Sermon preached at St. Alban's, Spirit Lake, on April 22, 2007
(Year C, Third Sunday of Easter, BCP Lectionary)
by the Rev. Carl D. Mann

Texts:   Acts 9:1-19a
Psalm 33:1-11
Revelation 5:6-14
John 21:1-14

Looking at today’s Gospel, I was reminded of a fish fry some twenty-seven years ago southwest of Hanlontown but other than fresh fish being cooked on an open fire there is really no connection. So I was forced to look closely at the text, and I found that this story holds the blueprint to teach us about our relationship with Jesus.

Now even though there are no pyrotechnics, disembodied voices or temporary blindness, this story, which takes place on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias, which is the same as the Sea of Galilee, is as powerful as Saul’s experience on the road to Damascus. It is after the resurrection, and Peter and some of the boys have returned to their homes in Galilee, probably still wondering about all of the events that have taken place and trying to figure out what to do next. When in doubt, always do what you know how to do best. So Peter and six of the disciples went fishing, which was their normal trade. After an unsuccessful night, just after the sun peaked over the horizon, they were coming in to shore and they saw a man on the beach who called out to them inquiring about their night’s labor. When they told him of their failure, he told them to cast their net on the right side of the boat right where they were and they would catch some. Now this wasn’t that unusual because often a person on shore could see the fish better than those right on top of them, possibly from the light shining off their scales at just right angle. So they did and lo and behold they caught the mother load of all shoals of fish, one hundred and fifty-three large fish. It was so large a catch that even with all seven of them, they couldn’t haul it into the boat.

Now at this very moment, John recognized the man on the beach as Jesus, their Master who had just been raised from the dead not too long ago. And he said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Peter heard this, he grabbed his clothes, and jumped overboard, and swam or waded in to shore leaving his mates to struggle with the near bursting net, which they had to drag to shore.

When everybody was safely in, they noticed that Jesus had a charcoal fire going with some fish cooking on it, and there was also some bread. And Jesus told them to bring some of the freshly caught fish with them up to the fire. Immediately, Peter went and single handedly hauled the net full of fish onto the shore. And then Jesus invited them to come and break their fast with him, and he broke bread and gave them some along with some fish.

Now I don’t have to tell you die hard fishermen out there how good fresh fish cooked over a fire tastes early in the morning for breakfast. Unfortunately other than the Eucharistic overtones, the fish fry is not point of the story. As I mentioned earlier, it’s about our relationship with Jesus.

First of all, if things appear to be hopeless, don’t give in to defeat. When we have come into a relationship with Jesus Christ, we have the opportunity to pray and listen for instruction from the Lord, and do what he commands. The disciples had been fishing all through the night, the best time to fish, especially in the Sea of Galilee. But at sunrise, they had nothing to show for their efforts. But when Jesus directed them to cast their nets to the right side of the boat, they not only succeeded in their endeavor, but also exceeded their wildest imagination. Now sometimes when the Lord gives us instruction, it may not make sense to us but you have to trust that the Lord knows what he is doing. Let’s go back to Acts for a minute. When the Lord instructed Ananias to go to the House of Judas on Straight St. and lay hands on Saul, he replied, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to the saints in Jerusalem.” Don’t you think he really wanted to say, “Are you nuts, Lord? This Saul is Public Enemy number One amongst your followers. He has the authority to bind everyone who invokes your name. The minute this guy opens his eyes, he is going either going to haul me away or possibly even murder me on the spot. If it’s all right with you I think I will pass on this one.” But Jesus said not to worry because he was in charge. Saul was his chosen instrument, literally his chosen vessel, and Jesus’ plan was for Saul to not only invoke his name but to carry it out to the entire world. Believe me, Saul would have never thought this was possible.

Which leads us to the second point: when we have come to experience the reality of our risen Lord, and believe that he is who he says he is and that he has accomplished what he said he would accomplish, we can do things beyond our imagination. When our Lord calls us, and reveals his will to us, with that commandment and revelation we are empowered with everything that we need to complete the task assigned. This is illustrated, not in the casting of the net over the right side of the boat; anyone on shore could have given them the same information. No, this is illustrated by the fact that seven strong, grown men couldn’t pull the net into the boat because it was such a large catch, and yet when Jesus said, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught,” Peter instantly had the strength to pull the net onto the shore all by himself. He could have just gone down and clubbed a few of the fish and brought them to the fire but instead he was given the strength to do what seven men, himself included, couldn’t previously do.

Third, when we have come into a relationship with our risen Lord, we will realize that everything that we have: every material good, every intellectual gift, every talent that we possess, every relationship that we are in, is a gift from God. It is therefore appropriate to give a portion back to him. This is very well illustrated in today’s Gospel. You may have noticed that Jesus had some fish cooking on the fire already, and yet he instructed the disciples to bring some of their fish, too. Where did Jesus get his fish? It doesn’t matter because all of creation belongs to him. It doesn’t say in the text but I am sure that there was plenty of fish and bread to feed Jesus and the seven disciples. And even if the fare looked sparse, remember the feeding of the five thousand. There was plenty. And yet, Jesus asked them, no, he told them to go and bring some of their catch to add to the feast. We must always give something back in thanksgiving for all that we have. And not just from our abundance but from our poverty, too. Regardless of how much or how little we think we have, it all came to us by the grace of God, and He expects us to share a portion with Him and others. And the amazing thing is that even though it is expected of us because of our relationship with Jesus, we will want to do it.

And this brings us to the final point that when we experience the risen Lord, when we have come into a relationship with him, our lives will be changed. We will be converted. The Gospel stops short of this illustration but I will tell you how it ends. After breakfast, when all have had their fill, Jesus and Peter have a little talk. Jesus asks Peter three different times whether he loves Jesus or not to which Peter replies in the affirmative three times. Remember earlier in the Gospel when Peter boasted that when all the others would walk away from Jesus that he, Peter would stand firm and true. When the time of action came, Peter drew his sword and defended Jesus but Jesus rebuked him for using violence, and told him to put away his sword. But when left unarmed, in the middle of an ordinary crowd, Peter denied that he knew Jesus, he denied that he was a follower of Jesus, and he denied that he was even from the same part of the country as Jesus. At that moment, he chose to disbelieve everything that he had learned from his Master and his friend. But now, in this third resurrection appearance, Peter came into a closer relationship with the risen Lord, and his denial was transformed into acceptance. His own betrayal was converted into love. He repented of his sins, amended his life, and was forgiven. This was as hard for Peter as it is for each of us. Each time the Lord asked him if he loved him Peter was reminded and convicted of his former actions. But when he had owned up to each of his transgressions in the presence of Jesus, he became a changed person, the person that Jesus wanted him to be, and needed him to be in order to fulfill what Jesus had in store for him.

Now we can’t have a fish fry with Jesus on the shore of the Sea or even on the shore of any of our beautiful lakes. But we can gather together and break bread with him whenever the Eucharist is offered. It is in the simple act of breaking bread and partaking of the Holy Sacrament that we are able to open the eyes of our faith and behold Jesus in all of his redeeming work. We can ask for his direction, we can accomplish his will for us, we can be good stewards of his gifts, and our lives will be transformed. All of this can be ours by coming into relationship and experiencing Jesus Christ, our risen Lord. It works as well today as it did that day on the shore by the sea when the sun was just peaking over the horizon. Gloria Patri.