Opening Prayer:
Gracious God, we worship you today united in Spirit and in truth. As we reach the end of Bible Month, we give thanks for Your living Word which is a lamp to our feet, a light to our path, and story that speaks into our own.
Like those first disciples on the shore, we come with our questions, with our ordinary lives, and our empty nets. Meet us here, Lord Jesus, in the stillness of this moment. Feed us with your presence and renew us by your grace. Open our ears to hear your voice,
our hearts to receive your love,
and our lives to follow where you lead.
May this time of worship draw us nearer to you, and closer to our siblings in Christ through the fellowship of your Holy Spirit.
In Jesus’ name we pray,
Amen.
StF 558 – Lord, you have come to the seashore
Lord, you have come to the seashore,
neither searching for the rich nor the wise,
desiring only that I should follow.
O Lord, with your eyes set upon me,
gently smiling, you have spoken my name.
All I longed for I have found by the water,
at your side I will seek other shores.
Lord, see my goods, my possessions;
in my boat you find no power, no wealth.
Will you accept, then, my nets and labour?
Lord, take my hands, and direct them.
Help me spend myself in seeking the lost,
returning love for the love you gave me.
Lord, as I drift on the waters,
be the resting-place of my restless heart,
my life’s companion, my friend and refuge.
By Cesáreo Gabaráin. Text and music © 1979, 1987, Cesáreo Gabaráin. Published by OCP. All rights reserved.
One Licence Song Number: 6905
Bible Reading
John 21
After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. 2Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin,* Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. 3Simon 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.
4 Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5Jesus said to them, ‘Children, you have no fish, have you?’ They answered him, ‘No.’ 6He 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. 7That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!’ When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the lake. 8But 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.
9 When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. 10Jesus said to them, ‘Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.’ 11So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. 12Jesus 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. 13Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
15 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.’ 16A 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.’ 17He 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. 18Very 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.’ 19(He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, ‘Follow me.’
20 Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; he was the one who had reclined next to Jesus at the supper and had said, ‘Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?’ 21When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, what about him?’ 22Jesus said to him, ‘If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!’ 23So the rumour spread in the community* that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, ‘If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?’*
24 This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true. 25But there are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.
Time to reflect:
As we come to the close of Bible Month, we reflect on the final chapter in John’s Gospel in which the disciples are sent forward by Jesus.
After all that has happened, after the betrayal, the crucifixion, and the empty tomb, John’s Gospel now takes us to the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The disciples have returned where many of them began to once again fish on the lake. In their uncertainty about the next steps, they have returned to their familiar life from before. Yet, their journey does not end here.
Into their ordinary morning of fishing and failure, Jesus comes unexpected and unrecognised at first. He calls out to them, guides them to a miraculous catch (repeating an earlier miracle in Luke 5:2–11), and then invites them to breakfast.
In meeting the disciples in a simple act of sharing a meal on the beach we too are reminded that the risen Jesus meets us not just in grand moments of life, but in familiar and everyday settings. We are also reminded that Jesus moves us away from what is comfortable and familiar and reminds us of our call to engage with new people in new places.
While gathered on the beach Jesus begins a conversation with Peter. Three times Jesus asks him, “Do you love me?” And three times Peter replies, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” These questions echo Peter’s earlier three denials, not to shame him, but to restore him. Jesus doesn’t just forgive Peter; he recommissions him. “Feed my lambs… Take care of my sheep.” (John 21:15-17) Peter’s past failure is not the end of his story. Instead, Jesus offers Peter his restoring and reconciling grace and calls him again to leadership. In doing this Peter is no longer held back by feelings of shame or unworthiness as he is invited by Jesus to participate and lead in God’s mission.
This passage gives us some reassurance. Although we may falter, make mistakes, or deny Jesus in our thoughts and action Christ does not give us up but comes to us again. Christ offers us his forgiveness and grace and in so doing calls us by name and gives us purpose; to share his good news with all people in all places.
As we end Bible Month, we are reminded that the Word is not just what we read in holy scripture but is incarnate in Christ and is to be lived as part of our discipleship. The stories we have engaged with are not just past events but they also form part of a continuing narrative that involves us in our present time and context. Just like Peter, and the other disciples, we are called to respond to Jesus’ love by committing our lives to that love.
Jesus says to Peter what he says to each of us: “Follow me.” This calling to follow Christ applies in whatever stage of life that we are in. In times of joy and confusion, in weakness and strength, we are called to follow Jesus and to continue our journey with him: Learning, loving, and praying. How this happens might look different in different contexts and in the changing phases in our lives; yet the call is life-long, reminding each of us that we have a role in God’s Kingdom. As this year’s Bible Month concludes, may we continue to open our hearts more fully to the living Word, may we hear again Christ’s call to love and follow, and may we continue to share the love that we have received with those around us.
Prayers of intercession
You are invited to pray silently for:
The needs of the world…
The Church and its calling…
Loved ones going through difficult times…
For peace, justice, and reconciliation…
In Jesus name.
Amen.
The Lord's Prayer
Please use the version that you prefer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
On earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
As we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
And deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power
and the glory are yours
Now and for ever.
Amen.
StF 563 – O Jesus I have promised
O Jesus, I have promised
to serve you to the end;
Lord, be for ever near me,
my master and my friend;
I shall not fear the battle
if you are by my side,
nor wander from the pathway
if you will be my guide.
O let me feel you near me;
the world is ever near;
I see the sights that dazzle,
the tempting sounds I hear;
my foes are ever near me,
around me, and within;
but, Jesus, now draw nearer,
and shield my soul from sin.
O let me hear you speaking
in accents clear and still,
above the storms of passion,
the murmurs of self-will;
O speak to reassure me,
to hasten or control;
Lord, speak, and make me listen,
O guardian of my soul.
O Jesus, you have promised
to all who follow you,
that where you are in glory
your servant shall be too;
and, Jesus, I have promised
to serve you to the end;
O give me grace to follow
my master and my friend.
John Ernest Bode (1816–1874)
Music © 1960 Josef Weinberger Ltd. CCLI Song Number: 1089531
Final Prayer
Gracious God, in your Son, the risen Jesus, you met Peter by the fire, and you meet us now through the Holy Spirit; restoring what is broken and offering us your divine grace. In Christ, you called Peter to care for your sheep, and you call us now to love, to serve, to follow Jesus in our daily lives.
As we go from this time of worship, may your Word continue to dwell within us. May the Word be the truth that guides our stories. May we answer Christ’s call with courage and faith as we seek to share the love that you have given us. Send us forward, not in our own strength, but by the power of your Holy Spirit, to live as Christ’s disciples in this time and place and work for your Kingdom. In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
