Being and building disciples

Introduction!

Good morning!

It’s such a joy to be with you at last! It has felt like a long wait for us, but finally we are here, and we’re looking forward to serving alongside you.

If I’m being honest, I’m not a huge fan of boats. In fact I’d go so far as to say that I’m a bit scared of being on them! So God seems to have wanted to show me his sense of humour a bit - as I was discerning the unexpected (and even a little unwelcome) call to ordination a few years back, the verses that he laid on my heart were the story of Peter stepping out of the boat and walking on the water towards Jesus - this came back with surprising regularity from all sorts of people and places.

Another image that has sustained me recently when things have been a bit stormy, is the idea of Jesus being fast asleep in the boat with his disciples panicking as a huge storm swept up around them. I’ve felt the invitation time and time again to not wake Jesus up in a panic, but instead lay down next to him and rest in the middle of the storm. Easier said than done, but I’m working on it!

For someone who doesn’t really like boats, God seems to love speaking to me through watery stories! So I must admit that when I looked at the lectionary readings for this Sunday I rolled my eyes - another significant boat story to process as Rebecca and I start this new ministry alongside you. The Gospel passage itself is such a gift though for a first sermon in a new parish - it speaks of new beginnings, invitation, and challenge.

Jesus preaches

I really wish that Luke had shared something of what Jesus was teaching on that day. It must have been quite something - the crowds were pressing in on him so much that he had to climb in to a boat and head away from the shore a little bit in order to continue.

I love how little and normal a thing it sounds like for Jesus to borrow one of these boats. But let’s take a moment and imagine that we are Simon Peter - you might like to close your eyes if it helps.

It’s been a long, hard night. You’ve been on your boat from sunset to sunrise - and you haven’t caught anything - not a single fish. With heavy hearts and aching arms you head back to shore, moor your boat and start cleaning your nets. As you clean you listen to this man Jesus teaching the crowds - the same Jesus who not so long ago healed your mother-in-law. Your thoughts flit between wondering who this man is, how much you’re looking forward to food and sleep, and trying to follow what Jesus is saying. You notice the excitement in the crowd rising, then realise Jesus is no longer speaking. When you next look up, there he is - standing in your boat! He’s beckoning to you, asking you to take him out on the lake. How do you react?

Asking the ridiculous

There must have been something about Jesus that made Simon Peter do this for Jesus. Maybe it was out of a feeling of debt to Jesus, or maybe it was the authority that Jesus possessed. Either way it seems that they bonded quickly, and that Peter innately trusted Jesus.

Given what we know about Jesus, little of this story probably surprises us when we hear it. But things become interesting when you look back on the story after Jesus tells the fishermen to not be afraid - that they would now be catching people. Being and building disciples

I love the tagline for St Michael’s - ‘being and building community’. You can look at this line in a couple of ways - for now I’m going to interpret it as ‘being and building disciples’.

Let’s look back at a few aspects of the story and see what this miraculous catch of fish means for us to be and build disciples.

Verse 5: obedience

The New Revised Standard Version Jesus Calls the First Disciples

5 Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.”

Jesus asking Simon to put down the nets must have seemed like the most fruitless and bizarre request - they’d been fishing all night, after all, and had caught nothing. Jesus was a carpenter, not a fisherman! Why should they listen to him? Yet, Simon listened and let down the nets.

As disciples we are called to listen to what Jesus is calling us to - learning to be open to those God-prods that can be hard to notice at times, let alone decipher. But it’s a journey - and the more we practice, the easier it can become. I wonder what you’ve felt the Spirit calling you to? I’d love to hear it over coffee!

But it’s not just listening to them - it’s spending time in prayer discerning what the call is - then stepping out in faith, stepping out of the boat, and doing it.

Verses 6 and 7: not a solitary exercise

The New Revised Standard Version Jesus Calls the First Disciples

they caught so many fish

The New Revised Standard Version Jesus Calls the First Disciples

So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them.

Being a disciple is not a solitary occupation - it’s something we do together as the body of Christ. At our installation yesterday one of the readings Rebecca and I asked for was the beginning of Ephesians 4.

The New Revised Standard Version Unity in the Body of Christ

11 The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers

Each of these gifts are a blessing, and none of them is more important than another. David Rowe preached on this text yesterday, and he made the point that each of them need to work together in harmony to bring unity in the body of Christ. Rebecca and I can only be fruitful in our ministry here if we all build each other up, nurture and share our gifts, and work together.

Verses 6 and 7: it’s not always going to be easy

You’ll have noticed that I’ve only touched on part of verses 6 and 7 - talking about working together. But now comes the challenge.

The miracle of catching so many fish is a beautiful image - but it also brings danger.

The New Revised Standard Version Jesus Calls the First Disciples

their nets were beginning to break

The New Revised Standard Version Jesus Calls the First Disciples

they began to sink.

Rebecca and I have been living in intentional community for the past three years, with three separate groups of people. Before we began Bishop Justin warned us about the three month grind. Every community that works together to seek first the kingdom of God will have moments of deep beauty - but living in intentional community means that you can’t hide from each other - when you live with other people you are seen for who you are, warts and all. The three month grind is the time when the honeymoon period is over, and the rubber hits the road in an often unpleasant way. Without fail we have experienced this at least once a year over the past three years. I’m glad I was warned about it - it’s not fun, but knowing what it is when it happens means that we can look in the basement, have honest conversations, and grow together. I’m telling you this because it will happen to us as a parish. It may not be in three months - but there will be times when we don’t see eye to eye with each other, when mistakes are made, and when we wonder what the point of it all is. But this is a good thing if we see it for what it is, are honest with each other, and have the deep and hard conversations. We learn and we grow stronger as a result.

I’m going to pause for a moment, and we’ll take a few moments for you to talk with the people around you about what has been either the most challenging or exciting thing from the reading so far.

Verse 11: my ‘ouch’ moment

For me the ‘ouch’ moment in this reading is in the final verse:

The New Revised Standard Version Jesus Calls the First Disciples

When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

In the words of the theologian Peter Eaton:

Jesus did not show up after a good night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast. He came to find these men at the end of a long working day, after backbreaking labour, and he told them to keep on working.

Then, after Jesus invites them to cast aside their fear and become disciples they leave everything and follow him. They leave their jobs - they leave their boats - they leave their enormous catch of fish - they leave everything, and follow him.

Being a disciple often has a cost, and I suspect that many of you will have experienced this over the years. But the reward is great.

Invitation to mission

The beauty of observing how Jesus , the first disciples, and the early church operated, is to see that they go about being and making disciples in so many different ways. But the general pattern is that they start in their community - in their houses and churches, and then moves wider. Rebecca and I are so looking forward to walking alongside you, learning from you, and together with you joining the invitation and challenge of seeking first God’s kingdom.

Pray