Redeeming the Smell of Shame

From Point Hope Presbyterian · 35:50

Show by Point Hope Presbyterian

What do you think God feels about you the moment you fail him? Not in the abstract but in the actual moment you know you've let him down? That's the question Pastor Rob opened with this week, walking through John 21:1–19, the story of Jesus meeting Peter on the shore after Peter's greatest failure: denying he ever knew Jesus, not once, but three times. Peter's response is one we recognize. He goes back to what's familiar — back to the boat, the nets, the life he knew before Jesus ever called him. And that night, he catches nothing. Which, if we're honest, feels about right. Isn't that how shame works? It convinces us the failure is the whole story, and that the safest move now is to make our lives smaller. Then Jesus shows up on the shore. And what he offers isn't a lecture, it's breakfast. Here's the heart of it: Jesus does not love you any less on your worst day, or any more on your best day. Grace doesn't wait for you to clean yourself up before it comes looking for you. It meets you exactly where your shame lives. But grace doesn't stop at meeting us, it heals us, and not by pretending the failure never happened. When Peter reaches the shore, the first thing he smells is a charcoal fire — the same detail present the night he denied Jesus in the courtyard. Jesus doesn't avoid that memory. He asks Peter, three times, "Do you love me?" — one for every denial — not to pile on more shame, but to walk him out of it. Three things to carry into your week: Grace seeks you in your shame. You don't have to clean anything up first. Bring the real, unedited version of your week to Jesus, the way Peter brought his to the shore. Healing comes through honesty, not avoidance. Grace doesn't pretend the failure away — it walks you straight through it, with someone who already knows and already loves you. Grace frees you for others. Jesus doesn't just restore Peter — he re-commissions him: "Feed my sheep." Whatever grace has done in you was never meant to stop with you. If you're carrying a "worst day" moment this week like something you're sure disqualifies you then we hope this message meets you there. Take a few minutes to sit with it in prayer, or pass it along to someone who might need the same reminder. We gather at 10:00 AM at the Daniel Island Recreation Center — 160 Fairbanks Drive, Charleston, SC. 🎧 Listen to the full sermon on Podbean, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts — search Point Hope Presbyterian Church. You can also find it on our website and YouTube channel.

More episodes of Point Hope Presbyterian

More episodes

PodSearch is a free, independent podcast search engine. Read about PodSearch, the privacy policy or contact us.