Ripples

Reverend Philip Stringer

Luke 5:1-11

LET US PRAY: Enlighten our hearts, O God, through the hearing of your word and the meditations of our hearts, that we may be strengthened in faith and bear a bright witness to the world, through Jesus Christ, the Light of the World. Amen

President Theodore Roosevelt was a fascinating personality. A great outdoorsman and nature lover -- the first National Park was established by him: Yellowstone. The “Teddy Bear” is named after him. He lived life “BIG,” had a sharp and inquiring mind, and he surrounded himself with creative people from all walks of life.

One of his friends, Charles William Beebe, a renowned naturalist, would come often to his home at Sagamore Hill on Long Island to talk to him about mutual interests. They had a habit each evening of going out for a walk on the spacious lawn at Sagamore to view the stars in the night sky. They would look through a telescope at the Milky Way and beyond. They would take turns reciting facts that they knew from their study of astronomy and their own observations. They would remind themselves that their galaxy was only one of 100 million galaxies. They would estimate that the faint dot they saw in the sky was about 750,000 light years away from the earth.

Inevitably, Roosevelt would turn to his friend after they had observed the stars long enough and say to his friend: "Now I think we are small enough! Let's go to bed."

There is a common theme in our lessons today that I’d like to explore with you -- smallness and greatness.

Isaiah tells of his sense of being overwhelmed when he finds himself in the presence of the Lord.

"Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!"

But he is purified by God and set apart for a task that he knew and responded to when he heard it: “Whom shall I send? Send me!”

Paul had been a man of greatness in the eyes of some, in the days when he persecuted the church. But at the time of his conversion, it became plain to him just how “significantly small” he was. “I was the lowest of the low” he was frequently saying.

Yet with the knowledge of his own smallness, came also a knowledge of the greatness of God -- not merely in terms of strength and wisdom -- but especially and most notably for Paul -- in showing mercy.

Paul knew that he was small. But he also knew that God would do great things through him, if God willed.

And then there is our Gospel reading, where Simon Peter is also suddenly aware that he is in the presence of God -- suddenly aware of his own unworthiness -- and suddenly aware of the overabundant grace of God.

Isaiah. Paul. Peter. The common experience of these three people has something to say to you and me today, about our own condition before God. Even if your story is not as dramatic as theirs, you stand together with them in receiving the unmerited, and overabundant grace of God.

Sometimes I think that the difference between our experience and theirs is not so much in the level of drama, but in our attention to detail.

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This is Epiphany, the season of seeing the revelation of Jesus -- and I wonder how Jesus is being revealed to you . . . and how many of those ways have you noticed him?

Perhaps it was Peter’s skill as a fisherman that enabled him to see the greatness of Jesus. It was the middle of the day -- the worst time for fishing -- right at the end of the peer -- the worst place to sink your nets. The fish weren’t schooling -- he and his companions already knew this. They’d been fishing all night and hadn’t caught anything.

So, when Simon Peter followed Jesus’ ridiculous directions and pulled in the whopper-catch of the century -- well, it was overwhelmingly apparent to him that there was something remarkable about Jesus. Jesus sounded like a fool, but what was foolish by all earthly wisdom, was in fact, great.

One of the wonderful qualities of this story is that it ripples -- it is like looking into a mirror at a mirror, and you see image after image receding into the background. In this story, there is a rippling of miracles repeating themselves in concession.

Jesus, you see is doing the same thing that Peter is doing -- he’s fishing! Peter is after fish. Jesus is after disciples.

Of course, any Rabbi worth his salt will tell you where to go looking for quality disciples: Go to the temple, or the synagogues, or to the great schools of thought. No one in his right mind would go looking for disciples in a fishing village -- among uneducated fishermen. That would be like dropping fish nets at the end of the peer in the middle of the day, right?

Jesus does what seems foolish. But he casts his net and catches an abundance -- Simon Peter and his companions, through whom God will do great things.

When the miraculous catch of fish happens, Peter is not distracted by the fish, although it is an impressive catch. His attention is immediately turned to the greatness of Jesus.

So also, for us when we look at the ministry of the disciples, and Paul, and Isaiah and all those who have served God.

Are the fish great? No.

Are Peter and the others great? No.

But God is doing great things through them. Our eyes are not opened to the greatness of things or people, but of the overwhelming greatness of God, who not only worked through them then, but who continues to do great things in our world today, who continues to do great things through ordinary people today.

That should be a relief to people like you and me. For the net is thrown over you, too. This story has ripples -- and they reach all the way to you and me. From the disciples to the early church and through the generations, the net of Jesus is flying over ridiculous waters. It has happened through the study and proclamation of the Scriptures by those who told you the story -- up until this moment when the “fish that are caught” are also the fishers who throw the nets.

Where is Jesus directing you to cast your nets? In big ways? Maybe, but most certainly in little, foolish ways.

There are times and places for you to speak words of comfort and understanding. Words of challenge. Times for you to hold and carry and give. Even in times when you may say, “why bother.”; times when you say, “what good can it do?”

These are the times when you should remember who it is that tells you to cast your net.

Just because you are not great . . . and the moment does not seem great . . . does not mean that great things are not at stake.

Jesus tells Simon, “From now on you will be catching people.” Here is an interesting thing: the word "catch" that Luke uses in telling us this story, does not mean to catch in the sense of snagging fish to devour. Instead, the word used here very clearly means to take hold of alive -- to save or rescue. To catch like a fireman below a burning window. In Jesus’ style of fishing, the role of the fisherman is totally reversed. Where a catcher of fish takes them out of the water to a sure and certain death, a catcher of people in the Gospel takes them out of chaos and delivers them FROM death, into life.

Great things, from simple fisher-folk like you and me.

Jesus has cast his net -- and he has caught you and me, just as he did with those of long ago.

“Who am I?” “I am just me.” “I can do no great thing.”

That is true, of course. And couldn’t be further from the truth. You ARE great-- because you are loved with a great love;

Made with a great love.

Redeemed with a great love.

Cared for with a great love.

And the God of great love has promised to do great things through you.

There is a well-known saying from Mother Theresa -- “We can do no great things. We can only do small things with great love.”

Show mercy. Work for justice. Those who seek to control others believe that loving your enemies is foolish. A short view of history would seem to agree — the gentle always seem to get trampled under the feet of the strong.

Loving your enemies, doing good to those who persecute you, giving of yourself for the sake of your neighbor -- you might as well just drop your nets at the end of the peer at noon . . . But today is one of those days when you and I are called upon to do just that.

Last week this church was directly and deliberately slandered and maligned by Elon Musk. In their continued campaign to divide people by race and nationality, Mr. Musk publicly stated that Lutheran Family Services and our immigration and refugee services are run by drug cartels, are used to bring criminals into the country, have stolen millions of dollars of taxpayer money and are used for money laundering. ALL of that is unquestionably and verifiably false — an absolute lie.

I served a call with Lutheran Family Services and have coordinated ministry with our refugee and immigration services throughout my 34 years of ministry.

The truth is that LFS serves those with mental disabilities and the elderly, family counseling and adoption services. Our refugee program is more than 80 years old and is a model of integrity. Did you know that the tens of thousands of refugees we have served are sent to us by the US State Department — AFTER — the US government has extensively vetted them before they were admitted. Every penny that is spent in that program is accounted for.

This week YOUR church — more pointedly — your ministry to the poor, hungry and vulnerable was salaciously attacked. This week, those who seek to destroy, sought to discredit a ministry through which we follow the example of our Lord Jesus and strive for justice and peace in all the earth.

By the way it is important that I point out here that this is not political. This is not a Republican issue or a Democrat issue (I am neither, by the way). Some people think government should be bigger. Some people think government should be smaller. Some people think it’s doing just fine the way it is. It is not my place — and I have no interest in telling you what to think about such things. But when someone attacks this congregation — when someone attacks our ministries with lies, I’m going to say something.

If the only way someone can get what they want is to lie, then that will tell you something about what they want.

The greater goal of this attack on our ministry (one of many examples) is to dismantle society through a campaign of lies and disinformation. It should serve as a wakeup call to everyone.

A wake-up call doesn’t mean you have to pick up a torch or pitchfork and march on Washington — but I will tell you that as Christians you and I have a responsibility to stand against violence — which includes standing in opposition to lies and deceit.

That begins by taking a very careful look at what information we each are taking in to see if it is trustworthy. A very simple way to begin doing that is to ask yourself what is the intent of the speaker. If it is to tear down and divide, then that should be a signal for you to be very careful — verify the claim before believing it.

To stand against violence also means that you will not make yourself complicit by standing idly by while others repeat things that you know to be false. It means that you will work deliberately among your family and neighbors to lift up and defend those things in society that are good. Especially when you see them being attacked.

“Oh, why bother? These things are bigger than me. What I can do won’t make a difference.”

That is true.

But Jesus is sending you as a catcher of people. A rescuer; A protector. Jesus is telling you to cast your net — not over the world — not over the country — only, just at the end of your pier.

A small net thrown with only the strength of your little arms. Through the performing of such little acts throughout history God has done great things . . . and continues to do great things today.

This day — this moment in which we are living — is a moment into which you are called to cast your net.

God grant to us the faith and the courage to follow where God leads us to go.

AMEN