need a debate about work as well as about incomes. We
are created by a loving God to share in this wonderful work of creation.
The kind of work we do and the way we do it is just as important as what we
earn.
As Christians we need to remember that the risen Jesus does not only meet us
when we gather together with others Sunday by Sunday in our modern
equivalent of the upper room. The risen Jesus is with us also in our
workplace whether that is a fishing boat, an office, a hospital ward, a
factory or a classroom.
The risen Jesus is present too in our search for work or when we are
searching for the next step on the journey.
And, as always, the risen Jesus is with us to bring change and new life and
fruitfulness and joy. How and where do you meet the risen Jesus in the
places where you work and volunteer?
God made us to bear fruit. The risen Jesus brings this fruitfulness. This
kind of news is too good to keep to ourselves.
Bishop Steven
