If you could have breakfast with Jesus, where would you want to have that meal?

 

Are you starved for one of your favorite restaurants? Is there a garden, place in your home, table, or other location you long to gather around? Who would you invite to it? Would it be your closest friends and family? Strangers? The sick? What would you want Jesus to cook up for you? On the beach that morning with the disciples he cooked up a miraculous catch of fish. What would you want chef Jesus to make for you? We will explore this theme throughout our worship.

 

Call To Worship

 

 

Confessional Prayer

 

The service today will conclude with participation in communion. Before we break bread and drink from the cup with Christ, it is our tradition to confess before God and receive his loving forgiveness. Allow the following prayer to guide your confession.

 

Lord, save us from ourselves.
We continue to do the same things over and over,
expecting different results.
Lord, save us from doing too much.
We go fishing every day,
not noticing you waiting with a meal on the beach.
Lord, save us from doing too little.
We say we love you,
and yet so often we neglect your sheep.
Lord, save us from ourselves.
Help us to hear and respond when you say, “Follow Me.”

 

Declaration of Forgiveness

 

 

Scripture Reading: John 21:1-14 NRSV

 

After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. 2 Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. 3 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.
4 Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” 6 He said to them, “Cast the net to the right 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. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.
9 When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 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. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

 

Song – Audrey Assad “Nothing to Fear”

 

 

Meditation from Pastor David

 

Before we jump into this passage, I hope you had a chance to listen to the Audrey Assad song, Nothing to Fear. It is a mantra I find myself singing over and over again. Yes there are terrifying things happening all around us. The pandemic is real. But it is also true that nothing can separate us from God’s love. We know that his perfect love casts out all fear. May we continue to trust God with our circumstances and allow him to bring about his divine peace.

 

My favorite Bible passages are those that generate more questions than they do answers. This is one of them.

 

Did the disciples just return to their normal lives? If memory serves me well, the disciples saw miraculous things in their ministry with Jesus. They cast demons into oblivion. They healed people with their own hands. They witnessed the resurrection of Lazarus for goodness sake! At one point, they were confident enough to call down God’s very fire from heaven to smite those that disagreed with them. What gives? Have they forgotten it all? Have the last three years of their lives turned into foggy memories? Haven’t they just seen Jesus twice in the upper room? Did they not feel the Holy Spirit envelop their very souls as Jesus breathed upon them? Was the allure of fishing again just too powerful to resist? It appears they have given up on their commissioning and returned to life as usual. It feels utterly safe, and utterly depressing, but it is known. Have you ever returned to a habit, practice, place, or person just because you knew what to expect? Sure it’s not fulfilling, but at least there is a comfort in the routine.

 

Why does Jesus appear to 7 fishing disciples?

 

Jesus clearly has power beyond our wildest imaginations. He defeated death! He is miraculous, and is about to demonstrate it, but why in this way? Couldn’t he have manifested himself in the Temple and proven everyone wrong? Couldn’t he have visited Caesar with an army of angels and intimidated all of Rome into belief? Couldn’t Jesus have revisited Calvary and lifted the hopes of all the lost, confused, hungry and dejected? Wouldn’t people have flocked to him and become believers in the risen Lord?

 

Jesus has a way of consistently subverting power.

 

Appearing to Caesar, Pilate, or the masses is not the way of Christ. Instead, he appears to the lowly. He trusts the mission of the good news to his exasperated disciples. That is power! Talk about confidence! Jesus, the savior of the world, is so confident in you, and he knows his will shall be done by inviting regular people like you and me into his ministry. Let that sink in.

 

When Jesus says to his tired fishermen disciples, Children, do you have any fish? is he patronizing them? Is he trying to get under their skin? I would understand calling them “children” if they recognized him, but the Scripture is clear that they do not know who he is. A stranger is inquiring about their lack of catch and then gives them advice, and let me tell you, the advice to try the other side of the boat would have come off as ludicrous. I’ve fished a number of times in my life. Never having being skunked all day, has moving to the other side of the boat resulted in a bounty. I wonder why the disciples complied with the stranger. Did they think this was their chance to silence a fool on the shore? Had they hoped they would retrieve another empty net so that they could ignore the voice from afar? Or, did they think he might have caught sight of a school of fish? We don’t know. But they cast the net nonetheless.

 

Notice it isn’t the voice of Jesus or the appearance of Jesus or the command of Jesus that gets their attention. It is the full net.

 

What makes you notice God’s activity in your life? How does Jesus reveal himself to you?

 

Some translations read that Peter “threw himself” into the sea. It is a mad dash to get to Jesus. It is such a lovely image. What was going through his mind? Was he running to apologize for denying Jesus three times? Was he eager to get back to work other than fishing? Was he hoping Jesus was finally going to get back to being the Messiah he had longed for? Was he simply excited to spend yet another moment with his beloved teacher? I imagine many of us will run into the arms of a beloved friend or family member we haven’t seen or been able to touch once this quarantine is over. My mom recently came by the house to drop off some home baked bread. As our 6-year-old daughter stood 6 feet away on the driveway, she said with a deep sadness in her voice, “Grandma, I just want to hug you so bad.” I think many of us can understand Peter’s desperation to embrace Jesus.

 

Jesus has already prepared a charcoal fire.

 

He knew exactly what his friends needed – a home cooked meal.

 

He wasn’t there to chastise them. He wasn’t there to shame them. He was there to cook breakfast. He was there to nourish his tired buddies. Like he had done before, bread and fish appeared and his disciples were able to feast upon that which the Lord provided.

 

Friends of Emmanuel, maybe you feel the same as the disciples did that long night. Do you feel abandoned by God?

 

Do you feel alone and isolated? Do you feel as though you labor all day long without any results? Are you exhausted from the demands of making ends meet? Are you retreating back to scarcity when Jesus wants to offer you abundance? Let’s meet Jesus on the beach, and allow him to minister to us, satisfy us, and feed our souls.

 

Communion Introduction

 

Today as we worship, we will participate in a sacred meal. Just like that one on the beach. We will break bread with the risen Jesus. We will drink again from the cup he offers. The bread and cup are a commitment to us that Jesus loves us, cares for us, and never abandons us. Not only that, but when we participate in this holy meal, we do it as one Church, one body, united in the mystery set before us. God meets us at the table.

 

I pray that as you watch this short video on communion you will see that God breaks into our reality no matter what. Whether we are communing inside the sanctuary, or in our homes, over the phone with a friend, on Zoom, or totally alone on the streets, God’s banquet is available to all of us. It unites us despite our circumstances. Amen

Communion Video

 

 

Communion Instructions

 

Nobody is alone when they participate in this meal. We eat it together and Jesus is present. Whether you live alone or not, say these simple words as you eat the elements. “This is the body of Christ.” Take any bread or cracker you have and receive God’s bread of life. “This cup represents Christ’s promise of forgiveness.” Take any juice in your home and receive God’s blessing. Jesus tells us to do this in remembrance of me. I imagine the meal on the beach began to jog the memories of the disciples. They likely remembered their experiences, but also remembered that their identity was found in Jesus. Spend some moments remembering who you are in relation to God. Give praise!

 

Benediction

 

May the God that knows your every need meet you exactly where you are. May God’s peace sustain you. May God’s love invigorate you. May God’s meal nourish you. May God’s presence be made real to you this day and every day to come. Amen