It is again immediately after the resurrection of Jesus and the disciples are struggling to understand what is going on. They are filled with doubts and fear because they are not sure if Jesus is alive, but they are also experiencing some joy and amazement because some among them said that they have seen him. Mostly what the disciples are right now is confused and it is into the confusion that Jesus appears and again shows them his hands and feet. Now the reason Jesus does this is to help shape their vision. Like Thomas, they need to see a resurrected Jesus, but like Thomas they also need to be sure that the one they are seeing is Jesus, so Jesus gives them proof. The mark of the nails in Jesus hands and feet would convince the disciples that the person they are talking to really is Jesus and then when he asks them for something to eat it shapes their vision again because it helps them understand that they aren’t seeing a ghost but the living, breathing resurrected Jesus. Just as he did with Thomas, Jesus gave his disciples a personal and powerful vision to assure them that he was alive but something else we learn here is how and when God goes about shaping that vision.
The first thing we notice here is that Jesus comes to his disciples in some very ordinary moments of life. It says that they were just gathered together talking about what had been going on when Jesus appeared. Maybe it is during lunch because we see that there is some broiled fish at hand, whenever it is, Jesus just appears to them in the course of their day. They aren’t doing anything special or particularly religious at this moment, they are just living their lives. In the gospel of John there is a story about how Jesus prepared breakfast for the disciples while they were out fishing and then invited them to come and eat with him. Again eating with the disciples helped shape their vision because it reminded them that Jesus was indeed alive, but by coming to them at breakfast shows us that God chooses to shape vision during the daily routines of life.
Throughout the Bible, God has shaped the vision of His people through ordinary daily events. Moses was at work tending sheep when God appeared to him in the burning bush and gave him a new vision for his life. The people of Israel had their faith in God shaped every day through the simple routine of gathering food. As God’s people travelled through the wilderness they learned how to trust God by going out every morning and gathering up the bread, or the manna, that God provided. By giving them only what they needed for each day, God was shaping his people and teaching them to lean on him and trust him every day for what they needed. If they tried to provide for themselves and gather more manna than what they needed, God made the manna rot through the night. Through all of this, God was shaping their vision and helping them see that God could be trusted each and every day, and God did all of this through the simply routine of gathering food.
Too many times we think we have to be in some holy place doing some religious thing for God to speak to us, reveal himself to us or shape our lives but actually the opposite is true. God usually works to shape vision through very ordinary moments and daily routines. For example, God shapes our vision while we work. Whether it is a paid job or the time we give volunteering to help others, God shapes our lives through the work we do each and every day. When we feel satisfied and fulfilled in what we are doing, it can confirm that we are right where God wants us, but if we are feeling unsatisfied and longing for something different or something more it can be a prompting from God for us to explore something new.
The reason I am a pastor today is because the job I had as a manager of a movie theater just didn’t fulfill me and then after a few years of searching and studying I spent a year as an intern in a local church and it was while I was working in the church each and every week that I realized, this is where God wants me. He shaped my vision through daily routines and jobs that I had.
Now just a word of advice here, if you are feeling like God is shaping your vision for a different vocation or a different job, and you are wanting to move in that new direction, don’t quit where you are now! Seriously, don’t stop doing what you are doing, instead allow God to guide you from one place to the next. Not only are there realities of life that need to be cared for by your current paycheck, but since God uses our current jobs to shape our vision for the future, we need to trust that when a new opportunity is needed God will bring it to us. We can explore all we want, but if we quit where we are without knowing where we are going – we cut ourselves off from one of the ways God chooses to shape us and that is through our work. So we need to keep going in our work because that’s when and where God shapes the vision he has for us.
Another ordinary daily event that gives shape to God’s vision is when we eat together. Jesus had breakfast with the disciples; he actually cooked it for them and then invited them to eat with him. Here in Luke Jesus asks for food to eat and eating the broiled fish actually helped strengthen the faith of the disciples – it helped them believe that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead, but maybe Jesus was also setting an example saying it is important to eat togehter. These moments of eating together shaped vision and eating together can still shape vision. Spending time with family around a table where we share food and faith actually does shape our lives. Studies show that children and youth learn more from eating meals together with their families than maybe any other time during the day. If we want God’s hand to shape the vision for our lives and for our family then we can’t ignore the important routine of meals together – breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Now it’s not just the ordinary times of life that God uses to shape vision; it is also simple routines of life in the church. Jesus most often appeared to his followers, gave vision to their lives and deepened and directed their faith when they were gathered together. It’s while they were together talking about what had happened that Jesus appeared and stood among them (Luke 24:36). Jesus shaped their vision by opening their minds so they could understand the scriptures and he did this, he taught them, when they were together (Luke 24:44-45). In other words it was during Bible Study that God shaped the lives of the disciples and gave them a clearer vision and a better understanding of all that had taken place and all that was to come. Today the world has a good understanding of what Jesus’ life, death and resurrection are all about because the disciples were willing to have God shape their lives through small group learning.
This is why Sunday School classes, small groups and bible studies are so important, it is one of the ways God shapes His vision in us. Thomas was able to share his faith with the world because he was there when Jesus taught them and opened up for them the scriptures. He was there when Jesus explained what had happened and what they needed to do in the future. Thomas was there when Jesus gave them the mission of making disciples of all nations. God’s vision for our lives will take some molding and shaping and while that can and does take place in a lot of different ways we can’t ignore the power of small group learning.
Teaching in small groups was one of the very first things Jesus did after the resurrection and we see throughout the book of Acts that the early church continued to commit themselves to this way of life. The disciples prayed together, worshipped together, learned together, met together, celebrated baptism and communion together, they lived as a church together and their daily routine as a community of faith was used by God to shape the vision He had for them.
If we want God to shape the vision he has for us, we need to commit ourselves to meeting together for worship, prayer, learning and service. My hope for the youth who have been confirmed and baptized today is that they will take this to heart. You know, Confirmation isn’t graduation; you aren’t leaving the church today, look around at your family and friends who gather here each week. One of the reasons we do this is because we want God to keep shaping the vision he has for us and we believe God does that most powerfully every time we come together. The vision God has for our lives will be shaped as we continue to take part in the ordinary moments of life in the church. Worship, study, fellowship, service, prayer, mission trips, coffee and cookies, church dinners - they are all ways God shapes the vision he has for us and making the commitment today in words to keep going in this way of life and faith isn’t enough for any of us, we need to make this our way of life.
And then Luke 24 shows us that God goes about shaping vision in our lives through mission and ministry. Look at Luke 24:48-49. God sends his disciples out to work, to be witnesses to what they have seen and learned from Jesus and to share God’s power with others. When we serve God in any capacity in the church or in the world, it is an opportunity for God to shape the vision he has for us. There are many people right here, who have had their lives changed by going on a mission trip. Working day after day meeting the needs of people shapes our hearts and lives and we don’t leave those weeks the same. Going away on a mission trip may not be possible for many people due to commitments and schedules, but we would invite you to serve for a day – next Saturday to be exact. Serve the needs of your friends and neighbors. Reach out to those in the church and community who need some help doing things they just can’t do on their own right now and as you serve I guarantee that God will be shaping the vision he has for your life.
As we saw with Thomas, God’s vision always involves reaching out to others. It always involves loving and caring for others so it makes sense that God would shape our lives as we are serve. If you feeling somewhat unsure about the God given vision for your life then step out and serve in some way, in any way. Serve in the church or volunteer in the community, it doesn’t matter - what matters is being the hands and feet of Jesus so that God can place his hands on us and give shape and direction to our lives.
God doesn’t just reveal the vision he has for us in one shining moment and then return to heaven. God is the master potter who diligently and patiently molds us and gives shape to the vision he has for our lives. The shaping comes during the daily routines of life and the ordinary moments of life in the church and it comes when we are willing to stretch ourselves and reach out in love to serve others. May we allow God the opportunity to shape the vision he has for our lives through the simple routines of this day and this week and through our life and service together as the church.
Next Steps
Shaping Vision
God shapes vision during ordinary moments of life:
• Plan to eat one additional meal this week with your family (or friends) and make sure to start with a prayer asking God to shape the vision He has for you.
• Pray before work each day this week and ask God to use your job or service to give shape to His vision.
God shapes vision during ordinary moments in church:
• Commit to being in worship 4 of the next 6 weeks.
• Gather with others in Sunday School or Bible Study for the next 4 weeks so God can open your mind and help you understand the Scriptures.
God shapes vision during ordinary moments of ministry:
• Sign up today to help those in need next Saturday and be part of our Serving Our Seniors mission event.
• Volunteer one Sunday next month to work with our children’s ministry.
• Give one day during the next month to a community organization that you feel passionately about (PAWS, Food Bank, Habitat for Humanity, Red Cross…).
