Certainly, it’s not as easy in our modern context to share the gospel with the vast variety of people around us. It’s a lot harder getting them in the boat! Much as been written, and lots has been said (some by me!) about what appeals to our neighbors, friends, and family to interest them in trying out the church. And beyond that, trying out this congregation. Some fish are caught in huge nets by industrial trawlers. Some fish are caught on baited lines. I’m intentionally leaving out recreational fishing (sorry to all my fly-fishing friends!) because the point there is enjoying oneself or challenging oneself, and so the focus is on the fisher’s experience, not a big catch as in commercial fishing. Some churches (mostly big evangelical congregations) use a big net and try to scoop up whatever is out there, not so far from what the Zebedee brothers were doing in Galilee and what Jesus was repurposing them to make a wide appeal to the Galilean population. Others use specific bait for specific species, which may be more appropriate for First Congregational.
I will confess that at a certain point I have a problem with Jesus’ fishing metaphor. I think he probably was using a deft turn of phrase for those particular four men that particular day to hook them. He might have riffed on healing souls with Luke for all I know. But like many metaphors it can go awry. That the fish get netted and pulled in to the boat is ok, if you think of pulling new believers into the church. I have problems about the fish then dying and getting eaten. Not so edifying. So, tender-hearted me likes to modernize the parable to catch-and-release.
If we catch a soul with our example of the gospel and help the soul and maybe tag it to identify it as Christian and release it back into the stream, it can go live a productive life in its natural environment, swimming along with others who might get caught, too. (Yeah, I can force a metaphor past the breaking point.)
Yet the big point remains. Jesus calls us to call others, multiplying his voice and his love. And he calls us to do and be what we know already, to take our God-given skills and use them for this additional purpose: to witness to God’s love and invite them to share God’s embrace in ways comfortable and effective for us. Doesn’t matter what we do; we just do it for God and others now.
Longer ago than I like to admit, we had a new church development pastor in Geneva Presbytery. Colin was fond of saying to the people in the start-up, “Be sure to invite your family and friends and neighbors to worship with us. Heck, even invite people you don’t like very much. It’ll be good for everyone!” Use your God-given fishing talents to share that God loves them, too. Here. Now.
And maybe bring them with you Sunday?
In Christ,
David
The Ithaca Area Jewish Community Invites you to a staged reading of the Israeli play, ‘Oh, God’ by Anat Gov, directed by Guy Ben-Aharon. Sunday, Jan. 26 at 3 p.m. at Emerson Suites at Ithaca College and Monday, Jan. 27 at 7:30 p.m. at Risley Theater at Cornell. Suggested donation $10, supporting Lunch and Learn, an afterschool tutoring program for Israeli children at risk, will be requested on 1/26.
Texts For Sunday Worship:
From the Hebrew Bible Isaiah 9:1-4
From the Epistles 1 Corinthians 1:10-18
From the Gospels Matthew 4:12-23
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