Psalm 90:14-17 on January 26th, 2025
Above is audio of the sermon pulled from the video and amplified.
Below is transcript pulled from the video and formatted by artificial intelligence. There may be inconsistencies or errors.
Tags:
As a family, we have been watching the TV show The Chosen. And for those who don't know, The Chosen is a multi-season drama series about the life and the ministry of Jesus. It flashes out many of the stories that we read in the Bible along with some creative background accounts to move the plot along. The additional context to the stories that we know so well actually make them hit home a little bit more. And so we're only just now wrapping up season two and for those who have seen it all the way, don't tell me how it ends, okay?
And the reason why I bring this up aside from the thumbs up is that our lesson for today is portrayed in the first season. And it's funny how we all picture the biblical stories in our minds imagining what they might have looked like. And with today's lesson came up, the actor who placed Simon immediately came to the forefront of my brain. I could also more vividly recall Jesus teaching on the shore. Simon and Andrew fishing all night without catching a single thing. Jesus, telling them to put their nets back in the water, the hesitation, the resistance and the acquiescence by Simon. And finally that famous line, I will make you fish for people.
The show does a great job of showing how these moments build upon each other. Simon doesn't just drop everything and follow Jesus out of the blue. It's a progression. Simon hears Jesus teaching from his boat and then he sees a miraculous catch of fish. So the decision to follow in that case makes sense. Simon sees that Jesus is worthy to be followed. So he follows.
But Simon's initial response is interesting. After the teaching and after the miracle, Simon doesn't say something like, wow, what wisdom and power and authority you have. Let me follow you. Send me out to do your will. It's completely the opposite. After Simon hears Jesus's wisdom and sees Jesus's power and authority over even fish in a lake, Simon tries to send Jesus away. Go away from me, Lord, for I'm a sinful man.
Let that sink in. Simon sees the power and the authority of Jesus and immediately tries to push him away. Go away. I'm sinful. But Jesus calls him anyway. And typically the way we think this works is we recognize our brokenness and then we offer up our sinfulness to God and then God gives us grace. We confess God forgives. That's the deal, right?
But here, Simon's already received grace in the form of teaching and catch a fish that he couldn't make happen and then he confesses his brokenness. Grace allows him to confess, allows him to be honest. It's like in the midst of it all, Simon truly understands how short he falls. But what does Jesus do then with Simon's confession? Does he respond with forgiveness? Not exactly. Instead, Jesus calls Simon to something more. Jesus gives him a purpose, a new life, a new way of living.
Which makes me think that sin isn't just about the need for forgiveness. Poof, your sin's gone. It's about needing a new life, a new way, being a new creation. God's response to sin isn't only wiping the slate clean. It's giving us a whole new slate. It's calling us to partner with God and making love and grace known. That is what Jesus does with Simon's sinfulness.
Now to put a little cheery on top of all of this, Simon doesn't even demonstrate that he's good at catching things first. In fact, out of his own mouth, he kind of declares himself a failure. We worked all night long, but caught nothing. And ironically, the very reason Jesus can use their boat as a platform is because there aren't any fish in it. There's plenty of room.
But Jesus doesn't call Simon or any of these men because they've shown a talent at being disciples beforehand. He calls them only after showing that he can catch fish through them, something they apparently couldn't do on their own. Simon is not called to catch people because he's already good at it. He's called because Jesus can work through him. And it isn't that moment of Simon's failure and seeming unworthiness that Jesus calls him to begin catching people instead of fish.
This is the new life that Jesus gives, more than forgiveness, more than calling the equipped, more than rewarding the worthy. It is God's grace made manifest in a new way of living. And this call of Simon can help us rethink our own call and ministry as baptized children of God. We have been giving grace. We've heard and seen what Jesus can do. We fall short and often have empty nets. But God calls us too.
And we often think of this type of call as involvement in church and using our natural talents. People connect with the music or finance ministries of the church because they know that they have gifts in those areas. And there is, of course, wisdom in doing things that way. We probably won't pick new choir members, Willie Milley or the God's call isn't limited to the things that we're already good at. Sometimes when we feel like we have nothing to offer, when we feel like failures, when we like Simon try to push God away, that is when God steps in and uses us in ways we cannot even imagine.
Jesus comes into our ordinary mundane lives and changes everything. And like Simon and his partner Jesus calls us exactly where we are. No matter how unworthy or inadequate we might feel, Jesus isn't discouraged. He sees us, graces us and invites us into new life. Do not be afraid, Jesus says. His words are both comfort and challenge. Calls us to step forward, not because we're perfect or prepared, but because his grace transforms and equips us.
Through our baptisms, we are called to participate in God's mission in the world in Jesus Christ. In those waters, God claimed us, named us as beloved and calls us to a life of grace-filled purpose. It's this daily invitation to reorient our priorities so that they align with God's priorities. It's a call to use the gifts that God has entrusted to us in the service to others, especially to the least among us, to extend compassion where it's needed to share the good news of Jesus Christ in both word and deed. Baptism sets us on this path of love and service, shaping the way we live each and every day. Because the gospel good news is desperately, desperately needed in this broken world.
So here we are. Called like Simon, right here, right now, right in the middle of our ordinary lives. Jesus meets us exactly as we are, stepping into our boats, into our messes, into our failures. And Jesus shows us what grace can do. No matter how unworthy or ill-equipped we may feel, Jesus says, do not be afraid. From now on, we are called to follow. To trust, to step forward in faith, knowing that God's grace will do more than we can imagine. That is the promise of Jesus, not just forgiveness, the transformation, purpose, new life. Amen.