Fish

 

Charlotte Collins Reed

Christ Church Episcopal

January 24, 2021

3 Epiphany B 

          As some of you may remember, in June of 2019, back when travel was something we could do, I spent 10 incredible days in London taking a course called “Learning from London.”  The class visited all sorts and conditions of churches, all of which excel at the work of being the love of God in their community.  Not all of them were large churches, by any means.  Some did not even have a building.  One actually meets in a stall in a farmer’s market.  But all of them had learned how to understand the context in which they worked, how to engage people in meaningful conversation, how to listen deeply to the needs of the community, and then how to respond.  All of the churches we visited were finding creative ways to connect people with the love of God by understanding the context of their community.     

          This morning, we hear Jesus begin to call his disciples.  He called Simon and Andrew, who immediately left their fishing nets and followed him.  Jesus told them that he would teach them to fish for people. Every year on or about this Sunday, we hear Jesus tell the disciples that he will teach them to fish for people, and every year, I cringe at Jesus’ words.  While I do not fish, the notion of fishing for people conjures up images of hooks and nets, snaring fish or people against their will, and we won’t even think about what happens to the fish once they are caught.  How this brings people to the love of God is beyond me.

          However, if I think about my Learning from London class, I read Jesus’ words a little differently.  If I put my reservations about hooks and nets to the side and think about how Jesus goes about fishing, the image changes for me. 

          First, in order to fish, the person fishing has to go where the fish are.  Some things about the location of fish are obvious.  They are found in water.  Some things take some learning.  Is fishing in a particular location more effective in deep water or shallow water, early morning or late afternoon, calm water or choppy water, rainy day or sunshine?  Likewise, Jesus often went where the people were, although sometimes they followed him to a deserted place.  This morning, for example, Jesus goes out among the people to find disciples.  He does not sit somewhere and wait for disciples to come to him.  Jesus also went to the synagogue and the temple, and was found in crowds and other places where people gather.  Jonah also went where the people were this morning, walking across Ninevah to proclaim the message God gave him.  And Jonah’s presence among the people was effective, as the people donned sackcloth and proclaimed a fast.  Likewise, we go to places where people gather, to listen and engage in conversation about our faith.  Sometimes those places are obvious, like the Memorial Day parade, and sometimes we need to do some hard thinking about where the people are, especially in a time when people can only gather safely online. 

          Secondly, there is the matter of bait.  People who fish tell me that not all bait is equal, and not all bait works equally well for all fish or in all locations.  Jesus taught and healed, demonstrating the love of God.  Jesus included the outcast and raised the lowly, doing the work of ushering in the Kingdom of God. Jesus fed people, meeting their basic human needs.  Jesus spoke the truth to power.  No one way of connecting people with the Kingdom of God worked for everyone.  Knowing the people was critical.  Neither the Kingdom of God nor the Good News changed, but the method of connecting with the people matched the need.  Proclaiming the Good News in many different ways is important if we want to connect with many different people.

Thirdly, when Jesus called James and John, they were not out fishing.  They were mending the nets, which is an important part of fishing.  Obviously a broken net is not going to catch anything, nor are broken relationships, fractured communities, divided loyalties, racial injustice and division, or a splintered Body of Christ.  This morning, we are reminded that the work of mending nets is also the work of following Jesus, and a necessary part of proclaiming that the Kingdom of God has come near.  There are so many nets to mend these days and we need to make sure that our own differences at Christ Church are differences and not divisions.

          Our context at Christ Church has certainly shifted over the past 11 months.  Of course, we are still in the same physical location, but our new context is one where people cannot join us here, nor can we go to the people at events like the Memorial Day parade or the ice cream social or the Farmers’ Market.  Even if we had not been in the midst of construction, we could not have held Restrooms for Runners on Christmas Eve for the Frosty 5 miler.  We have begun to learn a new context and discover new ways to connect with each other and the community online.  We have looked for new ways to worship, to be together, and learn together.   Our current situation is one that none of us ever anticipated and while we have come a long way, Jesus calls us to follow him further into ever deeper waters to find new ways to be the love of God in our community and beyond.   We have also worked to mend nets as we have tried to think about needs the pandemic has created, what has been broken or further broken, as we have walked for justice and peace in the face of systemic racial injustice, and we have raised money for Open M, Family Promise, and the Peter Maurin Center to help feed hungry people, house homeless families, provide medical care for those without insurance or resources, and serve the homeless when shelters cannot open because of the pandemic.  We have found many nets to mend, but Jesus calls us to follow him and open our eyes and hearts to yet more nets that need to be mended. 

          Go where the people are.  Know the people.  Mend broken nets.  These are daunting challenges in the best of times, and even more daunting when we cannot be together.  But Jesus did not say “Follow me, except during a pandemic.”  Jesus said “The time has arrived and the Kingdom of God has drawn near. Now.”  Jesus did not say “Follow me and I will make your life easy.”  Jesus said “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.”  But Jesus did say “Follow me,” which means that in good times and hard times, during a pandemic, a difficult political season, or when confronting racial injustice, Jesus promises to go first, so that when we follow Jesus into the world, whether online or in person, Jesus will be there.

                                                                                      Amen.