John 21:12-17 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

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. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.

No full sanctuary this morning. No display of new Easter clothes. No extended families. No looking around large hats. No guest musicians. No mob of kids for a children’s sermon. No call and response, he is risen he is risen indeed. No smell of Easter Lillies and the dry eyes that go with that smell. No Jay’s Easter suit. No turning in our pews to experience the hallelujah chorus. No scrambling to figure out how to do the Easter egg hunt inside.

I am missing the normal trappings of Easter Sunday morning.

And yet there’s so much to celebrate today.

Life

Love

Shelter

Friendship

God’s abiding presence

We are learning that we are in this together, and that our Savior is right in there with us, guiding and directing our paths as we are reminded of what it means to be disciples, to be kind, to be caring, to be human.

The title of this message is “Fish Tacos and Deep Conversations”

So many important conversations take place across the table, in the kitchen, on the deck, at the restaurant, in the park. Food is eaten, beverages are consumed, and insightful exchanges takes place.

It is across the table that a young man asks the father of his beloved if he has his blessing for marriage.

It is across the table that a teenage girl gathers the courage to come out to her parents and her family.

It is across the table, over bang bang shrimp, that a group of pastors work out a plan for a racial reconciliation ministry.

It is across the table, while sharing nachos, that he recognizes that he is in love.

It is across the table, over cold beverages, that friends choose to become business partners.

It is across the table that the job is offered, the proposal is popped, the deal is made all while eating toasted ravioli.

It is across the table that children are told their parents are divorcing, parents are told that their child is moving 600 miles away.

It is across the table that a startling diagnosis is shared and a plan is made.

It is across the table that confession is made and forgiveness is granted.

Across the table, lives are changed by words spoken.

Peter has been a integral part of the resurrection timeline. After denying Jesus three times on Thursday night, it is Peter who refocuses, to once again be the leader of the pack as they all shelter-in-place on Saturday.

It is Peter who runs to the tomb on Sunday, and although he took second place in the race, he is the first one to enter the empty tomb.

Days later, it is Peter’s idea that he and several of the disciples go fishing.

When they return to shore after a long night on the sea, they are surprised to find the risen Jesus sitting on the beach, frying some fish on an open fire.

Interestingly, now they call the tilapia that comes out of the Sea of Galilee Saint Peter’s Fish, but when Jesus was cooking them, they were just fish.

Jesus fried up enough fish for the entire group of disciples who were there. And there was bread, I am guessing that it was a pita, falafel bread.

I imagine Jesus carefully folding the bread and placing fish in the fold, and essentially giving a fish taco to each of the disciples. The scripture doesn’t say, but I suppose that Jesus handed Peter his fish taco last.

I imagine the disciples eating and talking, commenting on how beautiful the sunrise is as they look across the Sea to the Golan Heights.

The others involve themselves in other idle chitchat as Jesus hones in on a conversation with Peter.

I hear Jesus saying to Peter as Peter is taking a bite of his fish taco, because it is always when our mouths are full of food that people ask us questions.

“Simon, do you love me?”

And Peter responds as you would expect, “Yes Lord, of course, I love you.”

And Jesus says, “feed my lambs.”

They each take bites of their breakfast and then Jesus says to Peter again, “Simon, do you love me?

Peter thinks to himself, “He just asked me that question. You doing OK there risen Jesus?” but what he says is, “Yes Lord, I love you.”

And Jesus responds, “feed my sheep.”

They eat in silence for a few minutes as the other disciples continue talking with each other, maybe about their love of fishing and most certainly about how amazing it is that risen Jesus is there with them.

Perhaps, Peter is, while munching on fish and bread, looking out over the sea, watching the waves break toward the shore.

And then Jesus turns again to Peter and asks him a third time, “Simon, do you love me?”

Peter is taken aback at this question asked a third time. “Give it a rest, Jesus.”

But then, I assume, that it dawns on him. Jesus has asked Peter three times if “he loves him.”

Three is a magic number. It is the exact number of times that Peter had denied Jesus. The words from that awful Thursday evening come rushing back to him. “I don’t know him.” “I don’t know who he is.” “Bleep bleep bleepity bleep. I don’t know him at all.”

And Peter realizes that what Jesus is doing is not asking the same question over and over, but

he is pronouncing reconciliation,

he is pronouncing forgiveness,

he is pronouncing relationship. He doesn’t scold Peter or fuss at Peter or tell Peter how terrible he’s been. He simply reminds him to whom he belongs.

Three times you messed up. and, now, Three times you have declared your love.

This simple conversation reaches to the depths of Peter’s soul.

“Peter do you love me?”

“Yes, oh yes, oh yes Lord. I love you.”

“Then feed my sheep.”

In my thinking,Jesus has a smile on his face as he takes another bite out of his fish taco and Peter grins through the tears as he finally feels free, free from the guilt and the burden of his monumental mistake, free to be the one to whom Jesus said three years earlier. “Come, follow me, and I will make you a fisher of people.”

There are so many lessons to be gleaned from this story.

Number one ... A good fish taco goes a long way to clearing the air.

Two ... sometimes the deepest conversations take place when there’s a crowd of people around you.

Three ... Jesus’ way of drawing us to himself isn’t harsh or vindictive or guilt producing. It comes from a place of love and a place of grace.

I think this story can be especially helpful to those of us who have been molded by churches that taught us that God is angry or wrathful or mean. Jesus here is a friend making sure that another friend knows that he’s always welcome with him.

Four ... Forgiveness is not a stand-alone experience. While Jesus is actively walking Peter through the process of forgiveness, he was also challenging Peter to become the person that Jesus has intended him to be -the leader, the caregiver, the servant, the feeder of sheep.

Those words “feed my sheep” in this context carry within them the comforting balm of forgiveness and the hope of a revitalized purpose.

We often define forgiveness as something that is important because of eternity, but here Jesus is reminding us that forgiveness is important in terms of setting us up, so that we can be the best version of ourselves as we strive to be followers of Christ.

I don’t know about you, but I know about me. There are so many things that I have done wrong,

so many mistakes that I have made,

so many times that I have failed,

so many occasions that I have stayed silent when I should have spoken,

so many times when I have sat when I should’ve stood,

so many times when I have been frozen in place when I should have stepped forward.

Jesus’ words to Peter reminds us that our weakness, our failure, our regret, does not do us in, but rather sets us up to the experience the forgiveness and grace of God through Jesus Christ.

Happy Easter everybody.

Amen.