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.
John 21:1-19
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 his outer garment, for he had taken it off, 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.”
My sermon from the 3rd Sunday of Easter (May 4, 2025) on John 21:1-19
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So it’s a tradition of mine on the Sunday after Trash and Treasure to include something from the sale in one of my sermons. Often what I talk about is an item I find that speaks to my story or reflects my pop culture sensibilities. This time, though, what I brought with me isn’t something I found. Instead, it’s an old green leather pouch filled with yellowing paper that I believe Tom Kearns found while digging through the box. The paper was actually five little booklets with different names and an address written on the outside. Each booklet was filled with what appeared to be small rectangle coupons with tear away edges that were covered with letters, numbers, and various symbols. For pieces of paper that are over eighty years old, these documents are in incredibly good shape. Yet they’re more than simply a written record of a family that once called New Jersey home. They also tell a story since the words “Ticket Ration Book Holder” is embossed on the outside. In 1942, the US began restricting what kind of food people could buy. There was a need to make sure they had enough food to feed an incredibly large army as well as conserving all the resources used to can, process, and transport food all over the country. The little coupons in the back of these booklets were “points” that would be torn out and handed in so people could purchase the milk, sugar, fruit, and eggs they might want for breakfast. The crisis they were living through had upended life as they knew it to be. And learning how to live into what’s next was a challenge even for those living in the comfort of home.
Now today’s reading from the gospel according to John comes from a chapter that feels like it shouldn’t exist. We heard, last week, words that felt like they ended the entire book. Yet, like Jesus himself, there’s always more to the story. After meeting the resurrected Jesus in Jerusalem, several of the disciples left the city for the Sea of Tiberius – which was just another name for the Sea of Galilee. John, unlike the other gospels, doesn’t tell us exactly why these disciples went home. Jesus’ death and resurrection had, though, upended their expectations and left them wondering what they should do next. They probably needed a moment to reset themselves and decided to do the very human thing of returning to what they once knew. Yet their time with Jesus had changed them in ways that made it impossible to go back. Peter’s decision to go fishing was, I think, him reaching out to a kind of life that felt comfortable and safe. The feel of the net in his hands, the wood of the boat underneath his feet, and the night air rushing through his hair – that was the life, while never perfect, was at least familiar. But even when we can go back, it’s never really the same. The disciples’ time with Jesus – the joys, the hardships, what they heard and what they experienced – changed how they saw themselves, those around them, and their God. Their old patterns no longer meant what they once did. Their story had changed since Jesus brought them into something so much bigger than themselves. Their life, history, and future was wrapped up in a God who wouldn’t let them be the limit to their own story. Their next chapter was already being written which might be why they caught nothing when they went back to how things used to be.
And so, when a new dawn broke, they noticed something different on the beach. A person stood by a small cooking fire trying to get their attention. After giving some advice, these disciples listened – tossing what they knew into the sea. And when they pulled up their nets, an overabundance of fish finally appeared. They knew Jesus was here and so they quickly came ashore. When they drew close, they saw a barbeque covered with the same food Jesus blessed, broke, and gave out to the over 5000 people he served a few months before. But instead of stretching out someone else’s lunch into a feast with crumbs left over, Jesus cooked up – by himself – enough for each of them. They weren’t the ones who made the fire, harvested the grain, ground the flour, or baked the bread. All they did was maybe add a little extra fish onto the feast they didn’t make happen. The disciples listened to their Lord, participating in the abundant life Jesus was still bringing. The disciples, on seeing Jesus, probably hoped there was still a chance to go back to how things were. They were grateful for the resurrection but longed for the closeness they once had. A Jesus they could easily talk to and literally walk behind feels like a Jesus that’s much easier to follow. Jesus, though, regularly sent his friends out to let others know how much more their story could be. And they could do that because the Jesus who still lives would be with them – always. The fullness of their own experience with Jesus – with their questions, struggles, joys, doubts, and the undoing of their expectations – was all they needed to make Jesus’ love real in the world. Their time with Jesus had changed them, building a foundation for what their next chapter would be about. The Jesus who welcomed them, taught them, included them, and was there for them – had already shown them what their new life could be. And while it often feels as if we need more to our own story to be the kind, patient, compassionate, and faithful person we want to be; the Jesus who has already chosen us as his own will – in worship, through the Spirit, and at His table – provides what we need to be.
Now when I dug a little deeper into the story behind these war ration books, I wasn’t able to find any information about the names written on the books. I have no idea how many people lived in their house – a house that still stands – or even if they were Christians. Two of the signatures look like they were done by kids still learning how to print their letters and write in cursive. And spattered across the front of one of the books are stains from cooking in the kitchen. On the book for who I assume was the mom of the family is a note saying “29 sugar until December 20” while so many of the coupons have the torch of Lady Liberty as its icon. I wonder what it was like for this family to head to the market to get stuff for breakfast. I’m sure there were plenty of arguments about what they could get even though they knew their hardships were small compared to what other people in the world were going through. Maybe there was an older brother, an uncle, a dad, or an aunt serving in various ways overseas. And when they looked at the shelves in front of them and counted their tokens, I wonder if they felt as if they just didn’t have enough. We can’t easily reconstruct their entire story since all we have are a few bits of paper contained in an old leather pouch. But we can trust that the Jesus who, through the Cross, wrote a new chapter for everything God loves, knew their story as much as Jesus knows your own. We all go through times when we don’t feel like we can be who we imagine God wants us to be. Yet through baptism, in faith, in worship, with the Spirit, and while connected to each other – we have what we need to be God’s love in the world. When we gather at Jesus’ table, we are invited to a meal we didn’t make. Yet it is a meal Jesus made for you. And if Jesus was willing to give the entirety of his story – his birth, life, death, resurrection, and beyond for you – the least we can do is participate in the love God has for us and for the world.
Amen.