“Let’s Go Fishing”
Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
Psalm 138 and Luke 5:1-11
Last week we talked about “love” one of the superpowers mentioned in the “Life Is Good” book. Today, we will talk about “courage,” another superpower of optimism
So, let me ask….How many of you like to go fishing?
You can see from the stole that I am wearing, that obviously I like fishing. When I was originally installed as a CRE in this church six years ago, the congregation gave me this beautiful stole, and allowed me to choose the design.
Growing up fishing on the river with my Daddy, I learned to fish with a cane pole, and grew into a Zebco reel and rod, only using a net when the fish was too big to reel all the way into the boat. I can remember the 17” jack fish that gave me a run for my money as I turned each turn of the reel and it ran up and down the side of the boat, until I could get it close enough to the top of the water and my Daddy reached over with his net and scooped the fish into the boat.
There was a lot of work to do to be able to get ready to go fishing. First, you had to get the bait. Sometimes, this meant driving into town to buy the worms and crickets, and other times, we would just buy the worms at the bait and tackle store, and I would catch the crickets from the yard as my brother mowed the grass. Gathering the bait was usually done the day before, and I assure you, my mama was never excited about keeping that box of worms in the refrigerator overnight!
When time allowed, fishing was an all-day experience with my Dad. It started with an early breakfast before daylight, loading the poles and safety vests, my Daddy’s fishing tackle box with all the necessary tools, and the first aid kit.
My job was to be sure we had a lunch packed, and, of course, all the necessary snacks and water to get us through the day. Lunch was nothing grand, maybe a can of Vienna sausage or a potted meat sandwich. I left the sardines for my Dad’s enjoyment.
It was a lot of work when we returned home as well. If we caught fish they had to be cleaned and prepared to be cooked. If we didn’t catch anything, we still had to clear the boat and put everything away.
I’m sure the fishermen in our gospel today were exhausted from their night of fishing, yet nets had to be cleaned.
As the crowds push in on Jesus as he nears the lakeshore, there is only one escape that he sees, and that is in the boat. He sees the fishermen cleaning their nets.
Now, I can tell you, when we went fishing, we certainly kept our eye on our boat, and I’m sure the fishermen were the same as they cleaned their nets. I wonder what they thought of this man getting into their boat.
Obviously, it doesn’t take long for them to pay attention, because we are told as Jesus steps into the boat, he asks Simon to push him out just a little way, which Simon does.
Because Jesus was growing in popularity in the region, perhaps Simon, his brother, and the other fishermen recognized him by the crowd that was following him. In any event, they didn’t throw him out of their boat, and chose to follow his command to push off from the shore just a bit.
After Jesus finishes talking with the crowds, he instructs Simon to ‘put out into the deep water.’
There is a bit of symbolism here in my mind. First, Jesus gets into the boat and instructs Simon to push off just a little way from the shore. Like he wants Simon to test the waters with him before he goes out into the deep. It’s as if Jesus wants him to trust him before he goes out into the more deeper and dangerous water, although waters that prove to be fruitful.
Like we often do when we are called into action, especially by our Lord, we resist, as did Simon. Yet, Simon also had the courage to trust Jesus enough to follow what he was telling him to do. He trusted Jesus enough to take him out into the deeper waters.
As is normally the case when we follow Jesus, our lives become fruitful and filled with the gifts of our Lord. And so it is in this case as the nets fill to breaking, and there is more than one boat can hold. The other has to be brought out to gather the rest of the fish.
Again, we see symbolism in following Jesus. When we have the courage to follow Jesus, our lives are filled and overflow with abundance.
Our Psalmist reminds us that there are times when we will walk in the ‘midst of trouble;’ however, our Lord will deliver us, because he reaches out his hand and delivers us.
This may not mean that we will be completely healed on this earth. It does tell us, however, that we will not be alone in whatever trials we face.
We may ask, “Why am I going through this?” “What is the purpose of my trials?”
The only answer I can give you is that humans will suffer as long as they are here on this earth, just the same as Jesus suffered on earth. We are called to have courage that our Lord never leaves our side, and there is a purpose in whatever we are going through, or perhaps as the Psalmist says, “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me.”
We will never have all the answers to our suffering here on earth to the “whys?” and the “what fors?” Yet, we can hold on with courage to the word of God that tells us we are never alone because of our Lord’s steadfast love; we will not be forsaken.
When you go fishing, choosing where you drop your line is a very important decision. It can be the difference as to whether you catch nothing, a little something or a full boat load.
I can remember fishing the same spots where we had caught a lot of fish and coming up empty on the next time we were there. We would come home with nothing, and my mother would say, “You must not have held your mouth right.”
When Jesus instructs Simon to cast his net out, Simon reluctantly replies with most likely a bit of sarcasm, “Master, we have worked all night and caught nothing.” “Yet.” And here comes the courage from Simon. “Yet, if YOU say so.” IF YOU, Jesus, the Son of Man, the man of miracles, tell me, I will cast my net.
The rest is history as Paul Harvey would say.
Because Simon Peter had the courage to cast his net where Jesus had commanded, his net and his boat were filled beyond capacity.
Because Simon Peter had the courage to follow Jesus’ instruction, because he trusted enough in what he was being told by his Lord, he received all he needed and in abundance.
It was also in this moment that Simon and the others really see Jesus for who he is as their Lord, their Savior.
We often talk about how these men just threw down everything and followed Jesus, but it was a little more than that I think. They came to know Jesus for who he was. They SAW him for who he was, their Lord and Savior, and in the hard times that they were living, maybe it was easier for them to have the courage to take this journey with Jesus who showed them all they needed would be provided when they chose to follow him.
One of my granddaughters started college last year, and she was a bit nervous about it. Now mind you, she took a gap year and went into AmeriCorps where she ended up in Alaska where she was in below freezing temperatures for days, fed people that came into shelters on many occasions, and in the spring was taken into the wilderness to reclaim a trail that had been overgrown by all sorts of weeds and bushes. This was ground that was not flat and even by any sense of the word, and she worked hard to dig that trail out. It was really hard work.
After she had been in college for a couple months, I texted her and asked how it was going, and she said, “It’s hard.” I replied, “Life’s hard, but you can do it.”
Life is not an easy journey, and it is not for the faint of heart for sure. However, I do believe if we have courage to know that our Lord is with us in the journey, we can do it.
Do you have the courage to follow Jesus and do what he says? Do you really SEE him the way Simon, his brother and the others did, and know that he is with you on your journey? Are you ready to go out from the shore into the deep waters?
I say, “Let’s go fishing!”
(Silent Reflection)
Lord of Abundance, we need God’s Word to remind us to have courage to follow you out into the deep waters that call us outside of our comfort zone near the shore. Lord we have a misplaced judgement of exactly where our safety lies. We want to stay close to the shore that we perceive as safe, yet we see over and over again that when we have the courage to follow you out into the deep waters, there is safety and abundance for our lives. We want the easy way through life, yet easy seldom comes. Remind us as the Psalmist writes, we are not alone, and you are with us and indeed reach out your hand to lift us up from our depression and grief, our illness and all manner of ailments. Give us courage to follow you the way Simon and the fishermen followed you. Give us courage to reach out to receive your hand that lifts us from the mire. We pray for our government leaders throughout the world that they heed your call to free those who are abused, especially the children in every land. We pray for our military, first responders and caregivers that you give them strength, and that they be blessed by your abundance. God of mercy, we pause to remember all those who have asked for our prayers,
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Heal these in your mercy we pray, as we ask all things through the Holy Spirit and in your Son’s name, Jesus, our Savior. Amen.