Epiphany 3A
In the name of Christ who shows
us the way. Amen.
When I was growing up, my
grandparents had a little pond in the front their house. It probably measured out to around an acre in
area, or maybe just a little less. For us
grandchildren, that pond was an endless source of amusement. I even remember one winter where it got cold
enough and I went out walking on the ice that had formed over the pond. While that happens pretty regularly around
here, that’s the kind of experience that sticks in the mind of a kid from the
South for the rest of his life.
In the warmer months we’d hang
out on the edge of the pond – there was a little worn spot in the grass that
marked our usual landing pad. In the
mornings we’d accompany Papaw as he led the ducks out from the shed in the back
of his house where he parked his tractor, and where there was a little room
called his “office” that I never saw him use.
We’d lead the ducks around the house, and down the hill in front and
deposit them for the day in the pond.
Then at dusk, they’d follow us back up the hill to settle in for the
night – Papaws little French bulldog, Mac, shepherding us – both the ducks and
the grandkids – all the while.
We’d sit at the water’s edge and
feed the fish, and catch little baby frogs.
And of course, one of the highlights was sitting there with cousins and
with Papaw “fishing”. I put fishing in
quotes, because I honestly don’t remember if we ever actually did catch
anything. We ran a pretty crude little
operation – just a piece of fishing line tied to the end of a cane pole. Sometimes we’d get fancy and pick up some
crickets for bait, but as often as not, it was bits of leftover biscuits that
Grandmother had made that morning.
But it occurs to me that while I
remember the “fishing” but not the fish, it could be because that’s not
actually what Papaw was fishing for when we had those days together by the pond. It wasn’t about the pond, or the fish, or the
ducks, or the dog – those were all a part of the tapestry that wove together a
memorable and joy-filled time in my life.
But it was actually the joy and the memories that Papaw was fishing
for. It was the relationships that he
built with his grandchildren. In some
ways, those times fishing together were really about fishing for people. Everything else just helped to set the stage.
There’s a degree to which the
Gospel lesson that we read today is sort of along the same theme as the one we
read last week. Last week we heard about
Jesus hearing and affirming his call from God through his, admittedly odd,
interaction with John the Baptist. And
so today, as Jesus begins calling his disciples in earnest, it feels like a
natural continuation of the story.
But there’s a little nuance that
gives this story of “calling” a different edge.
It is certainly about calling, but it’s also about evangelism – about
spreading the Good News, spreading the call, about refusing to hoard the
blessings we’ve found and sharing them with someone else.
Last week in our Vestry meeting
we fell off topic for a bit and someone asked the question, “Exactly how do we
get more members in the church?” Well,
if we’d gone down that rabbit hole we might still be in the meeting more than a
week later. It’s a topic that has been
deeply discussed and debated in church circles for longer than probably anyone
can imagine. In fact, just this week,
there was a major conference of the Episcopal Church happening in Atlanta, with
thousands of attendees, and a lot of the workshops were focused on exactly that
question.
While books have been written on
the subject, and lectures given, and sermons preached, and prayers prayed, and
round-table discussions held, and who knows what else… the answer really is
pretty simple. It’s not one we always
like to hear, but it’s not really as complicated as we tend to make it.
Like all things in Christian
life, the answers to the big questions are often found in replicating the ways
of Jesus. And today, the way we read
about is pretty simple. Churches tend to
grow when they have something compelling to offer and they invite others into
the journey with them.
“Follow me, and I will make you
fish for people.” Follow me, and I will
take what you know and give it new meaning.
Follow me, and we will uncover new depths in our relationships. Follow me, and your life will mean more than
it does right now.
Imagine what it would be like if
you could really put words around what it is that brings you here each Sunday,
and share that with the people in your life – with your friends and family and
neighbors and everyone else. What makes
you decide to wake up on Sunday and come here, instead of watching the news or
reading the paper or whatever else there is.
If it’s meaningful for you, chances are that it might be meaningful for
someone else.
That doesn’t mean we have to go
around beating people over the head with religion – it just means sharing the
blessings we’ve found. Refusing to hoard
them. Because we know that the lives of
the people around us could be made stronger and more fulfilling, just as our
own lives together are made stronger and more fulfilling by taking this journey
with each other.
That’s what evangelism is. It’s not making people feel guilty. It’s not telling people they’re wrong and
we’re right. It’s not threatening anyone
with hell-fire and damnation if they don’t get in line with us. Evangelism is just sharing joy. Sharing blessings. And inviting them into the journey.
Follow me, because I know
something that I think you’d like to know.
That’s evangelism. And that’s the example that Christ set for us. To fish for people. Because it’s in the people – in the relationships we share with each other – where we get to know God most authentically. Amen.
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