It is 5:30 am and I just heard an owl as I stepped onto the deck to welcome the morning. This is the first owl I have heard since living here. I also saw a neighbor parking his car, having returned home from somewhere. I am looking forward to leading worship at Wesley today, preaching about Jesus feeding the 5,000 and inviting our participation as he feeds us and sends us.
Yesterday I worked at church, visited a family grieving the death of their son and preparing for his funeral tomorrow, helped a marginalized couple with bus tickets and a ride to Cox hospital to visit her mother, worked on my sermon and then Audrey and I shared the evening meal with a long time friend and his wife who recently took disability leave from pastoring due to early onset dementia. Back home it was more work on the sermon before bedtime, as Audrey practiced the piano preparing for worship.
John 21:4-14
For the third time, Jesus appears to his disciples. They have gone north to Galilee, per his instructions. He appeared to them in Jerusalem on Easter Sunday evening when they were gathered in a room with locked doors. Thomas was not present. Then He appeared to them again the following Sunday evening, and Thomas believed. On this occasion, Peter and 6 other disciples have been fishing all night with nets, and have caught nothing. Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach, unrecognized by the disciples in the boat. He tells them to cast their net on the right side of the boat, and doing so it is filled with fish. They recognize Jesus and come to shore, where He has a charcoal fire with fish and bread on it. He asks them to bring some of the fish they have just caught.
I am expecting Jesus to be present this morning as we gather for worship. His presence will comfort some, challenge some, heal some, be unrecognized by some. I will preach and teach about how he fed 5,000 and how he fed his disciples, and the call he issues to each of us to follow.
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