Sermons for the Month
Being Drawn In To Fish…and Catch
DATE: January 27th, 2008
SERVICE: Third Sunday After Epiphany
TEXT: Matthew 4:12-23“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 always have more questions than answers when I read this Gospel lesson, especially the second half of it. Of course there always is the confusion over the fact that the Gospels of Matthew and Mark offer similar stories concerning how Peter and Andrew became disciples, while the Gospel of John gives a completely different account, which we read last week. Any explanations of that are conjectures, and I've decided not to focus on those theories today. Instead I would like to reflect on the two queries that came to mind this as a read from Matthew this week: 1. When Andrew and Peter, James and John, dropped everything to follow Jesus, did they really intend to do what they did? 2. What about Zebedee? Actually, the second question came first as I read an article by that title. You'll recall that Zebedee is the father of James and John who is left with the boat when his sons were called by Jesus. The article's author wonders why Zebedee didn't get up and go too. Was it that he was not invited? That seems unlikely; so if Zebedee was included in the command to follow Jesus, it means that he chose not to do so. According to Mark Ralls it would mean that, "While four spring to their feet, one hesitates. Four drop their nets. One is not quite read to let go." For Pastor Ralls Zebedee is a cautionary figure, "a reminder that I can't stay in the boat my whole life and still find myself in the place where Jesus is going. I must follow." (1) These reflections on Zebedee give a lot of credit to Peter, Andrew, James and John for being faithful, or at least risk-takers. I'm not convinced that they deserve such accolades, which brings us to question number one. When Andrew and Peter, James and John, dropped everything to follow Jesus, did they really intend to do what they did? Ok, ok … I know I sound cynical; maybe it's because I can't imagine these first century fishermen abandoning loved ones, livelihood and a comfortable daily routine to step out into the unknown. (More to the point, it's difficult to imagine anyone doing that.) What seems more likely to me is that they had heard interesting reports, or even gossip, about Jesus - perhaps through John the Baptist - and there was something about the man, Jesus, "in-the-flesh" that drew them in. But, when they stepped down off the boats, left the nets, could it be that they intended to be gone only for a few hours, or a day at the most? Then - even though Jesus had made an odd comment about catching people instead of fish - it was their intention to return to what they knew best - fishing for fish. However, it was not to be. Jesus continued to draw them in … as he taught in the synagogues, as he shared the Good News of a grace-filled God, as he brought light and healing to people's lives, the fishermen found themselves unable, unwilling, to return to their former lives. Then, little by little, hour by hour, day by day they were transformed. It's true that at the beginning they did decide to go, and as they saw who Jesus was, they decided to stay. But, I don't think it was until Jesus was crucified and resurrected that they had to choose whether or not to be what they had spent three years becoming - fishers of people. Maybe I like that scenario because it rings true for us. Little by little, hour by hour, day by day we follow Jesus. Perhaps, as we do so, we do not have the long-term in view. But, there's something about him that draws us in. Maybe it's a favorite story from the Gospels, like the story of the Geresene demoniac, who was bound with chains and shackles as the story began, and at the end was sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. (Luke 8:26-39) Or, the account of the woman with the alabaster jar of costly ointment who uses it to anoint our Lord's feet. Jesus commends her while the disciples deride her. (Matthew 26:6-13) That which draws us in might be the experience of calm that surprises us when we prayed. Maybe it is the way we see the love of Jesus shinning in another person, or the commitment to being his disciple that is clear in the sacrifices he or she makes, or an indescribable, inner "something" that is attributed to faith that attracts us. In her book Traveling Mercies Anne Lamott has a chapter titled, "Why I Make Sam Go To Church." She writes about the frustrations of requiring church attendance from her grade-school-age son when he's the only one in his peer group who goes to church. She writes, "You might wonder why I make this strapping, exuberant boy come with me most weeks, and if you were to ask, this what I would say: I make him come because I can. I outweigh him by nearly 75 pounds." Now, while that may be true, it's not the real reason. She goes on to write that she wants to give him what she found in the world, which is a path and a little light to see. Listen to this: "Most of the people I know who have what I want - which is to say, purpose, heart, balance, gratitude, joy - are people with a deep sense of spirituality. They are people in community who pray or practice their faith. They follow a brighter light than the glimmer of their own candle; they are part of something beautiful." And, she goes on, "When she I was at the end of my rope, it was the people at St. Andrew that tied a knot in it for me and helped me to hold on. (2) It is a witness like that one, and everything else I mentioned, and so much more, that draws us in. And, the next thing you know, we are leaving the security of the old life behind for good - not just for a few hours or days. We are stepping out of the boat, taking risks, welcoming change, being who Jesus envisioned us to be from the beginning when he called us in our baptisms. And before you know it we are not just fishing for people, but actually catching them, just as we were caught. Transformation is in the air. And the Prophet's words that were quoted in today's Gospel are fulfilled, not only in Galilee, then … but here, now. "The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death, light has dawned." They are following a brighter light than the glimmer of their own candle, and are a part of something beautiful. That's because in the light of Christ, it's always a perfect day for fishing. (1) "What About Zebedee" by Mark Ralls, The Christian Century, January 11, 2005, pg. 17.
(2) Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott, 1999, Anchor Books, New York, NY, pgs. 99-100.
AMEN