Making a Return

~~~ 1 Samuel 1:1-8 ~~~ Psalm 116 ~~~ Mark 1:14-20 ~~~

How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?

To me psalm 116 holds some of the most beautiful 

verses in the book psalms.

It seems fitting that today as we begin ordinary time we find 

Jesus choosing his first disciples...ordinary men.

God sees potential in the common man.

God sees potential in each of us as well...

God can form us into someone special for his kingdom.

When Jesus was ready to spread the good news he needed men to help him.

Notice that he did not go home and choose his childhood buddies.

He did not pick people who already knew who he was.

He did not pick well educated men.

He did not pick men who were eloquent speakers.

Jesus chose these men because of who they were not, 

not because of who they were.

“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

We are barely two weeks into the new year 

and God is reminding us that we too are being called.

We are being called to give a living testimony

 through our daily life for the gospel 

message of love and salvation.

We cannot be satisfied with just having

 the gospel message for ourselves.

We have been given our gift of faith so that

 we may lead others to Jesus.

God loved us first so that we may go out to love 

others in the same way.

It is through the sharing of his love 

that we become true disciples in today's world.

There is no need to coerce our neighbor into coming to God;

we but need to show them by how we live 

our life and how we treat others.

 Actions will always speak louder than words.

Jesus spoke with his actions on many occasions in scripture.

Sometimes the less sophisticated a person is the better 

they are at spreading the good news. 

Jesus does not ask us to analyze the message;

he simply asks us to believe and share.

You have no excuses not to respond.

Blessings come in knowing that God chooses you 

to be his disciple of love.

You are to cast his net of love out into the world.

This is how we make a return to God

 for all that he has done for us...

we agree to lead others to him.

Do You Cooperate with God?

~~~ Colossians 1:9-14 ~~~ Psalm 98 ~~~ Luke 5:1-11~~~

 

...the boats were in danger of sinking...

God enters into our circle of awareness at various times in our life.

When his presence is made known to us things happen.

Jesus brings about change when he is with us.

 

Peter had just come ashore from a disappointing day of fishing.

They had been up all night trailing the nets and came

up empty each time they checked.

This was their job. Fishing was how they supported their families.

When there was no catch, there could be no income

for their labor that day.

 

Fishing is hard work...it requires strength...

it takes muscles to pull up the nets full of fish.

Many hours were devoted to carefully checking and mending the nets.

 

Imagine Jesus now entering the picture...

He makes the request to go back out on the water.

 

When God enters into the picture things change...

people get healed, tables get overturned, men

drop what they are doing to follow him.

 

 

Jesus asks Simon, Peter, to cooperate with him.

In effect Jesus is telling Peter,

'Now that I am with you...things will be different.'

Jesus is asking Peter to trust him, to believe in him.

 

Jesus came at the end of the fishing day.

It may have been the end of the fishing day, but it was the beginning

of the rest of Peter's life.

I know that may sound a bit cliché, but its the truth.

 

Jesus is the alpha and the omega...the beginning and the end.

It does not matter if you are young or old

Jesus can enter into your life.

He can ask you to cooperate with him

 to create something new from something familiar.

 

Peter was overcome with wonder and awe at the catch that afternoon.

He affirmed the presence of Jesus and followed his directions.

 

Peter grew from that day on in spiritual wisdom

and clarity of understanding.

From that day forward Peter, with all of his shortcomings,

attempted to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.

From that day on casting the fishing nets

would never be business as usual.

 

That day the net could not contain all of the fish.

It was as if the waters had been filled with fish just for Peter to catch.

When the presence of Jesus is in your midst, prepare to be amazed...

prepare to be taken beyond normalcy...

prepare to let go and let God. 

 

The nets were being physically stressed with the

 abundant supply of fish.

The more you cooperate with God the more

you will discover about your relationship with him.

 

The presence of God in our lives is sometimes

 too much even for us to contain.

His presence stresses our previous attitudes. 

Do not be afraid 

Blessings come when God

enters into our personal space.

He comes to us

by invitation and by inspiration.

The Fishing Challenge

~~~ 1 Cor 3:18-23 ~~~ Psalm 24 ~~~ Luke 5: 1-11 ~~~

 

I am particularly fond of today's gospel from Luke.

"Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch."

 

A few years ago this was the theme for our annual women's retreat.

The whole passage has a wonderful message of listening to what God tells us.

Listening even when we have our doubts.

Listening even when we think we know better.

Listening when he is asking us to repeat something we have previously done.

 

Jesus told Peter and the others to lower their nets for a catch.

The fishermen had just returned from being out fishing all day.

They were tired and futrther more they had not caught any fish...

Why would they want to try one more time?

 

Jesus uses what we are familiar with and puts his own spin on it.

Jesus turns something we thought we knew

into something unbelievable.

Jesus takes the mundane and makes it remarkable.

 

Peter tries to talk Jesus out of this late fishing expedition,

but in the end they do lower their nets.

 

How often are we tempted to tell Jesus we are tired?

How often do we want to say to Jesus this will not work?

How often do we finally surrender to what God wants from us?

 

Jesus respected Peter and the others for their expertise

when it came to fishing.

They were the professionals. This was their livelihood.

This was how they supported their families.

 

"...the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God..."

 

These guys certainly thought they had all of the answers

when it came to fishing.

They knew these particular waters very well.

They had spent many hours and days fishing right here.

This is exactly why Jesus chose to test their trust in him.

Was he also testing their loyalty?

Was he testing their obedience?

 

It is as if Jesus was saying...

okay you 'know it alls' just cast out the nets and I will show you...

Jesus wanted to show them what he could do

in spite of their years of experience and wisdom.

 

His power transcends any knowledge or wisdom

we think we have acquired at our age.

Jesus creates abundance where they had not even caught

one fish that day.

 

"...they caught a great number of fish
and their nets were tearing..."

 

In this abundance Jesus creates the need for them

to reach out to others for help.

He created community between the fishing boats.

In the past the fishermen were probably

only interested in taking care of their own catch.

This was their job.

Whatever they caught would be able to

bring in money for their loved ones.

They were not accustomed to sharing what they caught

with the other fishermen.

 

If the other boat was also theirs they alone had caught enough

to fill both boats.

They both benefited from the full nets of the one boat.

 

This bursting net full of fish was so impressive that

upon returning to the shore...

 

"...they left everything and followed him."

 

Surely they could not understand what he meant in saying

that they would soon be catching men.

 

All of their wisdom collectively did not prepare them for this

fishing expedition.

It was more of a 'deep see' experience.

They followed without any other questions.

Because they were willing to follow, Jesus was encouraged

to embark on his true purpose for being here among us.

Jesus did not come to go fishing with the guys.

But when he did it was an unforgettable day for these fisherman.

 

Peter fell to his knees admitting before Jesus and the others,

his peers, that he was truly humbled by what he had just witnessed.

 

 

Peter is so human...he is so much like us.

 

What would it take for God to challenge the wisdom and expertise

you believe you hold?

Where does your wisdom lie?

That is where you might look for God to be working.

Often he is at work where we would not expect.