John 21: 1-14 Have you caught anything to eat?

Yesterday I mentioned a little of Christ Jesus' humor.  Today in the Gospel, the Risen Christ stands upon the shore and calls out to a boat of adult male fishermen, "Children, have you caught anything to eat?"  I wonder how annoyed they were at first, or if they thought this guy was crazy, especially when he next told them to throw their nets over the other side of the boat.   Here's the catch, they threw their nets on the right side of the boat like the guy on shore said, and they caught so many fish, they nearly couldn't haul it in.  That was when John recognized the Lord and dove into the deep water to be the first to reach Christ on the shore. 

Once all together, the Lord feeds and nourishes them for their trouble and exertions in reaching him when he called out to them.  That is the cool thing about the God, he is always the initiation, the first mover, whether as God the Father, God the Son, or God the Holy Spirit, and then he waits for us to respond, and join into a communion with him.  This Easter season, we have a Risen Lord encouraging us to repent and live do that we might live in him.  How are we responding to that call?

Luke 24: 35-48 You Are Witnessess

There is a Joan Osborne song, One of Us, which asks what would it be like if God came and were one of us, who would know?  Would he have friends, or be an outcast?  In breaking open the Word with friends yesterday something was mentioned about Christ Jesus' humor.  He had a good sense of humor and almost plays with his friends in a loving manner this week as earlier in the stories of Mary Magdalene, and those on the road to Emmaus.  Today we almost get that sense again as he comes to the disciples in today's reading, in the midst of them, almost making them jump as he suddenly appears.  He loves them, and they him.  We laugh and enjoy our friends.  Laughter and teasing are a part of good relationships and helps to forge a close bond. 

Some of the disciples have seen the Risen Lord.  Some have not.  Christ Jesus stands in their midst.  They are confused, their reality is being tested.  Jesus asks, "Why are you troubled?  Why do so many questions arise in your hearts...?" 

It is almost like Jesus is telling them that he is still the same person even though he has died and resurrected, that nothing has changed.  He still loves them and is their friend.   Everything that he has ever told them in the past is true, but now he invites them to understand everything they shared together, every experience, every conversation in a new way, and to continue having those shared experiences he breaks the bread and shares the fish, eating it with them, and conversing like they always did.  He reminds them that he had a mission was to fulfill "what was written of him in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms": that "the repentance, for the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all the nations...that they are witness of these things."