The Neighborhood Podcast
This is a podcast of Guilford Park Presbyterian Church in Greensboro, North Carolina featuring guests from both inside the church and the surrounding community. Hosted by Rev. Dr. Stephen M. Fearing, Head of Staff.
The Neighborhood Podcast
"Feed, Tend, Follow" (May 4, 2025 Sermon)
Preacher: Rev. Dr. Stephen M. Fearing
The charcoal fire crackles as Jesus prepares breakfast on the shoreline. Peter, still dripping from his impulsive swim to shore, sits uncomfortably awaiting judgment for his three denials. But instead of condemnation, Jesus offers reconciliation through a simple meal and three profound questions: "Do you love me?" With each affirmative answer, Jesus commissions Peter with action verbs that define discipleship across millennia: Feed. Tend. Follow.
This powerful narrative from John 21:1-19 reveals how Jesus restores broken relationships through grace rather than shame. The symmetry is striking - three denials matched by three questions, followed by three commissions. Through this exchange, Jesus transforms Peter's failure into a foundation for ministry, culminating in the sobering reminder that true discipleship often leads where we "do not wish to go." The call to follow requires relinquishing control and embracing discomfort.
Fast forward to today, where these ancient commands find modern expression in a congregation's decision to welcome homeless men into their church building for temporary shelter. What does it mean to truly "feed my sheep" in a world of systemic poverty? How might "tend my flock" look when applied to neighbors we typically keep at a distance? This sermon explores how one church's commitment to Matthew 25 principles—building congregational vitality, dismantling structural racism, and eradicating systemic poverty—manifests in practical hospitality.
The message challenges us to move beyond comfortable, theoretical neighborliness toward the messy, intricate work of proximity and presence. Through providing meals, washing linens, donating supplies, and offering prayers, communities can embody Peter's commission. As we consider how Christ might be appearing on our own shorelines, asking "Do you love me?" we're reminded that our answer must extend beyond words into tangible acts of service. Will you join in feeding, tending, and following?
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Our prayer for elimination. O, god of light, by the power of your Holy Spirit, restore our sight that in these words of Scripture and sermon we may see Christ in whose name we pray, amen. Today's Scripture reading is from the book of John, chapter 21, verses 1 through 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 Nathaniel 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.
Speaker 1: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 of the 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 a 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 150, three of them and there, though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them come and have breakfast Now. None of the disciples dared to ask him who are you? Because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them and did the same with the fish.
Speaker 1: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 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 whenever you. He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God. After this, he said to him Follow me, holy wisdom.
Speaker 2:Holy word, thanks be to God. After this, he said to him follow me. Holy wisdom, holy word, thanks be to God. O Lord, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of all of our hearts be acceptable and pleasing in your sight. O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen, rock and our Redeemer, amen.
Speaker 2:Friends, I invite you to recall the last time you felt nervous or anxious about embracing a new responsibility. Was it the first time you cradled that newborn? Or maybe when you agreed to a new project, a new job, maybe a new relationship? Perhaps it was when you accepted the role as elder? Or maybe agreed to serve on a committee for the first time or chose to join this church? Or maybe it was when you decided to step out of your comfort zone, to say yes to an opportunity. Even without having all of the answers, call it a leap of faith. Peter knew a thing or two about stepping or, in this case, jumping out of boats. Maybe that's why this story honestly is among my favorites in all of the Bible always has been. We can all relate to Peter's blend of thrill and anxiety, joy and remorse, impulsiveness and regret. We all embody Peter and Peter embodies us.
Speaker 2:Peter was embarking on a new chapter after ending a particularly painful one. He had denied Christ three times by that charcoal fire, and today's story brings him to another charcoal fire, this one ignited by his resurrected friend and Savior. Come and have breakfast. It's the first thing Jesus says to Peter after he had denied him. Not what were you thinking? Or how could you abandon me in my darkest hour? Not shame on you or you of little faith. Just come and eat, let's have breakfast. Come be with me. Come and eat, let's have breakfast. Come be with me. And so they sat and so they ate. Peter must have still, in my mind's eye, been wet from his swim to the shore. I can only imagine how silly he might have looked as he took the bread and the fish from his friend still dripping from his dive. I also wonder if Peter's heart was still racing after reaching the shore, not from physical exhaustion but from the anxiety of whether Jesus would mention the elephant in the room, his betrayal. Maybe you know what it's like to have wronged someone and have it hang tensely in the air. For Peter, the minutes likely felt like hours until Jesus finally spoke.
Speaker 2:Some Bibles label this account as Jesus reinstates Peter because of the clear symmetry in their exchange Peter's three denials, jesus's three questions and then Peter's three replies. A beautiful part of this narrative is the grace that Jesus extends to Peter. He could have cast him out, reprimanded him, publicly humiliated him, but Jesus chooses none of these options. Instead, his response is both conciliatory and gracious. Even after facing the immense pain and suffering of the cross, inflicted by such cruelty and violence, the risen Christ still embodies the very words that he uttered in agony on that cross father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. And so I imagine Peter breathed a very deep sigh of relief, but his relief may have been short-lived. If this story had ended immediately after Peter's affirmations of love, it would provide a nice and tidy conclusion.
Speaker 2:However, the author of John's gospel finishes this section with a somewhat ominous prophecy by Jesus. Very truly, I tell you. Jesus tells Peter when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belts and 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. Jesus' message to Peter is clear. You enjoy being in charge and having control. But Jesus is also saying to Peter true discipleship often requires discomfort and can demand significant sacrifice. By using the metaphor of outstretched hands, jesus is intentionally referencing the weightiness of the cross. Through his response to Peter's reaffirmations of love and faith, jesus firmly states that to follow him means to let go of some control and venture into potentially uncomfortable situations. Uncomfortable situations and after sharing this with Peter, jesus reiterates his invitation to discipleship, to faith formation, with the direct but straightforward two-word statement follow me.
Speaker 2:Here at Guilford Park Presbyterian Church, we seek to follow Jesus in everything we do. Our church's mission statement embodies this commitment. It reads united in Christ, growing in faith and love, welcoming all, serving one another and our community. Last year, by unanimous vote of the session, guilford Park became a Matthew 25 congregation, joining many other Presbyterian faith communities and affirming our threefold commitments to building congregational vitality, dismantling structural racism and eradicating systemic poverty. And in the spirit of those commitments, particularly the last one, your elected elders voted last week to approve a recommendation from the mission committee to utilize the space beneath our feet today our church basement to provide temporary shelter for a dozen men experiencing homelessness and under case management at Greensboro Urban Ministry. This temporary shelter will be fully staffed by Greensboro Urban Ministry and funded by the city of Greensboro. Our role is to offer space to feed our guests, dinner and breakfast every day for 90 days during the months of June, july and August of June, july and August, and ensure that they feel a deep and abiding sense of the love of God while we share our home with them.
Speaker 2:Y'all, this church has given me many reasons to take pride in you and in the work that God has done among us and through us over the past two and a half years. Yet at this moment, I feel prouder of this congregation than I ever have before. Many churches would have found numerous reasons to refuse to welcome those experiencing homelessness. However, your session members, who were elected by you, by the congregation, to prayerfully and carefully discern God's will for us, decided to say yes, yes, and I believe this decision reflects our understanding that neighborliness we've talked a lot about it over the past several years is not merely a concept to discuss. It isn't just something that we sing about or a pleasant phrase to boost our own self-image. The neighborliness reflected in the gospel is messy and intricate and often involves risk. It requires relinquishing some control, opening our doors and serving physically close to those that we might usually prefer to keep at a distance, downtown, over there at Gate City Boulevard.
Speaker 2:We're making this choice at Guilford Park, not because it's the easiest path, but because we believe that it's the one Jesus would have us take. You know, almost exactly two and a half years ago this week, I stood in this pulpit and I delivered my first sermon as your pastor, and in that sermon on November 6, 2022, I shared my vision for this church to be a place, not where we argue, but where we come together, across our differences, to be the argument. This summer mission project is what it looks like, y'all to be the argument, to be the argument for Christ, to be the argument for Christ, to be the argument for justice, to be the argument for neighborliness not superficial neighborliness, but real, intentional neighborliness. So I invite all of us and I'm including myself in this all of us to put ourselves in Peter's shoes. Jesus is turning to us and saying Guilford Park, do you love me? And for 77 years, this church has always answered that question, just as Peter did, saying yes, jesus, you know that we love you. So, in response to our faithful work and our faithful worship, jesus is giving us three verbs that you see on the screen there that are in today's passage Feed, tend and follow. Feed Christ's sheep, tend Christ's flock and follow him. Peter must have felt nervous. I'm sure that Peter had his doubts. Peter must have wondered if this was all just too much, too soon, too big have wondered if this was all just too much, too soon, too big too, peter. And to us, jesus says the following you, let me worry about that. Jesus says, all you need to do is those three verbs feed, intend and follow. Feed those who are hungry. Shelter those without homes. Be the argument in a weary world that needs churches like ours to take bold stands for our neighbors these days.
Speaker 2:I believe Christ is calling us to work together as a faith family to show God's love to our guests this summer. There are many ways that we can link arms to practice this collective act of faith formation. Greensboro Urban Ministry, as I mentioned, will fully staff this temporary shelter, supervising our guests for the entirety of their stay each evening, from approximately 6 pm to 6 30 am the next morning when they will leave. Our job is to provide space, to serve dinner to the men every evening and to provide a simple to-go bag breakfast each morning as they go out to their jobs or as they are seeking employment. We'll also be responsible for coordinating washing their bed sheets and their towels and offering any other forms of hospitality to ensure that they feel the abundant, abundant love of God while we share our home with them. We're going to need a lot of volunteers to make all of these things happen. Our congregation will do the majority of the work but, like other churches that have participated in this same program, like our partners at First Press downtown, we will be reaching out to other local faith communities and non-profits and businesses to help us successfully implement this project.
Speaker 2:And here are some concrete ways that we can embody these three verbs in today's passage. Say them with me, you know them Feed, tend and follow. We're going to need volunteers to provide meals in the form of dinners in the evening and those to go back breakfast in the morning. This is a great thing for individuals, for families and church groups to do our PW circles, our Bible study groups, youth, young families, our preschool community. It takes a village y'all to feed, to tend and to follow. We'll need volunteers to be on call, as I said, to occasionally wash our guests' bedsheets and towels. It takes a village to do what? To feed, tend and follow. We'll need volunteers to commit to praying for our guests throughout their stay this summer. Together we will hold these men in prayer by name, as they seek steady employment to transition from homelessness to stable, permanent housing. It takes a village to what Feed, tend and follow. We need volunteers to donate such items as towels and pillows, board games, card games, books, snacks, toiletries. It takes a village to feed, tend and follow. Maybe you can write a welcome note or make some sort of hospitality bag to shower them with love. It takes a village to feed, tend and follow. Maybe you've got connections in the neighborhood. Maybe you know of a local business or nonprofit or another church that would donate food or some other items to this project. It takes a village to feed, tend and follow Y'all.
Speaker 2:Christ himself is coming to Guilford Park Presbyterian Church this summer.
Speaker 2:I know this to be true because, as a Matthew 25 church, we live out the words of Matthew 25 when Jesus says truly, I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me.
Speaker 2:If there's a common refrain, I've heard from you all the past two and a half years that I have been blessed to be your pastor. It's this, pastor Stephen. This is a church that shows up, pastor Stephen. This is a church that steps up to the plate when there's a need. Well, friends, here's the plate and here's the need. I'm excited for what God is going to be doing through us. It's been a while since I've been this giddy, and I don't doubt for a moment, I do not doubt for a moment, our capability to rise to the occasion in Jesus's name. So together, friends, let's link arms, let's practice some Christian unity and do the work of this passage. Let us feed and tend our neighbors and, in so doing, let us follow the resurrected Christ. In the name of God, the Creator, redeemer and Sustainer, may all of us, god's sheep, say Amen.