Dr. Carlyle Marney was one of the great preachers in the South during the time after the Second World War. He was a mentor and role model to many pastors. One of the stories attributed to the rich legacy he left behind took place on a seminary campus where he was invited to be the speaker for a distinguished lectureship. One of the students asked, "Dr. Marney let us hear you say a word or two about the meaning of the resurrection."

It was a fair question and an appropriate one from a future preacher to one who was already a great practitioner of the art of preaching. However the young seminary students were taken aback by Marney''s response. Dr. Marney replied, "I will not discuss that with people like you."

"Why not?" the students asked.

Marney said, "I do not discuss such matters with anyone under thirty years of age." Marney continued, "Look at you! Just look

at you. You are in the prime of your life. Full of talent and energy. Very few if any of you have experienced poverty, failure, defeat, heartbreak or a brick wall that stops you dead in your tracks. So tell me, what in God''s name can any of you know of a dark harsh world which only makes sense if Christ is raised from the dead?"

Recently Pastor Jim Dethmer of the Willow Creek Community Church in Illinois said this: "The culture in which we live hates the notion of failure. It will use all kinds of fancy academic words to keep from saying the "F" word. The culture has also invaded the church. We find Christians using the words: slip-up, mistake, error, and miscalculation. People do not want to talk about failure in our lives. It is off limits. (1)

Failure has come to every one of us at one time or another.

It probably is the one common denominator among us. The Bible from Genesis to Revelation never denies the reality of FAILURE. God is concerned not with the fact that we fail. God is concerned with our response to failure. Failure never was an obstacle to God in dealing with the people of the Bible or the saints who lived in post-biblical times. In some ways failure actually drew them closer to God. Look at this roll call of failures: Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Elijah, David, John Wesley, Martin Luther, and Saint Augustine. Failure can be a doorway to a new spiritual direction.

As you can see from your bulletin today and the billboard outside the church, I have titled this sermon, "Dealing with the "F" Words of Life." If you thought I was going to use the secular version of the word today, you will either be disappointed or relieved that your Pastor is not completely nuts. As I studied this passage of scripture from John 21:1-14, a whole host of words beginning with the letter "F" came to the forefront--like failure, faith, forgiven, foundation, fellowship, forsaken, follow me. I could almost start an entire sermon series using the "F" words. Now, relax, I will only preach one sermon today. Today I want to share three thoughts on how Christ speaks to his disciples in their moments of failure.

FIRST, OUR LORD PENETRATES THE DARKNESS OF DESPAIR AND DEFEAT BY PREPARING A MEAL.

After the humiliating experience of their teacher''s death on Friday, and the idle tales of his resurrection on Sunday, some of the disciples responded to Peter''s suggestion they go back to the routine task of fishing. At least this was something they knew how to do. It also got them temporarily away from Jerusalem. Some of the disciples (not all) had been fisherman before they responded to the invitation of Jesus to "Follow me." As our scripture lesson says, "It was daybreak--early in the morning." They were fishing the calm blue waters of the Sea of Galilee when a stranger from the shoreline inquired as to their progress. At that particular moment the sea was the only calm and clear reality in their world. Not only were the disciples weighed down with the failure of the past days--but they were fatigued from a night of being unsuccessful at catching fish. I am positive, knowing fishermen the way I do, that unsolicited advice from the shore was not greatly appreciated. The disciples probably said, "Who do we have here? Does he think he can fish better than we can?"

There is a story about the Pope when he was visiting in Colorado. He was quite anxious to get to an important meeting. The car assigned to pick him up did so and off they went. The Catholic driver, realizing it was the "Holy Father" riding in the car--did not consider going faster than 55 mile per hour. However, the Pope was anxious about getting to the meeting on time. He told the driver to get in the back seat. He would drive the car.

The Holy Father put the "pedal to the metal" and was now traveling 85 miles per hour on the Colorado interstate. Almost immediately, a state trooper hiding off the side of the road put on the siren and gave chase. Catching the speeding car he ordered the driver to pull over.

The trooper could not believe it! He immediately called his captain. The trooper laughing says, "I really got a big catch today."

"You mean the District Attorney?"

"Oh, no sir. Much bigger than that!"

"Then you mean you have a Senator?" came the puzzled reply.

"No, sir. You don''t understand. This is top of the line."

"Who do you have? The President?"

"No, sir. Please understand me. This is someone really big."

"Well, for heaven''s sake," came the reply, "who do you have? Who have you pulled over?"

"Well, captain, I am not sure, but the Pope is driving as his chauffeur!"

Imagine the surprise to Peter and the other disciples when they finally realized it was the really Big One--the Lord Jesus himself who had come to see them. Can you imagine? It was the Lord making breakfast for them after they had betrayed and deserted him. He could have scolded them, lectured them, beat them, and with sarcasm said, especially to Simon Peter, "Peter, I told you so." But he did not. He fed them. He had plans for them when they did not even consider that they had a future. The disciples were to learn that Christ keeps his promises and completes what he commences. As St. Paul would later write, "...he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion."

Just think about it. Of all the places Jesus could have visited now that he is the Risen Lord of the Universe, he chooses to spend time with defeated, frightened, disillusioned fishermen whose hearts were as empty as their nets. If you know today of any better news than that--please tell me.

Dr. Marney was absolutely correct that some dimensions of our lives can only be redeemed by the fact that Christ rose from the dead.

SECONDLY, JESUS SHARES WITH PETER AND THE OTHER DISCIPLES THAT THE TOMB OF DEATH HAS BECOME A WOMB FOR NEW LIFE.

Dr. James Forbes, Senior Minister at Historic Riverside Church in New York City, tells about an experience he went through trying to make a decision about his life''s work. He said he had a weird dream in which he went to a church meeting. As he was going into the church, some friends of his were coming out and they didn''t recognize him. Forbes said, "Where are you guys going?" They answered, "We are going to Jim Forbes'' funeral." "He has died?" Forbes asked. Then Forbes asked to go with his friends to the funeral. Forbes said he traveled with them and saw the church with all the people gathered for the service. As they were filing by, looking at Jim Forbes'' corpse, some would say, "He doesn''t look too bad for his age. Look at him lying there in the coffin." Forbes said, "And I too went toward the coffin and sadly looked at him." With a strange feeling he then returned to his seat. Then the minister said abruptly, "The services are over. The interment will be right here." The mortician came forward and started to lower the lid of the coffin, which began to turn into Forbes'' bed. Forbes said at that moment he shouted at the top of his voice, "I object! I object! I object!" (2)

Jesus comes to the shoreline to turn this funeral and pity-party into a celebration of new life and a new beginning. Jesus comes to heal the failures of the disciples not to hammer them into further humiliation. He comes to alter Peter''s plans to resign as a disciple of Christ and return to fishing. In a sense Jesus says to all of this, "I object! I object! I object!"

I recently read the story of a young woman who after years of struggling with alcoholism surrendered her life to Jesus Christ. This woman experienced victory over this power that had brought death and failure to her life. She said, "Every day I am in awe of the grace of being sober. God has preserved my life on at least four different occasions. I have changed my middle name to `VICTORIA'' to honor the victory God has so graciously given me in the face of spiritual death."

As Max Lucado writes so powerfully:

"Our lives are not futile
Our failures are not fatal
Our deaths are not final." (3)

Just imagine a Messiah who cooks breakfast. Not many Messiahs do that! A God who turns tombs into wombs of new life and new beginnings. What a privilege to belong and be claimed by such a God! I am overwhelmed to think that God objects when I am ready to throw the towel in and quit. I rejoice that there is more grace in God than sin in us.

THIRDLY, JESUS CHRIST CAME TO THE LAKESIDE TO LEAD HIS DISCIPLES FROM A PARALYZING DEFEAT TO A NEW DIRECTION OF SERVICE AND WITNESS FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

Dr. James Moore tells the story of a Dutch pastor and his family who got into big trouble with the Nazis during the Second World War.

"They had been hiding Jewish people in their home to keep them safe from Hitler''s forces. They were eventually found out, and one night in the darkness, they heard the sound of heavy boots and loud, impatient knocking on the door.

"They were seized and loaded into a cattle car to be taken to one of the notorious death camps. All night long, the pastor and his family rode in heartbreaking anguish, jostling against one another and the prisoners who were jammed into the car. They were stripped of any form of dignity and absolutely terrified. They knew they were being taken to one of Hitler''s extermination centers. But which one? Would it be Auschwitz, Buchenwald, or Dachau?

"Finally, the long night ended and the train stopped. The doors of the cattle car were opened and light streamed into that tragic scene. They were marched out and lined up beside the railroad tracks, resigned to unspeakable pain, as they knew they would be separated from one another and ultimately killed. But in the midst of their gloom, they discovered some amazing good news--good news beyond belief! They discovered, in the bright morning sunlight, that they were not in a death camp at all, not in Germany at all, but in Switzerland! During the night, someone, through personal courage and daring, had tripped a switch and sent the train to Switzerland--and freedom. And those now who came to them were not their captors at all, but their liberators. Instead of being marched to death, they were welcomed to new life." (4)

This is what happened to Peter and the other disciples when Jesus came to cook breakfast for them. He pulled the switch from defeat to victory.

In the midst of their greatest failure and despair, Christ came to his disciples. First, he showed them his love in the cooking of a meal. Then he revealed to them that they were still part of his plan for the kingdom. Finally, he put them back to work in acts of service. Christ coming to the lakeside, and, cooking breakfast, allowed Peter and the rest of the disciples to get their eyes off of their present circumstances and focus them once again on the person of Jesus Christ. He objects to their resignation and gives them a new assignment.

Christ still shares the same ministry with those who follow Him. Do not be afraid to bring your failures to Him. As a matter of fact, the only way we can fail is if we do not bring our failures and leave them at the foot of the Cross.

History reveals that Peter and the other disciples picked themselves up and got back into the race.

By the grace of God--so can we. Breakfast is ready --Will you come?

Amen and amen.