Fishing is a noble occupation. For some it is a sometimes-dangerous livelihood. Others find it an exciting sport or a tranquil form of relaxation. While conversations about the size, weight or species of fish may go on for hours, including descriptions of \u201cthe one that got away\u201d the last thing most anglers want to get is advice from amateurs. If that amateur happens to be a parson, so much the worse. After all, the pastor is supposed to know a good deal about things \u201choly\u201d, but let\u2019s leave practical things to practical people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
St. Luke is perhaps the most careful of all the Gospel writers. He set himself out to be a historian. He felt called to let the non-Jewish world know about Jesus and about the birth and early development of the church. Luke has an eye to detail. He\u2019s also good at painting pictures in words. Tradition has it that he was an artist as well as a doctor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the Gospel we heard today, St. Luke brings us to a lakeshore. A crowd has gathered to hear the new itinerant teacher and in its enthusiasm threatens to push the teacher into the water. Two boats stand just out in the water. It is morning. Their crews are washing and cleaning their nets after a long and largely unsuccessful night on the lake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jesus calls across to one of the fishermen, called Simon, and asks permission to come aboard and use the boat for a podium. The Big Fisherman agrees. One can imagine him grumbling that the work is being interrupted. The nets have to be cleaned and coiled and the partners given time to rest before night arrives again. Nevertheless, Simon consents. The teacher sits down and teaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then the Teacher gets to meddling. He orders the members of \u201cZebedee and Company, Fishing Experts,\u201d to thrown their newly scoured nets into the lake in broad daylight. One expects to get advice on living virtuous lives from religious instructors. What on earth would a carpenter\u2019s son turned preacher know about professional fishing? Simon and his companions were faced with a choice. Did they refuse, politely, or do as they were asked? If they did as they were asked they would certainly face the ridicule of all who came to know of the incident, a ridicule they would probably share with the Teacher. Goodness knows what Zebedee would say to them when he heard the story!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Simon, James and John decided to obey the Rabbi. Simon wanted the order confirmed though. \u201cIf you say so, we will let down the nets.\u201d They pushed their boats out and threw out the nets. Pretty soon the nets were so full there was a danger they would break. One can imagine them struggling to bring the nets on board and then to get them to shore. At least they had enough customers to buy the fish in the warmth of the day before the catch spoilt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Simon fell on his knees when he saw their catch. One wonders why? First Century Jews didn\u2019t kneel to worship. Anyway, worship was something due to God and there\u2019s not hint that Simon, at this stage, had any awareness that Jesus was anymore than a \u201cMaster\u201d, a Religious Teacher. Perhaps Simon was so agitated by the phenomenon, and perhaps very embarrassed that he may have misjudged the young teacher, that his legs gave way under him. .<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Simon, saying that he is \u201csinful\u201d asks Jesus to go away. Instead of referring to Jesus as \u201cMaster\u201d, Simon now calls him \u201cLord\u201d. In other words, Peter is feeling that smallness we often experience when we are suddenly confronted with someone or something that fills us with awe and amazement. It is not that Simon necessarily felt \u201csinful\u201d in the sense that he thought himself to be a naughty or wretched person. Rather, Simon felt small and inadequate. Even his professional judgment as a fisherman now seemed faulty. Did Simon think that Jesus had performed a supernatural miracle? We don\u2019t know. It would be enough that the carpenter\u2019s son from inland predicted something Simon and his partners would never have imagined. The Rabbi had invaded their \u201cspace\u201d and known more than they did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Perhaps it was the sheer wonder of the Teacher\u2019s goodness that hit Simon so forcibly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jesus then told Simon \u2014 Peter would be his later nickname \u2014 James and John that they would now \u201ccatch men\u201d. The Greek word here for \u201ccatch\u201d means something like \u201ccontinually catch alive.\u201d It\u2019s at this point in the story that we might begin to feel uncomfortable. It all sounds suspiciously like evangelism. Jesus tells his new followers that they would \u201chook\u201d others in the same way that Jesus had just caught them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s a very simple point to be made here. If the disciples hadn\u2019t begun a ministry of catching people alive, we wouldn\u2019t be in church here this morning. If we look again at how Jesus \u201cconverted\u201d Peter, James and John, we might get some fresh insight into \u201cevangelism\u201d The thing that astounded Simon Peter was that Jesus talked about real life things. The miracle of the fish catch isn\u2019t religious at all, at least in the way we usually use that term. What Jesus did was practical and down to earth. Three tired and disheartened people (they had toiled all night and caught nothing) were suddenly turned into three astounded and happy men. Jesus\u2019 generosity had invaded their space. They would never be the same again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are called to be a people who have experienced that transforming generosity and love, as Jesus has invaded our \u201cspace\u201d and affected our day-to-day lives. There\u2019s been a moment, perhaps a whole lot of moments when God in Jesus has touched us even in the parts of our lives we have foolishly thought to be \u201cnothing to do with religion\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Often others have been the agents. A word spoken in kindness, a piece of advice, an example of suffering in adversity, a touch or a hug melted our hearts, made us feel unworthy and changed our direction and our outlook. \u201cSaving\u201d people can be as simple as saving them from loneliness, isolation or depression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When we say our thanksgiving, Jesus smiles back. He often seems to be saying, \u201cYou didn\u2019t know I could do that did you?\u201d Then he asks us to show our thankfulness not only on our lips, but in our lives, by giving ourselves to God\u2019s service. Zebedee\u2019s Fishing Company began with three employees. It has grown to be a multinational reality. We all work with Simon Peter, James and John now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This sermon was written by the Rev. Kirk Alan Kubicek<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Fishing is a noble occupation. For some it is a sometimes-dangerous livelihood. Others find it an exciting sport or a tranquil form of relaxation. While conversations about the size, weight or species of fish may go on for hours, including descriptions of \u201cthe one that got away\u201d the last thing most anglers want to get…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":201212,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[32,43,52,3],"tags":[257],"class_list":["post-511126","sermon","type-sermon","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-epiphany","category-sermons","category-sermons-that-work","category-worship-and-prayer-menu","tag-epiphany-5c"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":32,"label":"Epiphany"},{"value":43,"label":"Sermons"},{"value":52,"label":"Sermons That Work"},{"value":3,"label":"worship_and_prayer_menu"}],"post_tag":[{"value":257,"label":"Epiphany 5C"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":[],"comment_info":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/511126","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/sermon"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/511126\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3478581,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/511126\/revisions\/3478581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=511126"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=511126"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=511126"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}