1 Corinthians 15.1-11 & Luke 5.1-11
We’ve just heard a rather powerful gospel narrative - the calling of the first disciples.
There was Jesus teaching on the shores of Lake Gennesaret, stepping into Simon Peter’s boat and asking him to push out just a little into the waters so the growing crowd could hear and see better.
And then there he was asking Peter to go out into deep water and let down his nets for a catch. We hear Peter’s hesitation – a recognition that they have fished all night without success and knowing from experience that they are even less likely to catch anything during the day when the fish shy away from the light - but he does so nevertheless … and the result is astounding. We hear of nets filled with fish to the point of breaking. Another boat is needed to hold the catch, and the spare hands of James and John are required to bring it all in.
And then we hear of the reaction – the reaction of astonished fishermen who have witnessed a miracle and don’t know how to respond. There is Peter, overwhelmed, falling at Jesus’ feet and receiving the words: ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.’
And then, we hear of the Peter, James and John leaving everything behind, including the catch of fish, to follow Christ.
There is so much in this gospel passage that we could dwell with it all day. But for now, I want us to hold and ponder a particular aspect of it – Jesus’ call to Peter to venture into deeper waters.
We have heard of course how he did this literally, casting his nets as invited by Jesus despite his doubts and discovering fish in abundance.
But Peter also embraced this spiritually, as he left everything he know to follow Christ, journeying into the unknown, into the very depths of life itself with all its abundance and joys and sorrows.
And we shouldn’t miss the significance of this. Peter let go of everything he knew – his way of life, his business, his sense of people and place. He let go of the need to be in control, trusting that this man who had led him to an abundance of fish, would lead him to abundance in far much more.
And we know how that panned out for Peter. Following Christ wasn’t a smooth journey for him. There were moments of joy, of realization, of transformation, of a deep dwelling with the divine; and there were moments of fear, of denial, of pain as well. No one promised that being a disciple would be easy, or that he would always get it right.
We see something of that reality in our own time, where we as a church have certainly not got things right recently in areas of safeguarding, leadership and care for the vulnerable in our midst.
And yet, like Peter, we too have the opportunity to put that right, to turn things around, for when we find ourselves not following Christ as we ought we are called to reorientate ourselves and try again. The church is not the Kingdom of God, but it is called to seek to reflect it as well as it can, to participate in the mission of God.
And so called were Peter, and James and John, as they stepped out in their own imperfect way to follow Christ all those years ago.
And the simple wonder of all this (and it is delightfully simple!) is that we are called as well. With our own imperfections, with the messes we find ourselves in in life, the mistakes we make – we are called.
And that is what baptism is all about – the calling of the whole people of God to participate in the abundant life of God.
That call can be embraced in so many ways – and so often we limit it by thinking that vocation is for clergy, or for perhaps for those who walk alongside the vulnerable in our midst, or those who express their faith through teaching or perhaps the medical profession.
But we are all called. Equally. None is higher or lower than the other, or more or less important than the other.
We are called to follow Christ as the people of God.
Whether you are housebound and find your call to a ministry of prayer or knitting baptism shawls; or whether you join a coffee rota to show Christ’s welcome and hospitality to another; or whether you’re a top lawyer seeking justice for political prisoners; or a trustee of a charity bringing aid to those who need it most – all are equal, for all are following Christ – a response to his call.
And like Peter, that may not always be an easy call to follow, but it will be life giving and full of abundance.
Pope Francis once famously said, “I prefer a church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security”.
Well, so do I, and more importantly I suspect so does God.
And that is the church we are called to be. A church full of Peters who leave all they have to follow, in their own imperfect way, the Christ who calls.
So let us cast our nets into deep waters and discover afresh the abundance of God.