“Ice Fishing, Anyone?” – Matt. 4:12-23 – January 27, 2008

If you pass by Kaiser Lake in central Ohio this time of year you are likely to see people ice fishing. I have enjoyed fishing over the years but I can’t imagine sitting in the cold on a frozen lake, waiting for some fish to bite a hook. When I see those folks all bundled up, sitting alone, with ice and snow all around them I sometimes wonder if they are ice fishing to escape from the problems of the world. Why else would anyone expose themselves to such frigid conditions?

Perhaps they need such an adventure to challenge them because they are bored. Perhaps they need to break away from the hassles of work or life at home. Perhaps their lives are miserable and ice fishing is symbolic of their hopelessness and despair. I am reminded of the movie, “Grumpy Old Men,” with Walther Matthau and Jack Lemon. The two, hateful men spent all their energy playing practical jokes on each other. To break the boredom of winter they spent some time ice fishing. At one point Walter Matthau tows Jack Lemon’s ice fishing shack away and it is destroyed.

Do you feel the need to go ice fishing? Are you suffering from hopelessness and despair? Do you need to break away from your routine and escape by catching fish threw a tiny hole on a frozen lake?

The men in our story weren’t ice fishing, but they were fishermen. I have a hunch that life for them was not very exciting. Fishing was hard work. They worked long hours and sometimes they came up empty. Fishing was their livelihood. It enabled them to provide for their families. In those days they didn’t have vacations or time off. I would imagine that Jesus’ invitation for them to walk off the job was a welcome one.

The gospel implies that Jesus appeared on the scene out of nowhere. He then invited Andrew and Simon to follow him. Immediately they followed. Actually, Jesus had left Nazareth and moved to Capernaum, a village by the Sea of Galilee. Capernaum was where Peter lived. Jesus had already been introduced by John and no doubt the news of his presence was beginning to spread in the area. In other words, I don’t believe that Jesus was a total stranger. I believe his ministry was already spreading. Also, his closest friend, John had been arrested and later put to death. Jesus had come to Capernaum to grieve and to escape the authorities. This would have made him all the more compassionate, thus making him empathic toward others.

This kind, loving, compassionate man empathized with the lonely, tired and discouraged fishermen. Following Jesus was therefore a tremendous opportunity for the disciples to find hope, faith and strength to continue. In verse 16, they are described as people who “sat in darkness but have now seen a great light.”

The two men in “Grumpy Old Men” had become hopeless as well. Their lives were filled with grief, loss and without purpose. They too were living in darkness.

We all experience times of darkness, times when life becomes overwhelming and filled with sorrow. We can wallow in our pity or we can make a change.

The disciples made a change. It was only temporary, but for awhile they followed Jesus and their lives were different. They became enlightened through the teachings and ministry of Jesus. They became the church, having a new sense of purpose for their lives. And their faith was renewed with a newly found presence of God in their midst. Before; darkness, hopelessness and faithlessness. Now; light, hope and faith.

A little boy named Bobby entered his first science fair in second grade. Because his Mom had a green thumb, they decided to experiment with the growth of plants. He took two small green plants and placed one on a sunny windowsill and the other in a cardboard box. After a couple of weeks, Bobby checked on the two plants. The one on the windowsill had grown a couple of inches and had vibrant green leaves. The one in the box had actually grown a bit, but it had lost all of its green color, becoming almost white and its leaves drooping. Thinking that the plant might die, Bobby cut a hole in one side of the box and set the box, with the plant inside, by the windowsill with the hole facing toward the incoming light. Well you know what happened and Bobby was excited by this discovery. Yes, over the course of a few weeks, the plant began to grow out through the hole. And, a couple of weeks later, it turned to grow up toward the light and even blossomed. The plant that had been in gloomy darkness and was all but dead, had seen a great light. It turned toward that light and blossomed. (from: ESermons.com)

Jesus is the light who calls us from darkness. His light is always there but our lives are in such a black hole, we fail to see it. Notice that Jesus appeared to the fishermen while they were at work. His presence disrupted their daily routine. He didn’t come after hours, during a lunch break, or at some time that was convenient. He just showed up.

That’s the way God works. God shines upon us by interrupting us. We may see it as an interruption but it is really an invitation to follow and make some changes in our lives. What if the disciples had said to Jesus, “Sorry, we can’t come right now, we’re busy.” They also could have said, “Maybe tomorrow, today isn’t a good time.” Or, they could have said, “No thanks, fishing is all we know how to do.”

When God calls the time may not appear to be the best. The disciples however didn’t hesitate to follow Jesus. A greater mystery is the fact that they didn’t know where they were going. Walking in a totally new direction can be a frightening experience. Changing jobs, moving to a new home, getting married, or having a child are all life experiences that require faith and trust.

Also, you can’t go in a different direction without leaving something behind. Andrew and Peter left their nets. James and John left their boat and their father. The story of the fishermen illustrates the fact that our faith sometimes leads us away from the things that make us secure, even the things we love.

After falling twice in the 1988 Olympic speed-skating races Dan Jansen sought out sports psychologist Dr. Jim Loehr, who helped him find a new balance between his sport and his life. He also helped Jansen learn to focus on the mental aspects of skating Peter Mueller became his coach, putting him through workouts that Dan has since described as the “toughest I have ever known.” By the time the 1994 Olympics arrived, Jansen had more confidence than ever. He had set a five-hundred-meter world record just two months earlier. The Olympic title in that event seemed to belong to him.

Unfortunately, Jansen fell during the five-hundred-meter race. He was disappointed and shaken. But, Dr. Loeher immediately advised him to start preparing for the one-thousand-meter race. He said, the five-hundred-meter race is gone. Put it behind you.” However the thousand-meter race was Jansen’s weakest event. But, there was no other chance for him to receive a medal. Jansen won the one-thousand-meter race and did it in record time. Since Jansen had followed the wisdom of his coach, he had put his failure behind him and tried something new.

We can play it safe and remain secure in what we know. Like the fishermen, our lives will remain in the darkness until we are willing to follow and move in a new direction. Jesus called the disciples to something that would not only give purpose and meaning to their lives, he called them to a vocation that would change the world. They followed, and from then on their lives would never be the same.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio