Stranger on the shore

Gospel John 21.1-14

At that time, Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias.
He revealed himself in this way.
Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus,
Nathanael from Cana in Galilee,
Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples.
Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.”
They said to him, “We also will come with you.”
So they went out and got into the boat,
but that night they caught nothing.
When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore;
but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?”
They answered him, “No.”
So he said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat
and you will find something.”
So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in
because of the number of fish.
So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.”
When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord,
he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad,
and jumped into the sea.
The other disciples came in the boat,
for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards,
dragging the net with the fish.
When they climbed out on shore,
they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread.
Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.”
So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore
full of one hundred fifty-three large fish.
Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.
Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.”
And none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?”
because they realized it was the Lord.
Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them,
and in like manner the fish.
This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples
after being raised from the dead.

Sermon

“Jesus was standing on the shore”

The liturgy of the Easter Vigil and of Easter Week always draws us meaningfully, with the first disciples, into the experience of the Resurrection – as it has done once again this year. Now that we are launched into the Weeks of Easter that will carry us through to the Ascension and to Pentecost the Paschal Candle reminds us of the glorious reality of the Risen Lord present in our midst. But sooner, or later, we find ourselves plunged back into the hum drum reality of our everyday lives and what of the reality of the Resurrection then.

John 21 is a postscript to the gospel proper. Here we find the apostles back up north returning to their fishing boats on the Sea of Galilee. The short three years they have been away accompanying Jesus on his preaching, teaching, healing mission have ended. It’s back home to their families and their fishing. It is hard work and frequently unproductive as it has been this past night. What is the relevance of those last three cataclysmic days in Jerusalem now? I doubt if they were still feeling much Easter joy as dawn broke over Galilee on this new day. But then they have a new resurrection experience through a stranger on the shore who waits them.

These words ‘stranger on the shore’ conjure up in my head the haunting music of Mr Acker Bilk on his saxophone and the words that go with it;

Here I stand,

So all alone and blue

Dreaming dreams of you.

The sighing of the waves

The wailing of the wind

The tears in my eyes burn

Pleading, “My love, return”

Why, oh why must I go on like this?

Shall I just be a lonely

Stranger on the shore?

As the disciples draw near to the shore of Galilee they see a stranger on the shore who engages them in a conversation that results in a fruitless night of disappointing endeavour turning into a morning of fulfilling fishing. The stranger even prepares and serves breakfast on the sea shore and “they new quite well that it was the Lord”. He hadn’t deserted them but would be with them always wherever life would take them from here on.

Whatever the context of our contemporary earthly lives may be we too must keep alive our encounter, and interaction, with the Risen Christ. Let him in scripture and prayer engage with us in our daily lives. Let him regularly entertain us at his table where he will nourish and sustain us with the spiritual food of his body and blood. When we encounter the darkness of the night, when we feel weary because life seems hard and unproductive, let us lift our eyes from our plight and see the ‘stranger on the shore’ and let his help dawn on our despair.

Christ is risen, He is risen indeed, and we are an Easter people. Alleluia!