{"id":19558,"date":"2022-07-21T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-07-21T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/urc\/urc-daily-devotionthursday-21-july-2022"},"modified":"2022-07-21T06:00:00","modified_gmt":"2022-07-21T05:00:00","slug":"urc-daily-devotion-thursday-21-july-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/urc-daily-devotion-thursday-21-july-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"URC Daily Devotion\u00a0Thursday 21 July 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"

St John 21: 15 – 19<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, \u2018Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?\u2019 He said to him, \u2018Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.\u2019 Jesus said to him, \u2018Feed my lambs.\u2019  A second time he said to him, \u2018Simon son of John, do you love me?\u2019 He said to him, \u2018Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.\u2019 Jesus said to him, \u2018Tend my sheep.\u2019  He said to him the third time, \u2018Simon son of John, do you love me?\u2019 Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, \u2018Do you love me?\u2019 And he said to him, \u2018Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.\u2019 Jesus said to him, \u2018Feed my sheep.  Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.\u2019  (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, \u2018Follow me.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Reflection<\/span><\/strong>
Yesterday we heard how the disciples physically sustained the community that had drawn together around Jesus and continued to live together past Jesus\u2019 resurrection. And as Jesus sat down for breakfast with disciples who had gone fishing, we were reminded of the physical and spiritual feeding that so often went hand-in-hand as Jesus sat with his disciples. Yet do we see these acts of feeding in or as part of our calling as church communities or personally?<\/span><\/p>\n

In these four verses of John\u2019s gospel, there is no ignoring the reconciliation between Jesus and Peter after Peter\u2019s denial of Jesus. In response to the three denials, there are three proclamations of Peter\u2019s love for Jesus. Across these three exchanges, Peter found forgiveness, saw his relationship with Jesus restored and heard again the call. The call, however, was not just to follow; it was also to feed. And as we saw from Peter\u2019s act of \u2018going fishing\u2019, this was not only a call to provide spiritual feeding, but it was also a call to physically feed the people. Peter was to ensure those who would follow Jesus were nourished body, mind and soul.<\/span><\/p>\n

In Bromley United Reformed Church, since 2006, there has been a project called the 5000 Project. Its focus before the Pandemic was the physical nourishment of the most vulnerable in society\u2014those without a place to call home. Yet, over the years in a quiet way, through the relationships forged, there was spiritual nourishment too of both those who came to be served and those who served. Since the Pandemic, with other agencies having taken on the services the project provided, the question is now being asked, \u201cwho is God calling us to feed and how?\u201d There is still the call to physically feed people, but there is also a strong sense of call to provide spiritual nourishment. And this is not something to be done by only one person, but by the whole community.<\/span><\/p>\n

Prayer<\/span><\/strong>
Jesus said:<\/span>
Humanity cannot live on bread alone,
the Word of God must also nourish.
Lord God, you call us to enable this:<\/span>
to provide for those who are hungry
in body, mind and soul.
Help us to serve those in need\u2014<\/span>
physically and spiritually\u2014<\/span>
as we serve each other<\/span>
as your people together<\/span>
through Jesus Christ,<\/span>
the one who provides nourishment<\/span>
and sustains it by the Holy Spirit. Amen.<\/span> <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

St John 21: 15 – 19 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, \u2018Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?\u2019 He said to him, \u2018Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.\u2019 Jesus said to him, \u2018Feed my lambs.\u2019  A second time he said to him, \u2018Simon son … <\/p>\n

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