Dr. J. Lawrence Cuthill

February 7, 2010

Winter Park Presbyterian

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 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.

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Tomorrow is February 8^th… Right? It is the 100^th anniversary of the incorporation of the Boy Scouts of America. And today is Boy Scout Sunday, a day to recognize the impact of this youth organization, a group that has involved more than 140 million Americans during the past century.

So just exactly how many of you in the congregation have been a Boy Scout? Who among you has been involved in any fashion with Boy Scouts?” If you have done either raise your hand in the Scout sign. That puts you in some pretty elite company! Two-thirds of all astronauts were Scouts; along with eleven of the twelve men who have walked on the moon, And nine of the 140 members of the U.S. Senate are Eagle Scouts. Steven Spielberg was a Scout . . .and the list of notable Scouts goes on and on.

The great appeal of Scouting is that it challenges boys to explore a wide range of outdoor activities and educational programs, and to make surprising discoveries about themselves and the world around them. As a result they often find the comfort of staying home in front of a video game is really no match for the amazing things that can happen when they venture out.

And that is our segue to the Scripture passage this morning. As Luke tells the story Jesus was standing by the Sea of Galilee and the crowds were pressing in to hear and be near him. It was rapidly becoming a problem. Then, in a resourceful act, Jesus saw two boats beached while the fisherman were cleaning their nets. He got into the boat that belonged to Simon (Peter) and asked him to put out a little way. From there he had an excellent platform; distant enough from the crowd so that he wasn’t smothered, but close enough to be heard.

When Jesus concluded speaking to the crowds, there followed a dramatic illustration directed to his (future) disciples and, by extension, to all his followers, there and then; here and now. “Put out into the deep water, and let down your nets for a catch,” he instructed Go deep and make the catch – sounds like advice a Super Bowl fanatic could relate to -- instructions from the quarterback to his wide receiver… If that’s all someone gets out of this story, I would suggest he go deeper -- a lot deeper.

From their reaction to Jesus’ words, it’s clear that Simon and his fellow fishermen didn’t quickly warm to his advice. They were exhausted and frustrated from having fished all night with nothing to show for it. “Coach, we ran that play and didn’t gain a yard, much less a game-changing catch.” (Okay, okay, enough football references!)

Seeing the look in Jesus’ eyes; Simon and his fellows relented and, when they did go deep, they realized they were in over their heads. So many fish were enclosed in their nets that the nets began to split, and they had to call for help. They’d pulled so many fish into the boat that a new problem presented itself… Now they were in danger of sinking. No one was more awestruck than Simon Peter. He fell at Jesus’ feet -- to be joined by the Zebedee boys, James and John. In all their days of fishing this lake, nothing even approaching this had ever happened. They were frightened, and they quickly realized they were in the presence of an extraordinary figure; this Jesus.

And the story, at least this incident, closes with encouragement and an invitation: “Do not be afraid. From now on you will be catching people.”

As noted a moment ago, this story is an illustration, an acted metaphor. It signals an awakening for these fisherman as well as a change in vocation. Their astounding catch and their new direction all come about because of who was in the boat, and their willingness to respond to his words … even when response went against their experience and took them to depths greater than they ever dared or dreamed of.

Clearly this story presents a challenge for disciples of this same Christ today; i.e., Christ wants us to venture beyond our comfort zones; to put out into deep water, into unfamiliar territory. He commands us to overcome excuses offered, “We’ve already tried that,” and take the risks that are required to be faithful and make the catch.

Too often as individuals -- in our personal lives, as well as in our work through the church -- we stay close to shore if we venture out at all. The problem is that is not the safe strategy we may think it is because our caution may cause us to grow stale in our personal relationships as we allow ourselves to construct and live in a “secure” but very restrictive environment.

You can’t learn to swim in ankle-deep water. Remember the advice given the turtle: “You only make progress when you stick your neck out.” Life is always changing around us, and in no place is that truer and more important than in the church, which is by nature conservative and risk-averse than almost any other institution.

Our lives and the Church may seem secure, but that is often an illusion and may mean we live a very superficial and shallow existence. The landscape is changing around us. Great tectonic plates in society are shifting, and not at a glacial pace but rather at an accelerating gallop. But now more than ever we must adapt to a changing culture without losing the essential nature of the Gospel we proclaim. But… but… but. “Do not be afraid!”

There is no part of our mission that Presbyterians fear more than evangelism. The challenge for us today is to venture beyond our comfort zones, put out into the deep water in lives of Christian discipleship. Too often we stay close to shore, safe and comfortable, when Jesus is calling us to be active, adventurous and willing to explore new territory. That’s where the fish are. That’s where the growth happens. That’s where we can make surprising discoveries about ourselves and about the world around us.

In Unbinding the Gospel, Martha Grace Reese says that “our most important discovery is that a vivid relationship with God lies at the heart of real evangelism.”

You have to ask yourself, “Has being a Christian made any difference in my life?” If it has, then you’re going to want to share this reality with other people. Reese says that evangelism is all about relationships. Not high-pressure conversion programs, but relationships. We need to reflect on our relationship with God, and then find natural and sincere ways to share that relationship with others.

Listen to what the much-respected church renewal activist and author, Bruce McLaren, has to say:

Evangelism isn’t a dirty word. We live in a strange time in reference to the “E” word. For many of us, the word evangelism evokes ugly and morally tainted associations with colonialism, religious supremacy, with shabby tel-evangelism, and as a result, many Presbyterians would say that evangelism may be a Southern Baptist ‘thing’ or a Pentecostal thing; but it is not a Presbyterian thing, thank you very much. Unless Christian moderates and progressives begin to share their faith with love and enthusiasm, America’s religious landscape will only be populated by fundamentalists.

We must recall that we all have a faith story. By some means, at some point, dramatic or slowly-dawning, Jesus has made his way into our lives and said, “Follow Me.” Maybe we haven’t realized all that entailed. If we had, we might have turned and run in the other direction. But anything so significant, so meaningful, begs to be expressed. We must find our voices and “go fishing”. That means that we must watch for and take the opportunities that come our way to share why there is hope within us … why we need never give up … what keeps us going … what gives us purpose … and occasionally bubbles over in irrepressible joy.

That’s why we must become fishers of people.

AMEN