Calvary Presbyterian Church
The Rev. Debra May Cerra
January 27, 2008

Isaiah 9:1-4 (NRSV)
“But there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. 2 "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness-- on them light has shined. 3 You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder. 4 For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.

Matthew 4:12-23 (NRSV)
Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 15 "Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles-- 16 the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned." 17 From that time Jesus began to proclaim, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." 18 As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea--for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fish for people." 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him. 23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.

Go Fish

How many of you have ever gone fishing? I know that we have some avid fisher-people in this congregation so please bear with me as I take a chance on describing the sport of fishing. Here goes….
            An important thing to know about fishing is that fishing takes practice. It is more than baiting a hook and dropping it in the water and reeling in a fish. You must learn how to best throw the net or cast the line on a rod. When fishing with a net, you need to know how to make the mouth of the net come open so that it will actually form a circle around the fish. When casting a line, you must have accuracy as well as distance. There may be fish on the right, so the line should not go left; if there are fish in the deep waters, the line can’t be dropped in the shallow waters if you expect to catch anything. Fishing is practiced in context and fishing rewards practice.
            Fishing also takes preparation. You need to have the right gear – waders, fishing line, hooks, bait, sinkers, nets, and on and on. The type of gear needed depends on what kind of fishing you will be doing. There’s surf fishing, deep sea fishing, fly fishing to name a few. Each has its own integrity and each needs its own unique preparation.
            Discipline is another aspect of fishing. Now I’m not talking about having a set time to fish each day or week – though maybe some have that kind of fishing discipline. I’m talking about an understanding of fishing – an education about the scope of fishing. A person who fishes notices the weather and watches the wind and observes the clouds. You need to have an understanding of the conditions of your surroundings and fish accordingly. You need to be aware of the discipline of the sport.
            Much the same can be said of our call to fish for people. As Matthew records, Jesus, at the very beginning of his ministry, started recruiting helpers. “Walking along the beach of Lake Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers: Simon (later called Peter) and Andrew. They were fishing, throwing their nets into the lake. It was their regular work. Jesus said to them, "Come with me. I'll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I'll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass." They didn't ask questions, but simply dropped their nets and followed.” (18-20)
            These men dropped everything when Jesus called to them. No questions asked; no excuses given. They were willing to learn how to fish for people.  When we talk about answering the call of Jesus, do we see ourselves dropping everything to follow Him? Will we go willingly with no questions and no excuses? Are we ready to ‘fish for people?”
             If you are a typical Presbyterian – and most of us here are – your answer to my questions might be, “You’re not really serious, are you? Hearing the call of Jesus and fishing for people? Come on, Deb, they’re just metaphors. Give us something that’s tangible – not this storybook stuff…!”
            Friends, the call of Jesus is not a metaphor. Over and over scriptures give us examples of people called by God. Moses was watching sheep in the desert when a burning bush caught his eye and a voice spoke from the bush: “Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” Moses took off his shoes, and God told him, “I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of slavery in Egypt.” (Exodus 3:1-10)
Mary, the mother of Jesus, was visited by an angel who told her: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” Mary replied, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord.” (Luke 1:30, 38)
And on the road to Damascus a blinding light knocked Saul, later known as Paul, to the ground and a voice from heaven demanded, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” The voice went on to say, “I am sending you to [the Gentiles] to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light.” (Acts 26:14, 17-18)
Even today, people hear and follow the call of God. Many pastors and missionaries tell amazing accounts of their call to ministry. These are wonderful, faith-building stories. But for every person who experiences one of these dramatic calls, God calls dozens of people to ministry without fireworks or fanfare.
So, how do we recognize the call of Jesus? Hearing and discerning God’s call involves listening, waiting, and acting. We need to listen carefully to our own hearts – getting in touch with our God-given passions. We need to wait patiently on God – for God’s timing is perfect. And we need to act appropriately – to claim our gifts and put those gifts into action
Think about this: “If you take a middle aged church member who has attended church regularly most of his or her life, by the age of fifty he or she would have listened to 1760 sermons, sung 5280 hymns, placed money in the offering plate about 1500 times and never introduced another person to Jesus Christ.
Most of us, if asked, would have to admit that we’ve never really thought about a call from Jesus. After all, isn’t that only for people who end up going to seminary?! And many of us probably can’t remember even talking to a non-believer about our faith. We just don’t do that sort of thing. It’s a fact – most people have never done any ‘fishing for people.’”
Think back to the disciples: Andrew and Peter, James and John. Jesus said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fish for people." And immediately they left everything and followed him.
Friends, we are called to absolute obedience. The Lord doesn’t want to hear “maybe” or “soon” or even “no.” “The message of God’s reign is not for the tentative and indecisive, because it necessitates wholehearted allegiance. It brings a severing of old relationships and securities. The call of Jesus to follow him puts people in touch with the one whose person and ministry embodies God’s reign.”
            One of the fondest memories Edmund Hoener had of his Grandpa Anderson was when he took him fishing on the St. Lawrence River. Probably 6 or 7 at the time, Edmund recalled the experience: “We’d get up early in the morning before it was light, and motor out in our little boat to one of his favorite places. Grandpa would rig up his poles with practiced hands, and deftly get his lines ready, and then he’d guide me ever so patiently, and carefully, through the steps to preparing my own line. Then as we sat there in the shell pink dawn, quiet and still, he’d murmur his observations to me – ‘Now put your hand right here –do you feel that gentle movement? That’s a fish tasting the bait so wait, and wait, and now!’ Then he’d set the hook and the line would start whirring off the reel, and he’d wheedle that fish into the boat.”
            Like with the sport of fishing, when we answer the call of Christ, when we are willing to go fishing in His name, we need to practice, prepare, and heed the discipline of discipleship. We practice our discipleship as we praise and worship. We prepare as disciples through study and prayer. And we become disciples when we enter into the discipline of Jesus’ call. Jesus does not want us to be the leader. All authority rests with Christ. Our call is to be obedient. We are called to followers – followers of Jesus Christ.
Jesus calls to us, saying: “Follow me.” This is not a call to join an organization, to practice a new teaching, or to pursue a career. The call of Jesus is a call to meet a Person; an invitation to come directly to Him, and through Him, to God. Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, is the door to God. He tells us: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” (John 14:6) There is no better way, no greater truth, and no happier life. Our Lord Jesus reaches out to us in love that we might follow Him.
In similar fashion, Christ prepares us to “go fish.” He calls us to join him on a learning journey – to follow and learn the ways of the Spirit. Jesus invites us to undertake a journey that leads to growth and transformation. And then He asks us to share our story with others so they, too, might be hooked for Christ.
Sisters and brothers, we are to leave our life as we know it, turn, and follow Christ. As Jesus called to the disciples, He calls to us: “Come with me. I'll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I'll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass." (19)
Come on, let’s follow Christ. Let’s follow Him and become a new kind of fisher-person. Let’s follow Jesus and go fish for men and women so that they, too, might be hooked on our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.