It is the Lord

So what are we passionate about? What gets us up in the morning and I don’t mean the radio or the alarm clock Maybe its a particular sport or art or music or a TV program. What ever it may be we talk about it with Passion and we live it and love it. When ever we think about it or the person it brings a smile to our faces. 

Well Peter was not very excited or passionate about his job of fishing in fact he was up all night and they had not caught anything. He was probably tired and a little bit worn out by the whole thing. Seeing Jesus although not recognising him. Remember this is after the Resurrection many of the disciples of Jesus had problems recognising Jesus. He had changed but maybe they had not. It was through the signs that he did that they began to reconginse him. After the Haul of fish it was the one that Jesus loved John that recognised him and said “ It is the Lord” 

Now by this time they were quite close to the shore and Peter who was naked jumped into the sea. Now Peter was excited to see Jesus he lost all rhyme and reason and ran out into the water. You can almost imagine the other disciples rolling their eyes. Look he’s off again. He was passionate about seeing Jesus. Remember this is the man who a few weeks earlier had denied he ever knew Jesus not once but three times. He turned his back on Jesus and now he is running towards him. He will soon know what Jesus has in store for him. HE forgot about the fish, he forgot that they had the catch. Yes he had to go back and help and Jesus reminded him of it but in that moment he ran and got into the water. 

Sometimes in life, and we all go through it. We do not recognise Jesus at work we do not recognise his love for us. And no matter who we are or what we go through or how well we do at our exams or what we think about Jesus even if we do not believe in him. The Good news is that he cares about you he loves you. And if we are like Peter who Denys him who gets things wrong who puts his foot in the situations and makes the biggest mistakes HE knows and loves you. He knows you by name he sees you and he loves you. He sees your situation your difficulty with your friends, your difficulty in a particular subject, he sees you that you have been toiling away and have not got any thing to show for it. But he does not say well give up don’t do it not he tells you to try again try changing try the other side if the boat. Look at the situation differently look at it from a different angle and you will see the answer. Sometimes you have to be foolish like Peter and just jump right into the water. But, he will be waiting for you because he loves you and knows you and wants to spend time with you. This is what Jesus did to peter and the disciples come and have breakfast come and be with me lets break bread let's talk lets build relationship.

In the hospital I have witnessed the same as the disciples who have seen the Lord and say to me it is the Lord. The other week I was with someone who was sacred of dying. I prayed with them and they felt the God;s presence in their lives they felt his loving touch. 

Maybe there are some of you today who need to feel his presence in your life that need to feel his love. That need to be able to say It is the Lord. To hear him say I love you and I am with you in these situations in these hurts in these places where you do not recognise me. Well I want to sure you that he is with you he is there he is walking by yourside. 

I asked the question at the beginning of the sermon about what gives you passion. For me it is Jesus because of what I have shared with you because I have seen him change peoples lives and change their circumstances and change who they are. How? By simply recognising that they are loved and they say simply It is the Lord who is walking by myside.