Sea of Galilee – Marilyn R. Gardner

I love eating breakfast out at restaurants. Perhaps it’s because I rarely do it, but when I do, it’s always a vacation feel – a sense of the unexpected.

So it was with new eyes that I read the line “Come have breakfast” in the gospel of John.

The verse comes after Jesus has been crucified and has risen, appearing to different people. First he is seen by Mary, then by the disciples and finally by others. He’s on the banks of the Sea of Galilee watching the disciples fishing in a boat on the sea. They have fished the entire night and they’ve caught nothing. Their nets and stomachs are empty. But this man on the banks of the sea tells them “Just try it one more time.”

Just one more time.

So they do it. Weary, frustrated, hungry – they still try one more time. And the result does not disappoint. They catch so many fish that they can’t even bring the full net in. It’s too heavy. You can picture it – fish jumping around in the net, strong men trying with all their muscles to hold the net but they have to throw some back.

And that piece is amazing – this picture of trying one more time and filling a net.

But the compelling piece is on shore where Jesus takes the fish and fixes it for them – those hungry, weary humans. Those men who he has eaten with, walked with, stayed with for three years. He knows them. He knows their frame, he hears their hearts – and he invites them to breakfast.

“Come and have breakfast!”*

Said with full knowledge of all that the invitation means. Come rest. Come sit. Come and be filled. Come – have breakfast!

It’s an early morning here in Boston. The quiet of the city morning is broken by a raucous group of homeless who are waking to the day. Except for coffee shops and a brand new Walgreens that boasts a 24-hour day, all businesses are still closed, their steel barriers down from the day before.

And I have an invitation to breakfast from One who will give rest on a weary Monday.

Maybe you haven’t fished all night – but maybe it’s something else. Maybe your worries have kept you up to the wee hours, your mind occupied with so much that concerns. Maybe something else has kept you up all night – tears flowing because it’s safe when no one can see them. No matter – you have an invitation to breakfast from One who gives rest.

*John 21:12

Along with Todd Akin’s asinine choice of words we have ourselves another scandal – only this one is so much more fun!

Enter the Swimming nude in the Sea of Galilee Scandal of the Summer.

After a long, hot day in Israel, Republican lawmakers along with some of their families and staff decided to jump into the Sea of Galilee. Many jumped in fully clothed but one free-spirited Republican bared more than his opinions, stripping down and swimming sans clothes in the beautiful sea. He may be the first elected official from the United States to do so, but believe me – swimming nude in the Galilee is a bipartisan activity that has been enjoyed by many.

One group in particular comes to mind. The Middle East Studies Program that began in 1993 under my husband’s leadership brought students from all over the United States to study in Egypt for a semester. Included in this study abroad program was a trip to Israel/Palestine. A good motto for ~~one~~ most semesters would have been “What happens in Galilee stays in Galilee”, for it was a bit more racy than fishes and loaves. On a night with clear sky, a slivered moon and twinkling stars the guys in one group decided to experience the sea in a more intimate way – they swam nude (skinny dipped if you want to use the vernacular) While one of the women in the group guarded their clothes, the men enjoyed a memorable evening. It should be noted that their fearless leader was a full participant in the scandal.

So what do I think of elected officials doing the same? Good for them! Personally I don’t equate nude bathing to having affairs and sending pictures of private parts to anonymous ladies that you meet over the internet.

These people live under a microscope, their every word and sentence questioned, parsed, and diced. Within one day their lot can change– so argue their politics all you want, but for God’s sake let them frolic in the sea! Who on earth did they hurt?

And if, in the process one of them brings back some drops of water for a baptism, good for him! It’s a story their child will never forget.