I heard the voice of the Master: ‘Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?’ I spoke up ‘I’ll go. Send me’ (Isaiah 6:8) 

The Church began with Jesus calling certain people to follow him. He created a community of disciples who heard him preach, teach, heal, and suffer, die, and rise from death. Most of his disciples did not understand what Jesus kingdom message was about, they did not ‘get him’.

In today’s Gospel reading Jesus calls Simon (later named Peter). Jesus knew Peter, had been to his home and healed his mother-in-law of a fever. This had been a low key miracle in an ordinary household setting. Peter therefore lets Jesus use his fishing boat as a pulpit.

Peter had been fishing all night without success, then had worked from early morning cleaning his nets, is exhausted and looking forward to going home and getting some sleep but Jesus tells him to go out into the deep water and let down his nets for a catch. Peter thinks this will be a futile and responds, ‘Master, we have worked all night but have caught nothing’ but he obeys Jesus, recognising an extraordinary quality about him; ‘Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets’.

Peter witnesses a miracle of abundance, boats so full of fish that they begin to sink. In the midst of his ordinary daily grind, after a particularly unproductive night at work, he sees a miracle. He is overwhelmed with a mixture of emotions, fear, wonder and unworthiness, sensing that he is in the presence of a divine power. He responds by falling down at Jesus’ knees and begging him, ‘Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!’Jesus responds, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people’. Peter will from now on be caught up in God’s mission of salvation. Although they have just brought in the greatest catch of their fishing careers, Peter, James, and John leave the boatloads of fish behind and follow Jesus. Their encounter with Jesus has completely changed their lives. Peter, warts and all, will later become the rock on which the church is built.

Throughout Scripture we see that human sin, failure, and inadequacy are no obstacles to God’s call. God calls imperfect people to do God’s work, people who are aware of their unworthiness and are often doubting and resistant to God’s call. When things got tough Peter denied he knew Jesus. Brothers James and John were known as sons of thunder. They were quick tempered and on one occasion wanted to set fire to a village that rejected Jesus.

In our epistle reading Paul, who had persecuted Christians, says ‘I’m the least of the apostles and do not deserve to be called an apostle’.

God didn’t wait for these men to shape up. God calls us as we are and then works on shaping us, using the gifts and experience we already have and equips us for the work he has called us to do.

How often do we resist Jesus’ call on our lives because what he is calling us to do seems too crazy or too impractical? How often do we avoid putting our nets out into the deep unknown waters to follow Jesus because we are convinced that we will not see any results? What might it mean for us to go deep-sea fishing with Jesus and to trust and follow him outside our comfort zones, to let go of our certainties, to have our lives changed? We are all called to share the good news of the Gospel using our experiences, setting, circumstances and gifts that God has given us.

Jesus’ mission does not wait until we think we are ready, we are called right now with our frailties, failures, and doubts, in the midst of our ordinary, busy, complicated lives. Jesus’ word to Peter is also a word to us: ‘Do not be afraid.’ The Holy Spirit will work through us to ‘catch’ others as he has caught us in the deep, wide net of God’s mercy and love, bursting with abundance.

Angela Stewart, Lay Minister