This morning’s readings give us two prime examples of how Jesus restores and redeems people for purpose. Peter and Paul are, of course, extremely vital to the ministry of the early church. Peter is the designated leader and Paul the great missionary and teacher. Their stories are quite distinct.

Peter experiences restoration. He is coming face to face with Jesus again. He has already recognized Jesus, recalling their early days by instructing them to cast their empty nets on the other side of the boat to reel in an abundant catch.

When he gets to shore, there is a charcoal fire. That smell wafting into his nostrils surely took Peter back to that awful night, the night of the last supper, his confident pledge to stay with Jesus no matter what, their prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane, the arrest, the trial – and his denial. John gets it, but it was Peter who denied Jesus three times that night.

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At the end of chapter 20, John wrote a most caring and loving sentence. “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:31)

What a wonderful thought. To think that all those years ago John wrote his Gospel with the singular purpose of sharing Jesus with everyone and anyone. The story is important, the witness is vital, but the heart of it is salvation, that you may have life in his name.

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This morning I had the blessing to preach at Bok Tower’s Sunrise Easter service. It was great for that service to be back. It was wonderful to be there in the still of the morning, with the sun coming up and all its natural beauty stirring to greet the new day; the trees, the flowers, the greenery, the birds and animals, even the insects. It is all so very, very beautiful. And it isn’t just nature alone. Florida woods have their beauty, but this is quite different.

A garden, any garden, is a fusion of natural and human design, where nature and humanity come together. And this isn’t just any garden. Edward Bok had a vision. He wanted to thank this great nation for all the opportunity it had given him by creating a place of exquisite beauty. He hired the best people he could find to make it real. They cleared away a lot and brought in a lot. They enhanced the native trees and plants with new plants and flowers. They designed the paths winding through them to encourage pauses to absorb the beauty. Those gardens have been carefully maintained, refreshed and renewed by gifted horticulturalists and grounds crew ever since.

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