Jesus comes to where we are

Binhi sang Pagtuo

April 19, 2010

Dear Centralians and Friends,

Greetings from the campus!

Another interesting story after the resurrection of Jesus was on the third time that he appeared after he was raised from the dead. This is the story of Jesus coming to the Sea of Tiberias in the early morning. The account is in John 21.

We can learn three lessons from this story:

First, Jesus comes to where you are. In this instance, Jesus came to the disciples in their workplace – the sea.

This lesson is very comforting for all of us because it teaches us that Jesus is not someone who is only accessible every Sunday, or in the church, but He comes to us wherever we may be. And He is always there when we needed Him most.

Let us expect Jesus in every aspect of our lives. Sometimes, His presence can be felt in mysterious ways. The other day in Capitol Hills, Quezon City, the pastors of Luzon CBMA chapter planned to hold the fellowship of Luzon, Romblon and Mindoro pastors in Tagaytay this coming September. They invited me to attend their gathering. When I arrived in Iloilo, I received a gift from my first cousin. It was a t-shirt with a print in front that says, “Tagaytay.” Was it coincidence? Maybe. But deep in my heart I believe it was God’s presence confirming His approval of our gathering.

Second, let us be open to new ideas and opportunities. They have learned before that when you follow the commands of Jesus, something good is bound to happen.

The experience that they had when Jesus called them to be fishers of men was similar to this one. The would-be disciples were fishing in the sea on that night but they caught nothing. They argued with the command of Jesus to cast their nets again. But when they did, they caught a lot of fish that they even requested other boats to join them. Now, on this account, although they do not recognize Jesus yet, they followed him when they told them to cast their nets on the right side and they will find some fish.

Sometimes we push our own ideas and neglect the ideas of others. What the disciples did is teaching us not be close-minded nor hard-headed but to allow the workings of the Holy Spirit to work in us, or through the lives of others. God might be speaking to us through other people. When we open our lives to others, something good is in store.

Third, let us relax and enjoy life in the fellowship with others. The account in John 21 tells us that Jesus was beside the sea, with a fire of burning coals with fish on it and some bread. Wow! What a picturesque way of telling us to take a rest, eat with others, throw away our inhibitions, laugh, unload our burdens and just enjoy what God has given us.

We are sometimes so busy that we missed having a quality life. Let us take a break. Jesus is calling us to have some “sinugba nga may sinamakan ukon patis nga may kalamunding, kag nagakinamot sa kilid sang baybay.”

May God bless us all!

Sincerely,

Pastor Francis Neil G. Jalando-on
Assistant Chaplain