“Because They Knew”

Sermon by the Rev. Caela Simmons Wood

First Congregational UCC of Manhattan, KS

John 21:1-14

May 4, 2025

Do you know about the “hand model” of your brain? Basically, this is your brain. This is your amygdala, which functions as our Guard Dog. And this is your pre-frontal cortex, aka the Wise Owl. When we get stressed and the Guard Dog starts barking and sounding the alarm, we can panic. Our Wise Owl flies away and everything gets disconnected and jumbled. We can’t think straight. In a situation where the danger is real, we want that Guard Dog to bark loudly so we’ll pay attention. But many of us often can’t seem to get that Guard Dog to hush up, even when nothing scary is actually happening. If she barks loud enough we might “flip our lids” - which might look like blanking out totally, being aggressive, having a panic attack, shutting down, or melting down. [1] 

If we can unflip our lid, our brain can come back together and we can think more clearly. But how to do this? 

One of my favorite techniques for helping someone who is panicked or overwhelmed is called 5-4-3-2-1. [2] When you start to feel your thoughts racing and then your heart pounds out of your chest or you can’t catch a breath, you can name five things you can see, four things you can hear, three things you can feel, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. Like most things, this is easier if you practice when you’re NOT panicked, so let’s give it a try now. 

Hold up one hand with all 5 fingers extended - yes, you on Zoom, too - we’ll take about a minute of silence and you can silently name things to yourself. As you do, put a finger down for each part and that way I’ll know when you’re done. (Fingers to show) Five things you can see, four things you can hear, three things you can feel, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. Ready, let’s try it. (5…4….3….2….1)

This simple exercise can interrupt our fight-flight-freeze responses. Instead of staying put in our amygdala, paying attention to what we can sense in the present moment moves us into our pre-frontal cortex which helps ground us in the present moment. 

“This is interesting, Pastor Caela, but what does it have to do with God?” 

Lots of things, actually. For starters, God made our incredible brains and cares about our bodies. That Holy Spirit of Love is a source of strength and calm that is always available to us. And this simple technique that we can understand through brain science can also function as a type of prayer. Prayer, after all, is anything we do that orients us to the presence of God in our lives. Being centered in our bodies, grounded in the present moment, aware of the beauty around us at any given moment can certainly be prayer. 

This type of prayer can even be useful when we’re NOT panicked. It can also allow us to prayerfully pause and connect to a sense of gratitude for the gift of simply being alive at this very moment in time. This Eastertide we’re going to be exploring how our five senses can help us connect with the Spirit in our daily lives. 

One of the ways we can use our five senses to pray is reading the Bible through this 5-4-3-2-1 lens. So many of our sacred stories seem designed to connect deeply with all five of our senses. And today’s passage is certainly a feast for all our senses.

I’m going to read today’s text from the Gospel of John again and, as I do so, I invite you to take note of the things you see, hear, feel, smell, and even taste in today’s text. Feel free to jot them down if you want. We’re going to share them after the reading. 

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.

What do we experience with our senses in this story? Let’s see if we can name…

Five things we can see

Four things we can hear

Three things we can feel

Two things we can smell

One thing we can taste

Now that you’ve connected this story to your senses, you might hear it differently in the future. That’s what happened to me. I once heard Anna Carter Florence preach a sermon on this text where she described Jesus grilling fish for his disciples in great detail. I could see the warmth of the fire at sunrise on that beach. I could hear the popping of the wood and flames. I could feel heat of the fire as I warmed my hands. I could smell the smoke as it lingered. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on breakfast as it came right off the grill. I never heard this story the same way again.

Maybe this is why so many of our sacred stories lend themselves to sensory exploration. We experience the truth of these stories not just as an intellectual exercise but with the fullness of our bodies. They become a part of us. 

And perhaps that’s why Jesus understood the importance of gathering around tables with his disciples. Eating and drinking - tasting the fruits of the vine and the field - was, for Jesus, not only about physical nourishment but about a reminder of our connection to the Earth and our unbreakable connection to Jesus himself. 

I suppose this is why there are so many stories that resemble Communion in our Bible. There’s the one we all think of, of course, when Jesus gathered with his disciples in Jerusalem. But did you ever notice that in the story of the feeding the 5,000 Jesus also “took, blessed, broke, and shared” the bread with all who were gathered? A little premonition of Communion. 

And after Easter when Christ gathered at the table with the two disciples in Emmaus we are told he was known to them fully in the breaking of the bread. Again, echoes of Communion. 

And today’s story, too, is one that feels like Communion. Loaves and fishes again. Christ serving a meal again. Taking, blessing, breaking, sharing. 

In this shared meal, the disciples knew it was him. Which is kind of unusual, actually. I think this may be the only post-Resurrection story where they just knew. 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.

We, too, are invited to know that we are encountering the Risen Christ when we come to the table for Communion. Love invites us. Love welcomes us. Love is made known to us in the breaking of the bread. And we know - with the fullness of our senses - that Love is present among us as we gather. We see the face of Christ in our neighbor. Strangers have felt a sense of unity. Enemies have been known to forget their anger. From time to time we even experience a connection across the miles and throughout time when we feel that mysterious and awe-inspiring sense of unity at Christ’s table. 

Far too often, I think, Christians have argued about the rules for taking Communion. Or what, precisely, it means. And I suppose it’s only natural to want to understand what the gift of Holy Communion means. But if we worry too much about the mechanics of it all or gatekeep who is welcome - if we engage with it ONLY up here, we miss the knowing that comes from experiencing it down here. 

How fortunate we are to be loved by the One who is made known to us in the breaking of the bread. How beautiful it is to be invited into unity with Christ through this act of Communion. As the disciples knew on the beach at the Sea of Tiberias, may we, too, truly know each time we gather at the table. 

May it be so. 

[1] Brain model from Dan Siegel. Many thanks to Sara at The Responsive Counselor for these fun animal names for our brain parts. https://theresponsivecounselor.com/2021/06/teaching-kids-about-flipping-their-lids.html 

[2] Here’s a nice explanation of the 5-4-3-2-1 technique:

https://www.calm.com/blog/5-4-3-2-1-a-simple-exercise-to-calm-the-mind