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“Last Bats!”
Psalm 138; Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13); Luke 5:1-11; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Rev. Sandy Nuernberg
Oakland-Cambridge Presbyterian Church, Cambridge, WI
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time -
Souper Bowl of Caring Sunday
February 4, 2007
My grandmother, and aunts and
uncles had summer cottages in which to enjoy summer activities, of which one of
my favorites was fishing on Long Lake, near Spooner. It was not like today’s
fishing, as there were fewer cottages on the lake then with less people
traveling north, and we could ‘pick our spot’ in which to drop our lines for
fishing. Sure, we did ‘get skunked’, and had to come back again sometimes for
the fish to bite, but our text reminds me of one fishing story I experienced.
My Uncle Ernest (Dad’s brother),
Dad, cousin Barb, and myself being the fisherpeople for this excursion, it seems
sometimes in these stories, it’s the preparations that make it the event that it
is! We finalized our time to get up, our poles, nets, bait, motor and trolling
motor to boot, and of course snacks to take along. As Wisconsinites I remember
beer, along with soda being primary liquids for our fishing trip; who knew how
long we’d be out!! My Uncle Ern was the fisherman among us and had done his
homework at the corner pub the night before; which fish were biting and where
and what bait to take along.
We left at pre-morning darkness to
get settled in our places, expecting ‘some action’ on our lines! I actually went
on this and other fishing trips as a kibitzer, to hear the stories, laugh, and
learn too. And I did; I heard which tributary or ‘narrows’ was shallow enough to
troll for the sunfish (cool vs. warm waters in the summer), I laughed but softly
so the fish didn’t hear! as Uncle Ern told stories of failure and success in his
fishing at the chosen sight, and I learned to bait a line, take a fish off the
line, and how to clean and filet a fish for our fish meals at night. ‘All in a
day’s work,’ they said!
Then, as today, fishing for me was
a sport, not boring but learning stillness, patience, and if all else failed, we
could go back to the dock and go water-skiing if the fish were not biting. On
this particular trip in hot August, we filled our boat’s bottom so full of
sunfish it nearly sank; we couldn’t bring them in fast enough, and they were
fat, spawning-sized fish I only heard about, not seen. I was in awe of my Uncle
Ern’s prediction that we would have enough fish for dinner! I was amazed at our
catch of fish that we had taken! Today, we still have the ‘family’ cottage and
enjoy so many good times up there with our cousins and their young children
learning the sport of fishing on Long Lake. Then, we were prepared for ways
unknown later in life! Today, there are more people, no openings to build on the
lake, and fewer fish in the lakes as once long ago.
When Jesus finished speaking to
Simon, Peter, John, and the disciples in their boat, they ‘put out a little away
from the shore.’ The boats ‘began to sink’ they came so full of fish, our text
tells us. They were in awe and amazement at their ‘catch’, what they had seen
and heard on the lake of Gennesaret. Jesus was with regular people, preparing
them for their further exploration in their lives with him. Jesus filled them
full of calmness as he talked, and fullness in their abundance of fish; they,
the disciples were ‘caught up’ by all Jesus had told and shown them. When Simon
fell down afraid, Jesus prepared them in catching people, no longer fish. They
followed him!!
The apostle Paul, ‘one untimely
born’ in our text refers to himself as ‘a least of these’; on the road to
Damascus he fell (Acts 9) and was blinded by God’s Spirit, and by the grace of
God believed and proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God emphasizing
Christ’s role as sovereign ruler (Eph. 5:5, I Cor. 15:24). His encounter
justifies his understanding of Jesus Christ’s resurrection for our salvation,
from death to life. In Jesus and the apostle Paul, there are no quantitative
entities, for their own experiences qualify them, in their failures and in their
accomplishments to proclaim the good news of God’s sovereign reign. The kingdom
of God’s fullness thereof comes in our drawing people to the kingdom; in our not
‘catching’ them but in our telling them the truth, the good news about Christ
(Matthew 6:33, Mark 1:15, Luke 6:20, etc)
in our lives, then, now, and in the future....this is living in
Christ, in his life and in his death.
Jesus Christ had ‘last bats’ so to
speak; he prepared the disciples for the way of the Lord in asking them to
believe and to follow him. Paul, as a missionary and apostle, ‘caught’ his
followers, in telling them of the gospel of Christ, and he wanted them to
‘catch’ others in His Name. We are asked, actually, commanded to do the same, as
God’s reign, the kingdom of God, is the focus of Jesus’ and our teaching
others. Our example in learning is Jesus Christ.
Our texts today, in Luke and in I
Corinthians tell us of basic Christianity; how we are called into a new
direction in life, being changed, transformed by knowing Christ, hearing Christ’
word, and carrying out Christ’s work in the world in which we live. In our own
faith journeys, our struggles, broken-ness, fears, our falling down and not
knowing what God demands of us; as we share these experiences with others, it is
not catching people; it is not making them bite on our word. It is drawing
people towards God’s kingdom, and catching them is a ‘by-product.’ Thomas
Merton, the Trappist monk, once said in prayerful time with God, ‘I don’t know
of what I do pleases you, but I know that my wanting to please you does
please you!’
One thing is sure; we can’t carry
out these things unless we have the help of Christ and the Holy Spirit in
us. In being faithful, in being changed, we become inspired to follow in our own
further exploration of what the Lord has in store for us, just like fishing, in
the preparation and waiting; our Lord has ‘last bats’ as to what the final
outcome might be.
In Jesus’ day, we aren’t told if
there were trolling motors, fish poles, or bait for a particular kind of fish to
be caught, or the ‘right place’ in which to get the best ‘catch.’ Yes, we are
told that they had hooks, nets (at least three kinds of nets), and boats; most
importantly, we are told that the good news of the gospel is that Jesus Christ,
as the divine person in God to us, talks to us, calms our fears, and prepares us
for what’s ahead. Jesus Christ, having ‘last bats’ in the name of God Almighty
is our salvation.
In our communion together this
day, in our faithfulness in following Jesus, we can experience what the
disciples saw and heard and we can share our experiences with others to
accomplish what God wants us to be and do. In the ways of God in/through
Jesus Christ, we are focusing on God’s ways for us and not our ways; we become
our own in Christ, all to the glory of God. Thanks be to God.!
AMEN
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