Into the deep waters with Jesus. All ministry takes risk
What kind of risks do you take in life? Are you a thrill seeker or a risk taker? Have you ever gone mountain climbing or jumped of a cliff into a lake? Or do you think that is crazy? Do you like to ride the biggest, fastest roller coasters? Or do you stick to the bumper cars? Have you ever taken your Dad's camaro over 100 miles an hour on the open roads of Wyoming? I've never done that. Or do you stick to the speed limit?
There are other kinds of risks in life that don't involve physical daring. There are risks we need to take in life sometimes, that are scarier than just thrill seeking. Risks where we have to put ourselves out there in really scary ways. Have you ever moved to a new city where you did not know anybody? Have you ever taken a new job and weren't sure if you had the skills and ability to do it? Have you ever taken the risk to tell someone how you feel, not knowing how they would respond? Life takes risk, sometimes, and it is never easy.
I think about all of this because of the gospel lesson from Luke chapter 5 verses 1 to 11. In the gospel, Jesus is being followed by the crowds. They are pressing in on him wanting some wisdom that will change their life, or desiring his healing touch that will mend their lives. These are people who are hungry for Jesus. So, Jesus gets into a boat and pulls a little away from the shores so they can all see and hear him. He teaches them. Who knows whose lives he may have transformed that day? When he is done teaching, he asks Simon Peter to take the boat out into the deep waters. He then tells Simon Peter to let down the nets for a catch. Simon Peter tells him that they have caught nothing, but he goes ahead and listens to Jesus. Then something amazing happens. They catch so many fish, that their nets begin to break. They signal for help, and wind up catching so many fish that their boats begin to sink. Simon Peter in awe and fear tells Jesus to, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" This gospel passage has so much deep symbolic meaning and can teach us much.
First, this Gospel lesson reminds us of the importance to take risk. After Jesus teaches the crowds he takes Simon Peter into the deep waters. "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch." Simon Peter doubts they will catch anything, but they catch so many fish their nets begin to break and their boats begin to sink. I think this “going out into the deep and letting down our nets for a catch,” has great symbolic meaning for us. Jesus knows that Simon Peter is ready for some really deep teaching and understanding of the Lord. Jesus, wants to go deeper with Simon Peter. And it seems to me that we are often called by God to go into the deeper waters. We often have a choice. We can either stay with the crowds taking in basic teachings that we want to hear to help us where we are, or we can get into the boat with Jesus to let him take us to places of such great depth that we can not possibly imagine all that we might see and learn. You see what I am saying here? There are people who seek God to fix their lives, on their terms, and there are people who dare to take the risk to see what God may have for each of us in the deep dark waters. This invitation into the deep waters of faith is an individual invitation to all of us in our personal spiritual lives, and it is also a corporate invitation for whole communities and churches. As we all know, the Church has been changing over the last several years and decades. There are many churches who are struggling to live into their budgets. There are many churches who struggle to connect with younger people. There are many churches who struggle to keep their church fully staffed. There are many churches who struggle to keep their buildings up to code and the lights on. It is tough. Tough decisions are required. Risks need to be taken. My friends in Christ, perhaps there is something deeper going on. Perhaps there is a deeper invitation at work. Perhaps God wants us to leave the shores of only seeking simple and easy answers to make things the way we want them. Perhaps God wants us to get in the boat and set out for the deep waters, truly trusting our faith and that Jesus our Lord knows what to do. Perhaps many churches are being called to truly evaluate their priorities. Perhaps many churches are being called to focus more on Outreach than their building. Perhaps many churches are being called to focus on offering Spiritual guidance, rather than having a full time staff take care of religious life. Perhaps many churches are being called to put people and not programs as the priority. In all the New Testament does Jesus, or Saint Paul, or any other writer discuss building plans or programmatic goals? God has a great catch in mind for the church, and that may not mean that every church growS to 500 people a Sunday, or buildS a multimillion dollar building, or has the coolest church programs in town. However, I think God has more important things in mind. I think God wants the church to celebrate and do the things Christian communities are truly called to do, like Spiritual formation, praising God together, having meaningful fellowship, and reaching out to others.
Finally, know that you will be stretched. Simon Peter says, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man! We all have a part of ourselves that wants to tell us that we are not worthy. That we have done horrible things in the past. That we still aren't the perfect Christian that we can be. We think to ourselves, “That we are not worthy,” for one reason or another. God knows better though. God knows that we are special, not because of what we do or don't do, but because of the Grace of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Jesus knows our true hearts and our true potential. Jesus says to Simon Peter,"Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people." I pray we might trust in the one who knows us best. Amen.
