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“When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, ‘Bring some of the fish that you have just caught’ … ‘Come and have breakfast.’” –– John 21:9-10, 12a, 13
I love my bowl of cereal in the morning –– Raisin Nut Bran with a couple of banana chips sprinkled on top, and bathed in Vanilla Almond Milk. Is it the healthiest? I don’t know and I don’t care. It hits the spot for me as if I even understand what “the spot” is. Contained in the perfectly sized bowl I’ve used since we received it as a wedding gift (from SMPC members Kathy and George Garner) almost thirty-six years ago, it provides the optimal sustenance to get me even to mid-afternoon on busy days. And, surprise, surprise, I don’t like to deviate from the menu. If I have anything less, or skip breakfast altogether, I’ll get light-headed before noon. If I eat a heavier breakfast, I’ll greet the day feeling like a pachyderm desperate for a nap.
Thus, I’ve never been enthusiastic about breakfast meetings. I love bacon but I don’t want to go into the office smelling like it. I love a good cheese omelette, but I’d rather have it for dinner, not to mention that I’ve always struggled to meet and eat at the same time no matter what meal it is. I get the willies just imagining taking notes with syrup/jelly/honey residue on my fingertips.
Yet, the risen Jesus sees fit to call a breakfast meeting, and so be it. Sometimes, obliging the host is more important than accommodating my beloved routines. When old friends on a long road trip can pull off the interstate long enough to meet you at Denny’s, you go. So rare is it to see these friends, you’d even be willing to eat the Grand Slam breakfast to accommodate them, and just stop at 7-Eleven for some Tums before you get back to the office. The time with them is precious precisely because it is so short. You know you could sit with them in that diner booth until sundown reminiscing, telling stories, sharing heartaches, dreams, and hopes, while only scratching the surface of all you’d like to share. It is an encounter of grace at which the Spirit of God often shows up, too.
Critical for the journey of faith is recognizing those heaven-sent occasions when the possibility of exorbitant fellowship visits you. The time and the menu are almost irrelevant (almost!) beside the grace of empathic friendship. Peter understood this, jumping from the boat and swimming through the chilled morning sea to be “at the table” with Jesus. He didn’t want to miss a moment of rarified fellowship with Christ. As the philosopher of adolescence, Ferris Bueller, said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Even if it’s a breakfast meeting.
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