Luke 5:1-11

Trust is an integral part of any relationship, but trust is something that is lacking these days. One of the first lessons I learned in Army basic training is that you must trust your foxhole buddy, and he has to trust you. Trust does not come immediately, but rather a bond develops over time. Working together day in and day out, learning what makes each other tick and all the rest helps this bond develop, and eventually, you would be willing to lay down your life for them. In today’s Gospel from St. Luke, we have a story of great trust.

Simon and his companions had been out fishing all night, and they were exhausted. The only task they had left to complete before going home and getting some sleep was to wash their nets and put them away. Along comes Jesus. We are unsure if Simon knew who Jesus was, but he no doubt has heard about him.

Jesus asks to use Simon’s boat to preach to those gathered on the shore. Jesus gets in, and they push out a little way offshore. All Simon wants to do is get the nets washed and put his down on his pillow, but first, he has to deal with this Jesus guy.

Luke does not record what Jesus said, but Simon was listening to him, and he must have heard something that convinced him that this Jesus was alright. When Jesus is finished, he turns to Simon and tells him to push the boat into the deep water and lower his nets. Simon tells Jesus that they are tired because they have been fishing all night but, he trusts Jesus and does as Jesus asks.

Simon and the other load into their boats, push offshore, and head out into the deep water. They lowered their nets and haul in the most significant catch they had ever seen, so much so that it almost sank the boat. Others had to be called over to help them get the fish into the boat.

Recognizing what has happened, Simon falls to his knees and asks Jesus to depart from him because he is a sinful man. Of course, Jesus knows this but chose him anyway. Jesus tells him not to fear and that he will be fishing for people from now on. But the next part of the story is astonishing. Luke tells us that they returned to shore, left everything, and followed Jesus.

They left everything and followed Jesus. Would you be willing to do that?

Paul, writing to his church in Corinth, reminds the people thereof of the calling of the Apostles and how, after Jesus’ death and resurrection, he returned to them. Paul also reminds them that he was once a great persecutor of the church, yet Jesus used him to spread the Gospel story. Paul is asking the people in Corinth to trust his testimony that it is true so they can share in the eternal life of God through Jesus.

When Jesus appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus, Jesus asked Paul to trust him. When Paul was brought to a believer’s home to seek assistance because he could not see, the man was being asked to trust Jesus. Paul asks those who knew about him and his persecutions to trust that he has changed. Trust is a significant part of the spiritual life of Christians.

There was a time when we believed what was being told to us by those placed in authority over us. We might be skeptical about it, but we trusted that they had our best interests in mind when sharing information. We might have known that we were not being told everything, but we still trusted. Then we found out we were being lied to or important information was being withheld, and we started to doubt those good intentions. Our governmental and church leaders began to crumble before our eyes. We found out that they were flawed individuals faced with the same temptations as the rest of us. They fell hard from those pedestals we had placed them on, and now we have a suspicion rather than a trust. All of this is well-founded to a certain extent.

Seventy years ago, a young woman placed incredible trust in what she believed God was asking her to do. She went to bed the night before a princess and woke the following day a Queen. Her father was dead, but she had a job to do, and for 70 years, she has performed that job with selfless dedication to her people and in her faith. She asked the people that she would now lead to trust her.

Through a series of events, she went from a potential life of obscurity as a minor royal, wife, and mother to a life in the spotlight where every decision she made would be scrutinized by a world that no longer placed unquestioning trust in those called to lead. She trusted those around her to guide her and train her for the job that would come, but when it came, she stepped through that door all by herself. She had trust. Trust in her training. Trust is those around her. And trust in God.

When we were baptized, we either made promises or promises were made on our behalf, and there was a certain level of trust in those promises. When we stood before our friends and family and made promises that we would love, honor, and cherish one another for the rest of our lives, we had trust in the other that this would hold true. Every human relationship involves some level of trust.

Trust is easy to establish for some, and when that trust is violated, it is devastating. The difference between trusting another human being and trusting God is that God will never let you down. God’s love is steadfast; even when we stray, God continues to show us mercy and provide grace.

Is God asking you to trust? Are you willing to trust but still have some doubt? Simon was a man with a reputation as a fisherman that could have been damaged by doing what Jesus asked him to do. Simon knew that he was putting everything on the line to trust Jesus and push that boat and drop his nets over the side, but he was willing to risk it because he trusted.

Such was their trust that they left everything as it was and followed when they returned to shore. They left their livelihoods behind and followed Jesus. That split-second decision changed their lives and the lives of the families forever. Do we have that level of trust?

Jesus is asking each of us to push out into the deep, to places that make us uncomfortable, and cast our nets and fish for people. We are being asked to be the witness for Jesus in our families, our workplaces, and our communities. So what is holding us back? Are we afraid of what others might think? Are we unsure of what we truly believe?

In a few moments, we will symbolically gather around this table to be fed by the body and blood of Christ. We are being asked, regardless of what you think it is, to trust that God forgives us, and by the action of saying yes to God in communion, we are given the grace necessary to love and forgive others. Trust is a large part of our spiritual life.

Just as Jesus asked Simon to trust him, we are being asked the same. Of course, the question is different for each of us, but trust is the same. If we trust, God will use us in ways that we cannot even imagine, and our lives will be changed forever.

Amen.

1 Corinthians 12:12-31a

Over the last year, or maybe longer, there have been calls for unity. I recall after the tragic events of 9/11 or any number of the natural disasters that we have faced; people come together. They can put their differences aside and work together. Working together is an essential aspect of the Christian life, but this was not always the way.

Historically speaking, the idea of Christian unity meant forced conversions to Christianity. It appears once Christianity became a dominant religion, the leaders felt it gave them license to force others to become Christian, many at the point of the sword or the threat of death. The crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, and all of the other dark days of Christianity.

Now I know it is not fashionable to talk about history; in fact, there is a push on to prevent the teaching of our past in some parts of our Country. But knowing the truth and understanding the past helps us not make the same mistakes in the future. Holding on to our past with both hands and saying, “this is who we were, but it is no longer who we are, and it will not influence who we are going to be” is called growth. History is not pretty, but history is essential.

But today, there is this idea that we must be united with everyone, and I am sorry, but that is just not possible. There can be no unity with people who hate others and turn to violence to see that their position is forced upon others. It was wrong when the early Christian Church was doing it, and it is wrong today. In all its forms, Extremism is a cancer upon any society and needs to be dealt with.

There is also this idea that we can agree to disagree, which is okay with some exceptions. However, there can be no agreement with taking away fundamental human rights. There can be no agreement with people who want to build walls rather than bridges. There can be no agreement with folks who wish to tell others who they can marry, what school they can go to, or what religion they must practice. Freedom for one is freedom for all or only the appearance of freedom.

In today’s reading from Paul’s letter to the Church in Corinth, Paul uses the body as an image of the Church when speaking of unity. Paul writes to a disunified Church that what is essential is unity. Just as the parts of the bodywork together, the different parts of the Church must work together. We all have a role to play in that unity. An important thing to remember about unity is that unity does not mean conformity.

In many communities, including the Church on this list, the idea is my way or the highway when the Church never functioned that way. There are examples of the early Church in the Acts of the Apostles when an issue would arise in a difference of opinion. Then, the Church would come together and work toward consensus. Consensus is a general agreement on something. We may not agree 100% with all of the details, but we agree most.

The other part of Paul’s image of the Body and the Church is the idea of diversity, all the parts of the body are diverse, but for the body to function at its highest potential, all the parts have to work together for the same goal.

Perhaps you have had the experience of your mind wanting to go in one direction and your legs deciding something very different. Sure, I guess your legs can decide for themselves what they want to do, but sometimes it ends terrible, usually with you on the ground. This is because all of the parts of the body have to be in constant communication with each other. No one part of the body can “strike out on their own” and hope everyone else follows along. The body functions best with consensus about what each part is doing.

But what happens when one part of the body is sick or decides not to do what the others are doing.? We work towards healing that part, but there may come a time when that part needs to go.

I love to work around my yard. It is one of my creative outlets. Tilling the soil, planting things, caring for them, and watching them grow is a very satisfying and very spiritual activity. Caring for creation is one of the responsibilities humanity was given “in the beginning,” and I like to think of myself being a part of that.

Pruning is an integral part of caring for plants. Removing the sick or diseased part of the plant enables the remainder of that plant to become healthy again. Sometimes a radicle prune is necessary, or the entire plant will become sick and die.

Over the last couple of years, Nicky and I have been working in our backyard. There were already established planting beds and some lovely specimens, but the yard needed some work overall. It had been left unattended or minimally attended for way too long. As a result, many of the plants had become overgrown and needed to be pruned.

This past summer, our attention was focused on what I call the meditation garden. It is at the back of the property in a shady area. First, the area was cleared of debris that had accumulated over the years, and a border was established with bricks. Next, we put in a meandering path and a bench. Finally, we decided on plant material to install and set off to the nursery to pick out just the right plants.

We brought them home and spent time setting things out and moving this and that. We finally planted everything, and it looked great. It was indeed a quiet spot at the back of the garden to sit and reflect. However, we noticed one plant that was not doing so well. We tried fertilizer water, praying for it and nothing seemed to be working. We were almost at the point of pulling it and chucking it in the compost pile, but we decided to move the plant to another area of the garden in an attempt to save it. It seems fine, but we will know more later in the year.

It was a radical decision to uproot that plant, but it was necessary for the plant’s health and the health of the rest of the garden. Plants that are not doing well become susceptible to diseases, which can spread to other plants. But that one plant can also take necessary nutrients away from the others, so it had to go in the end.

As hard as it is, sometimes we have to remove parts of our lives that affect the rest and keep us from thriving.

You have heard me say this before, and no doubt you will hear me say it again, but Jesus commands us to love everyone. We have to love them, but we do not need to like them. We love and care for them because they are like we are created in God’s image and contain that divine spark. But sometimes, for the health of the body, we have to let them go, or we have to walk away. I can still love someone and not want anything to do with them.

The other point Paul was getting at was with unity; there is great diversity, and, in that diversity, we find our true potential. The foot is as important as the hand, but they each have a job to do. Sure, we can get by without one or the other, but things operate much smoother when we all work together. Diversity is something beautiful and something to be celebrated. Diversity makes us stronger, not weaker.

Very early on in the ministry of Jesus, he sent his followers out to the cities and towns in the area. They were sent to bring healing and the message of love that Jesus came to bring. Jesus told them that if they entered a town and did not receive their message, they were to “shake the dust of that town off of their feet” and move on. As difficult as it can be, sometimes we have to walk away from relationships if they are toxic, dangerous, or unhealthy.

There was a time in my life when I would not speak up, I would not say what needed to be said, or I would pull my punches. I compromised for the sake of keeping the peace, and I tried to make everyone happy but, in the process, I made myself miserable. We are never going to make everyone happy. Every decision comes with disagreement, and sometimes it comes with walking away.

Friends, unity in the Church, and unity in the Country are essential, but unity should not cause us to compromise to such an extent that we forget who we are and what we believe. Consensus is vital in the Church and the Country, but just like unity, if it causes me to compromise so much that I forget who I am, it is not worth it. Yes, we must pray and work towards unity, but if that unity causes us to neglect the least of these, then that is a unity that is not worth fighting for.

Amen.

John 2:1-11

In my 17 almost 18 years of ministry, I have officiated over 100 weddings.  Weddings are usually a joy.  Sure, there is a lot of anxiety and build-up, but once the music begins and the happy couple stands before their friends and family, it is all well.  What is going to happen is going to happen.  As much as we try, we cannot control every aspect of the day.  Oh, the wedding day is not the most important day of your life, that comes the next day, and the next day, and all days after that.  The wedding starts your life together.

But sometimes, things do go wrong.  No matter how much you plan for everything, there is always something that gets left out.  But in the end, it turns out just fine.  I like to remind couples that I work with; you only know how it is supposed to be.

Today’s Gospel takes place at a wedding.  Jesus, Mary, and the newly called Apostles have been invited, so it is obviously a close friend or a relative of Jesus and Mary.  I wonder if Jesus’ invitation arrived with a plus 12.  But there they are, celebrating the ordinary, everyday activities of life.

Anyway, we have to keep in mind that wedding feats in the first century were not single-day events but rather weeklong events with food, music, and of course, wine.  It is the third day, a day that will have significance later in the Gospel, and it is past the halfway point of the feast.  They run out of wine.  For reasons we do not know, they came to Mary to tell her.  No one ever wants to run out of food and drink at a party; that would be an embarrassment.

Mary turns to Jesus, perhaps she wants him to make a packy run, and he is unsure of what all of this has to do with him.  Jesus even asks Mary what this has to do with him?  But Mary insists that he do something to save face, so she turns to the wait staff and says, “do whatever he says.”

If I were a numerologist, I would wax on about the number 6 and the amount of water needed to fill all of those jars.  Don’t get me wrong, numbers in Scripture are essential, and we need to pay attention to them, but I will save that for another time.  Suffice it to say; there was a lot of water to be placed in those stone jars.

This is the first miracle story in the Gospel of John.  It is interesting to me that John uses the backdrop of a wedding for the first miracle of Jesus.  It is not a healing or teaching; Jesus launches into public view by providing drink, good drink mind you at a party.  This points to the idea that religion should be happy and joy-filled, not long-faced and dower.

I think sometimes we forget that God loves to hear laughter and joy.  One of my favorite religious paintings is that of the laughing Jesus.  It pictures Jesus, head back in a full belly laugh.  Sure, Jesus was about some serious business, but he took time to laugh and have a good time with those around him; it was not always dull and boring.

The sign at Cana tells us that Jesus served a God who puts joy into life, who thinks it is worth a miracle to keep the party going as we celebrate people.  But it is more than that.  There were the stone jars representing the old practice of religion filled with water that will run out, just as the wine has run out.  The old faith, the old covenant, will end, but the new way, the way of love, will continue.

Along comes Jesus, the new covenant who brings living water, the water that will never run out.  The jars made of stone will one day pass away, but the water that Jesus brings will pass away, for it is the water of love.

But there is another exciting part of this Gospel.  When Mary tells Jesus that they have run out of wine, Jesus asks what this has to do with him.  Mary, who is not mentioned by name in John’s Gospel like so many other women, does not answer Jesus but instead turns to the servants and says, “Do whatever he tells you.”

This is a word not only for the servants but for us, do whatever he tells you.  Love one another, serve the poor and needs, love your enemies, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, do whatever he tells you!

The Christian pastor and author David Steele refers to this passage and the celebration as “Cana-Grace.” Cana-Grace is the knack of throwing parties that combine food, decorations, music, and laughter to create an atmosphere of welcome, well-being, and love.

The end of the wedding story was a happy one.  The family could save face, and no one was the wiser.  The party went on as scheduled, and Jesus was now on the road to his public ministry.  Jesus brought joy into an otherwise joyless situation.  I know it does not seem like much, but this could have been a catastrophe to the family if they had run out of drink.

Today let us listen to Mary as she says to the servants and us, “Do whatever he asks.”

Amen.