Sunday service for 19 April 2026, third Sunday of Easter

Sunday 19 April 2026, Third Sunday of Easter
Gourock St. John’s Church of Scotland
Service prepared by Rev. Teri Peterson
Manse phone: 632143
Email: TPeterson (at) churchofscotland.org.uk
Email Charlene, Parish Assistant: CMitchell (at) churchofscotland.org.uk

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Prelude Music (praise band)

Welcome

God-sightings

We Gather As God’s Family (As the Bible is brought in, we stand and sing)
A family gathered in love,
striving for justice and joy,
blessing the broken-hearted,
and sharing the hope of God’s kingdom.

Opening Responses
1: It’s been a few weeks…It’s time to get back to normal.
2: What does normal mean after Easter?
1: He was supposed to change the world, but…
2: Everything still looks the same, so best get back to work.
1: Can the new life he promised really be the same as the old?
2: Can resurrection really be in the past already?
All: Listen — do you hear his voice?
It is the Lord!
He is risen, and he is here!

Sanctuary Hymn 429: Alleluia! Jesus is Risen! (organ)

Easter Prayer
Holy Risen Lord,
You surprise us with sacred in the midst of the ordinary.
We go about our lives,
not always knowing how to live into the new life you promise,
so we do what we know to do, what feels comfortable and easy.
All the while,
we wonder how to follow your way.
We get a glimpse, now and then,
in kind friends who go with us,
in redirections when we have chosen poorly,
in creation producing of itself just as you decreed.
We get a glimpse, too,
in your forgiveness for our failures,
your forward-looking when we’ve been wallowing
in what could have, should have, might have been,
in your grace that calls out to us
through the shadows and the disappointments and the wrong turns.
We praise you for the hints of resurrection life we see,
and we pray for those seeds to blossom and grow
into your kingdom visible on earth as in heaven.
May your goodness and mercy pursue us again today,
draw us to your feast of abundant life,
and send us out with courage to love our neighbours with the love you so freely offer us.
Guide us into your Way, your Truth, and your Resurrection Life.
In the name of the Risen Christ we pray.
Amen.

Sanctuary Children’s Time

Hymn 417: Now the Green Blade Rises (organ)

Scripture Reading: John 21.1-25
This week we come to the end of our journey through John’s gospel. Last week we heard about Easter evening, when Jesus appeared to most of his disciples in the locked room, and then the following week when he appeared again so Thomas could see. Now we move another week or more, and find ourselves with the disciples back in Galilee. I am reading from the gospel according to John, chapter 21, beginning at verse 1 and through to the end, in the New Revised Standard Version.

After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he showed himself in this way. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach, but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he had taken it off, and jumped into the sea. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.
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.” So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them, and though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed 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.” (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.”
Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; he was the one who had reclined next to Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!” So the rumour spread among the brothers and sisters that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”
This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true. But there are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

For the word of God in Scripture
For the word of God among us
For the word of God within us
Thanks be to God.

Sermon: five instructions for resurrection life
They went back to what they knew, and it didn’t work.

They had spent three years with Jesus…they had seen him alive after he was dead…and then they didn’t know how to live in that kind of strange new world. They didn’t know what to do with that information, or how to put it into practice on their own when they’d always relied on him to do it all — even though he spent all that time preparing them for this moment so that they could take up the mantle! They had no clue how to go forward, so they went back instead.

Except it didn’t work. All the things they’d done for all those years, all the tried and true methods they used to use, didn’t work. They didn’t catch anything.

We don’t need to imagine how dispiriting it is, to do things we used to be good at, but get no result this time. We know that confusion, that frustration, that anxiety of realising that going back over familiar ground made us feel worse instead of better.

We know that feeling — recognising there’s no going back to the way things used to be, but we actually have no idea what else to do instead.

This week I learned that in 1900, the Church of Scotland had roughly one elder for every 40 members of a congregation…by 1991 that was one elder for every 14 members…and today it’s about one elder for every 12 members, but when adjusted to attendees, in the average congregation it’s one elder for every 4 attendees. That’s a fairly drastic example of doing the same thing over and over while expecting a different result! Doing what we’re used to doesn’t work, but we have no idea what to do instead.

When a stranger shouted to them from the shore, the disciples could easily have scoffed. They could have said “we tried that once before and it didn’t work.” They could have said “the boat is made for only fishing off this one side.” They could have said “we’re tired and burned out, we’ve done our time, it’s someone else’s turn to come out here and fish.” They didn’t know this guy, he wasn’t even out fishing himself, what did he know?

But something made them do it…and when the miracle happened, still only one of them recognised the voice.

But then a second miracle: Peter believed what the other disciple told him. These are the same two guys who ran to see what Mary saw, but then went home and said nothing afterward. The other disciple ran faster, remember? So when Peter heard the words “it is the Lord” he jumped into the water — he didn’t want to lose the race a second time, he was absolutely getting there first!

And there, on the beach, a feast they never expected. Back in the boat, a bounty that reminded them of something…They’d seen in it at Cana, when there was an overabundance of unnecessarily good wine. They’d seen it on a hillside, when a child’s packed lunch became a feast for thousands with plenty leftover. And now 153 fish — large ones! Like actually big, not just fisherman’s exaggeration big. The catch of a lifetime.

They sat down to breakfast and they didn’t need to ask — they recognised this abundance, and that it came from the One who came in order to give abundant life.

I suspect the temptation to reminisce was strong. To bask in the return to the way things used to be, when they told stories and shared meals before. But this is a feast of resurrection, not of reminiscing. So Jesus looked across the flames into the eyes of Peter, who must have been remembering the last time he stood round a fire….and out came the question: do you love me?

Peter probably wished Jesus hadn’t brought it up. Because by the third time, there was no way to avoid the discomfort, the reminder of his greatest failure. No wonder his instinct had been to go back to his familiar comforts, the things he knew he was good at… And yet each time he affirmed and re-affirmed his love for his Lord, a new calling came with it. A forward movement, not a going back to what he used to do, but an extension of his love, a proof of his love, a carrying on of all he had learned: feed my lambs. Tend my sheep. Feed my sheep.

The Good Shepherd handed over his rod and staff to the One who represents the Church to be built, and said: if you love me, then carry on my work. Reach out to share what you have received. Take care of people. Shine the light. Ensure there’s enough even for the sheep from other folds. This is how people will know you belong to me: by how you love.

And Peter….oh, Peter. Peter did what I think many of us would do when faced with a calling we don’t actually know how to carry out. He looked back — again! — and saw another disciple and said “but what about him?”

Why do we do that? Why do we hear Jesus calling us and immediately look to see what he called others to do? Or look to see how our calling compares to theirs? How our methods or our results compare to theirs? Why does it matter how other churches do it, if we are sure that Jesus called us to do something? As Jesus said: what is that to you? Focus, Peter….focus, Church!

Listen to what Jesus says to these exhausted, burnt out, confused, nostalgic, desperate disciples:

*Try something you haven’t done before: put your net over the other side of the boat.
*Come and have breakfast.
*Feed my sheep.
*Don’t look over your shoulder at what they’re doing, look at what I asked you to do.
*Follow me.

Five instructions that move the disciples forward into resurrection life. Five instructions that actually cycle around, because when we are following him, we’ll hear anew the call to try something we haven’t done before, and experience resurrection life with more abundance than ever. Five instructions that aren’t just for the first disciples, they’re for every community of disciples who want to live the resurrection now.

Take the risk and try the new thing…come to the table and be fed by Christ’s abundance…reach out and share that abundance in ways that nurture and care for others…don’t compare yourself to how others are doing it…follow him to the next new thing.

It sounds so simple even as we all know how difficult it is.

I know that we, like those disciples, wish we could go back to familiar things. I know that we are aware the world has changed and the things we used to rely on are not working so just make us tired. I know that we love a bit of nostalgia around the campfire or around the table. I know that we like to look over our shoulder at what others are doing. I know that we are tired, often traumatised by the world around us, burnt out from trying the same things over and over again with diminishing results, and wishing for a clear roadmap. I know that some of us have become convinced that the world will never get better and the church is increasingly irrelevant and we’re mainly trying to make ourselves feel better so we can hold on while the world spirals out of control. I know that we feel as if we have no clue how to do whatever it is Jesus wants from us in this changed world. We all know that impulse that drove Peter and the other disciples back to the fishing boat.

Here’s the thing: I also know — in fact, I am SURE that we are capable of following these instructions that wrap up John’s Gospel. The question really is: do you want to? Because there is only one way to do it, and that’s together. I cannot do it by myself on your behalf. Either we are all-in on following, or we’re all-in on failing. Re-treading familiar ground hoping for different results won’t keep us at the status quo, we’ll just work all night for no fish. But are we willing to put the net over the other side of the boat? To come and be fed and then go out to feed others? To keep our eyes on the path Jesus has given us and not on the one he gave someone else? To follow him wherever he leads? Listen, it’s the Lord — and he’s calling us!

May it be so. Amen.

Silence for Reflection

Online Hymn: Thrive
Sanctuary Hymn: I Will Rise (praise band)

Sanctuary Offering and Response: Response 410 v. 4
Sing we to our God above: Alleluia!
Praise eternal as his love: Alleluia!
Praise him, all you heavenly host: Alleluia!
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost: Alleluia!

(Sanctuary: The Invitation)

Prayer and Lord’s Prayer
We praise you, O Lord our God, Creator of the universe,
for you worked in darkness to bring all life into being,
and to bring new life through Christ your Son.
Out of that darkness you bring marvellous light, again and again.
When we shield our eyes, unwilling to see what you are doing, still you work.
When we go back to our old ways, afraid to step into your new world, still you work.
When we deny and betray, with words and with actions, still you work.
And so we give you thanks, O God,
that your love does not depend on our faithfulness,
that your saving grace does not depend on our worthiness.
You are the breath of life and the light of the world,
giver of every good gift.
As we step into your resurrection life, filled with your bounty,
we cannot forget the emptiness that plagues so many bellies,
the hunger of our neighbours near and far.
We cannot forget the rawness of your earth,
exploited for our gain and groaning under our weight.
We cannot forget the world at war, and we beg for peace.
We cannot forget those who suffer at the hands of those who should love them.
We cannot forget those who feel trapped in the tomb, with no hope of life ahead.
We pray that you would come quickly, Lord, with good news for this troubled world.
Come quickly, Lord, with your spirit of justice and peace.
As you rose in darkness to bring about a new thing,
rise again in our darkness, bringing light that dispels the shadows of despair.
As we celebrate your beachside breakfast,
we hear again your call to feed your sheep,
to show the world your love in our every action and every word.
We pray for those places where your love feels far off,
where empty nets are the norm,
where ideas have run dry and scarcity causes people to turn on each other.
And so we pray for those who serve so faithfully,
behind the scenes or out in front,
and we pray that we may be found serving your kingdom first.
May your light shine in the darkness,
and your abundant life be real for all.

On the 19th day of the month we join our hearts as your St John’s family to pray
*For all the carers, social workers, and other professionals who visit and support our neighbours. We ask your compassion and help to flow through their hands as they make it possible for people to remain in their homes. May they be blessed with cheerful smiles, good listening skills, open hearts, and discerning minds as they offer support, companionship, and help to those in need. Make them your hands and heart, building up community and encouraging your people.
*For the leaders of St John’s congregation: for the elders, the Kirk Session, the Session Clerk and Assistant Session Clerk, and the Treasurer.
*For the land, people, and governments of the nations of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh.

You are present, Lord God,
so give us eyes to see
and hearts confident to follow,
to try something new, to come and be fed, to rise up and follow where you lead.
We pray these and all things in the name of Jesus the Christ,
who is victorious over death and who calls us by name,
and who taught us to pray together,
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.

(Sanctuary: Come and Have Breakfast)
Organ music during communion…

(Sanctuary: Sharing the Peace)

Sanctuary Hymn: Thrive (praise band)

Sending
*Try something you haven’t done before: put your net over the other side of the boat.
*Come and have breakfast.
*Feed my sheep.
*Don’t look over your shoulder at what they’re doing, look at what I asked you to do.
*Follow me.
Five instructions for resurrection life — having been fed, now let us follow.
And as we go, may the Spirit of God go above you to watch over you. May the Spirit of God go beside you to be your companion. May the Spirit of God go before you to show you the way, and behind you to push you into places you might not go alone. And may the Spirit of God go within you, to remind you that you are loved more deeply than you can possibly imagine. May the fire of God’s love burn brightly in you, and through you into the world. Go in peace. Amen.

Sung Benediction Response (John L Bell, tune Gourock St John’s)
Now may the Lord of all be blessed,
Now may Christ’s gospel be confessed,
Now may the Spirit when we meet
Bless sanctuary and street.

Postlude Music (organ)

Announcements

* We worship in the sanctuary on Sundays at 11am, and Sunday worship is also online.

* The first Sunday of the month at 11am is an all-age service, with different ways of encountering God’s word without a traditional sermon. All people — young and old, different personalities and learning styles, are welcome! You’ll find a more informal service with a variety of music, a Bible story, prayer, and some more interactive elements. The online service for the first Sunday will therefore also be different — there will still be a reading, prayers, and music, but usually not a sermon.

* Starter Packs are in need of Shaving Foam, Shampoo, Soap, Hand Wash.
The FoodBank are short of diluting juice, cereal, noodles/microwave rice, jarred sauce, biscuits, UHT milk, and tinned meat/soups/vegetables.
You can bring donations to the church and place them into the boxes in the vestibule. Thank you!

* Bowl & Blether is on the first Mondays of the month, with doors open from 11:30-1:30, and lunch served from noon. All are welcome for a bowl of soup, a toastie, a friendly chat in our warm hall! See you in a few weeks on Monday, the 4th of May.

* Kirk Session Conference today, 19 April after the service.

* Bible Study meets on Wednesdays at 7:30pm at the manse.

* The Contact Group is hosting a fundraising concert on Sunday 26 April at 3pm in the sanctuary with special guests the Stedfast Silver Band! All are welcome. See Fiona W or Anne A for tickets.

* Free period products are available in the church toilets for anyone who might need them, thanks to Hey Girls and Inverclyde Council.

* Did you know that the ministry we do at St John’s costs about £3000 per week and we are currently running about £500 short? Everything we do is funded by your generous giving — all our support for young people, older people, bereavement care, community outreach, worship, study, spiritual growth, and community work is because of your offering. If you would like to set up a standing order in order to facilitate your spiritual discipline of giving, or if you would like to make an extra gift to support the ministry St. John’s does in our parish, you can give online by clicking here. If you would like to set up a standing order, please contact Teri and she can give you the treasurer’s details. You can also send your envelopes to the church or the manse by post and we will ensure they are received. 
It is also possible to donate to the work of the parish assistant, speak to Anne Love about how to go about directing new donations to that item in the budget.

* Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Youtube, and to sign up for our email newsletter! Midweek you can watch Wine and the Word and Theology Thursday on Youtube, get snippets of thought or inspiration following Teri on TikTok, and of course keep up with announcements and events on Facebook and our weekly email.