Sermon from January 25, 2015 Given at Charleston Presbyterian Church (ECO)
Mark 1:14-20
Luke 5:1-11
If you’ve ever caught a good sized fish, you know how exhilarating it is to feel that first tug on your line. And if you can set the hook, a battle ensues as the fish tries to escape. And because it is not always a sure thing who is going to win, if you land the fish, you feel like you’ve accomplished something – especially if the fish is what my grandfather used to call, a “lunker.”
Now most people know that if you’re going to catch fish, you must be patient. Depending on the conditions and the bait that you use, fishing can be an arduous task. But you cannot be a successful fisherman without a lot of determination and faith. It does take faith to be a fisherman because you usually can’t see the fish or know if they are nearby or even know if they are hungry.
And sometimes you can work all day like Peter did and still get “skunked.” I will never forget when my grandfather English and I worked all day out on a lake and caught a whole string of bass. But then on the way in, rowing to shore, we accidentally knocked the string of fish off the side of the boat, and they all sank to the bottom of the lake. I thought I saw a tear in my grandfather’s eyes.
Of course, the one consolation a fisherman has is that when you do get a bite, you know that your bait has worked. Even if your line breaks or you don’t set the hook quickly enough – even if you lose your string of fish in the lake, you know that it was your bait that attracted those fish. Good fishermen will work hard to find the bait that is most effective.
And so perhaps it was not by accident that at least half of Jesus’ disciples were fishermen. They worked hard and put in long hours. They all had to work together for a common goal. They had to immediately take advantage of every opportunity. And they made their living by being patient, persistent and full of faith. And as fishermen, they were also accustomed to talking and sharing stories of their experiences with others. These were all excellent reasons why Jesus chose these men to follow Him and to later share their experiences about their risen Lord – the greatest fisherman of them all – Jesus.
Jesus showed these men how to catch lots of fish, and He promised them that from then on they would catch people. And so after they brought their boats ashore, “they left everything and followed Him.” It was like that small town shop owner of days gone by who would sometimes drop everything and shut down his store. And then he would put up a sign on the door that gave the reason: “Gone Fishin.’” Let us pray… (The remainder of this message may be found by clicking on the title above)