Getting Into the Boat
A Sermon of The Rev. Dr. David A. Killian, Rector
All Saints Parish
Brookline, Massachusetts
February 8, 2004
Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany
Commissioning of Vestry and Delegates
Text: Luke 5:1-11
I
Today’s Gospel is a fish story -- perhaps the grandest fish story of all. And Peter doesn’t have to exaggerate the size of the fish that got away -- as fishermen are wont to do -- because in this story he has exactly the opposite problem: he caught so many fish that his boats were in danger of sinking. Yes, it was a very successful fishing expedition -- beyond Peter’s imaginings. If we were able to sit down with Peter years later and hear him tell again about the great catch of fish, we might be tempted to say, "Peter, that’s a great story -- how could anything like that ever happen for us? Could we ever be as successful as you were that day so that our boats were full to overflowing?"
Here is what Peter might say: Yes, you can encounter God’s abundance in your life. And, of course, we would ask, "How could it happen?" And he might answer by telling us to do four things: 1. Invite God into your boat; 2. Invite God to work a miracle in your boat; 3. Be totally honest with God; and 4. Listen to what God may be asking you do next.
First, invite God into your boat. God of course, wants to get into your boat, into your life, but God will not coerce you. God respects your free will too much for that. God wants a relationship with you, but only if you invite God into your boat.
Some people invite God into their boats every day. They wake up in the morning and say, "God, what a beautiful world this is. Let’s go through this day together." But many of us only become aware of God when things are going poorly: when we are unemployed or going through a divorce or illness or have some problem. Then we are like Peter who complained, "Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing." You know what it is like. You have had those days when you gave your best effort and you saw no results. Some have to "hit bottom," as they say in Alcoholics Anonymous, before they invite God into their boat.
An example of someone who found God in his distress was St. Patrick who invited God into his boat when he was sold into slavery to an Irish king and was forced to tend his sheep outdoors in the most horrible of conditions. Patrick felt lonely, cold, and abandoned; in his misery, he invited God into his boat. And in those horrible circumstances God entered his life and warmed his soul.
II
The second step, after inviting God into your boat, is to invite God to do a miracle in your boat. In the Gospel passage, notice that Jesus does not take Peter out of his boat, but works a miracle in the same setting, the same environment, the same boat. This is an important lesson. When we are discouraged, when we feel that we have labored the whole night and caught nothing, our first impulse might be to cut and run.
The Gospel tells us that God can work miracles where we are. By miracle, I don’t simply mean a suspension of the laws of nature; rather miracles are "seemingly impossible things that happen anyway." So when we ask God to do a miracle in our boat, we are asking God to bring about a change while we stay in our current situation. And interestingly the biggest change will be with ourselves.
How different this is from the minister who said, "God, I could be a great minister, if only you would give me a better congregation." Or the husband who says, "I could be a wonderful husband if only you gave me a perfect wife." Or the parent who says, "I could be a great parent if only I had better children." Jesus didn’t take Peter out of the boat, but he worked the miracle in the boat. Likewise, when I ask God to do a miracle in my boat, I am asking God to help me be more creative with my current situation, to reframe, refocus, "think outside the box", come up with new solutions.
III
The third point is to be totally honest with God. In the Gospel account, Peter falls down at Jesus’ knees, saying "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man." Jesus responds by not going out of his sight, but accepting Peter as he is. For Peter and for us, it takes courage to face up to ourselves and our sins, but spiritual growth happens when we confront who we are. Roman Catholics and Orthodox make a face-to-face confession to a priest. Some may be surprised to learn that Episcopalians also have confession; it is in the Book of Common Prayer on page 447. Of course, we also can confess privately to God and we should daily. Jesus told Peter to cast his nets into the deep water. We need to go deep into our souls to face ourselves in confession or in personal prayer.
After we invite God into our boat, invite God to work a miracle in our boat, and are honest with God, we then listen to what God wants us to do next. Jesus told Peter that he would be "catching people." When St. Patrick listened he had a dream that God wanted him to go back to Ireland to bring the faith to the people who formerly had enslaved him.
God speaks softly so we have to listen carefully. What might you hear when you listen to God? You might be asked to tutor a child, or help serve the meal to the homeless at St. John’s on Bowdoin Street, or work with GBIO to reach out to the unemployed or underemployed or help nursing home workers get fair wages, or accept the call to serve as a vestry member or delegate at All Saints. If you listen, God will call you to a closer union and greater service.
My conversation with Peter was drawing to a close. I had a final question. "Peter, you said if I listen, God will tell me what to do next. What if I try to perform this greater service that God is calling me but I’m not getting anywhere and I feel discouraged?" "You mean," Peter said, "What if you feel that you have worked all night long but have caught nothing?" "Yes!" "Well, then you start all over. God is still in your boat. God can still do a miracle. You can be honest with God. And then listen to what God wants from you next."
Amen.