Breakfast by the Fire

by Pastor Gina Johnson

I know I've shared with you all many times that after Halloween, I feel like I blink and it's Christmas, you know, and I felt that throughout my entire life, but have six kids and then you really feel it or become a grandparent and you really feel it or you know, something of that nature. You really feel it. And so I didn't even blink and I looked online and I'm like what 40 some days till Christmas, you know that as of today, it's 47 days till Christmas.

And I mean, I think it was like almost a month ago where I started seeing things in the stores change and I know they always do that. But boy, it just frustrates me because I'm like, where are we all rushing to? And the thing is, we're not even rushing towards the birth of Christ. We're not even rushing towards what the season is actually about.

We're not rushing towards gratitude and Thanksgiving and coming together to just be grateful. You know, we're not rushing towards sitting there and the knowing that God so loved the world that he gave us his one and only son so he could walk before us. So he could be the way shower or the master teacher and we could all find ourselves not just within him, but within ourselves, within the image of God, which is what we are created in.

We're not even rushing towards that. We're rushing towards are the spare bedrooms ready for when the family comes? Have we all bought all our gifts? I was at this place, which is like a Cargolargo kind of place, except for it's called like the Gopher, you know, one of those big box kind of places that has every kind of interesting item there. And it's funny as I was walking through there with Dorothea, I'm like, hey, if you see any Christmas presents for people, let's go ahead and start getting them, you know, and it's just one of those funny things.

And so as we are about seven weeks, give or take, away from Christmas, we are going to start a journey together, but we're not going to rush towards the holiday. We're not going to sprint towards Bethlehem. We're not going to lace up our shoes and see how fast we can get through this.

Instead, we're going to journey towards returning. We're going to journey towards returning to ourselves. We're turning towards being present because there's going to be a lot of noise and it's going to come from our workplaces, our families.

It's going to come from social media. It's going to come from the stores and the traffic. It's going to come from the blistery cold mornings.

But most of all, it's going to come from inside of our heads. It's going to come from those spaces of wondering, do we check all our boxes? Do we get everything done? Should I invite that family member that I can't stand the minute they walk through the door, right? Yeah, exactly. But we're not going to be there.

When we come together here, we're going to be present as we continue to walk towards that beautiful time that we call the celebration of the birth of Christ. And so this morning, you know, I'm inviting you. I'm inviting you to return to a quiet place with me by the fire.

I'm inviting you to remember a place where God is always present, even when we forget to look for God. I'm inviting you to recognize that there is no race towards Christmas, but there is a homecoming journey of the soul that we are all on each and every day. But we're going to spend these next several weeks really sinking into that because in every real return, you know where it begins.

It starts right where we are. It starts recognizing right where we are. So let's jump into this scripture.

It's in John 21 verses 1 through 14.

Afterward, Jesus appeared again to his disciples by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way.

Simon Peter, Thomas, also known as Didymus, Nathaniel from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and the two other disciples were together. I'm going out to fish, Simon Peter told them, and they said, we'll go with you. So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, friends, haven't you any fish? No, they answered. He said, throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.

When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because a large number of fish. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, it is the Lord. As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, it is the Lord, he wrapped his outer garment around him, for he had taken it off and jumped into the water.

The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from the shore, about a hundred yards. When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it and some bread. Jesus said to them, bring some of the fish you have just caught.

So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, come and have breakfast.

None of the disciples dared ask him, who are you? They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.

As we go through this next several weeks, we're taking a backwards trip to the manger. So here we are. Jesus was crucified.

He was resurrected, but still there were many disciples that were unsure what was going on. You guys remember the two on the road to the Emmaus when Jesus walked up right beside them, joined them. They didn't even know it was him until he broke bread with them there.

So here we are in the scriptures. The disciples have seen the risen Jesus. They're experiencing glory.

They're experiencing shock to their systems and they're probably experiencing quite a bit of confusion right now. You know, their life has changed and they're trying to figure out what do we do now? So what did Peter decide?

He said, well, I'm going fishing. You know, a lot's happened. My teacher, one of my best friends, the one that I've placed all my hope and trust in, died. His body's missing, resurrected and wait. Yeah, I'm going fishing.

And so, isn't that funny? Because a lot of people who hear that story thought, well, they must have lost faith. They must have gave up, you know, they didn't know what to do. So he said, we're just going to go back to ordinary life. We're just going to go back to fishing. What do we do now?

No, no, no. They didn't lose faith. They're just human. You know, when life hits you really fast and the rest of you hasn't caught up to it, sometimes it's just easier to go back to the last thing that you know.

It's easier to step into the familiar and to be in that familiar until your soul catches up to you. It can be really challenging when you get blindsided by something to say, what do I do next? You know, it's like, well, shoot, I had a challenging evening last night and this morning. So, what do I do?

I come back to familiar. I come back to home. I come back to where the soul is familiar and finds peace. And one place where that is always guaranteed to be is right there in the presence of the Lord.

You know, it's interesting. Some of us, we encounter something that's sudden and it can be small. It can be big. It's whatever you decide. And we do. We return to our routines. We get back in the flow of things. And it's not because we're faithless. It's just because we're trying to find our footing again.

We're trying to steady ourselves after we've been rocked, whether it's big or small. We're just trying to like, oh, okay, where do I go from here? And this is never failure. It's not failure to pause.

This is part of the transition. This is part of the navigation. This is what faith and trust is all about.

You don't have to run and figure out the next thing. As a matter of fact, you're probably not going to be able to figure out the next thing if you don't pause right where you're at and just take a moment and be nourished. You know, when you know that Christ is with you in every moment, especially the ordinary ones, it makes it a lot easier to stop and be present to them.

They were fishing all night and they caught nothing. And when Jesus showed up, what did he call them? Did he say, hey, disciples? Hey, learned students. Hey, apostles.

No, no. He said, hey, friends.

Because when Jesus saw his friends out there, he wasn't looking to meet his disciples that were going to go on and take over the world with their great ministry. He was looking to meet his brothers. He was looking to meet his human friends.

He was calling them into just being before nudging them into becoming. Because you can't get into the becoming if you don't stop and just be. You know, they cast that net again when the Lord told them to.

And right then, John knew. John knew. It's the Lord.

And we're not surprised when Peter then jumps out and just goes swimming. You know, I wonder how many of the disciples were like, bruh, we were just a couple minutes away. You didn't have to go showboating like you always do. But he did, you know.

When they got there, when they got to the shore, the fire was already going. Jesus wasn't waiting. He already knew. There was fish already cooked. Bread was already prepared.

You know, that is the God of the universe. That is our creator. And what was he doing? He was making breakfast.

How many times do we skip past what's happening right in front of us? How many times do we not savor those ordinary moments, those very special moments with the ones we love? How many times do we not pause to our own needs and just be present for a moment? Because we're so caught up in chasing the next solution. And chasing the next thing that's going to help us bypass the thing that we're in.

Peter, he didn't know what to do. And I'm proud of Peter because he wasn't trying to bypass what he just experienced. He was saying, I don't know what to do, so I'm just going to go do what I know. I'm going to fish. And maybe he was a little ahead of himself because maybe in his subconscious, he thought, you know, the Lord met me out on the water the first time. I bet he'll meet me out there again.

And he did, you know, and it's interesting because when they showed up, you guys remember what Peter did? We don't even talk about it, right? We know what Peter did. He traveled with Jesus all that time and there was a rooster crowing and we all know what happened in between there. When he showed up, why didn't Jesus say, why did you even jump off the boat? You denied me. You don't even really care about me. Get out of here. What are you doing here?

No, he didn't scold them. He didn't ask them how many converts they made in the past few days. He didn't ask them what were they doing wasting their time fishing when there's a gospel message to be given. He simply said, hey guys, come and eat.

Come have some breakfast. And that's the first thing that I want to bring attention to is that in order to truly return to who we are, we need to stop and be present where we are. Finding and feeling the presence of the Spirit, just sitting there in the presence of that spiritual honesty that really nourishes the soul.

It doesn't require a church service. It doesn't require fasting. It doesn't require running around looking for something. It just requires stopping and being still.

And Jesus called them to that moment. Sometimes you just need to walk forward in the ordinary because that's what life is about. What do I always call it? That educational sandbox.

And someday the only way we're going to hear what our master teacher is saying is by taking our fingers out of our ears, not looking at our list, not being caught up and trying to fix everything. But just by sitting and eating the meal that's been prepared for us.

And that meal, it comes in his word. That meal comes in song. That meal comes when we sit with our friends and our family. That nourishment of the Holy Spirit is always available to us.

Sometimes it comes best for me when I'm driving in my car on my way to the office. Other times it's when I'm trying to sing in the shower. Other times it's when I'm doing dishes.

That meal is there and it's waiting and Jesus wants to nourish you before you go running off. Before you go and try to chase that next thing that's going to make you whole. It's already right here in front of you. You don't return to self; you don't return to God by becoming who you think you should be. By pursuing that perfect strong person who has it all together, who is going to pull through everything and do just fine.

No, you return to yourself by trusting, by having faith, by recognizing even if you don't have it all figured out and things aren't lining up perfectly that he's going to meet you right there.

And actually forget that. He's not going to meet you right there. He's already right there. But are you?

You know, when you really trust that God's promises, God's words, God's truth is true, then, it doesn't matter if you look the best, if your hair is not done right, whether or not your outfit matches. It doesn't matter if your emotions are here, there and everywhere. It's having faith.

And it's having that time with God that will steady us, that will prepare us, that will re-ground us and show us our sure footing so we can step into the next moment. You don't have to fight your way back to spirituality. You don't have to strive and stress and try to fix it all on your own. You can put it down and just arrive, just be where you are and show up a hundred percent.

And if you're one hundred percent looks like a minister standing at a podium crying because their son is having a tough time, then bring it. If you're one hundred percent is smiles and sunshine and rainbows, even though the world around you isn't feeling it, bring that too.

Because one hundred percent is who you are right where you are and knowing that no matter how you show up, Jesus is going to see what's on the inside and he's right there with you and he's ready. He's ready and he's ready for you to be ready.

How many of us right now are finding that place? How many of us are taking the time to find that fire on the shore and sit down and allow ourselves to be nourished? Or are we too busy worrying about all of our to do's and making sure everything is perfect for the season that we're in? And let's not even lie and say it has anything to do with the season because I know a lot of people are this way year-round, myself included.

We're this way year-round. And so now I'm telling you there's a fire, there's a beach, there's fish and there's bread and there's a savior. And he's saying, “Hey guys, just come eat. I don't have an agenda to hand you. I don't have a pamphlet for you to go pass out. I'm not going to give you your Master of Divinity so you can go and teach everyone the gospel. I just want to feed you.”

Before he gives them direction, he gave them breakfast. Before he started talking about their purpose, he started calling them to be present. Before he says follow me, he says eat. That's what he says. He's just calling you to stop in that moment and be nourished.

And it's amazing because we have times in our life where someone or something is beckoning us to come and be still and sit by the fire and receive that nourishment. And we come up with a thousand reasons why we can't, why we shouldn't.

You know, I spent a big chunk of the service last Sunday trying to decide is it okay for me to ask for a prayer request? Is it okay as a minister to crumble for a moment and to cry and to say, hey guys, I need you to be the pastor. I can't do it this moment. How silly was? You know, yes, it's okay.

You know, I don't know how many times I've heard from you guys when you've been navigating through something that you're sorry. “I'm sorry. I just can't do more because I've had surgery.” “I'm sorry. I just can't do more because I'm experiencing this with my grandchildren,” or they're home sick or this is happening, what are you sorry for? You're sorry that you're being a kind, compassionate person navigating life? You're sorry that you're a grandma that got stuck with the kids because they're under the weather and mom and dad had to work?

No, that's amazing. There are some people that don't have parents to call when their little ones are sick. You know, you're sorry because you missed a Sunday because you went to a sports game?

Who cares? Be present. And if you're called to be present on the beach or if you're called to be present in your grief or if you're called to be present with that child or with your spouse or with your best friend, just be there. Stop trying to rush past the moment and be present.

Jesus was on the beach and he was saying, sit, eat, and let me be here with you first before anything else. You know, before the angels filled the sky, before the peanuts are singing on Christmas, before all of that, it was just Jesus saying, hey, come have some breakfast. I'm here to serve you.

Have you ever walked into a setting, whether it was maybe your own kitchen, a friend's kitchen, maybe even a cafe to meet a friend? And as soon as you walked in, you knew how you were feeling. It's been a long week. You had a lot going on and you were thinking in your head, man, I shouldn't have said yes to this encounter because I don't want to be a Debbie Downer.

You know, it's like my friends have been asking me to meet with them. And what am I going to talk about? My illness, my loved ones that passed away, the hard times at work, my broken relationship. It's like you don't want to be there, but you must drop the strength and you walk in and you're ready.

They're going to ask, why haven't you done this? Where have you been? Did you get to this? Are you doing okay? How can I help you? So you're ready. You got your answer prepared and you're not going to show them that you're hurting in any way. You're not going to show them that you're challenged in any way, but you walk in and they say, hey, I already ordered your coffee. Have a seat.

And you get caught off guard because they don't want anything from you. They don't want your excuses. They don't want the daily news of everything going wrong in your life. They just want you to sit and be. You ever have that moment where you think you have to show up and put on some kind of performance and you have like the weight of the world on your shoulders and then you walk up to someone and they're just like, hey, it's so good to see you. And they just hug you and that's all they wanted.

How often are we, like the disciples, putting expectations on ourselves and finding ourselves in those moments of like, what do I do now? I don't even know.

Well, I'm proud of them. I'm proud they didn't start trying to build a church or take down the Pharisees or attack the Roman Empire. Instead, they said, eh, let's go fishing because it's safe. It's familiar. It's what we know. And maybe on the inside, they knew they were going to meet Jesus there.

Jesus doesn't ask you to explain yourself. Jesus doesn't ask you to give an account of why you're not checking all those boxes that you set for yourself. He's just asking you, would you come and eat and rest because you're mine and I'm yours and I'm here to nourish you.

Last Sunday when I was in my shower, it's where I do some of my best thinking. I thought about my congregation a lot because I was toying with this thought of just staying home with my son, you know? And I say toying because I never would have done that. I never would have just called out that way.

But I was thinking in that, like, “what do I have to bring them this morning?” I knew I had a sermon planned and I felt good about it. I knew I was excited to see them and I felt great about that too. But on the inside, I was feeling like, what am I going to bring them? But I want to tell you guys something. The question isn't how spiritual can I be? How much can I do? How fast can I prove to you guys that I am holy? You know, it's like when I'm at the pulpit on Sunday morning or anywhere else, if for just a second, I can remind you who you are.

If I can look at you the way God looks at you, which actually causes you to see a reflection of yourself, then attagirl, Gina, because that's all I want to do. I just want to come in here and I just want to empower you. I just want to encourage you.

I want to be a mirror that reflects to you who you are. You're divine and you're great and you're perfect and you're whole and you're children of God. And maybe your bank account or your relationships or your health or your family or whatever else isn't screaming that at you.

But I am and God is. And we should all be screaming that to one another. You are whole. You are divine. And regardless of what this earth is trying to do, what this world is trying to say, that doesn't change what God says. We are his children, created in his image, empowered by the Holy Spirit.

We are light and love and divinity in this world. And this is my invitation to tell you, when you may not feel those things, do me a favor, deep within, still hold on to them and still know they're true. And then allow yourself to be welcomed.

Allow yourself to sit by the fire. And if you need to sit by the fire and yell and scream and say, what is going on? When's it going to get better? Do it. If you need to sit by the fire and silence and meditation and quiet, do it. If you need to sit by the fire laughing and rolling around uncontrollably, do it.

Whatever it is you need to do, the fire doesn't go out and the spot beside it is always waiting there for you. Will you join me this week and sit by the fire? Will you feel that warmth? Will you put down all of the stories and all the noise, if even just for five minutes, and remember who you are? And if for any reason you can't, well, give me a call and I'll remind you.

Because when I look out here and when I look out there into the world, what I see is God. And if all you look for is God, all you're going to see is God. So, I'm inviting you to be present in that with me.

Today, guys, we're going to start that journey of returning to the cross. But first, we're going to eat breakfast.

Please pray with me.

Our most gracious and loving God, we are so grateful for your word that is ever living, everlasting, and ever true. We are so grateful for our family, our church, our congregation, our community, and for the presence of your Holy Spirit that reminds us who we are because of you. And so, God, as we go from this place, may we feel the power of your spirit.

May we feel permission to yell and scream and laugh and dance. But most of all, may we feel the Christ Jesus that lives within us and through us that is us. It's in Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.