TODAY’S READING FROM LUKE IS A STRAIGHT FORWARD STORY ABOUT REGULAR PEOPLE - PEOPLE LIKE YOU & ME – REGULAR ORDINARY PEOPLE BEING INVITED TO HEAR THE GOOD NEWS & GOD’S CALL… AND IT IS A STORY ABOUT HOW PEOPLE RESPOND TO GOD’S CALL WHEN THEY ARE WILLING TO RISK BEING TRANSFORMED BY GOD’S CALL...

GOD INVITES EACH OF US INTO SOME SORT OF MINISTRY... GOD CALLS EACH ONE OF US TO DO WORK FOR GOD’S KINGDOM! FOR SOME OF US THAT CALL IS LOUD & CLEAR… SOME HAVE EXPERIENCES WHERE WE ARE OVERCOME BY GOD’S AWESOME PRESENCE & WE COME OUT OF THAT EXPERIENCE KNOWING WITH GREAT CLARITY THAT GOD CALLS US TO DO OR SAY SOMETHING… FOR OTHERS GOD SPEAKS IN A STILL SMALL VOICE THAT IS MORE DIFFICULT TO DISCERN & PERHAPS LESS EASY TO HEAR & CERTAINLY MORE DIFFICULT TO DEFINE... FOR SOME OF US GOD NUDGES US IN SUBTLE WAYS OVER TIME… FOR OTHERS IT TAKES A DRAMATIC MOMENT OR A RADICAL KICK IN THE PANTS FOR US TO HEAR, LISTEN, & RESPOND TO GOD’S CALL...

I BELIEVE THAT MOST EVERYONE CAN LOOK AT THEIR LIFE & RECOGNIZE A TIME WHEN GOD’S HAND OR GOD’S PRESENCE OR EVEN MAYBE GOD’S VOICE WAS SEEN, FELT, OR HEARD IN OUR LIVES…

AND AS MOST OF THE PROPHETS & MANY BIBLICAL FIGURES HAVE DISCOVERED: YOU CAN RUN, BUT YOU CANNOT HIDE FROM GOD’S CALL! :)

SOMEONE HAS SAID, “GOD IS LESS INTERESTED IN OUR ABILITY THAN IN OUR AVAILABILITY. GOD’S REAL DESIRE IS TO TAKE US AS WE ARE & TO MAKE US INTO THE PERSONS GOD WANTS US TO BE.” (REV. JOHN MATHISON, DISCIPLINES 1995)

OUR READING FROM LUKE TODAY SHOWS US HOW ORDINARY PEOPLE RECEIVE AN INVITATION FROM GOD… OUR READING SHOWS US HOW ORDINARY PEOPLE DO RESPOND TO GOD’S CALL WITH THEIR LIVES...

YES, SOMETIMES WE RESPOND WITH FEAR, TREPIDATION, OR ANXIETY WHEN GOD CALLS… SIMON PETER’S INITIAL REACTION TO GOD’S PRESENCE THAT DAY WAS ONE OF UNWORTHINESS & INADEQUACY… LIKE SIMON PETER WE CAN BE VERY AWARE OF OUR OWN WEAKNESS & LACK OF PREPARATION IN THE FACE OF AN INVITATION FROM JESUS…

YET GOD’S GRACE MAKES IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO RESPOND… GOD PROVIDES US COMFORT & REASSURANCE ALL ALONG OUR JOURNEYS...

LUKE SHOWS US JESUS NEAR THE VERY BEGINNING OF HIS MINISTRY, ALREADY HAVING DEVELOPED QUITE A REPUTATION AS A HEALER & TEACHER … LARGE CROWDS OF PEOPLE CAME OUT TO SEE & HEAR JESUS… SO MANY FOLKS HAD COME OUT TO HEAR JESUS PREACH THE GOOD NEWS THAT DAY THAT HE WAS GETTING PUSHED TO EDGE OF THE LAKE’S EDGE.

IT IS THE FISHERMAN SIMON PETER THAT JESUS ASKS WHEN HE REALIZES HE NEEDS TO SIT IN A BOAT… SO THAT JESUS CAN BE HEARD & SEEN BY THE CROWD…

AND AFTER JESUS COMPLETES HIS TEACHING WITH THE CROWD, IT IS THE FISHERMAN SIMON PETER THAT JESUS ASKS TO TAKE THE BOAT OUT TO DEEPER WATER.

IT IS THE FISHERMAN SIMON PETER THAT JESUS ASKS TO DROP HIS FISHING NETS INTO THE SEA FOR ANOTHER FISHING EFFORT...

AND EVEN THOUGH SIMON PETER INITIALLY PROTESTS THAT IT HAD ALREADY BEEN A LOUSY NIGHT FOR FISHING, HE DOES AGREE AND DROPS THE NETS INTO THE DEEP WATER…

SIMON PETER HAS ALREADY MET JESUS… HE HAS ALREADY SEEN WHAT JESUS CAN DO… ONLY A FEW DAYS BEFORE JESUS HAS HEALED SIMON PETER’S MOTHER-IN-LAW… JESUS IS NO STRANGER TO SIMON PETER…

SO WHEN JESUS SUGGESTS THEY GO FISHING AGAIN THAT NIGHT, PETER HESITATES BUT THEN HE CALLS HIM “MASTER” AND AGREES, “IF YOU SAY SO, I WILL LET DOWN THE NETS…”

AND SUDDENLY, IN AN EXTRA-ORDINARY EPIPHANY MOMENT GOD’S EXTRAVAGENCE IS REVEALED – RIGHT THERE IN THE BOAT! THE NET IS SUDDENLY FILLED WITH AN ABUNDANT CATCH! THE NETS ARE SO FULL THAT PETER KNOWS THAT HE CANNOT PULL IN ALL OF THE NET WITHOUT HAVING IT BREAK APART FROM THE WEIGHT OF ALL THOSE FISH… SO PETER CALLS TO THE OTHER FISHERMEN & THEY COME WITH THEIR BOAT TO HELP HIM… AND THE CATCH IS SO BIG THAT THEY NEARLY CAPSIZE BOTH BOATS TRYING TO HAUL IN ALL THE FISH WHICH HAVE BEEN NETTED!

IT IS THEN THAT SIMON PETER GETS OVERWHELMED… IT IS THEN THAT SIMON PETER RECOGNIZES GOD’S PRESENCE THERE WITH THEM… IT IS THERE - AMIDST THE PILES OF JUMPING FISH & THE JUMBLE OF WET NETS THAT SIMON PETER REALIZES THAT JESUS IS TRULY THE MESSIAH, GOD’S SON, PRESENT THERE WITH HIM IN THE BOAT!

PETER FALLS TO HIS KNEES – OVERWHELMED & FRIGHTENED - AND JESUS IMMEDIATELY ASSURES PETER THAT HE NEED “NOT BE AFRAID!”

AND IT IS IN THAT MOMENT, THAT JESUS TELLS SIMON PETER, “FROM NOW ON YOU WILL BE SAVING MEN & WOMEN ALIVE! FOR THE KINGDOM!”(Peter Eaton,, p. 335, Feasting on the Word.)

SO JESUS HAS 3 NEW DISCIPLES TO HELP HIM SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS!

SIMON PETER, JAMES & JOHN – ALL PRESENT ON THAT AMAZING FISHING TRIP IN DEEP WATER – ALL THREE COME BACK TO SHORE!

AND THEY LEAVE THEIR BOATS… THEY LEAVE THEIR NETS… & THEY EVEN LEAVE THAT AMAZING CATCH OF FISH TO FOLLOW JESUS…

IN AN INSTANT WE KNOW THAT THESE 3 FISHERMEN ACCEPT GOD’S CALL THAT DAY. AND WE KNOW THAT A CRITICAL MOMENT OF SURRENDER HAS HAPPENED! WITH ACCEPTANCE & SURRENDER THESE ORDINARY FOLK BEGAN A NEW LIFE WITH A NEW VISION…

AND THE INVITATION IS HERE FOR EACH OF US AS WELL... WE ARE INVITED TO LET DOWN OUR EMPTY NETS AS WELL…. GOD COMES TO US.. GOD MEETS US IN THE VERY TRENCHES OF OUR LIVES… GOD’S LOVE AND GRACE ARE ALWAYS HERE FOR US TO RECEIVE...

WE PREPARE TO COME TO THE COMMUNION TABLE THIS MORNING… WE COME TO THIS TABLE TO BE FED & TO BE NOURISHED BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT… WE COME TO THIS TABLE TO BE FED & NOURISHED BY GOD’S PRESENCE…

WE COME TO BE RENEWED FOR THE LIVING OF THESE DAYS…

WE COME TO RECEIVE GOD’S GRACE WITH OPEN HEARTS!

AND REMEMBER: “GOD IS LESS INTERESTED IN OUR ABILITY THAN IN OUR AVAILABILITY. GOD’S REAL DESIRE IS TO TAKE US AS WE ARE & TO MAKE US INTO THE PERSONS GOD WANTS US TO BE.” AMEN