Reading
When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them, and though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus 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. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
John 21:9-15
Reflection
Out of all the things Jesus could have done when he appeared to his disciples after his resurrection, he chose to make breakfast for them. He chose a humble, ordinary, intimate act to reconnect with his disciples. This is not what I would have imagined the risen Christ would have done after rising from the dead, yet this is what Jesus chose to do.
Easter is a cosmic event. In the cross and resurrection, God in Jesus Christ has reconciled all things to himself, conquered death, and begun the restoration of all things. Jesus’ resurrection changes everything, but its effects are experienced in the micro just as much as the macro, perhaps even more so. God breaks into the most mundane moments in our lives, creating new possibilities. Every moment is an opportunity for resurrection.
We don’t see this just in the big moments. We see it in the tiny glimmers of hope in the everyday—the child’s smile, the joyful laugh, the hidden act of generosity, the attentive act of listening, the quiet speaking of a name. We can experience resurrection in every ordinary moment. Rowan Williams writes, “God begins always with who we are now and what we are now: and it’s there, now, that life comes from death, and light from darkness.”
As it turns out, after the very ordinary moment of sharing breakfast, Jesus did something miraculous—at least, it must have seemed so to Peter: Jesus reconciled with Peter, who not only abandoned him during his time of greatest need, but denied even knowing Jesus. Sometimes the small experiences of resurrection lead to the great ones.
Today, as you go about your day, may you experience resurrection in the seemingly small, ordinary moments of daily life, and may that power permeate more and more of your life moment by moment—perhaps starting with today’s breakfast.
Prayer
God of the great and the small,
You guide galaxies,
And you arrange atoms.
Let your life loose in our lives,
In moments great
And small,
Because with you,
Every moment
Is lived
In the light
Of your Son’s resurrection.
Amen.
