A Lesson in Fishing

Isaiah 6:1-8; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11

There's an amazing scene that our gospel lesson for this morning describes where Simon, James, and John are out in a boat fishing as Jesus comes walking along the shore. Here is a scene that is so much like that of our own lives: People going about their everyday activities, doing what they have done for years and years to make a living, to get by in life, when suddenly Jesus comes along and makes a claim upon our lives and our tasks and what it is that we think we have become accustomed to doing.

In the case of our gospel lesson for this morning, Simon and the two sons of Zebedee, James and John have been out fishing in the Sea of Galilee. In those days it was also called the Lake of Gennesaret. And this was something that they had done all of their lives. It was what most of the men who lived around that lake had done most of their lives. From the time they were boys they had gone fishing with their fathers in the Sea of Galilee. So, it was their lives and it was their livelihood. There wasn't anything about the Sea of Galilee that anyone could tell them that they didn't already know. They knew where the fish were to be caught. They knew the secrets of the lake. Then, suddenly, along came Jesus, a carpenter from Nazareth, who told them where to cast their net.

Of course, you can imagine what those well-seasoned fishermen must have thought when this woodworker told them how to go fishing! It would be like me going into an operating room and telling the surgeon where to start cutting. Or, it would be like a plumber going to a tailor and telling him how to begin making him a suit. Or, it would be like a veterinarian telling a famous astronomer how to find a black hole. How presumptuous a person would have to be to do such a thing as that! But, even more amazing it would be if the expert actually took the advice that was given!

And, yet, that is exactly what Peter, James, and John did. They took the advice that Jesus gave to them. They actually went to the spot that Jesus had pointed out to them and let down their nets. And you have to wonder why. Did they do it just to humor Jesus? Did they do it because they already knew that Jesus was a miracle worker? Or did they do it because they loved Jesus and simply had a faith in him?

Of course, Jesus comes into our own lives in much the same way. For years we do the things that we have always done. Every day, for years and years, we do the things we have been taught to do or have become accustomed to doing. And life, itself, may even become a kind of a rut that we get into. We may not even think about what it is that we are doing, anymore, simply because we have gotten to know it so well. But then Jesus comes into our lives, making claims, making suggestions for change, offering us options, giving us suggestions. And the question is this: When this happens, will we have the faith to trust in the Carpenter of Nazareth? Will we put our boats out into deeper water? Will we let down our nets? In spite of everything we know, will we allow ourselves to be submissive to the voice of God whispering in our ear? Can we be obedient to God?

There's the story of how a missionary who had been sent to a far off place to translate the bible into the native language was trying to find a suitable word for "obedience". The people of this country no doubt understood the concept. In fact, it was pretty much taken for granted. So, there wasn't an apparent word that exactly corresponded. But, nevertheless, the missionary needed a good word in the native language for "obedience," so he was frustrated.

As the missionary was returning home from being with the natives, one day, he whistled for his dog and it came running at full speed. A new friend of the missionary, an old native, saw this and said admiringly in his native tongue: "Your dog is all ear!" Immediately, the missionary knew that he had his words for obedience.

When God calls us, when God makes claims upon our lives, when we feel the tug of God to get involved in a Bible study, or in volunteer missions work in the local community, or in a project to help others, or to put our time into something that is otherwise important to our relationship with God, will be "all ear?" Will we come a-running and put ourselves to what it is that God has called us to do?

But, our gospel lesson continues. When Simon, James, and John did let down their nets in the place that Jesus told them to, they ended up with such a large catch that their nets almost tore and their boat almost swamped. Having fished all night without much success, which is certainly one kind of problem, they suddenly were faced with so much success that they had a completely different kind of problem – tearing nets and a boat that was getting swamped!

My wife and I were down in Gainesville, Florida last week, visiting Linda's father. And while we were there we visited a Baptist church that Linda's father had been attending for a while. When we got to the church we found the last parking space in the church's parking lot. The church had a large parking lot, but every space, but one, was full. And we noticed that there were cars parked up and down the streets nearby the church. Parking lots of doctor's and dentist's offices in the area were also filled to overflowing – all with cars of people who were attending that Baptist church. Getting inside the church we found that the church had two worship services on Sunday morning. Both services were filled to capacity, with about 400 in attendance at each. And at the service we attended, during the opening announcements, the pastor of the church got up and asked all those who had parked their cars in some place other than the church's parking lot to stand. When about a hundred people stood up the pastor thanked them all for being "parking lot missionaries," sacrificing their own convenience so that visitors to the church might have a place to park. Then the pastor thanked those who had donated money to buy a small bus that was going to be used to circulate through the neighborhood of the church to pick up those who had parked their cars away from the church.

Here was a church that had answered God's call to focus its's ministry on visitors to the church. Unlike many churches, the pastor didn't stand at the back of the church after the worship service to shake people's hands as they left. Instead, after the worship service the pastor went to a room nearby the sanctuary that had a table with punch and cookies and the visitors that had come that morning were invited to come to meet the pastor there. And, instead of using hymnals that aren't too visitor-friendly and depending upon bulletins that can be kind of confusing to new people, this church had a large movie screen in the chancel that would unroll from the ceiling. The church's announcements, words of the hymns, and other things necessary for worship would be projected on the screen by a video projector at the back of the sanctuary, making participation in worship a very easy thing to do.

This was a church that was doing some things that were different from what most other churches were doing. This was a church that had heard Jesus' voice to go out into the deeper water to let down their nets. And, as a result, their nets were tearing and their boat was swamping – their parking lots were full and the sanctuary and Sunday school rooms were jammed to the gills. Oh, that we and every other church could have such a problem as this!

But, again, the problem is listening to and being submissive to what it is that God would have us do. I'm reminded of this poem:

You call me Master and obey me not.

You call me Light and see me not.

You call me Way and walk not.

You call me life and desire me not.

You call me Wise and follow me not.

You call me Fair and love me not.

You call me Rich and ask me not.

You call me Eternal and seek me not.

You call me Gracious and trust me not.

You call me Noble and serve me not.

You call me Mighty and honor me not.

You call me Just and fear me not;

So if you fail, then BLAME ME not!

Now, there is a recurring theme in this morning's scripture passages. In our Old Testament passage Isaiah was called upon by God to answer God's call to be a prophet – to bring God's message to the people of Israel. But, the notable thing in this scripture passage is that Isaiah was hesitant to answer God's call because he felt he was unworthy. His words were, "Lord, I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips."

Isaiah's response was something like the apostle Paul's response to hearing God's call. For he realized that he was the least of the apostles and didn't even deserve to be called an apostle, because he persecuted the church of God.

Or it's like Simon's response after having caught all those fish, for he said, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!"

Often that is what causes us to turn away from God's call to us. The typical reaction to hearing God's call is disbelief that God could want folks like us to be his disciples. We would rather accept our status of unworthy rather than receive God's grace and God's gifts offered to each of us so that we may be empowered to do marvelous things to the glory of God. We may even think that it is easier to be unworthy than to be empowered. We may even be fearful of where God's gifts and graces may take us as his faithful disciples. But, how foolish and wasteful we are if we refuse those gifts and the grace that God offers to us.

I am reminded of the story of one of the heros of the Reformation – John Brentz, a friend of Martin Luther, and a pastor and leader. Because of his influence John Brentz had become an enemy of the king. As a result, the king tried to have Brentz arrested so that he could be tried and executed for treason and heresy.

One day, hearing that the police were coming to arrest him, he went to God and prayer and asked for guidance. Immediately, he felt the voice of God speaking to him with the advice to take a large loaf of bread and go into the upper town where he would find an open door leading to an attic where he could hide.

Brentz immediately accepted that word from God. Taking a large loaf of bread, he went into the upper town, found the only open door, and hid himself in the attic of the house. For fourteen days he lay there while the search went on. The one loaf of bread wouldn't have been enough to feed him for that length of time. But, day by day, a hen came up to the attic, coming through a vent in the roof, and laid an egg without so much as a cackle. Finally, on the fifteenth day the hen didn't come. But, John Brentz heard the people on the street say, "They are gone at last," and he came out.

Are we willing to hear the voice of God speaking to us? Are we willing to accept the grace and the gifts God supplies so that we may be adequate and worthy for the things God wants us to do?

We who are God's children have a tremendous, amazing, and eternal source for ministry and growth at our disposal. We need never suffer for lack of what we need to do God's work. Or, as an ancient proverb asks, "Will the guardian of a well die of thirst?" Of course not! God's gifts are offered for each of us to use.	Amen.