Sunday Homily - February 10th, 2019 - Fishing 101
Calling of the Fishermen Icon
I.
Fishing is much more complicated than it looks sometimes.
At least, that's my own novice opinion,
but I think the more hardcore anglers out there will also agree.
One of my clergy friends absolutely loves fly fishing.
He finds great comfort and relaxation going fishing,
and he even keeps a log of days per year that he goes out on the river.
One day, when he had started to pick up fly fishing,
he got up early one morning, prepared his tackle box, and cast out in the river.
He caught a few fish here and there.
It was a nice time and he called it a day.
However, one of his friends noticed that he was casting awfully shallow
for the kind of water that flows down the river.
His friend started to tell him about how the river fish tend to live and eat
and he realized why he may not have been catching many fish to begin with.
You see, in the river, the top of the water moves very quickly.
The water is rushed and it sweeps many things along with it.
But, the lower you go in the river,
the slower that the water moves
and the easier it is for the fish to move freely.
The bottom of the river is the sanctuary for many fish.
Fish can conserve their energy that would otherwise be wasted
in the rushed upper waters of the quick-moving surface of the river.
When my friend began to cast deeper in the water,
going to the bottom of the water,
he found that he had a much higher success rate.
He had found where the fish were,
he had learned how the fish lived,
and he had an appropriate bait that was attractive to the fish that were there.
Now, I'm not an expert in fishing by any stretch of the imagination.
But the principle behind his change of approach makes a lot of sense.
If you want to catch fish,
you have to know where the fish are,
to know WHY the fish are where they are,
and to then GO to where the fish are and show them something tasty.
And sometimes you have to have someone to help you catch those fish.
II.
Simon and his buddies are experienced fisherman
who haven't caught anything all night.
They have become discouraged and have come to shore to wash their nets.
As the morning sun rises,
and the wind gently rushes over the hills near the lake that they were fishing in,
they hear the echo of someone speaking.
The hills form a sort of natural amphitheater,
and it is quite clear to Simon, James, and John
that there is a traveling rabbi near.
[http://www.seetheholyland.net/tag/lake-of-gennesaret/]
They hear the expounding of this rabbi on the Law of Moses.
But they also hear something else:
there is a HUGE crowd following this guy!
These fisherman,
rugged from work all night,
look on at this crowd that is moving toward them.
And this rabbi,
the Teacher,
comes close to them.
Simon, James, and John are devout Jews
and they recognize the importance of what this rabbi is doing.
He asks if it is possible to stand in the boat
and to teach the crowds from a place where they all can see him.
Simon is happy to oblige and the fisherman sit and listen to this amazing rabbi.
They hear the Word of God opened and explained.
It is a wonderful break from the hard work they had done all night.
They feel their souls refreshed.
The rabbi finishes and looks over at Simon.
"Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch."
[Luke 5:4 NRSV]
Simon, James, and John look at each other
and feel the discouragement of their night labors resurface.
But Simon responds,
"Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything.
But because you say so, I will let down the nets."
[Luke 5:5 NIV]
The fishermen spring up and hurl the nets into the sea.
The net sinks into the dark waters.
Everything is silent.
Simon, James, and John wait for a moment.
They they raise their strong arms to tug back the net into the boat.
Except...except they can't.
The ropes simply will not budge.
Surely they snagged a jagged rock,
or perhaps a piece of debris.
Maybe they roped one of the sunken fishing boats from the last squall that hit the lake.
[http://www.seetheholyland.net/tag/lake-of-gennesaret/]
And then they see it.
The net wasn't caught.
It was that they had caught so many fish that their nets were breaking!
They exclaim with joy and call for help from their partners in another boat.
The fishermen caught the big one!
Enough fish to sell and keep some for their families!
And all because of this rabbi?
Yes, because of a rabbi!
A rabbi who knew where the fish were,
who knows WHY the fish are where they are,
and who WENT to where the fish were!
after meeting Jesus for the first time.
And they were then given the invitation of a lifetime:
to be disciples of Jesus Christ.
The FIRST disciples of Jesus Christ.
They were still fishermen.
But they became fishers OF men,
as the King James Version of our Gospel records.
Now they fished for people.
And they fished with the master angler
who has come for the healing of the world:
Our Savior Jesus Christ.
Because sometimes you have to have someone to help you catch those fish.
III.
Friends,
fellow disciples of Jesus Christ,
fellow anglers, fishing for souls,
for the sake of the healing of the world:
get your poles ready!
Just as my fly-fishing friend recognized,
just as Simon, James, and John recognized,
we need to listen to someone who knows where the fish are,
and then we need to tailor our technique in order to catch those fish!
Jesus Christ calls us to share the good news,
to proclaim the Gospel of Christ's victory over death,
for us to repent of our sins and turn to God who is ready and able to heal us
and to make us whole.
This salvation is what we are called to proclaim to a world that is hurting and desperate for love.
And we have been given a clear pattern for how to engage with the world
for the good of all people.
First, we learn WHERE the fish are!
How often are we tempted to cast our nets where it is safe!
To cast our lines into the fast paced waters of social media,
sharing that post about Jesus's love and to come to church
when INSTEAD the nursing home down the street is full of friends and neighbors
longing for love and care and who are READY for the Gospel message!
I urge you, friends, don't play it safe when you fish!
Dare to go to where you know the fish will be
and to cast the net of love into the midst of a group of people
who are READY for love.
Second, learn why the fish are where they are!
People swim in from all over the place,
with lives just as messy as yours!
[I know, hard to believe, right?]
Learn WHY the fish gather where they do!
Is there a community in Searcy where people gather
and where people can be met with the Gospel of Jesus?
I'll give y'all a hint: one of those places is across the street
in front of a little red pantry.
And finally: cast deep!
Don't stay on the surface,
where fast moving fads come and go,
where "grow your church quickly" advertisements show up in your email.
Instead, cast DEEP into the lives of those around you.
Take the time to DEEPLY know and listen to the next person in your path.
Tell of Jesus Christ's love ONE person at a time.
Because when one person's life is changed, the world is changed.
There are places teeming with life around our community
where the water doesn't move so fast,
where the rush dies down
and where we have a wonderful opportunity to spread the Gospel of Christ
in healthy and attractive ways!
In a culture where loneliness is rampant,
where American Individualism isolates people's souls,
what an excellent opportunity to BE with someone who is lonely
and to help them recognize our Ever Present God who loves us?
Where it is tempting to go to church on Sunday
without even knowing if your neighbors even get out of bed on Sunday,
what a great chance to tell them about the joy you have in actually meeting with God in prayer?
What an opportunity to love your neighbor as yourself!
Be good anglers, y'all.
Know where the fish are,
know why they are there,
and then go deep!
Because "evangelism" isn't just a Greek word from the Bible:
"evangelism" is a pair of waders, a spool of nylon line, and a fishing pole.
In the name of the +Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
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