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Christian Practices
Luke 5:1-11
Fishing on the
In the summer mont=
hs,
daytime temperatures can soar well into the 90’s, the humidity is hig=
h,
and hauling in the catch can be grueling, back breaking work. Dripping in sweat, arms aching fro=
m the
repetitive hand over hand retrieval of the nets, its sometimes difficult to
determine which smells worse---nets infused with fish slime or the person
working beside you!.
The preferred meth=
od of
fishing during the hottest times of the year is to fish during the cool of =
the
evening. A typical fishing operation might consist of a crew of 8-10 men
divided between two fishing boats, each boat with a sail, a place for four
oarsmen, and a tillerman. On =
those
nights when conditions were conducive to using a seine---netting shaped lik=
e a
great wall, 300 yards long, 8 yards high at the center, tapering down to ab=
out
4 yards high at either end---one crew of four men and their boat would stay=
on
shore and anchor one end of the great net.=
The other crew cast off in their boat with all the remaining netting,
scribing a great arc on the surface of the water---all the while unfurling =
the
net, casting it into the lake as the boat sails out into deeper water. When the sailors have unfurled hal=
f the
length of the net, they turn their boat about, sailing back to shore, all t=
he
while unfurling the remaining net.
The crew continues to scribe this great arc in the water with boat a=
nd
net until the sailing crew returns to the shallows of the lake. Once on shore, both crews work to
retrieve this great swath of net and all the fish that have been trapped wi=
thin
its bounds (Nun 1).
On the occasion of=
this
morning’s reading, the crew had just returned from a harrowing
night. As they were setting o=
ut
their net on calm waters by the light of the full moon, the boat and crew m=
ade
way to its furthest point from the shore.&=
nbsp;
It was just then that one of the lake’s frequent and alarmingly
sudden storms blew up. Swells=
on
the lake quickly gathered to heights of 8-10 feet. Strong, gusty winds bega=
n to
tear at the sail and cause concern that the small boat’s mast might
splinter. The waves swamped t=
he
boat. The crew jettisoned the
remaining net to reduce the boat’s weight. The tillerman scrambled to get the=
sail
down and was able to salvage the mast.&nbs=
p;
Just as suddenly a=
nd
unexpectedly as the storm blew up, it ceased and the water’s surface
returned to a mirror-lake calm. It
took most of the remainder of the night to retrieve the net, untangle it, a=
nd to
repair the torn sail cloth. W=
hen
they finally did get the net set, there efforts were in vain. The storm had driven the fish beyo=
nd
their reach. As they sailed b=
ack
out on the lake for a second pass with the net, the rose colored horizon fr=
om
first morning’s light brought home the harsh reality. There was to be no catch this
night. In fact, the crew cons=
idered
themselves fortunate to be alive with their boat still intact.
Exhausted, weary, =
and
drained they could think of nothing but arriving on shore to put up the nets
and getting some sleep. Once =
the
boat had been brought to shore, the men began to wash, dry, mend, and fold =
the
nets for fishing later the next evening.&n=
bsp;
The last thing the crew wanted to see was this congregation of people
gathering near the place they customarily beached their boats and worked on
their nets. There would be no
patience for the good natured ribbing they would likely endure as fishermen=
who
have returned to shore without a catch.&nb=
sp;
Now that the sound=
s of sea
gulls and waves lapping on the shoreline have been firmly fixed in your min=
ds,
this is where my musings merge with the story from this morning’s gos=
pel
reading. Jesus, early in his
ministry of preaching, teaching, and healing, was standing nearby, beside t=
he
At the conclusion =
of the
talk, Jesus instructed Simon saying, “Put out into the deep water and=
let
down your nets for a catch.”
Simon and his friends had attempted to fish those same waters the pr=
evious
night but to no avail. Reluct=
antly,
Simon honored the request. Mu=
ch to
Simon’s amazement, there were fish there that yielded a catch so great
that the nets nearly broke. S=
imon
and his crew signaled the other boat to come to their aid, and, they too ca=
ught
so many fish that both boats were filled and began to sink. Simon and his partners were
astonished. Then Jesus said to
Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.=
221; When Simon and his partners brought
their boats to shore, they left everything and followed Jesus (Luke 5: 1-11=
).
This is the story =
about
Jesus’ call to the first group of disciples. This account suggests that the fir=
st
three people Jesus called were fishermen.&=
nbsp;
Parallel gospel stories actually identify four fishermen called to
ministry---Simon and his brother, Andrew, and the two sons of Zebedee, James
and John (Mark 1: 16-20).
Given that Jesus o=
nly
called twelve disciples in total, I have always found it curious that the f=
irst
four disciples chosen---1/3 of the total number of disciples---were fisherm=
en. Why not shepherds? Why not carpenters? Why not soldiers? I wonder what it is about being a
fisherman that Jesus might value in a disciple?
I’ve done so=
me
speculation on that question in the past during the Children’s Moment
where we came up with at least three possibilities. Fishermen have to be patient and
patience is a quality that might be useful to a disciple. Fishermen, particularly commercial=
fishermen,
are used to long hours and hard work.
These qualities might also be valued in a disciple.
But my favorite
possibility is that fishermen love to tell stories. In fact, most fishermen I know can=
get
three stories out of one fish. The
first story is about the kind of fish, the remarkable size of the fish and =
the
kind of bait that was used to hook the fish. The second story is about the great
fight the fish put up----running with the leader deep into the lake and then
just as suddenly bursting through the surface, clearing the water by at lea=
st
eighteen inches, twisting and wriggling, as if suspended in mid-air and
then…the third story is about how that trophy fish got away!
I can understand h=
ow Jesus
might value some enthusiastic storytellers within the ranks of the
disciples. These are people J=
esus
can work with to share the Good News!
But this week I sp=
ent some
more time on that question---what qualities does a fisherman possess that J=
esus
might value in a disciple?
Then I remembered =
that
this Sunday was Boy Scout Sunday. I
once read that the founder of the scouting movement---Lord Baden-Powell---w=
as
an avid fisherman who took his rods and reels with him on his world travels
promoting scouting. Maybe the=
Boy
Scouts have a particular insight into the soul of the fisherman that could
provide some clues for my research?
It was on that hunch that I purchased a copy of the Fishing Merit ba=
dge
book from the local Boy Scout office and began to review it in search of so=
me
of the redeeming values of fishermen---some of those qualities Jesus might
value in a disciple.
The booklet contai=
ned
those things one might expect in this type of instructional guide---the ana=
tomy
of the fish, the various species of fish---both freshwater and saltwater, a=
nd
various kinds of fishing equipment, bait and lures.
But of particular =
interest
to me was the presence of three other topics in the booklet that I didnR=
17;t
necessarily anticipate. One w=
as a
chapter devoted to knot tying---including the improved clinch knot, Palomar
knot, Turle knot, Barrel knot, surgeon’s loop, nail knot, and the tuc=
ked
sheet bend, to name a few (Boy Scouts of America 60).
Then there was a s=
ection
on safety practices with first aid information on hypothermia, heat reactio=
ns,
and minor injuries like fishhook wounds and puncture wounds from catfish
spines.
And finally there =
was a
section on learning how to read nature’s signs---how the weather, the
seasons, insect hatches, the characteristics of the water---all affects the
behavior of fish.
It was at this poi=
nt that
I had one of those AHA!!! moments.
I realized that a person can catch fish without knowing how to tie
knots. A person can catch fish
without knowing first aid. A =
person
can catch fish without being a proficient reader of nature’s signs.
But these are area=
s of
expertise or knowledge, common to the fishing community, that one might call
practices. Practices don’t catch fish but they place fishermen in a
position to be more successful. Or
to play off a recent advertising campaign---these practices don’t make
one a fisherman, they make one a better fisherman.
I want to suggest =
this
morning that Jesus surrounded himself with fishermen as disciples because
fishing was a vocation that knew the value of practices and the role that
practices play in creating a shared life.&=
nbsp;
Dorothy Bass, who,=
in 1997
was the director of
Over the last ten =
years
there has been a renewed interest in the topic of Christian practices. Funded by a grant from the Lilly
Endowment, the Virginia Theological Seminary has initiated what it calls,
“The Project on Congregations of Intentional Practice.” Recognizing that not all human act=
ions
constitute practices and not all practices are necessarily helpful or
theologically sound, these researchers are attempting to discern what pract=
ices
nurture Christian identity, formation, vocation, and vitality in ways that =
connect
mainline congregations to their own histories and to the larger world (Proj=
ect
on Congregations of Intentional Practice 1).
And just what are =
some of
these Christian practices? Th=
ere is
no such thing as a definitive list, but Craig Dykstra offers the following
examples: worshiping God toge=
ther;
telling the Christian story to one another; interpreting together the
Scriptures and the history of the church’s experience; praying togeth=
er
and by ourselves; confessing our sin to one another, practicing forgiveness=
and
becoming reconciled to one another; tolerating one another’s failures=
and
encouraging one another in the work we are called to do; performing faithful
acts of service and bearing witness; giving generously and receiving gracio=
usly;
suffering with and for one another; providing hospitality and care; sharing=
our
experiences in life; and challenging the powers that destroy human beings,
erode community and violate God’s creation (Dykstra 42).
This notion of Chr=
istian
practice has been on my mind this past week as a result of spending some ti=
me
with our new member class last Sunday.&nbs=
p;
People offer a variety of reasons why they are considering membership
with this congregation---the congregation is welcoming, people are genuinely
friendly, the nursery ministry is phenomenal, there is a tolerance for a
variety of viewpoints, there is a commitment to social justice….All of
those reasons would suggest that these visitors chose us, and that’s =
true
at a certain level.
But if you think o=
f church
membership from a theological point of view, you get a different
perspective. It’s God w=
ho
chose us and stirred our hearts to find a community in which to live out th=
is
shared life of faith. Church =
membership
is on God’s initiative and we respond to that initiative by joining a
local congregation. God calls
God’s people into community.
And---like all the=
calls
of God found in scripture---when God calls us to a task, God simultaneously
blesses us with the gifts and talents to fulfill that task. God gives us response-ability----t=
he
ability to respond to the call God has placed before us. And just what are the responsibili=
ties
associated with our call to church membership? Simply stated, we are a people cal=
led to
engage in Christian practices---those shared activities that address
fundamental human needs and that, woven together, form a way of life (Bass =
xi)
in light of God’s presence and in response to God’s grace.
Some time ago I wa=
s at the
home of a dying congregation member.
In the room with the patient were several caregivers, two adult chil=
dren
and some of their friends, a foster child, an ex-husband, and another one or
two people who would come and go between cell phone calls. As the person’s breathing be=
came shallower,
the pulse grew fainter, and death was imminent, pandemonium broke out in th=
at
room. At the risk of sounding
judgmental---and I don’t mean to be---there was hysterical crying,
screams, anger, shouting, as the person drifted away. I was far more distraught by the
commotion in the room than being in the presence of death.
And I thought at t=
he
time---rightly or wrongly--- these are people who have been deprived of the
gift of Christian practices. =
They
didn’t know how to allow themselves to be touched by God’s
grace. They didn’t know=
how
to find that place to experience God’s peace which passes all
understanding. They didn̵=
7;t
know how to cast their nets into the deep water to bring forth that which
sustains, restores, and renews God’s people.
And this is precis=
ely
where the church has a significant role to play in the 21st century---impar=
ting
Christian practices to those whom God has called. For you see, we are not born with =
the
abilities to carry out these practices, and they do not simply come with
age. We need to learn them.
I’ve got some
insider information from a very credible source that tells me Pastor
Bill’s forthcoming annual report will place several challenges before
this congregation. One of tho=
se
challenges will be to overhaul the Christian education program. Let me be the first to throw down =
the
gauntlet and take up that challenge by inviting the congregation to create =
more
space in the life of this community to receive, engage, share, and shape
Christian practices in our own time and place. If this sounds like a topic you mi=
ght
like to know more about, let’s visit about the possibility of putting=
a
small group together to explore Christian practices during the season of Le=
nt.
If you haven’=
;t yet
been convinced of the importance of such practices, let me leave you to pon=
der
this quote from Craig Dykstra when he speaks of the significance of Christi=
an
practices. “Chris=
tian
practices are not activities we do to make something spiritual happen in our
lives. Nor are they duties we
undertake to be obedient to God.
Rather, they are patterns of communal action that create openings in=
our
lives where the grace, mercy and presence of God may be made known to us.
In the name of the=
Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.&nbs=
p;
Amen.
References Cited:<= o:p>
1. Bass, Dorothy C. Practicing Our Faith:
2. Boy Scouts of
3. Dykstra, Craig. Growing in the Life of Faith:
Education and Christian Practices. Louisville/Geneva Press. 1999.
4. Nun, Mendel.&n=
bsp;
“Fishing on the
5. Project on Congregations of Intentional
Practice. “Practices.&#=
8221; http://www.practicingcongregations.org/practices.htm,
31 January 2007.
6.