Theological Stew
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  • New Page
  • Advent 1 Isaiah 64
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  • Backyard Blessings 2: Generations- Genesis 17
  • Backyard Bless 3-CreationPsalm 19
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  • Backyard Blessings 5: Love-Jeremiah 31
  • Easter Blooms John 20:1-18
  • Backyard Blooms: Luke 24:36-48
  • Vines- John 15: 1-8
  • John 15:9-15 Blessings: Friends
  • Bkyd Blooming: COnfidence- Acts 1
  • Backyard Breeze! Acts 2
  • Bkyrd Breezes:Isaiah 6/Romans 8
  • Bkyrd Brz: 1 Samuel 3/2 Cor
  • Mustard Seed Annointing
  • Bkyrd Breezes: Courage
  • Mark 6:1-13, Romans 12 Bkrd Breezes: Wisdom
  • Bkyrd Bodybuilding-Core- Ephesians 2
  • Bkyrd Bodybuilding- Cardio- Ephes 3
  • Backyard Bodybuilding: Legs, Back, Chest, Arms!
  • Bkyrd Bodybuilding- Nutrition-Ep 4
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  • Mark 8:27-38
  • Mark 9:30-37 Bkyrd Stmbling:Pride
  • Bkyrd Stumbling Blocks: Patriarchy
  • Mark 4 Combined Service
  • Mark 12: 28-34 Backyard Bounty: Love
  • Backyard Bounty: Value
  • Backyard Bounty: Encouragement Mark 13:1-8
  • Backyard Bounty: Abundance!
  • Backyard Birthing: Speak- Advent 3
  • Backyard Birthing: Sing! Luke 1:39-46
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  • Imagine Luke 15
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  • Imagine: Beatitudes- Mercy and Pure Heart
  • Imagine Beatitudes: Peacemakers
  • Imaging: Beatitudes- Persecution/Rejoice!
  • New Page
  • Say yes! (Fig Tree/Potter/Ps139)
  • 1 Timothy 1:12-17 Things we leave behind
  • Say Yes: What we Bring- Luke 14
  • Luke16- Lazarus and the Rich Man
  • Luke 17:1-10- increase our faith
  • Luke 18- Widows, Judges, Labels and MIrrors
  • Pharisee, Tax Collector, Mirrors, and Prayer
  • Luke 19:1-10 -Zacchaeus
  • Luke 20:27-38 Seeing Scripture Differently
  • Seeing church differently Luke 21:5-19
  • John 6- Obstacles:Seeing community differently
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  • Advent 3 Compassion 3 Mary
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  • No Matter What: Jacob
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  • On the Road: Nicodemus
  • Woman at the Well COVID-19
  • On the Road Again: Man Born Blind
  • On The Road Again: The Rest of Us
  • Easter: Up and On the Move-Mt. 28
  • Risen? Or Fake News? Mt. 28: 11-20
  • How the Virus Stole Easter
  • Emmaus, On the Road...Again?
  • Interruptions and Upheavals 2: Acts 2
  • John 14:1-14, 1 Peter 2:2-10
  • Acts 17:22-31 Interruptions and Upheavals 4
  • Know, Share, Go... Together- John 17
  • Acts 2: For Such a Time as This
  • Christ In Us: A Living Sanctuary Matthew 10
  • Christ in Us: Listening to YHWH
  • Christ in Us: Love Anyway
  • Christ in Us: Abundance
  • Christ in Us: Abundance- Matthew Sower/Romans 8
  • Christ in Us: Acceptance
  • Christ in Us: Gratitude
  • Untitled
  • Creation: Forest: Genesis 2:4-14
  • Creation: Land: Genesis 4:

Deep Water- Fishing for People

Picture
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 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.

                                                            ************************************************************************************

Jesus sees two boats moored on the shoreline. The fishermen, who have come up shy of a catch, are cleaning their nets.
Jesus strolls up and gets into one of the boats and tells them to push  him out a little bit- away from the shore...  And then he starts teaching/preaching.  We have no idea what he was teaching about, but I have a feeling it was about  renewal, or believing in renewal, or believing God can bring about renewal, because when he is done, and maybe to drive home the point... he looks over at Simon Peter and tells him to take the boat out to deep water and cast the nets again.

It's the end of Peter's day. He's tired, frustrated from his lack of fishing success, and now his nets are all prepped for tomorrow... and here is Jesus telling him to go back out and try again-  "Go to the deep water."
And so he looks back at Jesus and says, "Seriously? We've been fishing all day! You think you know something we don't? I don't remember seeing a fishing license pinned to your hat- what makes you think you know better than we do- we're
professionals!"
But then, maybe because of that compelling 'Jesus look,' he agrees- "Fine! You want us to go back out? We'll go back out! Because YOU say so we'll try again.. Happy?" 
 
And of course they catch so many fish that the nets begin to break, and they have to call their partner boat over to help haul them in- and there are so many fish that the weight of them are causing the boats to start sinking.  
And Peter starts to freak out... and he goes to Jesus and falls at his feet and says:
        "Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man."
Literally from the Greek: 
        "Get out of here! I am a sinner, Lord" 
Or in our language:
        "Get out of here Jesus! You've just rocked my world and I don't know what to make of it. You've just proven to me that I
         don't know squat, even about the things in which I am considered an expert. You've just done something that I could never
         
do, something can't understand and frankly Lord, scares me to death!  Don't you know me? I need to be in control! I need 
         to have power over my destiny! I need 2+2 to equal 4 every single time! I need constants and truths- I need up to be up,
         and down to be down!  That is how I function! Get away from me with your magic and your miracles and your fairy-tale-
         peaceable-kingdom stories where lions lay down with lambs and we love our enemies and I catch fish from an empty 
         lake and everything turns out all right- I don't know how to live in a world like that! So get away..."

And Jesus puts his head back and laughs... and laughs... "Don't be afraid buddy...  from now on you'll be catching people..." 

Amazing! That's Peter's call story. No, "You of little faith," from Jesus... No "Go, and sin no more,"  from Jesus... No, "Go wash in the river seven times," from Jesus, or "Go, sell everything you have., from Jesus... Peter only gets, "Don't be afraid!" 

So I have two questions: 
1.  Why is this all so scary? Why is it, that when the God of miracles actually shows up to do one, that we explain it away... coincidence... timing.... We have become so sure of ourselves, haven't we? We know what to expect, we understand cause and effect... and beyond that, we've come to put our trust in those things... It is the way we navigate our way through life.
Moreover, to believe in miracles, or the "impossible" makes us appear foolish- especially in a progressive mainline church.  We are "thinkers." We are "academics."  We don't read the Bible literally or with rose colored glasses... we are realists! We are smart realists.

And while all that "smart" thinking is fine, I assert that sometimes we explain things away is so we can keep the scriptures within our control- (so we can keep God within our control) and under our power.  

This story, whether you want to read it literally or metaphorically, says the same thing... that God breaks down the walls (or breaks open the nets) of what we think is possible, and points us toward a future that we think is impossible. And that future is the new reign of God.   And the only prerequisite we need to participate, it seems, is a recognition that we're not yet a part of it.
That shows itself in Peter's "I'm a sinner." In other words... "I didn't believe you... I hadn't thought that was possible... I've been relying on my ways and not your ways..." 
 Or again, in our language:
If  we can keep reliant on "us" and not "God" then we can keep things going, and admittedly, it may not be the best right now, but science is coming up with new things all the time, and we're learning more about our world and how it works all the time... and how we work all the time. We can keep people alive longer, and kill each other more efficiently... on both ends, we are masters of life and death and that makes us feel strong-powerful.
So yes, giving over our lives to God is world rocking... "Get away Jesus!" 

2. (This question I can't answer for you... this one is personal.)
What would it take for you to acknowledge that you are, in Peter's words, "a sinner"? What is it that Jesus  would have to fill your nets with to help you see that the world as you know it has the capacity to change? And that God was the one who had the ability to change it? What would you have to bring in from the 'deep water'... something you've tried on your own to do but came up empty... Places you've tapped for hope and sustenance that have yielded nothing... ?
 
It's a tough one to answer.. but... How about money? Would that do it? Is it that big haul of fish that would finally get you over the hump- just so you didn't have to struggle anymore? You would think so... it's what every fisherman hopes for, isn't it?  That great once in a lifetime catch... the big one!
SImon Peter and his cronies... they had it!  The big windfall that finally came their way!

But it's interesting to me that right after the fisherman caught all those fish... they  didn't stay there to enjoy the profits... They left everything and followed Jesus.

Hmmm... so having all we can... all we want... all we think we need... perhaps that's not all there is... 

Perhaps what this passage is supposed to show us is that the things we think are ever so  important, in the new reign of God, are not the things that really matter after all.  So think differently about it  if you dare, if only for a minute.  What would your net need to be filled that would blow your mind enough to leave it all behind and follow? 

    I'd love to hear from you...

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  • Home
  • Sermons
  • Movies That Cook
  • Things for Your Kitchen
  • Walk to Emmaus- Luke
  • The Unknown God- Acts 17
  • Prayer for the Church
  • Charlotte/ Acts 8:26-40
  • Sower/Jacob
  • Jacob/Prodigal Son
  • Jacob/Romans 8
  • Jacob Wrestling and Blessing
  • Jacob learning to live with a limp
  • FTF Timothy
  • The Field is Ready, Genesis/Romans
  • romans 8
  • Philippians 2:1-13
  • Ruth Dinsmore- Acts
  • Philippians 3: 5-14
  • 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
  • 1 Thessalonians 2: 1-8
  • 1 Thessalonians 2:9-20
  • 1 Thessalonians 4:13-19
  • 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
  • New Page
  • Advent 1 Isaiah 64
  • Advent 3 Isaiah 61
  • Christmas Eve Isaiah 9: 1-7
  • Baptism of Jesus Mark 1
  • Mark 1: 14-20
  • Breathe: Mark 1:21-28
  • Backyard Basics 4: Belong
  • Ash Wednesday
  • Backyard Basics 5/Blessings 1
  • Backyard Blessings 2: Generations- Genesis 17
  • Backyard Bless 3-CreationPsalm 19
  • Backyard Blessings 4: Healing Ps 107
  • Backyard Blessings 5: Love-Jeremiah 31
  • Easter Blooms John 20:1-18
  • Backyard Blooms: Luke 24:36-48
  • Vines- John 15: 1-8
  • John 15:9-15 Blessings: Friends
  • Bkyd Blooming: COnfidence- Acts 1
  • Backyard Breeze! Acts 2
  • Bkyrd Breezes:Isaiah 6/Romans 8
  • Bkyrd Brz: 1 Samuel 3/2 Cor
  • Mustard Seed Annointing
  • Bkyrd Breezes: Courage
  • Mark 6:1-13, Romans 12 Bkrd Breezes: Wisdom
  • Bkyrd Bodybuilding-Core- Ephesians 2
  • Bkyrd Bodybuilding- Cardio- Ephes 3
  • Backyard Bodybuilding: Legs, Back, Chest, Arms!
  • Bkyrd Bodybuilding- Nutrition-Ep 4
  • Mark 10:35-45
  • Mark 8:27-38
  • Mark 9:30-37 Bkyrd Stmbling:Pride
  • Bkyrd Stumbling Blocks: Patriarchy
  • Mark 4 Combined Service
  • Mark 12: 28-34 Backyard Bounty: Love
  • Backyard Bounty: Value
  • Backyard Bounty: Encouragement Mark 13:1-8
  • Backyard Bounty: Abundance!
  • Backyard Birthing: Speak- Advent 3
  • Backyard Birthing: Sing! Luke 1:39-46
  • Christmas Eve- Ressurection
  • Luke 2: 21-40 A Once Over
  • Epiphany- Matthew- Star of Wonder
  • Beyond the Backyard: The Call-
  • Beyond the Backyard: The Message- Luke 4
  • Beyond the Backyard: Words Matter- Jeremiah 1:4-19
  • Beyond the Backyard:
  • Beyond the Backyard: Compassion
  • Beatitudes: Imagine 1
  • Imagine: Beatitudes- Meekness
  • Imagine Beatitudes: No countries: Hungry, Thirsty, Filled
  • Imagine Luke 15
  • Easter Sermon: Mary- Through our Tears
  • Imagine: Beatitudes- Mercy and Pure Heart
  • Imagine Beatitudes: Peacemakers
  • Imaging: Beatitudes- Persecution/Rejoice!
  • New Page
  • Say yes! (Fig Tree/Potter/Ps139)
  • 1 Timothy 1:12-17 Things we leave behind
  • Say Yes: What we Bring- Luke 14
  • Luke16- Lazarus and the Rich Man
  • Luke 17:1-10- increase our faith
  • Luke 18- Widows, Judges, Labels and MIrrors
  • Pharisee, Tax Collector, Mirrors, and Prayer
  • Luke 19:1-10 -Zacchaeus
  • Luke 20:27-38 Seeing Scripture Differently
  • Seeing church differently Luke 21:5-19
  • John 6- Obstacles:Seeing community differently
  • Compassion Advent 2
  • Advent 3 Compassion 3 Mary
  • Advent 4: Compassion/Joseph Mt 1
  • The Nice List- Christmas Eve
  • Baptism of Jesus-Matthew
  • No Matter What: 1. Abraham
  • No Matter What: Jacob
  • No Matter What: Jacob/Tamar
  • No Matter What: Rahab
  • No Matter What: David
  • On the Road Again: Into the Unknown
  • On the Road: Nicodemus
  • Woman at the Well COVID-19
  • On the Road Again: Man Born Blind
  • On The Road Again: The Rest of Us
  • Easter: Up and On the Move-Mt. 28
  • Risen? Or Fake News? Mt. 28: 11-20
  • How the Virus Stole Easter
  • Emmaus, On the Road...Again?
  • Interruptions and Upheavals 2: Acts 2
  • John 14:1-14, 1 Peter 2:2-10
  • Acts 17:22-31 Interruptions and Upheavals 4
  • Know, Share, Go... Together- John 17
  • Acts 2: For Such a Time as This
  • Christ In Us: A Living Sanctuary Matthew 10
  • Christ in Us: Listening to YHWH
  • Christ in Us: Love Anyway
  • Christ in Us: Abundance
  • Christ in Us: Abundance- Matthew Sower/Romans 8
  • Christ in Us: Acceptance
  • Christ in Us: Gratitude
  • Untitled
  • Creation: Forest: Genesis 2:4-14
  • Creation: Land: Genesis 4: