Third Sunday of Easter (May 4, 2025)

Seeing Clearly Because He Lives

Text: John 21:1–14 (+ Acts 9:1–22) Occasion: Confirmation Sunday

I. Introduction: Blurred Vision

A while back, I had cataract surgery. If you've been through it, you know how gradually the world fades — colors dim, glare increases, and nothing feels sharp anymore.

But the real surprise was what happened afterward. I hadn’t realized just how much clarity I had lost until it was restored. Suddenly, I could see detail again. Everything was brighter, clearer, alive.

I remember walking outside that first morning after surgery — the sky was bluer than I remembered, the leaves edged with clarity. I had seen these things a thousand times, but now, I really saw them.

That’s when it hit me — the physical mirrors the spiritual. We often don’t know how spiritually blind we’ve become until Christ restores our sight.

II. Disciples in the Dark (John 21)

That’s where the disciples are in John 21. Easter has already happened. Jesus is risen. They’ve seen Him — and yet, they’re adrift. So Peter says, “I’m going fishing.” Not as a weekend hobby, but as a return to the familiar — perhaps to avoid the questions he couldn’t yet answer.

They fish all night and catch nothing. The nets are empty. And so are their hearts.

Then, at daybreak, Jesus appears on the shore. They don’t recognize Him at first. He tells them to cast their nets on the right side. Suddenly, a miracle: the net is overflowing. John whispers, “It is the Lord.” And Peter dives in headfirst.

Their sight is restored.

This is about seeing clearly who He is and what His resurrection means. No longer is He just a teacher or miracle worker. He is the risen Lord, the one who forgives, restores, and calls.

Note, He didn’t summon them to a temple or a throne — He met them by a fire, with bread and fish. This is the heart of our faith: Jesus meets us in the ordinary, restores us not through grand spectacles but through quiet, faithful love.

III. Saul’s Sight (Acts 9)

We see another example of restored sight in Acts 9.

Saul wasn’t confused like the disciples. He was confident — confidently wrong. Persecuting Christians, believing he was honoring God.

Then, on the road to Damascus, a blinding light knocks him down. Literally and spiritually, Saul is struck blind. For three days, he cannot see.

Until Jesus sends Ananias — who lays hands on him and says, “Brother Saul… regain your sight.” Scales fall. He is baptized. Clarity comes. The one who was blind now sees — both the risen Christ and his own sin. His life is forever changed.

That’s what the resurrection does. It opens our eyes to truth, grace, and purpose.

IV. Breakfast on the Beach: Restoration and Community

Back on the beach in John 21, there’s one small, beautiful detail we can’t overlook: Jesus makes breakfast.

Think about that.

The risen Lord, conqueror of death, has every right to issue commands from on high. But instead, He meets His friends on the shoreline, cooks fish over a charcoal fire, and feeds them.

This is more than a meal — it’s restoration. Peter, who denied Jesus three times, is being gently welcomed back. The disciples, weary and confused, are drawn into community again.

Jesus isn’t just feeding their bodies. He’s feeding their souls. He’s saying: “I’m still your Lord. I’m still your friend. Let’s begin again.”

V. To the Confirmands: From Blurry to Clear

Confirmands — today, you are standing on your own “shoreline moment.”

You’re not just reciting memorized answers. You’re saying, “I see Jesus. I trust Him. I’m ready to follow.”

But let me be honest with you: there will be days ahead when your spiritual vision blurs.

You might go through seasons of doubt.

You might wonder where Jesus is.

You might feel like your nets are empty.

In those moments, remember today.

Remember the One who called Peter back after failure. Remember the One who opened Saul’s eyes after blindness. Remember the One who fed His friends and restored their faith with fish, bread, and love.

Jesus will keep restoring your sight. He’ll do it through His Word, His Supper, His Church, and His people. And no matter how blurry things get, His promise remains crystal clear: “You are mine.”

And don’t forget — He’ll keep showing up. You’ll have days when the shoreline is foggy — when you’re unsure, or even drifting. But take heart: Jesus will always be there. Maybe not in a blaze of glory, but in a Pastor’s voice, a Scripture you remember, or a quiet moment in prayer. He’ll keep calling you back.

VI. Practical Application: Living with Easter Eyes

To all of us here — what does it mean to live with clear spiritual sight?

It means we stop measuring our worth by what we produce and remember who provides.

It means we stop returning to the same old nets of comfort and sin and instead listen for Christ’s call.

It means we view:

Home as a place to serve in love.

Work as a calling to glorify God.

Suffering as something Jesus redeems, not wastes.

Neighbors not as strangers, but as souls Christ loves.

And it means we live each day knowing: “Because He lives, I see clearly.”

VII. Encouragement and Challenge

The resurrection gives us comfort — but also a challenge.

It says: "Now that you see clearly, walk in the light. Don’t go back to the dark. Dive headfirst into your calling."

Confirmands, congregation — the road ahead won’t always be smooth. But the Risen Christ walks it with you.

He’ll keep showing up on the shorelines of your life. He’ll keep calling out to you. He’ll keep feeding you, forgiving you, restoring you.

So go. Live with open eyes. Live with clear vision. Live with joy, because the One who died now lives — for you.

VIII. Conclusion: Full Circle Vision

I told you earlier about my cataract surgery — how I didn’t realize how much I’d lost until I got my vision back.

That’s the power of resurrection.

It shows us how dim the world was without Jesus. It shows us how sharp, bright, and real everything becomes with Him.

Because He lives, we see clearly. So open your eyes, lift up your hearts, and say with the disciple whom Jesus loved:

“It is the Lord.” Amen.

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Prayer of the Church—Responsive Form

Third Sunday of Easter

4 May 2025

Let us pray for the whole Church of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs.

Worthy are You, O Lord, to receive the praise and thanksgiving of Your people. For You have sent Your Son as the Lamb to ransom us by His blood and make us a kingdom of priests in Your service. Bless Your Church, that all we strive to do in Your name may be in accord with Your will. Accomplish Your holy purpose in us in calling many joyfully to know Your forgiveness and salvation. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Ever-living God, You raised up Saul from among Your enemies, and gave him spiritual eyes to see that he would suffer for Your name. Stir up all those baptized into Your name, and call many people to the service of Your Church. Lord God, heavenly Father, we thank and praise You for Your great goodness in bringing these Confirmands, Your sons and daughters, to the knowledge of Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, and enabling them both with the heart to believe and with the mouth to confess His saving name. Grant to _____________ that, bringing forth the fruits of faith, they may continue steadfast and victorious to the day when all who have fought the good fight of faith shall receive the crown of righteousness; Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lord of all nations, You provided a miraculous catch of fish to the apostles and, much more, blessed their efforts as fishers of men. Continue to bless the Church as she spreads the Gospel and gathers in as many as would be saved. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lord enthroned in heaven, You have ordered all the nations of the earth and have set Your Church among them to shepherd them unto eternal life. Hear the prayers we continually offer for our rulers, especially our President and Governor, and grant them faithful and peaceful governance. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lord of life, You are glorified in the sufferings of Your faithful people. Teach us to trust You through all our trials and graciously bear up those who struggle among us, especially Cathy, Sharon, and Gabe, that they would know the fullness of Your love. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Heavenly Father, whose Son Jesus Christ loved the young and called them to Himself, we ask You to bless these young people. Strengthen them in the faith through the Sacrament of Christ’s body and blood that what they receive with their lips they may keep in holy hearts and show forth in holy lives, so that they may grow spiritually and bring forth the fruits of faith in a life of love toward others to the praise and honor of Your holy name;. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lord Jesus Christ, great Shepherd of Your flock, it has pleased You to call Rev. Steve Smeback and Rev. Dave Sworhauth, Pastors of our Church body, into Your glorious presence this week. In humility we submit to Your will. We thank and praise You for all the blessings and mercy You bestowed on Your departed servants, and all Pastors who have faithfully served You and Your Church, especially for the years You permitted them to be Your undershepherds, to preach Your saving Gospel in its fullness and purity, to administer the holy Sacraments according to Your institution, to instruct the young and old, to comfort the sorrowing, to counsel the troubled, to visit the sick, and to bring back the erring. We praise You for having kept them and all Pastors who are now in your presence, faithful in the face of trials and difficulties, for having given success to Your Word which they proclaimed, for having built Your temple in the hearts of many through his ministry, and for having given them a blessed reception into the kingdom of Your glory in heaven. Help us gratefully to remember all who have spoken the Word of God to us as we await our joyful reunion in heaven. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lord, You are holy, and You sanctify us in Christ. Give us strength during temptation, courage in times of fear, comfort in distress and resolve in the face of persecution. Help us to abound in hope in every circumstance; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.