Bible Reference: Psalm 65, Mark 1:14-20

A few years ago the Presbyterian Church (USA) found the need to offer a conference for people to learn about “Evangelism.” When the first speaker got up to address the assembly, he asked the group, “What do you think is the greatest Presbyterian contribution to the work of evangelism today?” A voice was heard from the back of the auditorium, “Is it restraint?” We Presbyterians are not known far and wide for our commitment to “making disciples.” In fact, in our own nation, each year we’re getting farther down on the list of denominations as they’re ranked by active membership numbers. Instead of the former days of being a “mainline” church where our voice was heard and respected, we are now sarcastically being called “oldline,” which means you can count on the fact that most Presbyterians are not aware of their own denomination’s published opinions - let alone is anyone outside the church terribly curious about the doings of our General Assembly. But this declining trend worries us. We live in a number crunching society and wonder if someday Presbyterians will become some obscure little sect who only gets passing mention in a history book. Nevertheless, I hope that we’re slowly finding out in the larger group of faithful Christians that includes Roman Catholics, and Baptists, and Lutherans, and non-denominational types that the numbers that we thought mattered really don’t, even if we do still have to report those numbers in our annual reports to Presbytery. In fact, in reading scripture I’m pretty sure that knowing denominational opinions and having a commitment to “making Presbyterians” is not what Jesus had in mind. Jesus sent people out for a different purpose altogether. His idea of “making disciples” wasn’t about boosting individual church attendance, or gaining pledging units, or having the largest youth group in town. Jesus didn’t make up his mind to go out and check off how many people he had “saved” that week or (as it may hit closer to home) Jesus could have cared less about how many of the new disciples had agreed to serve on a committee. Jesus started his ministry in Galilee by walking up to a couple of fishermen and starting a conversation. He probably asked them if the fishing had been good, chatted about the weather, made observations about the big catch of the day - THEN, he made them a strange but enticing offer. “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Fish for people! What an unusual saying! What did it mean? Where would they have to go? What would they be doing? These were likely your average-ordinary-Joe-type guys. Did Jesus see in them special gifts for evangelism? Did they have the latest and greatest evangelism/stewardship/new member assimilation program from the Christian bookstore memorized? Well, of course not - Christian merchandising hadn’t been invented yet.

Yet something they heard in his message, in his voice, made them want to drop everything they’d ever known to follow where Jesus would take them. What was it? What could be so powerful, so compelling to make them drop their livelihood, lose precious time with their families, and support this wandering Jew with a few ideas in his head?

That’s what we need to get across, not that the church has programs to foster family togetherness, or that the church is some sort of multiplying the tremendous gift we’ve been given. The fish stories in the bible are some of the best ones. Jesus calls us to fish, to throw out a line or cast a net, to bait other people with the love of God. Once a fish is out of water, it has no choice but to die to its old self. We Christians are some changed fish. When we show that change to the world - it multiplies. Jesus’ post-resurrection appearance in John’s gospel makes this perfectly clear to the remaining disciples. They meet the changed Jesus while fishing, and they think he’s crazy when he tells them to cast out their nets because they haven’t caught a thing all day. However, when they do, the nets fill to the point of breaking and can hardly be dragged to shore. At this point, their eyes are opened and they recognize him. With Jesus, the fishing is always good. Amen.