Third Sunday of Easter 2025 St Andrew’s Milngavie
Today we continued to celebrate the festival of Easter.
The Consecration of our new Bishop for the diocese, the Rev Canon Dr Nick Bundock, took place yesterday amidst much celebrating and rejoicing in a full St Mary’s Cathedral. We pray that Bishop Nick’s ministry amongst us will be happy and fruitful, we very much look forward to welcoming him to St Andrew’s at a future date.
Next Sunday 11th May 4pm at St Joseph’s is the Milngavie Choir Spring Concert. Please do support this, tickets can be bought on the door.
Also, on Sunday 11th May 5pm Evensong at St May’s Cathedral. This is a chance to meet Bishop Nick who will preach, everyone is welcome.
This Week
Tuesday 10am – Prayer Group in the Garden Room
Thursday 10am – Said Holy Communion followed by coffee in Friendship House.
Readings for next Sunday – Fourth Sunday of Easter – Acts 9:36-43 Revelation 7:9-17 John 10:22-30
Today’s readings – Acts 9 1-6, Revelation 5:11-14, John 21 1-19
Yesterday the diocese celebrated a consecration. In much pomp and ceremony Rev Canon Dr Nick Bundock became our new bishop and was warmly welcomed into the diocese. The cathedral, full to capacity, had pulled out all the stops to ensure a memorable and rousing occasion.
But as we know, these great moments don’t last and this morning the cathedral will no doubt be back to its usual routine.
I’ve always felt routine is very important, in fact many of us are creatures of habit and greatly value our daily routine. Routines which are made up of everyday tasks and concerns all sustaining us, shaping our lives and keeping us going. Routine which we can sometimes despise and grow weary of, but which we also for the most part cling on to and lean on to stabilize ourselves. In moments of great crisis, we particularly rely on routine. After personal bereavement and times of great anxiety it is often the keeping going with everyday tasks that help us to survive.
As the hymn goes “The trivial round, the common task will furnish all we need to ask….”
And so, it was for the disciples, confused, dismayed, unbelieving of the recent events of the crucifixion and resurrection, they sort refuge in their original lifestyles. They went back to fishing, gathering in groups on the seashore, doing what they had always done before where they felt safe, back to their old familiar routine. And it is here that we have the remarkable resurrection scene on the seashore, a calm domestic tranquil scene.
The disciples had been fishing patiently all night to no avail and then guided by a voice from the shore they recast their nets to huge success. Breakfast was then cooked and served, Jesus was back among them guiding, helping, serving.
And that was Jesus’ way, not judging and ordering about. There was no sense of panic, Jesus knowing his days with his disciples on earth were numbered and that he had only got till his ascension to sort his disciples out. There was no sense of pressure. Jesus simply came and fed his flock, sat with them, was their companion. He set no conditions as he waited to the end of the meal before he has the most extraordinary conversation with Peter.
“Do you love me?” he asks “Yes Lord” Peter replies
“Feed my lambs” says Jesus.
And again, he asks “Do you love me?” “Yes Lord” Peter replies again.
“Tend my sheep”
And the third time Jesus asks “Do you love me?”
“Yes Lord” Peter once again replies with what must have been increasing exasperation.
“Feed my sheep” John 21:15-17
When Jesus uses the word love here it is in a broad sense. It’s love them – love others – look after them – care for them. Jesus’ love is not about saying it but doing it. Jesus’ love is real love – love in action. Not simply an exchange of sentiment.
And here Jesus in his calm way was encouraging Peter to love as he loves us. In asking him three times for affirmation he was forgiving him his thrice denial. And charging him with the greatest challenge of all, and it is the challenge for all of us that true love involves responsibility and sacrifice.
And that was Peters call, and it is also our call to feed and tend God’s people.
In another major text this morning we have the conversion of Saint Paul, formally known as Saul the persecutor of Christians, but it was while Paul was going about his routine delivering letters for the synagogue that God spoke to him in the most powerful way resulting in his conversion. A conversion which enabled the growth of the early church and probably responsible for why we are sitting here now.
Conversion is an interesting subject and many people throughout the ages have come to faith suddenly dramatically and unexpectedly, in wonderful ways.
But many of us are cradle Christians nurtured throughout our early life and into adult hood by the routine and discipline of Sunday worship and school assemblies, perhaps not always very exciting and not always looked forward to but there quietly supporting and sustaining us helping us to grow in the faith of Christ.
We enjoy and celebrate the major festivals, of course we do, but it is the everyday routine of prayer and worship that really feeds us. As priests we are expected to read the morning and evening office daily, monastic life revolves around several daily offices, all this has the purpose of feeding us spiritually.
Jesus charges us to feed our sheep, tend our lambs and so we must.
But we must first feed ourselves, feed ourselves with the routine of prayer and worship. A routine which may not always be the most exciting but will sustain us and help us and encourage us, so that we may ultimately encourage others.