" Where Will You Find Wonder, Delight, and Breakfast."

Children's books have names like One Fish, Two Fish; Red Fish, Blue Fish. There used to be and still for some there are screen savers on our computers that pretend to be an aquarium. Long weekends in the bush, on silent lakes waiting for the first nibble on the line or sea stories about "the one that got away." It seems like fish turn up everywhere. Maybe that's because fish are such fascinating creatures. Fish come in an amazing variety of shapes, sizes and colours, and they move so gracefully through the water. Watching them can be soothing or entertaining. They can be eaten in any setting, from around a campfire to the finest restaurants. Fish just never seem to be boring. From early childhood to old age, fish seem to be a source of wonder and delight for so many people.

Maybe that's why, in this Sunday's gospel passage, the words that really stand out are Jesus' first words to the disciples: "My friends, you have no fish, have you?" These are such sad words, especially after trying all night and getting no fish. The people Jesus loved seem to have no source of wonder or delight. They can't even make a decent meal. In the ancient Middle East, for a meal to be considered complete, you had to have bread and fish. Fish weren't just part of a heart-healthy diet, fish were essential. No host would let any of his guest's slaves or otherwise go without fish. If the host did he was treating them as less than human and would be seen as a poor host. So, without fish the disciples weren't even human beings. No fish despite working all night. All they had was just an empty boat. No wonder, no delight, and no breakfast.

We can almost hear Jesus' sadness because his beloved friends didn't have any fish. Wonder, delight and breakfast are some of the things that make life worth living. And the One who came so we would have life abundantly is naturally unhappy when we don't have them. When the disciples thought Jesus had been taken from them forever, they thought that all the wonder and delight had gone out of their lives. So, they returned to their fishing boats, but couldn't even catch breakfast.

But Jesus met his friends in that hour of need and despair, and showed them that with him, they would have everything they needed. Wonder, delight and breakfast. But, Jesus doesn't just give the disciples fish; he does something more. He helps them find the fish. Jesus leads the disciples to the place where they will find wonder, delight, and breakfast--everything that they needed in life, at least for the moment.

As the disciples are pointed to where they will find the things that make life worth living, they recognize their risen Lord. The disciples recognise the hand of God in providing them with such an abundant catch of fish. When the disciples finally realize that the stranger on the shore is their beloved friend Jesus they recognise that he is the true source of their wonder and delight, and everything else that makes life worth living.

Even when we have nothing of our own, Jesus will provide us with those things that will sustain and delight us. And, on the beach with him, all that we find in our daily life on earth that is good and beautiful and fascinating, is served back to us with the bread of heaven, and washed down with living water. The fullest meal possible is the gift we are given; the gift we are continually offered. And all that we have to do is accept the invitation: "Come, and have breakfast."