THE 4TH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY (1/28/07)
Sir, we would see JESUS! 
Emmanuel, Asheville, NC 
Luke 5: 1-11
IN THE NAME OF JESUS!

?¨Launch Out into the Deep!?Æ

Dearly beloved, please pray with me: Lord Jesus Christ, our dear Savior and Redeemer, nurture us this day by Your holy Word and fill us with Your Spirit, so that we revel in Your wondrous grace and forgiving love and gladly share You and Your saving love with those whom our lives touch. This we ask for Your name??s sake, who lives with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

In the name of Jesus, precious children of the heavenly Father:

There are times with our limited vision, knowledge and experience as human beings that following the commands of our God may seem completely ridiculous. Yet when a person is empowered by the Holy Spirit in child-like faith to do just what our Lord tells us in His Word, great blessings follow. Today??s Gospel reading makes this abundantly clear.

Jesus had already met with Peter and the other disciples a number of times. They heard Jesus teaching in the area synagogues. Following one such service Jesus went home with Peter where they found Peter??s mother-in-law quite ill with a high fever. At the family??s request, Christ spoke His powerful Word and Peter??s dear family member was healed immediately and able to serve her Lord and the group gathered there. Some days after that healing, Jesus borrowed Peter??s boat so that he could teach a large crowd of people about their God and His mercy. On that occasion Peter and his fellow fishermen would learn more valuable lessons from our Lord God.

When our Jesus finished teaching the crowd, He told Peter to launch out into the deep water to let down the nets for a catch of fish. Some commentators who know the Sea of Galilee and its fish well have written that this was the wrong time to head to deep water, as normally the fish headed into shore to feed toward evening. It was then that Peter told our Lord that this had been a bad day for these veteran fishermen. They had fished all through the night and caught absolutely nothing. Yet recalling how Jesus had taught with authority and performed so many miracles, Peter responded in effect, ?¨Since You say so, I??ll do it.?Æ What blessings followed that obedience!

They caught so many fish that their nets began to break. When they called to their partners on the shore to get help hauling in the catch, the number of fish was so great that their boats began to get swamped. But that tremendous catch of fish was not the greatest blessing of the day. What followed were far greater treasures.

First of all, Peter came to know Jesus for Who He really is. Through this miracle it suddenly dawned on Peter that this Jesus of Nazareth was not just a great teacher, but none other than his holy God. So He fell at Jesus?? feet and cried, ?¨Go away from me, LORD! I am a sinful man.?Æ [5: 8] Peter recognized that he didn??t even deserve to be in the Lord??s presence because of his sinful ways, just as Isaiah also did in the Old Testament reading this morning. That??s exactly as it should have been. In the same way, none of us deserve God??s mercy because we ?¨all have also sinned and come short of the glory of God.?Æ [Romans 3:23] None of us can claim that we have always obeyed God??s holy will and Commandments perfectly. We??ve fallen woefully short and have every reason to be fearful in the presence of our holy and sinless God.

Yet note well the Savior??s response to contrite Peter and all who humbly confess their sin. Jesus didn??t say, ?¨Go away! I want nothing to do with you.?Æ NO! Our loving Savior responded, ?¨Don??t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.!?Æ [5: 10b] Jesus not only forgave Peter, but showed that His forgiveness was so complete that He even had special work for Peter and His friends to do ?± to bring others to know Jesus as their Savior and Lord. That was the greatest blessing of almighty God that day. And how blessed they were as our Redeemer prepared them for that great mission for the next three years! They continued to hear Christ preach and teach, as well as seeing Him perform many more mighty miracles ?± even restoring the dead to life again. They would witness our Lord??s crucifixion for the sins of all mankind, His victorious resurrection, and finally His return to glory in heaven. Indeed Jesus was God, the promised Savior!

The world would say Jesus made a big mistake, choosing these rough, unschooled fishermen to be His witnesses. Though they were still extremely rough gems, what jewels they all ended up being after their schooling with the Savior and refinement by the Holy Spirit when they were led by our heavenly Father to obey the Son of God! (Only Judas Iscariot ended up walking away from Jesus.) What prompted the disciples?? obedience to let down their nets for a miraculous catch of fish and then later to follow their Lord and Savior, leaving their valuable nets and boats, their livelihood and their families behind? It was the clear, strong Word of God and the authority with which Jesus spoke that Word.

In amazing grace our Savior still speaks to us today with the same authority. Where? ?± In His holy Word as we find it in the Bible, as well as His Word linked to the water in Holy Baptism and to the bread and wine in the Lord??s Supper. Our Savior also calls as His ambassadors our pastors and teachers to speak His saving Word to us. Thus it??s wise to heed our Savior??s directive to His disciples, ?¨He who receives you receives Me, and who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.?Æ [Matthew 10:40] The One who sent Him is our heavenly Father. He chose His only Son to save sinners. Reject God??s called servants and one rejects God Himself. Thus, the writer to the Hebrew Christians also strongly encourages God??s people, ?¨Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work may be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.?Æ [Hebrews 13:17] True, God instructs all of us to weigh all that is taught us to see that it agrees 100 % with Scripture, as did the believers in Berea in Paul??s day. But where the word of our pastors and teachers agrees with the Bible, we should receive their message with joy and thanksgiving, putting it into practice. It is after all God??s Word shared through Christ??s chosen vessels.

As a called servant of the Word, I come to you today with a challenge for you parents. A short time ago a group of our children was asked how many opened their Bibles at home during the week. Only one out of a large number answered affirmatively. In part that may be because your children do not see you taking time with God??s Word. Thus I challenge you to take time one day a week to open your Bible with family and read God??s precious Word. Every day would be much better, but I am asking for just one day a week. If you don??t know where to begin, I??d suggest you start with the Gospel of John or a carefully selected Psalm. The Bible is God??s treasure chest, and from it you and your loved ones will gain much. And by the way, to those of you who are not parents, I challenge you to do the same. You also have much to gain by spending time every day with the Word of God. There are daily devotion books behind our new doors in the narthex to use if you do not have other guides.

Today our precious Savior stands before us saying in effect, ?¨Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.?Æ [5: 4] In other words, ?¨Live and act in faith upon My Word and promises. Walk by faith rather than by sight. Know that I am with you and that when you do as I say, you will be richly blessed ?± not necessarily as the world counts blessings, but blessed in ways that count eternally. Whatever your situation, know that I am with you. And when you stumble and fall, turn back to Me as did Peter and find in Me your forgiving Savior who has work for you to do.?Æ

Among the work our Lord has for us to do is above all pointing one another and others to the open, waiting arms of our dear Savior that they also may know how complete the love of God is. Through His Word Jesus says to us in unfailing love, ?¨Don??t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.?Æ And what a joy it will be as the Spirit uses us to lead others to those arms of our dear Savior! You parents and grandparents, treasure the time you have with your loved ones pointing them to Jesus, the One thing needful and our only Savior. All of you, as Christ opens doors to the hearts of others to share His saving love and grace, DON??T BE AFRAID! Our Savior assures you, ?¨I am with you always, even to end of the age.?Æ

What an awesome God is ours! He not only forgives us, but also calls all of us to service in His Kingdom, entrusting the future witness of His Church into our hands and hearts. God richly bless you and your service and witness to Him! Amen. 

To GOD alone be the glory!

¬© The Reverend Frederick A. Stiemke, DD 
Vacancy Pastor