Sermon – The Rev. Leah D. Schade

Synod Assembly, Friday, May 2

“How Are Your Nets?”

(Matthew 4, vv. 18-22)

How are your nets? 

Are you like Peter and Andrew, whose nets were cast into the water, strong and sturdy,

ready to bring in a successful catch?  

Or are you like James and John, whose nets were torn and tattered, in need of mending,

which kept them from getting out there with the rest of the boats?

How are your nets?

It’s interesting to note who Jesus called to follow him that day by the Sea of Galilee. 

As he walked along the shore, he could see Peter and Andrew’s boat far off,

the two of them busy with the work of fishing. 

These were fishermen who knew what they were doing,

and they probably made a good living in selling the fish they caught. 

And as any fisherman knows, you need good, strong nets to catch and bring in the fish. 

If your net is torn or weak, the valuable fish will slip right through –

you’ll watch your money and your reputation fall right back into the water.

Jesus saw these two men, and he called to them.

We don’t know why he singled them out.

But he called to them. 

He probably had to cup his hands over his mouth and yell really loud,

because they were out pretty far --

“Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.”

What strange words for them to hear.

What an intriguing invitation.

We don’t know why they responded, but they did.

They dropped their nets – the very nets that were the source of their wealth and livelihood –

they dropped their nets,

letting the rough fibers slip from their hands,

the nets that they had so carefully maintained,

which had served them so well,

they let their nets just drop at their feet.

We don’t know why they followed Jesus.

But we can speculate that maybe they were at a point in their lives

where they wanted something more.

Maybe those words of Jesus were just the invitation they were ready to hear.

Maybe they knew, in an instant, that their lives were preparing them for a task

even greater than success in their business,

with a profit that could not be measured in terms of money.

Maybe they just knew that this man was someone they needed to follow.

Whatever the reason,

without hesitation, they left their old lives,

and set sail in a new boat of faith.

They were about to wrap their hands around a new net –

the net that would fish for people.

Yes, it’s interesting whom Jesus called that day by the Sea of Galilee.

James and John were also fishermen.

But they were not where they wanted to be in life.

They were stuck with their boat on the shore,

looking at nets that were in no condition for fishing.

We don’t know why their nets were in need of mending.

Maybe they were lucky, and had had such a successful catch the day before

that the load of fish just stretched the fibers to their limits,

and they raked in so much money, they didn’t mind taking a valuable day off to mend their nets.

But most likely, their nets were worn from so many weeks at sea,

getting caught on rocks,

weakened by the salty water day after day.

Or maybe they made some mistakes with their nets,

leaving them tangled in knots that weakened the fibers,

forgetting or just too lazy to do basic maintenance on them.

And maybe they weren’t the most successful fishermen.

Maybe their catches yielded just enough to provide for their families,

with nothing left over to make the necessary repairs or purchase new nets.

Maybe their nets were full of holes that the other fishermen just laughed at them

and joked about how the fish just laugh at their nets when they see them in the water.

When Jesus saw these two men, they were not far off at sea.

They were right there on the shore.

They didn’t need to be convinced.

They didn’t need to be sold on the idea.

They didn’t need a clever invitation.

They knew they needed a new life.

They knew they had made mistakes.

They knew that their nets had failed them.

They knew that they had nothing to lose.

And they knew that they needed to follow Jesus.

How are your nets?

Some people are like Peter and Andrew.

The world looks at them as successful people,

go-getters who seem to get all the breaks and have all the luck.

Their nets appear to be strong and sturdy.

They have it all together.

Their families are intact.  They’ve got good jobs.

They’ve got spiffy boats. 

They’re popular, and they know how to win friends and influence people.

And some people are like James and John.

Their nets are weak and full of holes.

They don’t have it altogether.

Their relationships are in tangled knots.  Or they’ve lost their job, or their health.

Their nets have been weakened by illness or torn apart by violence,

the fibers frayed by poverty or oppression.

Their boats seem to be permanently grounded on the shores of life.

People ignore them, or make fun of them, and no one wants to hang out with them.

How are your nets?

It’s interesting the kind of people you find in church,

the modern-day followers of Jesus.

Many people think that the church is only for the Peters and Andrews of the world.

The successful people who live lives of purpose and achievement,

morally intact people who deserve to follow Jesus.

But what people don’t often know about the Peters and Andrews of the world,

is that they, too, have had nets that they weren’t too proud of,

nets that failed them,

nets that promised them a boat-load of fish,

and left them with nothing but old tires and rusty fish hooks.

And when the invitation came to follow Jesus,

they knew in their hearts that this is what they really needed in their lives.

They knew that worldly and material success was not enough.

They knew that the real net they needed to work with

is the net of the Gospel,

which brings in people and relationships that are more valuable than anything else.

They know it is God’s work, and their hands.

What most people don’t realize is that the church isn’t out there on the fancy fishing boat

with all the shiny, happy people.

The church is on the shore, where Jesus was that day,

calling out to the Peters and Andrews who need to be brought in,

and meeting face-to-face the James and Johns whose lives are like their nets,

broken and in need of mending.

The church is where we can mend our nets, and create new ones.

The church is where we can unravel our knots, and join our threads with others,

so that we become all interconnected with a network of people.

That’s the key – Jesus is going to make the “net-work.”

We come together to repair and then prepare our nets

to receive others whose lives are in need of mending.

That’s one of the things that have inspired me about how our Bishop is working in this Synod.

She’s all about doing the work of Jesus, calling out to people, connecting them,

joining them together to make the network.

The church helps people repair their damaged lives.

The church helps society repair its damaged systems

by casting out a net to catch those who are hungry, so we can feed them,

to catch those who are lonely, so we can befriend them,

to catch those who are suffering, so we can help heal them.

How are your nets?

We’re doing God’s work with our hands.

Our churches and our synod are both mending and preparing the nets

to receive the catch of people Jesus is sending to us.

We will be doing this in a visible, tangible way,

as we improve and expand our physical buildings,

including the new office on Germantown Ave.

We do it on the congregational level.

So much of what we do as a church is designed to help people connect,

to build relationships, to build a living faith.

Our small groups, our choirs, our worship services, our committees and council,

our Sunday School and Confirmation classes, our service organizations –

all of them are like nets, designed with strength and resilience,

maintained by unraveling the knots and caring for each other.

And our services organizations through Lutheran Charities are casting out into the really deep water, reaching out to those whom society misses.

How are your nets?

The truth is, each of us has a little bit of Peter and Andrew,

and a little bit of James and John in us.

We go through phases when we’re out on the sea and our nets are strong.

And other times we are stuck on the shore with nets that are in no shape for fishing.

No matter how your nets are . . .

Jesus wants your nets!

Jesus wants you!

And Jesus wants to make the net-work.

Each of us, no matter whether we are Peter and Andrew, or James and John,

are being given new nets.

And our catch will be great indeed.

Amen.