February 6 – Luke
LUKE 5:1-11
I bet many of you have been fishing! Let me see a show of hands! Of course, I have been fishing also. I grew up with five brothers and we would often walk out to what we called the Red Bridge as you started up Kennedy’s Valley during the summer, and we spent many happy hours wading in the water and occasionally catching a small “sunny.” So, when my two sons were old enough, I thought we should go on a family outing to fish. My husband had never been fishing, and of course, I told him how relaxing and fun it was. Eventually, we wound up at North Middleton park and waded into the water. One of the banks was covered with poison sumac and poison ivy and I had pointed it out and warned everyone to stay away from it. Unfortunately, some how my husband came in contact with it, and the next morning his eyes were almost swelled shut and he was covered with a rash. It took several trips to the doctor’s office, and several shots to get him straightened out again. Needless to say, he never went fishing with us again. Perhaps things would have been different if we had been fishing from a boat like the disciples, and I could have kept him away from that bank, but we will never know!
Today, we once again, hear the story of the disciples fishing, and no fish were biting. Then Jesus told the disciples, in the boat in which He was riding, to cast out their nets. Even though they had seen Jesus perform many miracles, it probably never entered their minds that this would be one of those times. In fact, they argued with Jesus giving Him an excuse why what He told them to do was useless, telling Him they had worked all night and not caught any fish.
Finally, the disciple’s cast their net as Jesus had asked them to do, and caught so many fish that the boat began to sink and they had to motion for the other boat close to them to come over and help them. At the end of the story, Jesus tells them not to worry or be afraid, for from now on they will be “fishing for men.”
Most of us have probably known this story since we were knee high to a grasshopper, and I bet you can remember singing the song, “I will make you fishers of men, if you follow me.”
However, it is easy to jump over the point of obedience and concentrate solely on fishing for men. Yet, when we look closer, we see that the story is also about obeying God’s commands. It is about not giving our human excuses, it is about faithfully doing what God has asked of us. Like the disciples, it is easy to say to ourselves that what we have tried is not working, and thus, we don’t have to try anymore. They were catching no fish, so why cast their nets sounds a lot like, “I asked so and so to a church event but they said no.” So that is not working, so I will not try asking someone else. Yet, Jesus has asked us to share His love with everyone we meet and to spread the good news, and make disciples of all men.
This morning, I would, also, like to concentrate on the vessel, the boat, itself. If you have ever been fishing on a boat with a group of other people, take a moment and think about what it felt like. Most likely, it was a place of fellowship. A place where you felt a connection to those with you for you were all united in a similar purpose. Even if you did not catch anything that day and were a little frustrated, you probably left the boat that day with that warm feeling of having connected with others with similar interests. In fact, that boat was just a boat without the people on board that day. Just as the church is just a building without the people; not a very special place when empty.
What makes any event, and especially the church, special is who shows up. It is those around us that help create the feeling of intimacy and belonging. We know that God is with us always, and in Matthew 18:20, Jesus tells us that “where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there with them.” Just as Jesus was there in the boat with the disciples, He is here with us right now encouraging us to cast our nets despite the fact that we may be filled with doubt.
Fishing for men is conveying the atmosphere that existed on the boat that day. Jesus love for us, that feeling of being in fellowship, and that special feeling of belonging and peace. Many today are lost and drifting, looking for a sense of belonging and community. A place where they really belong. It is just this that the Church can offer today. God’s love surrounds all of us, and the community of God’s people can provide a place of hope, safety, and comfort.
As we leave here this morning, let us remember that catching souls for Jesus is not only Peter’s work. All of us share in his work by hearing the word, by being a part of this congregation, by bringing your families, by the sacrifices you make in order to bring an offering today out of the thankfulness in your heart to God. Most importantly, you continue in the fishing for men by your witness to the word of God, the light of Galilee. By your words to a friend, “Can I pray for you?” By your readiness to explain the faith in your own way, how Jesus brought you out of darkness and into eternal light.
We also need to remember the importance of regularly attending Church ourselves, for it is through being part of a congregations that we experience the intimacy and support of God’s children. It is where we regenerate our spirit so we can try again and again.
Remember, the net is in our vessel. Jesus is telling us to launch out into the deep and let down our nets. Joshua 1:9 tells us, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is wherever you go.”
I leave you with this thought to ponder and hopefully take action on. What are each of us personally going to do about fishing for men, and building the community of Christ? We too can see a miracle involving the future if we will go with Jesus and cast where He tells us. But God help the next generation if we don’t!
Amen