Claimed, gathered and sent

This is the sermon I preached on Sunday, 5/1/22 at St. Timothy Lutheran Church . The text was John 21:1-19 . Click here to listen/watch this song.   Golde goes through the litany of all she does as a good wife of the time. Doesn’t that show she loves Tevye? Ultimately, they each decide that they do love each other. As that scene closes, they sing together, “It doesn't change a thing. But even so, after twenty-five years, It's nice to know.”   Jesus asks Peter, “Do you love me more than these?” These what? In verse 15, who/what are the “these?” Is Jesus talking about fish? Since Jesus was no longer with the disciples in person, was Peter returning to fishing? Or, was it just a way for him to go to the familiar and clear his head? What do you think?   Are the “these” the other disciples? Here we have Jesus commissioning Peter as leader of the disciples. Does Peter love Jesus more than the other disciples do, or does he love Jesus more than he loves the other discip...

These are a few thoughts on this coming's gospel, John 21:1-19. In verse 15, who/what are the “these?” Is Jesus talking about fish? Since Jesus was no longer with the disciples in person, was Peter cashing in his chips by returning to fishing? Or, was it just a way for him to go to the familiar and clear his head? What do you think?   Are the “these” the other disciples? Here we have Jesus commissioning Peter as leader of the disciples. Did Peter’s love of Jesus need to excel that of the other disciples?   Are the “these” all of the above? Was Simon Peter willing to give up all the familiar to follow Jesus and lead the disciples?   Jesus’ call to each one of us is to love him more than “these;” the “these” of work, family, home, friends. That doesn’t mean we have to live an isolated life like some desert hermits—quite the contrary, since our call is to be Christ’s presence in the world.   Simon Peter, like Jesus, was crucified for the faith. It is sai...

This is the devotion I shared with the people of St. Timothy Lutheran Church .  John 21:4-14 ( The Message ) 4  When the sun came up, Jesus was standing on the beach, but they didn’t recognize him. 5  Jesus spoke to them: “Good morning! Did you catch anything for breakfast?” They answered, “No.” 6  He said, “Throw the net off the right side of the boat and see what happens.” They did what he said. All of a sudden there were so many fish in it, they weren’t strong enough to pull it in. 7-9  Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Master!” When Simon Peter realized that it was the Master, he threw on some clothes, for he was stripped for work, and dove into the sea. The other disciples came in by boat for they weren’t far from land, a hundred yards or so, pulling along the net full of fish. When they got out of the boat, they saw a fire laid, with fish and bread cooking on it. 10-11  Jesus said, “Bring some of the fish yo...