DEEP WATER
A Sermon for the Sunday of the Epiphany V

Once, while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch." Simon answered, "Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets." When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people." When they brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him. (Luke 5:1-11)

Thirty years ago I was in a bit of a quandary. I had worked in the business world for more than ten years, and I was doing pretty well. But something was missing. I needed more – more purpose, more satisfaction, more meaning – in my life. One Sunday afternoon, I went to a church meeting. Over lunch, before the official conversation began, I spoke with one of the clergy about my struggle to know what to do next in my life. He smiled and said ten words, words I remember to this day: “If you want to change your life, just do it.”

As I stop to reflect on yet another birthday last week and the anniversary of my arrival here at All Saints’ two years ago, I am thinking about change. I’m thinking about how my life has changed since I heard those words half a lifetime ago. For example, I will always be a son, but today, my parents are elderly. Today I am the father of two adult children. Today I am both a priest and a priest’s spouse. And today – having left parish ministry for a few years, then returning, but never thinking I’d ever serve as a rector again – today, I am the rector of a large, complex church. I never imagined all the changes that have come with just one decision: to change my life. All of this makes me think about what it might have been like for the disciples to follow Jesus.

Peter, James and John were fishermen when they met Jesus. There was a familiar rhythm to their lives. They were partners, part of a family, a larger fishing tradition. But I wonder: Did it feel like something was missing? Did they want to change their lives? We don’t know. We do know the lake of Gennesaret, in the Sea of Galilee, was a busy fishing hub. After a long night with nothing to show, Peter and his partners were ready to clean up, go home and try again tomorrow – a normal response to the kind of day anyone can have. And yet, before they go, Jesus gets into Peter’s boat and asks one small favor of him. He sees the crowd gathered around them, and he asks Peter to go out a little way from shore, into shallow water, so he can teach. This, too, was normal. Jesus used boats as a way of creating some space, a bit of distance and perspective on the things that were happening and the people who were following him.

Peter says yes to Jesus’ request, and they go into shallow water, so Jesus can do his thing. Then Jesus says these words to Simon, one of his chief disciples, the one who will soon become known as Peter. Jesus’ words were ones Simon Peter would likely never forget: “Put out into the deep water,” Jesus tells Simon, “and let down your nets for a catch.” Now, here is what I believe to be true about deep water: we don’t like it. We human beings like the shallows. We like the comfortable, the predictable, the familiar, the routine. Before I came to Frederick, I liked living in Memphis, where almost all my family has lived for more than forty years. I liked serving as an Associate Rector in the same church where I had been a teenager.

The disciples, I suspect, liked the shallows, too – especially after returning empty-handed from a long day’s work. Yet Jesus called them, challenging them to “put out into the deep water.” Which is another way of saying, Change your life. Just do it. And they did.

Responding to that invitation, right there on the spot, without having to think about it, or pray about it, or turn it over to a committee, Jesus’ disciples began a brand, new life. I wonder: Are we ready for deep water? Are you and I ready to change our lives that much? I’ll have more to say next Sunday in my “State of the Parish” address during our Annual Parish Meeting, but for now, let me give you some headlines as to what “going deeper” might look like for us:

1. What does it mean to go deeper in our Worship of God? Our Great Hall congregation is in a time of transition, as we seek a new musician to help lead them in worship. It is a painful time for many, and yet, it is also a hopeful time, as they consider: Who ARE we as a Great Hall congregation in 2010? What kind of faith community does Jesus want us to become? Questions of identity and community are also, if we are honest, deep-water questions, not only for the Great Hall congregation, but also for all of us: Who IS All Saints’ in 2010? What kind of deeper faith community does Jesus want us to become? How does our worship need to become, in the words we see on each weekend bulletin, more “lively, prayerful and welcoming?” How willing to change are we?

2. In Christian Formation, we are formed into the image and likeness of Jesus. As Christian disciples, we follow Jesus. And over time, we can learn to teach others, but only when we learn more about who Jesus is, only as we consider what Jesus might already be doing to love and save our 21st century world. We are all called to be life-long learners and disciples. And there is no better place to focus in our Formation as a community of faith, there is no better place to put our money where our faith is, than to be good stewards of the spiritual lives of our children and our youth. At the special Budget, Finance and Vestry meeting on January 26th, a decision was made to staff up for growth in the Formation of our younger members. You will hear more about this next Sunday. The Questions: How deep in Formation do we want to go in 2010? How much do we want to give in time, talent and treasure for the Formation of our children, youth and adults? How much like Jesus do we want to look and to become? How willing to change are we?

3. In Stewardship, Jesus is calling us to put out into deep waters. If you received your February issue of Saints Alive! you likely saw the letter from Bishop Sutton, inviting us into a special relationship with five other congregations in our diocese, asking us to become a leading parish in environmental stewardship. My response to our Bishop’s request is, “I will, if WE will.” And we will, with God’s help, with Jesus in the boat with us. The Questions: How deep are we willing to go with Jesus and one another? How might our children and youth help us become more “green?” How willing to change are we? Come and see on February 21, as we enjoy a special Sunday supper and conversation about Jesus’ call to care for all of God’s creation. (Please contact our office to reserve your place at the table.)

4. Finally, in the ministry of Administration, I believe Jesus is calling us to go deeper than ever before in the areas of technology and communication. Today, wired has become wireless. The post office and letters have turned into websites and e-mail. Audio-visuals have names like Power Point and Skype. Even e-mail, cell-phone calls and internet searches are being challenged and changed by Facebook, Twitter and iPhone apps. The 21st century church cannot survive, let alone thrive and grow, without learning from and working with “tech-savvy” friends. (Many of them, of course, are under 30!) The Questions: How deeply do we want to go in communicating the Good News of God in Jesus Christ? How much do we want to welcome and engage the youngest disciples of Jesus at All Saints’? How shall we of the Baby Boom and Best Generations best worship with them? How will we both teach and learn from the members of the ‘Net Generation (high-school or college ages) and the iGeneration (middle, primary and pre-schoolers)? How willing to change are we?

Dear friends in Christ, when we are willing to go deep enough, we will change our lives. And we will be changed in such deep ways that we will truly be disciples, more and more like the Christians Jesus wants us to be. We will no longer be Christian in name only, Christian on the surface, superficial Christians. Like the first disciples, like the first fisher folk, we will haul in a catch we will not believe. We will realize the amazing abundance God has always had in store for us. And so I ask you: Will you become a reader or a leader in worship? Will you volunteer to teach Sunday school because you want to learn? Will you increase your commitment to caring for all of God’s creation? Will you help – with God’s help, with help from one another – to communicate and share the Good News of God in Jesus Christ? How about it? Do you and I trust Jesus? Are we ready for deeper waters? Are we ready to change our lives that much?

Simon said “yes” to Jesus, and nothing was ever the same. Saying “yes” did not mean that things got easy – in fact, things became more difficult. Simon continued to misunderstand what Jesus asked of him. He continued to fail in his faithfulness, time and again. And yet out of his great love for the One we call Savior, Jesus Christ – his body, the Church, God’s creation, ever new, came to be.

Jesus still calls us to put out into the deep water. He calls me, and he is calling you.

The Rev. Thomas A. Momberg
All Saints’ Episcopal Church
Frederick, Maryland
February 7, 2010

For more on the interruptions of life, go to http://fathermom.wordpress.com