The Epiphany of Calling: Following Jesus in Uncertain Times

Foreign thank you for engaging with the homily by Pastor Chill Will

from Chapel Hill. I hope this message encourages you, challenges

you and moves you to go deeper in your faith and enrich how you

love God and love your neighbor in your day to day life.

Just a reminder. Like the Scriptures and Gospels themselves,

this homily was written for a particular community in a particular

context, time in history and yet, like our sacred texts, I hope

that these words hold timeless truths about God's unconditional

love and grace. We hope these words speak to you in a meaningful

way. The Holy Gospel according to Luke Glory to you O Lord. Once

while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gesinnerat 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, one belonging to Simon, and he 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. They signaled their partners in other boat to come and

to help them. They came and filled both boats so that they even

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 the fish

that they had taken. And so also were James and John, sons of

Zebedee and who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon,

do not be afraid, from now on you will be catching people. They

had brought their boats to shore. They left everything and followed

Jesus. The Gospel of the Lord may be seated in the name of the

Father and the Son of the Holy Spirit. So with my brother we are

helping organize and clean out some stuff from my childhood home.

And as we did this I had a core childhood memory unlocked. When

I was a lot younger my mom did cross stitch and there were two framed

cross stitched creations that hung over the stove in our kitchen.

When I came down in the morning to get ready for school and

to eat cereal, I would look up from the bar and I would see one

picture of a frog chef's hat on, standing up holding a Frying

pan with smoke coming out of the frying pan. And. And the caption

said, another day, another disaster. Well, good morning to you

too, everybody. But there was another picture right beside it.

This one also had a frog and it was pouring a glass pitcher of

lemonade into a glass with a caption that said, when life gives

you lemon, take lemonade. Okay, now that's a proverb I can

work with today. I think I can do that in our gospel reading this

morning. I have a feeling that after a long night of getting skunked

fishing, Peter was like, ah, another day, another disaster. But

maybe, perhaps Jesus can make some lemonade out of these lemons.

This story was the first sermon that I ever preached circa

1990 as a high school youth in on Youth Sunday at my home church.

My youth pastor one night at youth group encouraged me to do the

sermon that year. And I was like, no way, that's not happening.

He was like, yes way, like no way, like yes way, like no way. Went

on for like a week. He won the argument. There is a VHS tape out

there somewhere of this infamous sermon with my blonde surfer

hair in my eyes that I had to flip out of my face every few seconds.

The 10 minute sermon was preached in about six minutes. That's

how nervous I was and how fast I read it. Let's just say that God

made some lemonade out of that lemon of a sermon. The epiphany of

that day was that as nervous as I was, I didn't die, the world

didn't end. In fact, that was a new beginning for me. And the seeds

that were planted or the net that was cast helped pave the way

for me to hear the call to go to seminary, be a pastor. We are

still in the season of epiphany. God is continuing to reveal

and disclose who Jesus is and what God is up to in the world through

Jesus, who we claim to be the Christ. Over the last month we've

heard stories of miracles and core teachings of Jesus revealing

God's priorities in the world. We are now moving into a new era,

the Jesus calling the Disciples era of his ministry. And

who does he call? The top of the class at Rabbi training school.

The most influential power brokers in their community? Nope,

rather some fishermen who look like they're not that good at it

either. Hebrew Bible scholar Walter Brueggeman describes the Bible

as a series of call stories. The Bible is not necessarily a dictated

historical record that dropped out of the clouds. Nor is it a science

textbook explaining the answers or mysteries of the cosmos,

or even a book that contains some secret code to unlock happiness.

It's a library of books with many different genres of people spanning

thousands of years, many generations who are sharing their

experiences with God. Dr. Bruegerman shares that. The common

theme and red thread through this whole book is a series of call

stories. God calling creation and humanity into a divine drama

of love, harmony, peace, shalom. In the beginning, in Genesis,

God calls our evolving, expanding universe into being with

life and purpose. And as the divine drama unfolds and expands,

God calls humanity to be good stewards of creation and the creatures

we share habitations with. And with those creatures we are entangled

with in the web of life. God calls Noah, Abraham, Moses, God calls

David, God calls the prophets to remind God's people who they are

and who God is. And here in our gospel reading, the divine drama

and continuity continues with Jesus calling the first disciples.

And within this pattern is also this common response of resistance

to that call, not feeling worthy of it, of turning our back

on God, quite honest, or being overwhelmed with the responsibility

of it all. And yet God says, do not fear. We are in this boat

together. In the story of the miracle of the great catch. There

are lessons here of Jesus taking what is empty and making it

full. And yes, there's this movement from despair or hopelessness,

emptiness transformed to hope. But this isn't necessarily a prosperity

gospel story that if you do the right things, Jesus will make

you full and rich. Rather, this is Peter having an epiphany.

The call story Notice after the great catch of fish, Peter didn't

ask Jesus to come work for him so they could have this prosperous

fishing business in their town. No, rather, Peter went to Jesus

in humility, honesty. And then it's Jesus that said, I'm inviting

you to come and follow me. We will fish for people. And of course,

it's not lost on me as a self identified ocean lover and beach

bum. Jesus preaching from the water on the coastline on a boat.

And the first disciples he calls to come follow him are those

who are in tune with salt life, water life, coastal life, if

you remember my hot take, that God is a surfer as seen in the second

verse of the Bible. And God's spirit hovered over the waters. I

think this gospel story is a great callback. As God hovered over

the chaotic and uncertain primordial waters at the beginning

of creation, creating order and purpose and life out of chaos.

Here is Jesus with a chaotic crowd, hungry for good news and promise

and purpose that Jesus gets in a boat and moves out into the water.

In a lot of cultures, water and the sea and ocean are seen as

chaotic, uncertain, unpredictable, flat out dangerous.

These fishermen knew that that was their vocation and livelihood.

Peter, James and John may not know the Hebrew Scriptures backwards

and forwards. Who knows if they were great teachers or charismatic

influencers. But they did know how to handle and navigate a chaotic

and uncertain and messy world. In a world of disasters and uncertainty

and messiness, why not call some guys who understood the shifting

nature of an uncertain sea, knew how to untangle nets, not afraid

to get their hands dirty cleaning messy fish. In a world of

disasters, perhaps Peter, James and John knew how to make lemonade

and notice how they were called to go into even deeper water.

I love that phrase. Jesus says, let's move into deeper water,

a place of even more uncertainty and chaos. Or maybe a

place that they'll find deeper and fuller life teeming with a diversity

of fish. And then notice how they invited other boats come over

and help. It's not just us, friends. It's not just us Holy Trinity.

It's not just our boat out here floating in the sea by ourselves.

There are a lot of boats and communities of faith all around us.

There are people hungry for good news. And so let's be really

clear here. This catching people is by no means entrapment

or manipulation for selfish means. This isn't a prosperity gospel

because going into deep water can be risky. But rather this is

an invitation into a fuller, deeper life aligned with what Jesus

taught and preached at his hometown sermon. Word and good news

about liberation. A word and a promise of God's unconditional favor,

the promise and hope of salvation. All I know that the waters

are rough right now. In the world where we swim and navigate,

Jesus isn't going anywhere. Peter said, get away from me, Jesus.

But yet he remained in the boat right there with him. With him.

He looks at us and says, do not fear. I'm calling you as well.

Let's go fishing or go make some lemonade. Amen. Thank you for

listening. If there is anything that stood out for you,

or if you have a question or you just want to have a conversation,

you are always free to reach out and contact us. And remember

you are not alone and that you are loved with a love stronger than

death.