Gone Fishing

THIS WEEK’S GOSPEL: MATTHEW 4: 12-23 (THE MESSAGE)

When Jesus got word that John had been arrested, he returned to Galilee. He moved from his hometown, Nazareth, to the lakeside village Capernaum, nestled at the base of the Zebulun and Naphtali hills. This move completed Isaiah's sermon: Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, road to the sea, over Jordan, Galilee, crossroads for the nations. People sitting out their lives in the dark saw a huge light; sitting in that dark, dark country of death, they watched the sun come up. This Isaiah-prophesied sermon came to life in Galilee the moment Jesus started preaching. He picked up where John left off: "Change your life. God's kingdom is here."

Walking along the beach of Lake Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers: Simon (later called Peter) and Andrew. They were fishing, throwing their nets into the lake. It was their regular work. Jesus said to them, "Come with me. I'll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I'll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass." They didn't ask questions, but simply dropped their nets and followed.

A short distance down the beach they came upon another pair of brothers, James and John, Zebedee's sons. These two were sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, mending their fishnets. Jesus made the same offer to them, and they were just as quick to follow, abandoning boat and father.

From there he went all over Galilee. He used synagogues for meeting places and taught people the truth of God. God's kingdom was his theme—that beginning right now they were under God's government, a good government! He also healed people of their diseases and of the bad effects of their bad lives.

Does going to work each day bring you joy? Are you good at what you do? Are you satisfied with your company? If you heard this call, to move to an even better position with better access to what you already enjoy would you just leave your position and go, or would you think about it carefully weighing all the pros and cons? What is it about Jesus’ offer that is so appealing for Andrew and Peter, James and John? What is appealing to you? Why do you choose to follow Jesus? Do you find joy in it?

Often we are called out of our familiar and comfortable patterns of living to try something new, to learn to live differently and to discover joy in the midst of everyday work. Like these first disciples, we are called to something new right in the midst of the ordinary. Today, we are called to be disciples who live differently, who share love and grace with everyone we meet. Please join us on Sunday, January 23 at 10:00am in Christ Church as we listen to the calling of the disciples to follow Jesus. It will be a light-hearted and engaging service of worship that will have a fish story or two.