Luke 5:1-11
Once while Jesus was standing beside the Lake of Gennesaret 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 gotten out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and 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 burst. So they signaled their partners in the other boats to come out and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’s knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” For he and all who were with him were astounded at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him. Luke 5:1-11 (NRSVUE)
The passage in which Jesus calls the first disciples is probably familiar to many of us. Over the years, I recall reading many devotions and hearing many sermons that focused on the calling of the disciples and how to expand that to sharing our own faith. Additionally, many pay attention to the miraculous catch of fish after hours of catching nothing! Of course, these messages are important.
However, when I learned this was the passage I would be reflecting upon for my daily devotion, I immediately recalled a sermon by Nadia Bolz-Weber, Between Exhaustion and The Deep, as aired on her podcast, The Corners, on Substack. I heard it almost four years ago now. Yet, it is still timely. She focused on the exhaustion of Simon and how he preferred to stay at the shore and not venture into the deep of the water. She spoke of the frustrations of the pandemic.
While I believe we have returned to a lot of our routines, it honestly doesn’t seem like we are functioning in pre-pandemic “normal.” In many ways, a lot of us are still exhausted. Our lives are forever changed including those of us who are active in a church community. On Sundays, I am still searching for people I have not seen for years. I wonder how they are doing. Are they attending another church now? Are they just at another service and I don’t see them? Are they no longer attending church at all? Are they exhausted, too?
I listened to a program on the radio a few days before Christmas that stated that the US could see more than 15,000 churches close this year, many more than the few thousand expected to open, according to the Pew Research Center. Mainline Protestant denominations such as Methodist, Presbyterian, and Lutheran represent nearly all the church closings, stated Ryan Burge, a political scientist.
I am not saying that the pandemic is entirely responsible for this decline at all. However, I do believe struggles continue. I hope this does not indicate that people feel they have lost their connection to God.
In closing her sermon, Nadia Bolz-Weber reminded us that, in all times, God’s Love in Christ Jesus is available as stated in Romans 8:38-39. I close with the NRSVUE version: For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor heights, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Questions for Reflection:
- In these initial weeks of a new year, what are some aspects of your life in which you may feel fear or weariness?
- What are some ways your faith and the Church could help you face those fears or feel rejuvenated?
Prayer:
Omnipresent God, help us to remember that you are ALWAYS available for us, just as you were for Simon Peter. And, that nothing that happens to us, around us, and or by us can separate us from you! In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
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