What do you do when your life as you once knew it becomes like a tornado leaving you twisted and twirling its aftermath? What do you do when you are confused, grieving, barely even having a glimmer of hope that today might bring new possibilities? We often turn to what we know best. In his wondering about all that had happened, the death, resurrection, and two previous times when Jesus had appeared as if never having died, Peter turned to what he had done all his adult life. He said simply to the other disciples who were with him on the shore at the sea of Tiberias, “I am going fishing.” This felt good to be able to do what he probably could “do in his sleep” as we say. He knew that he probably could fish without even thinking.  

After fishing all night and no success, in the very early hour, a man stands on the shore and tells a modge-podge group of hardy and strong group of men to “cast their net to the right side of the boat” for a whopper of a catch of fist. They must have wondered, “We are the experts here. This is the way our fathers taught us to fish. This is our profession. This is how we have fed our families and even though the fish were smarter than us all night, we will come again and then we will be the ones who haul in the biggest load of fish. Who’s this man telling us what to do?”

I can almost hear the conversation, “Alright. Nothing else has worked all night. What harm will it do cast our net onto the right side of the boat?” When the fishermen really do catch fish so much that the net its straining to breaking, the disciples recognize the man on the shore and declare, “It is the Lord!”   When Peter hears this exclamation, “It is the Lord!” he acts impulsively and jumps out of the boat.

Who is this Peter that is fishing? Is this the same Peter who denied knowing Jesus? Yet here he is – the first to greet the Lord. As an aside, I am not sure why Peter is fishing naked and then gets dressed to dive into the sea of Tiberias, so I’ll leave that to your speculation.

What do we think about this gleeful response in which Peter jumps into the sea to be reunited with Jesus? Remember the last time that Peter and Jesus were together. Jesus predicted that Peter would deny him three times, and Peter thought that he could not possibly ever commit such a betrayal.  The disciple who separated himself from Jesus by staunchly lying about being his deepest friend and wanted no public affiliation with the One who was scorned and despised, now could hardly contain his excitement at reuniting with the risen Jesus.

As Jesus spoke about friendship, it is such that one would lay down one’s life for a friend. This is the kind of friendship that Jesus had with the inner circle of disciples. At the times of Peter’s denials, Peter wanted no acknowledgement of what really indeed had been a life-giving relationship with Jesus. Even with sleeping and eating whenever and wherever they could, Peter had been transformed into a new person who knew that to follow Jesus was to risk one’s life. Peter’s three years of being a disciple brought him into this kind of new way of being with the Peacemaker and also himself bringing peace as Jesus had taught him.

What a wonder of God’s gift of overflowing splashing baptismal joy it is when we ourselves let loose who we are as one’s who follow the Peacemaker! Hear the let-loose joy in God from the Psalmist: “You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothes me with joy, so that my soul may praise you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever.” (Psalm 30:11-12). With such thanksgiving oh, how wonderful that everyday would be not just another day to get through. Everyday ought to be filled with openness to let loose in thanks for what God has done for us through Christ. Christ is the one who makes all things new. What a gift that is.

What might happen if we really lived as if we believed with the exhuberance of Peter? Would we too, jump into the sea to get to the Lord as fast as Peter wanted to, leaving everyone behind in the boat? He knew that indeed it was Jesus, resurrected and real in his presence on the shoreline. He did not take a poll of the disciples. He did not mull over whether or not it really was him. In faith and in a desire to be with this person whom he loved, even with Peter’s denial, Peter could not wait to be with his Lord.

In responding as if we were Peter, what would you do? What would make other people wonder what it is that keeps your spirit calm in the midst of turmoil? That, brothers and sisters, might mean being different from what is expected. That could mean making a commitment to spend your free Saturdays putting shingles on a roof for a neighbor who needs help. Being different can mean that you and a child will read a book together. Being different is sending even more than what you think you can spare so that a month’s worth of food will be sent to Haiti. Your only one week of vacation could be spent in making pews and school desks in chili. You take one day to give out snacks to children waiting to get their eyes tested for new glasses through the Lion’s Club program called Vision First, which provides glasses at no cost to the family. It might mean struggling with the decision to put coins in the person shaking the cup on the street that you see there day after day. Being different is making the commitment to attend an in-depth Bible study class for 34 weeks when you would rather be doing something else like just being at home after a long day. Wouldn’t you rather be watching TV, surfing the net, doing anything but reading the Bible instead of the latest Barnes and Noble best-seller book?

And here is what I wonder – if - and I hope that you find some way to impact even one person’s life for the better – is it because you want to feel good? Is it something that was not easy and that makes the pat on the back feel even better?  Those who believe in the risen one, those who believe that God in Christ brings us another chance because of God’s forgiveness and grace dare to be different because God has first loved us.

Jesus gave us the life-time of self-giving, and sacrifice for all people. Our response is to be like Peter. Not just step forward one little tentative testing of the waters to see if Christianity is something to try out like a new suit. Be bold and be different. Let us live out our faith in glorious praise to God through doing as Jesus taught us to do.

It was around the meal of fish that Jesus became real to all the fishing disciples. In Peter’s quick jump out of the boat and into the sea he left everyone else to haul in the huge catch of fish. The fishing net was strained to nearly ripping apart with such a catch. Do we remember now that Jesus multiplied the fish and loaves to feed the crowd on the mountain? Again, Jesus made himself known in the multiplying of fish so much so that the disciples knew it was Jesus with them as they arrived on the sea-shore. A simple invitation was made to the awe-struck disciples, including to Peter. “Come and have breakfast.” Eating a meal with Jesus was a familiar thing to do. But this meal was different.

It was with the one who had appeared to the other disciples many times. Sharing food is the same as being together as friends who would lay down their lives for one another. The disciples believed it was the Lord who sat at the fire cooking fish and having breakfast with them. Just as their fishing net was filled to even more than they ever had caught before, this fishing abundance revealed the abundance of love that the risen Jesus had for them. Many commentary scholars, preachers, and teachers have analyzed the number of fish of one hundred fifty-three fish being exactly given in this fishing expedition post-resurrection experience with the Lord. What I see is simple. I see the disciples experiencing something new within the familiar. They hauled in such a catch of fish that they knew it was not their own good luck at finding such a great spot in the sea for fishing. At Jesus’ invitation to breakfast, they were afraid to ask if this person before them was the Lord for they did not want to appear to doubt what they thought and really wanted to be true.

This is the third time the disciples had seen the person of the risen Christ. How could they appear to doubt his presence this time? By now, they shouldn’t they be certain it was the Jesus who had been raised from the dead and had beaten death by the love of God revealed in him? Again, being in the presence of their beloved Lord was unexpected. Yet, they sat and had a simple breakfast of fish and bread. They received invitation and gave a “yes, I’ll be there,” RSVP we might say.

Christ, the Lord, invites us to be with him when it is not the “thing to do.” We are given an invitation to a meal that is different than any other meal we have had before. We are invited to the meal of the Lord when we are invited to the meal of bread and cup in Holy Communion at the table of the Lord. The table and the meal are not from any person’s invitation, but at the invitation of Jesus, our Lord and host.   

However, this is a meal that is different. The one with whom we sit and eat is at the invitation of the risen Lord. “Come and have breakfast.” What is our response to this simple and yet unexpected invitation? What is our response to the abundance of fish – the abundance of another chance – the abundance of God’s grace through Christ? Can we feel the presence of the risen One in our spirit as we touch the bread, taste the fish, smell the sea and be washed in the water from the overflowing net? Who would believe this story if you told it to friends? They would believe it by seeing your committed life that is a creative response, in acts like Peter jumping out of the boat at the invitation and real presence of Christ in your life.

Believe it is the Lord who calls you to a meal that is different from any other. We can jump into the water like Peter. We can be as exuberant and overcome with joy in our faith. We can shout out the Good News in what we believe in our spirit, what we pray for others, and what we live in creative response no matter who we are or where we are in our life-situation.

In the beyond all expectations and creative response to God’s grace given to us through the real resurrected Lord being, we also proclaim in a loud voice, “It is the Lord!”