April 20, 2025
Today the sun is shining, and it’s a beautiful day to celebrate Easter! But you don’t get to Easter without the cross. We have extra crosses around church during Lent leading up to Easter. At Trinity we have a wooden cross here. We have three crosses outside that light up at night! At St. Peter’s we have a woodern cross, then the little resurrection garden has three crosses! You know the cross for you and me is so often a comfort. We know it means we are redeemed by Jesus and saved from our sins. But after Jesus died, for his disciples the cross was a broken promise and an unmet expectation. They thought Jesus’ talk of God’s kingdom meant they would together overthrow the Romans and end oppression. To them the cross meant that Jesus let us down. He didn’t come through. They wondered, did we waste our lives following him? Did we spend 3 years with him for nothing? That’s how they felt, before Jesus rose. They felt letdown by his death.
Do any of you feel God let you down? My biggest letdown was when my mother died. I wondered, how do I go on? I don’t know your biggest letdown. But most of us, we have a biggest letdown. It could be something we never talk about. Because of it, we live with fear, hurt, disappointment, or shame. We suppress the questions we have and the fears we have. We may have the sense we’re not good enough. We can feel we let others down or let God down. We don’t ask God to help us in our letdown.
At Easter, we are eager to celebrate the resurrection, but before we get there we have to deal with suffering. We need to make God the Lord, not just of the resurrection, but make him the Lord of our letdowns, of the low moments of our faith.
After Jesus rose from the dead, he appeared at different times and in different places to his disciples. In John 21, the risen Jesus appears to Peter and six other disciples when they are in a boat, fishing with nets. Jesus is standing on the shore, but they don’t recognize him. Jesus calls to the disciples, he says, “Friends, haven’t you caught any fish?” “No!” they say. Jesus says, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” They do, and they catch so many fish they can’t haul the net in! Then the disciple who Jesus loved (that’s the nickname John gave himself!), John says, “It is the Lord!” They hurry to shore; they are so excited! They see Jesus cooking fish! This is the only time Jesus cooked. Why did Jesus take up cooking after he was resurrected? It’s like he knew his disciples needed some comfort.
Jesus says to the disciples, “Come and have some breakfast.” He serves them bread and fish. Then Jesus asks Peter three times, “Simon, do you love me?” Peter keeps answering, yes, you know I love you! Jesus says, feed my sheep and follow me!
The disciples have to work through the letdown that Jesus wasn’t what they expected, he was not a revolutionary. But they also have to work through the feeling that they let Jesus down: that they ran away in Jesus’ time of need. Peter also feels bad that he denied knowing Jesus three times.
Jesus cooks breakfast on the beach and comforts his disciples, because he wants them to know, His love for them was made clear on the cross. He doesn’t care that they let him down. He gives grace upon grace. What he wants them to do, is to get up and keep going. Jesus does not want shame and guilt to hold them down. Jesus isn’t finished with the disciples, and that’s why he is cooking fish.
I want you to say Jesus words: “Friend, come and have breakfast!” Imagine Jesus just saying that to you! All is forgiven. Easter isn’t enough for Peter to get past feeling he let Jesus down. He needs to know, Jesus is making me breakfast. He wants me to feed his sheep. I’m forgiven! So, Peter gets back up, and that’s why soon he’s preaching to 3000 people on Pentecost! He gets up after the letdown.
We all need to know that God is there for us in our letdowns. The Christian life is not pain free. You will experience times when you feel God isn’t with you. I’m sorry life lets you down. Maybe you feel you let God down. Easter means that Jesus rose from the dead and saved us from our sins. But if you only know he arose, you won’t get past your letdowns. The other message of Easter is, you’ve got to get up! Your purpose demands it! God’s not finished with you! God’s love for me, for you, and for the world is settled at the cross. He loves you and you are his friend. Amen.
I’m going to pray a prayer, of faith, or of reaffirming faith. Let us pray: Jesus, thank you for your sacrifice on the cross and for forgiving all my sins. I give my life to you, lead me in your ways. I receive new life in your name, Amen.
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