EDINBURGH NORTHWEST KIRK
MAY PRAYER DIARY
The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
(Psalm 23 : 1)
* * * * *
Prayers for each day
4 May our services at Cramond and Pennywell
5 May Julia and her family
6 May the possibility of peace in Ukraine
7 May the ongoing situation in Gaza, that Israel will open up supply routes for aid agencies
8 May the people of Myanmar and Thailand recovering from the recent earthquake.
9 May peace in Sudan/South Sudan
10 May the work of Fairtrade
11 May our joint service at Cramond
12 May Christian Aid Week which starts today
13 May the many activities taking place in the parish to raise funds for Christian Aid
14 May the ministry of Christian Aid in response to Climate change
15 May the ministry of Christian Aid in Lebanon
16 May for the new Moderator, Rev. Rosemary Frew, minister of Bowden and Melrose Parish Church
17 May Start of General Assembly. Pray for a spirit of unity.
18 May our services at Cramond and Pennywell
19 May The Most Reverend Hosam Naoum, Archbishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, who will address the Assembly.
20 May for overseas visitors to the Assembly
21 May for young people attending the Assembly
22 May Conclusion of the Assembly
23 May Emma McMillan in her studies
24 May the Visiting Team
25 May our services at Cramond and Pennywell
26 May Open doors ministry: pray for Christians facing persecution in Somalia
27 May for Fresh Start
28 May for all activities amongst the young in the parish
29 May the ministry of CrossReach in Scotland
30 May those recently bereaved
31 May for the Teams of Elders supporting the ministry of Edinburgh Northwest Kirk
Reflection
Commentary on John 21 : 1 - 19
Scholars often refer to John 21 as the epilogue of the Gospel. It’s possible that it was added by an editor after the Gospel was written; after all, the Gospel seems to end in 20:30–31 with this sign-off: “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.” However, ancient epilogues often functioned as second endings or wrap-up narratives that told the fates of the main characters. That is exactly what this passage is doing, tying up some loose ends and letting us know a bit about what becomes of Peter and the beloved disciple. So it could very well be original and be structured to follow the conventions of ancient Greek literature…
Fellowship by the fire : There are some intriguing details in this part of the story. First, John purposefully points out that the fish are being cooked on a charcoal fire (using a unique word for “fire” in Greek, anthrakian) in order to connect this scene to Peter’s denial in chapter 18, where he warms himself by a charcoal fire (same word). This alerts the audience to the fact that what comes next is closure for Peter’s denial plotline.
Another fascinating detail involves the 153 fish that the narrator includes in his description of the large catch. Commentators have many theories on the significance of this number, suggesting it refers to the number of fish species or the number of nations in the world known at that time. None of these have sufficient evidence behind them; it could very well just be a fisherman’s habit to count how many fish they caught (which would make sense if fish were sustenance and livelihood as well as a taxable good for the Romans). The point is that the catch is miraculously large and thus completes a Johannine theme of the abundance of the Messiah, a theme that started in John 2 with a vast quantity of water transformed into good wine in Cana.
A final detail catches the audience’s attention here—the narrator’s comment that “none of the disciples dared to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ because they knew it was the Lord.” Just as the Emmaus disciples do not recognize Jesus until they break bread with him (Luke 24), the disciples here do not recognize that it is Jesus until the beloved disciple interjects, and then they all come to eat breakfast with him. It is a fellowship meal, much like communion, in which Jesus shares food and a piece of himself with his disciples. This meal is not one signalling Jesus’ death but pointing forward to community life after resurrection.
Good Shepherd handoff : This frame of the scene ties up several narrative threads. First, we have a reversal of Peter’s denial and shame as Jesus prompts a triple confession of Peter’s love set at a charcoal fire like the first. The words for “love” in this passage alternate between agapao and phileo, but the current consensus in scholarship says that these words are not speaking to different types or qualities of love but are, rather, interchangeable. John seems to favour alternating words for variety in this passage because he does the same with the words for sheep and lambs.
Which brings us to another theme, closure. The Good Shepherd discourse from chapter 10 finds new life in Jesus’ words to Peter. Now, instead of Jesus being the shepherd who loves the sheep, Peter is being asked about loving the shepherd and then is given the task of tending to, or grazing, the sheep. Just as Jesus’ love for his sheep led to him giving up his life, Peter’s path will also lead to death as he follows Jesus and cares for his sheep.
Jennifer Garcia Bashaw
Associate Professor of New Testament and Christian Ministry Campbell University Buies Creek, North Carolina
(https://www.workingpreacher.org/authors/jennifer-garcia-bashaw)
If you have a prayer request or a favourite prayer which you would care to share in a future Prayer Diary, please e-mail office@cramondkirk.org.uk