- Apr 30
(a Steve Orr Bible reflection)
Each weekday morning of my childhood—thousands of them—started out pretty much the same way. I awoke to the fragrance of coffee and pooka-pooka sounds of the percolator. Joining that were the sounds and smells of country bacon snapping and crackling in our cast iron skillet. Long before I was awake, Dad had started all of this by lighting the burners on our gas stove. I slept through that initial whoosh of energy. Later there would be eggs, fried (always over medium), and on the best days, bread toasted under the oven’s broiler, dark and crispy around the edges with four yellow bulges where the little chunks of broken butter pats had been dotted.
As anyone can tell you, I am not a morning person. I have to gradually transition from sleep, in stages, gently trading pieces of sleepiness for pieces of wakefulness. I am like a deep-sea diver, slowly ascending from the depths. I will eventually come to the surface. But, oh, I am slow to take hold of the day.
Those fragrances and gentle noises, and thoughts of eggs and toast to come, were an essential lever to get me from horizontal to vertical, especially on school days.
That may be why this week's passage from John 21 is one of my favorites. Reeling from recent events, restless, frustrated and stressed, the Apostles needed—something. One night, still a bit shell-shocked after the death and resurrection of Jesus, Peter declares, "I'm going fishing." The rest of the guys, at loose ends, exhausted from the "not knowing" of whatever is coming next, decide to go with him. That night's fishing doesn't produce a single fish. But that's not really the point of fishing, is it?
When Jesus arrives early the next morning, he changes everything. He helps them catch a great deal of fish, and then says, "Come and eat breakfast." Jesus cooked breakfast for his people. He called them to breakfast. They came and they ate.
I love the ordinariness of this episode. It reminds me of when God fed Elijah in 1 Kings, strengthening him for the 40-day journey that was still ahead of him and, as a result, for all of his future actions as a prophet of God in this world. God gave him what he needed: a nap and some food.
For the Apostles, being front and center for the most important events in history was extremely stressful. They needed to go fishing and eat some breakfast. They needed a great big dose of ordinary, and that’s what Jesus gave them.
Sometimes, what we need the most is a simple thing: a nap, some food, a quiet moment, a pat on the back, a hug. To borrow from Stephen Covey, we need to take time to “sharpen the saw.” In case it’s not clear: We’re the saw.
God doesn't ask of us what we cannot do. It's just that we often fail to perceive our fullest capability. If we will but take it, God provisions us so we can carry out what he has planned. God gets us what we need.
Come, and eat breakfast.
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BONUS MATERIAL
