John 21
Contextualization is the process of taking an idea and making it understandable in a different context. So for example the story in Luke 2 where four men bring their paralytic friend to Jesus but the house is full so they can’t get their friend in. They go up on the roof and dig through the ceiling and lower their friend into Jesus’ presence. Contextualization makes the scene understandable to Eskimos who live in igloos or to nomads in Kenya who have rounded portable houses.
Little Peggy March in 1963, having just turned 15, shot this song to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. She was the youngest female artist to claim that fame. I was in high school. Whoopi Goldberg sang the song contextualized in Sister Act !, leading a choir of nuns in San Francisco – for the Pope. Love was love for God. This song still remains my favorite example of contextualization. I cannot keep my feet still and break into a smile whenever I hear it.
We pondered Jesus’ encounter with Peter after the resurrection, after fishing all night, after a breakfast and then the end of the conversation. Jesus told Peter, “Follow me.” What does following mean to you?
I will follow him
Follow him wherever he may go
And near him, I always will be
For nothing can keep me away
He is my destiny
I will follow him
Ever since he touched my heart I knew
There isn’t an ocean too deep
A mountain so high it can keep
Keep me away
Away from his love
On the Way to Wonder 