The Preacher Goes Fishing - February 10, 2019

The Preacher Goes Fishing

A Sermon by Brent J. Eelman

preached at First Presbyterian Church, Clarks Summit

February 10, 2019

Luke 5:1-11

Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.’ Simon answered, ‘Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.’ When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!’ For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.’ When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

There is a story about a congregation that called its first woman pastor.  She was the top graduate in her seminary class and had marvelous references, yet there was still some apprehension about having a woman as the pastor.  Nevertheless, she was an immediate hit with most of the congregation.  But there were a few older men in the Thursday Men’s Breakfast Bible Study that weren’t too sure.  One of them was a devoted fisherman who often took previous pastors fishing.  He decided to do the same and took the new pastor fishing.  They got in his boat and headed to the middle of the lake and there they sat, waiting for the fish to bite.  They waited, and waited, and waited… without much luck.  Finally, the pastor was tired of the wait, she excused herself, stood up, walked on the water back to her car and headed home. 

The next day, the Thursday Men’s Breakfast Bible Study met and they asked him what he thought of her.  His response:  “She’s ok, but she’s not much of a fisherman.”

I like to think of myself as a fisherman.  The words of Norman Maclean’s A River Runs Through It ring with authority and truth in my life: “In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing.”  Casting the weightless fly and dealing with unbelievable tangles have reinforced my understanding of the nature of human sinfulness and total depravity.  Many have been the days that I have reeled in my line, placed my rod on my shoulder and headed home without the experience of catching a fish.  I like to think of myself as a fisherman.. and I know why they call it “fishing” instead of “catching”.  Fishing takes skill… but even the most skillful fisherman have experienced an empty creel: they are intimate with the discouragement of fishing all day and catching nothing.  The words of Peter have often been on our lips in in some way or another: “Lord, we have fished all night… and have caught nothing.”

Have you ever been discouraged? Have you ever felt like you are spinning your wheels? Have you ever wondered: "What do I have to show for my life?" Have you ever made an earnest effort, only to come up empty? If you can answer one of those questions in the affirmative, then this story of Peter’s call as a disciple could also be your story. There are three parts to both this story and also our story: first, the human situation of discouragement; second, the intervention of Grace; and third, our response. This morning I want to use this Bible story to understand our individual stories.

I

We hear the words of Peter in so many ways. "Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing." Peter is talking about his job, his vocation. Every fisherman casts his net in hope. He has an expectation that the creel will be filled. But there are many days when it isn’t. "We have worked all night long but have caught nothing." We hear those words today in similar contexts. We throw our nets out with expectations and hope, only to find them empty.

"My job doesn’t give me satisfaction."

"I am not paid what I deserve."

"I work so hard and have so little to show for it."

We are not professional fishermen, but most of us have thrown our nets into the sea of the economy, hoping for a big catch, and often those nets are hauled in empty. We are not merely talking about money. One of the realities of life in our day is that we expect more from our work than an income. We want to feel that we are doing something important. We want to know that we are making a contribution. Often our nets are also empty of these vital things.

But there are other areas where we cast big nets and work hard, only to have nothing. In relationships we cast our nets of expectations only to discover those nets are empty. Relationships and friendships involve effort and commitment. We commit the effort necessary to sustain it because we have expectations of it. It is painful when the expectations are not met. It is painful to invest our time in a friendship, a relationship, or a marriage... and have the net come up empty.

Another area where our nets are cast is our spiritual life. We commit time and energy to religious practice and belief with certain hopes and expectations. When I listen to my prayers, they reflect hopes and expectations that I have of God. We pray for healing. We pray for peace. We pray for comfort. Those prayers are offered to God with genuine expectations. Often our spiritual nets come back empty and then we face the discouragement and reality of the spiritual desert.  The words of the hymn capture this reality:

Teach me to feel that you are always nigh;
teach me the struggles of the soul to bear,
to check the rising doubt, the rebel sigh;
teach me the patience of unceasing prayer.

How do we feel when we have worked hard at something; when we have committed time to something; when we have believed in something; and discover that our efforts have only produced empty nets?

We get cynical.  We protect ourselves from believing or trusting. "Once burned, twice a fool." The words of Peter are so real: "You have to be kidding. We fished all night and caught nothing."

The modern counterpart of that is: "We tried that and it doesn’t work." Those words are often said in desperation and pain and they have a way of protecting us.

They protect that which is most vulnerable: our hopes.

·      So the job becomes merely a paycheck.

·      The course at school is only a grade.

·      The friendship is only a convenience.

·      And faith???

We start using words like "Let’s be realistic." "We fished all night and our nets are empty.” 

Our churches say that too…. “We tried that and it didn’t work.”  Jesus commands us to cast our nets again. 

II

When the grace of God enters our lives, it is unexpected and surprising. God’s grace is unpredictable and not always welcome at first. C.S. Lewis entitled his autobiography, "Surprised by Joy". I can imagine the expression of joy that was on Peter’s face when he first tugged on those nets felt them to be full. James and John must have shared his excitement. After fishing all night and not catching a thing and suddenly the nets are full.... That is a surprise!

It also must have been a disconcerting surprise to see the nets breaking. It must have been frightening to experience the little boats sinking. This story tells us that there is nothing that can contain the grace of God!

Grace enters our lives in disconcerting and surprising ways. It often is present when our nets are empty... and it breaks those nets.  It shatters our expectations. There might be an ordinary quality to it, but it is a most extraordinary experience.

My third year in the ministry was my most difficult year. I really wondered if I was called by God to do this work. I felt like Peter. I had cast my net for three years, and had nothing to show. I wondered if I was going through the motions. I certainly did not feel as though I was doing anything important. I doubted my calling.  In the midst of that I received a letter. It was from a member of the church. I had recently resigned.  I was moving and was going to "give it one more shot." The letter recalled an evening when I first started at the church. Her mother died, and I went to the home.  The body was there in the living room. Her husband and son were there, and I didn’t have a clue as to what to do. It was my first situation like that. I didn’t know what to say, and so I said very little and just stayed there with them.  I remember when the funeral home came to pick up the body, I offered a mumbled prayer. The truth was that I had completely forgotten that evening, and recalling it brought back those feelings of inadequacy and emptiness.

An angel could have delivered that letter, because what which she wrote about and that which I believed I experienced were two different things. She wanted to tell me how important that visit was, and how it helped her get through a difficult time. That note was a gift of grace and to this day I see the hand of the Divine in it. It filled the nets of my life and broke them.

At the heart of the Christian experience is the grace of God. Often we experience it when our nets are empty and we are discouraged, downhearted and cynical. I am not convinced that the experience is always wonderful at first. It may, indeed, cause our boats to sink because our soul is unprepared for its abundance. But it fills our lives with hope, with purpose, and with good things.

Ironically, I took that letter and folded and placed it in a book.  A number of years later, at another trying time during my ministry, I consulted that book while working on a sermon.  The letter fell out.  I read it again… “cast your net again.”   There is an irresistible quality to the grace of God. 

III

Peter stood there in the boat as it was sinking. Bewildered and amazed he fell to his knees and said: "Go away from me for I am a sinful man." He felt that he did not deserve this, and more did not deserve to be in the presence of Jesus. The lesson that he and the others learned that day was the grace of God is neither earned nor deserved. It is given. It did not matter that Peter was perfect.... Grace was just given. And that is the nature of the love of God.

Peter, James and John responded by leaving their nets and following Jesus. Nothing would be the same in their lives again. The saying of Jesus was: "You will be fishers of men." It really is play on words. The fishing image was often used as an expression for bringing people in for judgment. The word "dragnet" is a police term for bringing in criminals to judgment. The "dragnet" was the net of the fishermen. The play on words is the reversal of judgment.

(Think about it…) Who judged Peter unworthy? It was Peter, not Jesus.  Those feelings of failure, worthlessness, and despair are often the product of our own self-judgment.

The judgment of Christ is a healing affirmation that dispels fear and only calls us to follow. A "fisher of men"... is one who follows Christ... bringing that same love to others be it at work, at play, in the neighborhood, at the church, or at school.

"Our nets are empty. We have worked long and have nothing to show." How often those words describe our lives. In the midst of our despair, we hear the words "Cast your nets again." And with Peter we are skeptical. "What’s the use."

But the grace of God literally bursts our nets, filling them with good things.... From that moment on, our lives are not the same, and if we follow this man Jesus; if we mirror his affirming, nonjudgmental love; the nets of others will be filled. This is the Good News. Amen.