Sermons for the Month
God's Grace Is Enough In Deep Water
DATE: February 4th, 2007
SERVICE: 5th Sunday after Epiphany
TEXT: Luke 5: 1-11“To all of you Saints here this morning, grace and peace to you from God our Father, from His Son, Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. AMEN I have a confession to make; had I been in Peter's sandals, I might not have followed Jesus. As soon as you recover from the shock of that statement I'll tell you why. When I hear this story I am amazed at Peter's graciousness and humility. If it had been me, and someone was telling me how to do something at I which I had some expertise … well, let's just say the end of the story might have been different. You know what I mean, don't you? I am more than willing to be taught what I do not know - like anything related to computers or electronics - although I may be a bit resistant due to the intimidation factor. BUT, if someone came up to me and said, "It would be a good idea for you to take another look at that sermon; this is what you should do," especially if that person did not regularly preach, I admit that I would be a bit defensive. (Give other examples from within the congregation - i.e., long-time musicians, teachers, hair stylists, cooks.) Well, isn't that what happened to Peter? Jesus is becoming well-known, and people want to hear what he has to say. He's standing by the Sea of Galilee and the crowds are pressing in on him. That's when two surprising things occur. The first is that Jesus asks Peter to put his boat out a little way from the shore so that he can sit in it and teach the people. The surprising thing is that Peter does it. Think about it; he and his fellow fishermen have been working all night and have caught no fish. They must be tired and discouraged, ready to go home, to eat and to get some sleep. Do you suppose Peter, who is frustrated and worn out, is in the best of moods? Do you think he really wants to stop what he is doing to accommodate this request? So, the first surprise is that he provides Jesus with a setting from which to speak. Then second surprise is that he does not tell Jesus to jump in that lake when he tells them to go out onto the water again and put down their nets. Now remember, these are professional fishermen. Jesus is a carpenter and a teacher. They know the lake, they know what had to be done to bring in a good catch and their families probably had been fishing for generations. They've had a discouraging night; this is after all a matter of livelihood, not of recreation. The nets are clean; they are ready to go home. In their minds there is no reason to try again, to drag those heavy nets into the boats and try again. Given all that, it is astounding that Peter responded as he did. "If you say so, I will let down the nets." This tells us two things. First, that Peter knew Jesus. This is not his first encounter with him; he has heard him speak, witnessed miracles, perhaps even been asked to follow before now. Something about Jesus has already made enough of an impression on Peter that he responds in surprising ways. The second thing we learn is that Peter is a humble risk-taker, which is an odd combination. He doubts, and yet he responds to Jesus' request. He takes risks and as a result experiences a miracle of abundance. The nets are so full of fish that they are breaking; both boats are sinking because the catch is so prolific. This catch not only meets a very human need, it also demonstrates the power of God. And Peter is overwhelmed by the grace that is obvious in this miracle. We might say that he "gets it" and in this event - ironically the best catch of his fishing career - he hears the call. He doesn't say, "Look at this catch; I can't leave fishing now!" He says, "I'm not worthy". But Jesus assures Peter that his grace - the same grace that set these events in motion - is enough. From now on Peter, and the other fishermen, will be catching people. I've always loved the more accurate translation of the word "catch" in that well-known statement. It is to capture alive - the catch and release concept of fishing. These followers of Jesus will be capturing people with God's love, grace and mercy and then releasing them into the world, giving them a second chance. So, as it turned out, that grace, mercy and love of God was enough not only for Peter, but for the thousands of people he eventually caught. As I noted in last week's sermon, the Sender (God) knows what He's dong when selecting the one who is sent, even if that person feels inadequate. That was true of Peter, whose imperfections are well documented, and it also is true of the greatest evangelist of the Christian faith, the Apostle Paul. God's grace, mercy and love were enough for him too. In today's second lesson he uses these words to describe himself - the least of the apostles and unfit to be called an apostle and a persecutor of the church. Yet, he concludes, "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me as not been in vain." His proclamation, as well as that of the other apostles, bore fruit and created disciples of Jesus. So, I guess the question we face today is this, do we believe that the grace, love and mercy of Jesus are enough for us? Because of it, when Jesus calls us and says, "lower your nets", will we do it? As individuals, will we be humble risk-takers, like Peter? I was reading a sermon on this text this week that boldly addressed that question in this way. "I know people," the pastor wrote, "whose lives are miserable because for years they have refused to risk anything. They have resources but do not use them, skills but do not develop them, dreams but do not follow them, possessions but do not dedicate them because they are afraid that to do anything, give anything, risk anything is too much of a threat. So, they sit in the middle of the boat, in the shallow waters, where there are no fish, and complain, are dissatisfied, bored and wonder why nothing happens."(1) I would say that the chances are good that they are ignoring God's call, not trusting that the grace, love and mercy of God is enough. And, that pastor goes on to say, that there are churches that do the same thing. "…They choose to close" (or to remain stagnant) "before they reach into the unknown and untried. Other congregations may get in over their heads, move into deep water, take risks - and they are the stronger for it." (2) I'll ask that question again, as a congregation do we believe that the grace, mercy and love of God is enough as we strive to "capture alive" those who are spiritually hungry? After all, that is, to a significant degree, our call. We do not find ourselves in the city with homeless people sleeping on our doorsteps. Most of the people with whom you and I come in contact, or who drive by our church, are struggling with a different type of a hunger. They are searching for meaning, for relationship, for a sense of connecting with something larger than themselves. It's our task to do what we can to invite them in and to address those needs. That means we provide an environment in which they can be comfortable, it means we ask people we know who are searching to join us here, it means we are attentive to what feels and sounds welcoming to those who are new. So, where is Jesus telling us to lower our nets? That's what every one of you who are members here should be praying about, particularly as we consider changes in our building that would be made for the sake on ministry. Do you really think that more than 20 people have been working for more than two years on reviewing our building needs, and are considering spending a large amount of money - indeed have already spent some in the planning stages, just for the sake of appearances? I would hope not! Whatever we do we do for the sake of ministry as we respond to God's call. So, if Jesus is saying to us, as he did to Peter, put out into the deep water, I do not want us to miss the miracle because we are too tired, or too frustrated, or too focused on past experience. How much better it would be if, like Peter, we expressed some doubt but then said, "If you say so, we'll let down the nets." So, I ask you to pray, "Lord, where do you want me to lower my net? Where do you want us - the people of Faith Lutheran Church - to lower our net?" Then, listen and believe that the grace, mercy and love of God that was enough for Peter and Paul are enough for us.
AMEN
(1) When It Is Dark Enough: Sermons for Advent, Christmas and Epiphany by Charles H. Bayer, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio, 1994, pgs. 81-85.(2) Same as above.