It being very cold lately, lots of people are suffering from the flu, or other sicknesses! I hope they will recover soon with the strength of the Lord.

In Hakata, in Fukuoka, we can find a short funny dialect called "Hakata-niwaka". A Christian once said to me that "Jesus had another job!" I asked him what that was, and he replied "He was a restaurant owner!" In this dialect, this sounds exactly like Messiah! pronounced with a Japanese accent: "Me-shiya". Did you get it?

Now, back to today's scripture passage: the Disciples were fishing in the lake. That night they had caught nothing. Verse 3: Nothing is more disappointing than when we catch nothing after having been well-prepared. So, the Disciples were very disappointed. They felt depressed. Then, into this scene, Jesus appears. I also visited Lake Galilee when I visited Israel, the other day! Anyway, in this story, Jesus called to them from the shore, "Haven't you caught any fish?" -- This reminds me of a certain pastor who said exactly the same thing when we were fasting in my bible college -- Well, those disciples answered, "No." How fortunate and blessed it is to lead a life talking with Jesus all the time! They were asked by Jesus and they answered, and here we can observe their close relations. This relation should be found in church. We are all to depend on one another. Each of us has our own room in the Church, where we feel most comfortable. We are each members of the family.

In my trip to Israel, I heard that when fishing in Lake Galilee, it's easy to see the fish in the water from shore. Jesus watched His disciples because He cared so much for them, and He helped them fish. Jesus also cares for us, and keeps watching over us all the time.

Again, back to today's story, on the shore, food was ready for the men, as they hurried back to Jesus. Having betrayed Jesus, all of the disciples must have felt uneasy about being with Jesus again. Think about it, it's not comfortable to dine with those we do not like, or whom we feel must not like us. It's hard to eat together with people we hate. Unless we like, forgive or accept such people, it's impossible to dine with them. But Jesus is not like us. Jesus, Himself, started to dine. Though they refused Him, Jesus naturally welcomed the disciples to His supper.

In Psalm 23, we find a verse that says that the Lord eats with us in front of the enemy. Satan tries to get us by making us think this way: because we have sinned so much, the Lord will never forgive and accept us. We are so far from God. However, the truth is different. Just before the eye of the enemy (Satan), Jesus invites us to His dinner table demonstrating our firm relationship and the strong love between us. This is the relation between us. The Lord accepts us as we are right now. And we are to follow Jesus in this way; being accepted by Jesus in what we are, let us accept one another. But it has nothing to do with being self-centered. Knowing God's forgiveness, keeping selfish or trying to have your own way is different. Jesus asked Peter three times if he would love Him. This is exactly what the Lord is asking us. Being a person who has been forgiven and accepted, we are to follow Him in this behaviour.

To love is to take action. To love is not just to keep saying "I love you", but to show the love through what you do.

This year, I really want our church to be a congregation who has dedicated itself to the Lord. John 17:19. Remember how much fish the disciples caught with the words of Christ. I believe this is true for our church too. We need to cast the net to the place where the Lord tells us to. We really need to hear His voice. Maybe He tells to change the place to cast. Maybe He wants to do a different thing than we expect to do.

This year we are really to be persons who have dedicated our whole selves to Jesus' directions. If we believe Jesus loves us, we are to offer ourselves to the Lord this morning.

Translated by Junko Okamoto - Edited for the Net by Shido
For another sermon see: Oita Evangelical Christ Church
For all sermon indicies see: cHaPeL nOaH sErMoN iNdEx