In today’s Gospel the disciples have gone back to fishing. The events of Easter were over and they struggled to figure out what would happen next.

As we pass Easter, we are not at an end, but a beginning. Jesus says tells Peter: “Feed my lambs. …Tend my sheep. …Feed my sheep.”

For us it means standing with Christ and knowing that when we act  in opposition to the powers that oppress, discriminate, dehumanize, despoil the earth and its resources, we will make enemies. But we will do it anyway, because our beliefs are more than intellectual. There is work to be done.

Today’s message is based on John 21: 1-19. To listen online, please click the headphone icon above.

Note: The first few moments of this week’s sermon are missing from the recording.

The text of the mission portion is below:

It is good to be back after having the Sunday after Easter off (and thanks to Bob Ihler for filling in for me in my absence). Holy Week and Easter are always such a meaningful time in the life of the church, but it is also one of the busiest times.

If you’ve not been a part of the planning, preparing and implementing, I want you to know that it takes a lot of people, a lot of time, a lot of effort for everything to happen as it does on Holy Week and Easter,  and really any given Sunday of the year. I was thinking in my head on Easter that we could call that Sunday “All available hands on deck Sunday.”

If you’ve not been a part of the planning, preparing and implementing, you may take it for granted,  when you walk into a church service, or a wedding, or go to a play or a movie…you may not realize how much work it takes to make those things happen.