Breakfast on the Beach: Peter's Restoration and Calling

Some of us carry around moments we wish that we could undo. Yes. We do that. We look back at our lives and say, I wish that I could get that one back. Things we said, things we did, times that we stayed silent when we should have spoken, And sometimes that can do a number on us. Sometimes we quietly assume, well, you know, God can still use other people but probably not me because I I failed. This story says otherwise. Failure is not final, not with Jesus. [00:57:27] (44 seconds)  #FailureIsNotFinal

Hear that good news. God hasn't changed his mind about you. The gifts that he gave you way back then, they still matter. The calling that he placed on your life where every baptized believer is a minister, you know. I've been called to ordination but every one of us, we have a calling. And the question is not, have you been perfect? Have you lived it out perfectly? Because none of us have. The question is, will you follow? [01:00:49] (35 seconds)  #CalledToFollow

Jesus is not just forgiving Peter. He is reinstating him. He's restoring him. He is essence in saying, Peter, your failure does not disqualify you. Peter, your worst moment is not your final word. Peter, I still trust you. And then Jesus gives him his calling again. He says, follow me. It's such a beautiful scene and I think that it can speak to us as well. [00:56:16] (39 seconds)  #RestoredAndCalled

And then this third time, do you love me? And, you know, the scripture tells us there that that Peter is hurt. And it's not because Jesus is being cruel. It's because love love always being brings truth to the surface. Let me say that again. Love always brings truth to the surface. And Peter says, Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you. And, again, Jesus responds, feed my sheep. [00:55:43] (32 seconds)  #LoveBringsTruth

And so after breakfast, after they had eaten, Jesus turns to Peter. And get this, not to embarrass him, not to shame him, but to restore him. To restore him. And it is of no small significance that is three times that Jesus asked Simon, son of John, do you love me? Three times. And in this text, you can almost feel Peter squirming a little bit, can't you? But Jesus isn't rubbing it in. Jesus is healing it. Every denial of the three denials is met with an opportunity for redemption. [00:54:40] (48 seconds)  #ThreeTimesRestored

We show up. We extend grace the way that we've received grace. Then finally, one more. Your calling still stands. Peter's calling didn't change because of his failure. Yes. He denied Jesus, but that didn't change his calling. If anything, it deepened it because now Peter understood grace. And people who understand grace are the ones that God can use the most powerfully. And some of you need to hear this. God has not changed his mind about you. [01:00:08] (41 seconds)  #GraceDeepensCalling

I love that. This image of the savior of the world standing over a charcoal fire flipping fish because it's simple. It's ordinary. It's holy. So then they sit together and they eat. But don't miss this, this is really where I'm driving the point. There's something in the air because Peter hasn't forgotten and neither has that charcoal fire. Because the last time that Peter stood near a charcoal fire was the night he denied Jesus three times. And so can you imagine what that breakfast must have felt like for Peter? Awkward doesn't even begin to cover it. [00:51:09] (52 seconds)  #OrdinaryHolyMoments

He still meets us in the middle of ordinary moments, in your kitchen, in your car, on your walk, in in the quiet moments you didn't even realize were sacred until later on. Resurrection life doesn't just happen in big dramatic ways. It doesn't have to be at a revival or a church service on some mountaintop. You know. It shows up more often than not, it's been my experience, just in everyday life. [00:58:47] (31 seconds)  #PresenceInTheOrdinary