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Reflection by The Rev'd Dr Deborah Broome

Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.’ Simon answered, ‘Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.’ When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So, they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!’ For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.’ When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.            Luke 5:1-11

 

God calls people to do things and be things in this world of ours.  This is the Gospel reading for Sunday 9 February, and its account of the call of Simon, James, and John to “fish for people” is paired with other call stories – of Isaiah the prophet, and Paul recounting how he’s “the least of the apostles” because he formerly persecuted the church.  These stories have something in common – an awareness of human inadequacy.  All three of these people know they’re not perfect, they know they’ve nothing much to offer, and they accept the task God gives them anyway.  Here Simon Peter’s “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” isn’t about any particular sin but his tendency to fall short, to miss the mark, to stuff up.  And – let’s be honest – we do this too.  We all fail to be what we claim to be, we all have thoughts and actions which are contrary to God’s.  But what comes through is that God knows all this – and wants to heal us and to use us anyway. 

 

So mentally rehearsing a list of your own imperfections and thinking they’ll get you off the hook doesn’t work.  We’re all imperfect, and God still wants to use us.  The key thing is doing what God’s asking us to do.   Simon Peter’s obedience, when he went out into the deep water one more time and put down his nets, actually helped him work out who Jesus was and what he was about.  He wasn’t quite sure what was going on – I mean, what does a carpenter know about fishing – but he did what Jesus told him to do anyway and look what happened as a result!  Simon Peter, and James and John fished for a living – and with Jesus they were called to catch people.   Everyone’s asked to bring themselves, and all their gifts and their previous experiences, and use that to work with God to share the good news of God’s love and grace.  How are you called to do this?

 


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