The Phoenicians were sea-people, based on Tyre and Sidon. They traveled far, had a rich commerce. The Israelites never made much of the sea, did not much more than fish in the Sea of Galilee. The enterprises of Solomon seem not to have been developed or pursued.

So, it is interesting that Jesus should have been drawn to fishermen. He worked several miracles for them.

It is Peter that we are concerned with today. The giving of the Keys and the designation of Peter as the rock on which Christ builds His Church did not take place on the shore, but inland at Caesarea-Philippi.

But the first encounter with Peter was on the shore of the lake and it was an overwhelming one for the man. Bidden to shove off and try again after a fruitless night, did not impress Peter. Yet, courteous and respectful, he nonetheless put out on the little sea. He was overcome at the result. And his first reaction is one of shame in the presence of the Man of God. His sense of sinfulness drove him to his knees. "Depart from me, Lord. I am a sinful man. You can do better than with the likes of me."

There may have been other scenes on the shore or on the water, but the three we do have show how Christ led Peter to great things despite his unworthiness.

When Christ appeared to the hard-pressed disciples in the pre-dawn, walking on the water, once their fright was passed, the impulsive, impetuous Peter asked, "Bid me come to You?" And Christ said to him, "Come." So Peter bravely stepped out onto the water and began to walk toward Jesus. Then he lost his nerve, or lost his faith, and began to sink. Christ would not have laughed at him, but surely He must have smiled as He said, "O man of little faith, why did you doubt?" This scene must have been a vivid, life-long memory to Peter.

After the Resurrection, Christ is again on the shore in early morning light. As they come toward land they see Him, but not sure who it is they see. It is John who recognizes Him first and says so. And the impulsive, impetuous Peter fastens something around him and swims ashore.

But before that took place the Lord called out to them in the quiet dawn: "Have you any fish?" "No." "Throw the net on the right side. You'll find some." They did indeed.

That was enough for John. He knew it had to be Jesus.

Then a wonderful scene. Christ has a fire going. There are fish and bread on the coals. "Bring some of the fish." Peter fetched them, counting the lot as he did: 153. And they ate. Hospitality on the beach, courtesy of the Son of God. All I can imagine is that they ate as hungry men eat, silent. Yet it is a stunned silence, too.

And now comes the point of it all. A last lesson in Peter's formation. They've been together two years now, maybe three. It has been an experience with no parallel. They have been with Him up and down the country, words and wonders, and the wretched tragedy of Calvary, the Triumph of the Rising. It was a bit much by any standard. Hard to digest, to assimilate.

Did Christ take Peter aside, or were the others watching and listening? "Do you love Me?"

What if Jesus should suddenly be present here. What if He went up to the abbot, to the prior, to any of you, to me, and said, loud enough for all to hear, "Do you love Me?"

You might snicker as I answered, knowing what you know. As the disciples may have snickered at Peter, he who quailed and denied at nothing more threatening than the taunts of loose women. Surely, Peter could hear the cock crow again.

This may have been nearly their last time together.

The giving of the Keys was no doubt more significant, yet for Peter this was far and away the more memorable. What proves that Peter has come a long way is his holding his ground and bravely insisting, come what may, "Yes, Lord. You know that I love You."

The people of the Holy Land were not and are not sea people. Yet it was on the water, at the lake shore, that Christ did much. It is probably a matter of basic elements: earth and water, land and sea. Peter was washed in these waters and emerged from them ultimately healed, whole. That made his consecration on the land at Caesarea-Philippi possible. And guaranteed it.

We were all created in the primal waters. Water was the first world we knew in the womb of our mother. And in water we are born again to life. Hopefully in the dawn of our eternal life, we will see Christ waiting on the shore —with Breakfast ready.  Amen.