the 3rd sunday of easter
the PRAYER …
Eternal and all-merciful God, with all the angels and all the saints we laud your majesty and might. By the resurrection of your Son, show yourself to us and inspire us to follow Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
the READING …
Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. john 21:1-19
the DEVOTION …
It’s always been easy to tell the difference between beginnings and endings. As kids, we looked for the once-upon-a-times and the happily-ever-afters. Years began with January and ended with December. Weeks began with Sunday and ended with Saturday. And days? Days began at sunrise and ended at sunset. When, we grew up and became more technical. Like on Christmas and New Year Eves, when we counted off the hours and minutes and seconds!
This week, the phrase that caught my attention was “just after daybreak.” I saw those words and they reminded me that the bible looks at time differently from us. A day begins not at sunrise, but at sunset! Starts at it and ends with it! The sabbath begins at sunset Friday. Not midnight. Not sunrise. But at sunset Friday and ends at sunset the next day. And sunrise? Well, to tell the truth, it’s just kinda there! Separating day from night, night from day! So, when Jesus stands on the beach, “just after daybreak,” it’s neither a beginning nor an end! It’s whatever’s smack dab in the middle! Which is an interesting place to find Jesus! We’ve come to expect him at one end or the other! Beginning or end! Creation or secondComing! But this week, there he is, stuck in the middle! Not yesterday! Not tomorrow! But right here! Right now! Somewhere in between! Just after daybreak! It’s no wonder we never see him! We’re always looking in the wrong places!