Focus

Experience silence in the midst of your busy day. Take some time to relax into a time to be with God.

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Read

John 21:1-19 (NRSV)

After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.

When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. 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. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.”

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Reflect

During college, if a teacher had instructed me to stay up all night and create a cake constructed as a medieval castle with towers and turrets, and to deliver it the next morning before going to class, I would have thought it be an unreasonable, crazy, foolish, and wasteful assignment! However, I joyfully did that very thing for my beloved (now husband of 33 years) without a moment’s consideration of how foolish or difficult it was. My motivating, energizing, and sustaining force was love. Wouldn’t it be awesome always to operate under that power? Well, why don’t we?

God created us to embody God’s extravagant love on the earth. God is love: The source of our strength, our motivation. Jesus fully embodied that truth and has come courting us in the most extravagant way! We are called to remember and live God’s love for us as well as our love for God—a relationship made real and accessible by Jesus, the Christ. Our beloved calls us to action with a question: “Do you love me?” If “Yes!” then let us eagerly follow our Beloved, motivated and empowered daily by God’s extravagant, eternal, and very present love.

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Pray

Our Holy God, remind us of your great love for us. Draw us near to you. Surround us and fill us with your living presence so that we are transformed daily into your image. Let the love that draws us and binds us to you empower us and motivate us in all we do and all we are. Lead us daily to embody your eternal, extravagant Love. In Jesus’ living, loving, powerful name we pray. Amen.

Go with God.