There is always something of a letdown following Easter. The first Sunday after Easter is traditionally called “Low Sunday,” and some wit, mistakenly assuming that refers to the drop off in worship attendance, suggested that the successive Sundays be called “Lower Sundays.” (Actually, “Low Sunday” comes from the medieval period and refers to the contrast between the elaborate rites of Easter and the return to normal liturgical practices.1)

                  It occurs to me, however, that the “Lower Sunday” idea could apply to the mood drop that we sometimes experience following a peak event. Just imagine the ups and downs the disciples experienced surrounding Easter. Palm Sunday was an emotional high, the Last Supper a deeply moving introspective time, the arrest of Jesus afterward a nightmare, and the Crucifixion an emotional crash. And then there was the Resurrection, which had to be the adrenalin rush of all time!

                  Then, however, the followers of Jesus are told to go to Galilee, where they will see him.2 And all at once, the emotional roller coaster grinds to a halt. They go to Galilee, but for a time, nothing happens. And that’s where our reading for today starts.

                  With no new instructions from Jesus, Peter says, “I am going fishing.”

                  Of them all, Peter was probably the one who, despite the Resurrection, felt the worst. After all, he was the only one who, on the evening of Jesus’ arrest, had been given an opportunity -- or three opportunities to be specific -- to declare his allegiance to Jesus. Instead, he had three times denied that he even knew Jesus. The shame and guilt of all that still hung in the air between him and the Risen Christ.

    &

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