Late January finds us living in the wake of change. Just days ago, our nation witnessed the inauguration of a new president – a moment stirring hope in some hearts and deep concern in others. These national transitions remind us how change, even when democratic and orderly, may leave us feeling uncertain about what lies ahead.
This feels remarkably like the scene we encounter in today’s Gospel. By the shores of Lake Gennesaret, we meet people caught between the familiar and the unknown. Some tired fishermen have worked through the night with nothing to show for it. They’re cleaning their nets, probably ready to head home, when Jesus steps into their boat and invites them toward something new. Their story speaks to us today – about moments when our best efforts seem to fall short, when we’re caught between holding on and letting go, when an unexpected invitation interrupts our carefully planned lives.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve followed Jesus from his first public steps to today’s invitation to follow him. We began with his baptism, where God’s voice named Jesus as God’s beloved Son, marking a new beginning in God’s story. Then last week, we heard Jesus stand up in his hometown synagogue to announce his mission of bringing good news to those who need it most.
Today’s story builds on these moments. After God affirmed Jesus at his baptism and Jesus declared his purpose, he now invites others to join his mission. Just as Jesus stepped into the waters of baptism and into his public ministry, he now calls Simon Peter to step out of his fishing boat and into a new life. We see a pattern emerging: God identifies Jesus, Jesus identifies his mission, and now Jesus identifies those who will carry that mission forward. Each step moves God’s story of grace and transformation further into the world.
I want to remind you that Luke wrote this story around the year 80 to 85. At that time, the early Christian movement was spreading beyond its Jewish roots. Luke wrote for individuals like Theophilus, whom he mentions by name in his writings. These were educated Greeks who were eager to comprehend this novel new faith. The story for today takes place at Lake Gennesaret, which we also know as the Sea of Galilee, where fishing was a major industry. Picture a bustling lakeside scene with fishing crews cleaning nets after a long night’s work.
Simon Peter and his fellow fishermen were skilled professionals, not hobbyists. Their boats were fairly large, requiring teams to operate them. Fishing wasn’t just their job – it was their identity, social status, and family legacy. Walking away from fishing meant leaving behind not just a career, but their whole way of life.
This story appears early in Luke’s gospel, just after Jesus begins his public ministry. Luke carefully sets up a pattern: Jesus teaches with authority, demonstrates power through extraordinary acts, and calls people to follow him. Notice how Luke builds tension in the story – first the crowd pressing in, then Jesus teaching from the boat, followed by the surprising catch of fish, and finally the profound moment of calling.
The imagery of abundant fish echoes Old Testament promises of God’s blessing, while the theme of leaving everything to follow God reminds us of Abraham’s story. Luke uses similar “leaving everything” language when describing Jesus’ call to Levi in chapter 5 verse 28, emphasizing the complete commitment of discipleship.
The central message emerges through three movements: first, Jesus meets people in their everyday work; second, he demonstrates his authority in a way they can’t ignore; and third, he invites them into a completely new life centered on his mission. We see both the cost and promise of discipleship – leaving the familiar to participate in God’s larger purpose.
This story shows us God doesn’t wait for us to get to church to call us – encountering God happens right in the middle of our ordinary lives, often when we least expect it.
If you’re a student, think about that moment when you were studying for final exams, wondering if all this work is leading anywhere meaningful. Like those fishermen casting nets all night with nothing to show for it, you might question if your efforts matter. Jesus’ invitation reminds us that our ordinary moments – even stressful ones – can become turning points when we stay open to God’s presence.
Or maybe you’re ten years into a career you worked hard to build. You’ve got the corner office or the impressive title, but there’s a nagging sense that you’re meant for something more. The fishing nets might represent success and security, yet God might be calling you to reimagine how your skills could serve a deeper purpose. This doesn’t always mean changing careers – sometimes it means bringing God’s love into your current workplace in new ways.
Consider those in their golden years after retirement, when society says it’s time to relax and step back. Yet like Simon Peter, you might hear God calling you to your most significant adventure yet. Your lifetime of experience becomes the very tool God uses, whether that’s mentoring young parents, volunteering at the food pantry, or sharing your wisdom with others facing big transitions.
This week, try taking one step toward deeper trust. Maybe that’s offering to pray with a struggling classmate, starting a faith conversation with a coworker, or saying yes to that volunteer opportunity you’ve been considering. Like those first disciples, we discover that following Jesus isn’t about having everything figured out – it’s about being willing to take the next faithful step.
The good news is that God consistently shows up in the most ordinary places to do extraordinary things. Just as God once spoke through a burning bush to a shepherd and through dreams to a teenage boy in prison, here God speaks through an empty fishing net and a borrowed boat. This reveals a profound truth about God’s character – that divine grace meets us not despite our ordinary lives, but precisely through them.
When Jesus steps into Simon’s boat, he continues God’s ancient pattern of entering human stories to transform them. The same God who called Abraham from his homeland and Moses from his flock now calls tired fishermen from their nets. But notice – Jesus doesn’t just call them away from something; he calls them into participation with God’s redemptive work in the world. Their fishing skills aren’t discarded but transformed, redirected toward gathering people into God’s embrace.
This story echoes God’s unchanging promise that our limitations don’t limit God’s possibilities. The empty nets of human striving become full through God’s abundance. Our professional expertise – whether in fishing ancient seas or navigating modern challenges – becomes a vessel for holy purpose. Even our failures and exhaustion, like fishing all night with nothing to show, can become the very moment when God’s grace breaks in.
This isn’t just about career changes or religious vocations. It’s about God’s persistent pattern of meeting people where they are and inviting them into a bigger story – the ongoing story of God’s love reshaping the world through ordinary lives made extraordinary by grace.
The invitation still echoes from that ancient shoreline to our present moment. When Jesus says “Row out farther, into the deep water,” he’s calling us beyond the comfortable shallows of what we know into deeper trust. Like those first disciples, we too might find our greatest adventures beginning in moments of exhaustion, when we’re just willing enough to try one more time. In a time when change stirs such different responses in different hearts, perhaps we’re being called to leave our familiar shores of certainty to fish in deeper waters of understanding.
Just as those fishermen discovered on an ordinary workday, God shows up in our uncertain moments, not to erase our anxieties, but to transform them into doorways to deeper purpose. Whether this season fills us with hope or concern, Jesus still steps into our boats and invites us toward something more.
Will you pray with me?
God of transformation, in times of change and uncertainty, help us trust your presence in our boats. Give us courage to move into deeper waters, knowing you journey with us. Guide us toward your bigger purpose for our lives and our world. Amen.
In crafting today’s sermon, I employed AI assistants like Claude and Apple Intelligence, yet the ultimate responsibility for its content rests with me. These tools offered valuable perspectives, but the most influential sermon preparation hinges on biblical study, theological insight, personal reflection, and divine guidance. I see AI as a supportive aid to enrich the sermon process while ensuring my own voice in proclaiming the Word of God.
Rev. Andrew Conard 