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Many years ago when I was about the same age as my oldest son is now, I began my Scouting journey. I spent a few years in the Cub Scout Pack at the United Methodist Church I attended. Then I followed a couple of friends to a local Boy Scout Troop when we were old enough, eventually going on to become an Eagle Scout. After reaching the age of 18, I became a leader first in my local troop before eventually going on to serve as both a professional Scouter for a time as well as a district volunteer for several years.
Through Scouting, I learned various skills that would serve me well over the years – I met other boys from various backgrounds with different experiences; I developed leadership skills; I further grew in my love of nature; and I began to the explore the relationship between faith and service to others that eventually led me to seminary and to ordination in The United Methodist Church.
Of course, one of my key learnings is embodied in the motto shared by both the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts – Be Prepared. There are many ways to interpret this saying. Sometimes we think of it as physical preparedness, that we should always have tools on hand to assist us in any situation. We see this in our response to anticipated bad weather as we flock to stores to make sure we have enough food on hand or as we stock our cars with implements such as road flares and blankets in the event of an emergency while driving.
Other times we think of this as mental preparedness. We prepare ourselves for emergencies by making certain we have the training necessary to address a potential situation, such as first aid or CPR training or the development of an evacuation plan in the event of a fire or other emergency at home or work. But mental preparedness also means having the ability to adjust to changing circumstances, especially those that you have not explicitly planned for or that perhaps run counter to accepted common wisdom.
As our communities change around us, for good or ill, how do we begin to adjust and adapt to those changes? This is part of what it means to Be Prepared as well.
It seems fitting to reflect on the idea of being prepared as we hear this story today. As we have been since Christmas, we continue to reflect on the ways in which Jesus is revealed to the world. Whether it be through the appearance of angels, the voice of God from heaven, the performance of miracles, or the simple act of proclamation, the stories of this season focus on how Jesus is made known to us as the divine Son of God. And the world was not prepared.
This week, Jesus is hanging out on the lake shore. As we have heard the last couple of weeks, his fame has been growing in the region based on his teaching and the healings he has performed. The crowds are pressing in around him. We can assume it was still pretty early in the morning as Simon mentions that they had been fishing all night.
So we have this group of fishermen that have just come ashore after what sounds like a disappointing trip. They aren’t really part of the crowds since they are nearby cleaning their gear. But they likely had heard of Jesus and all that he had been doing in the region. Probably they at least had some sense from what they could hear from the crowd that Jesus is there. As the crowds continue to press in, Jesus steps into Simon's boat and asks him to take him out a little way from the shore so that he can teach the crowd that has gathered.
I am trying imagine myself as Simon at that moment. I’ve just had a disappointing night on the lake where I have caught nothing. I am tired from being up all night, and all I really want to do is get my gear cleaned and go home to bed. And then this guy walks up and steps in my boat without being invited and asks me to take him out on the water. I can only imagine I would be grumbling under my breath, or maybe even more vocally, about this guy who doesn’t even have a job asking me to take him out in my boat when all I want to do is get some sleep.
Somehow, Simon doesn’t throw him out or immediately capsize the boat as soon as they move away from shore. He decides to humor Jesus. Maybe he is a little bit curious himself about this guy he has been hearing about, curious to hear his teaching.
Whatever the reason, Simon simply rows him out a ways so that Jesus can better address the crowd. Without the crowds pressed close around him, Jesus is better able to address them all and not just the ones that are closest to him. As the people settle and quiet down in hopes of hearing Jesus, he sits and teaches them.
We don’t know how long he spoke, but we do know that Simon had just had an unsuccessful night on the lake, that Simon has now rowed Jesus out from shore and then listened to him speak for however long that took when Jesus says, okay, row out a bit further to deeper water and lower your nets. Can you imagine how Simon must be feeling now? I imagine it is like having someone suggest you take a slingshot out to hunt deer or use a hammer to drive in a screw. Not simply making what you would see as a bad suggestion, but making a really bad suggestion when you are already exhausted and likely at least a little bit annoyed. Or maybe a lot annoyed.
And yet he was willing. We can imagine his tone of voice as he responded to Jesus’ request. But still he did as Jesus asked. His experience told him that nothing would come of this. This was a waste of his time. But he showed his willingness to do as Jesus suggested.
And then he was caught off guard by the results of listening to Jesus. He was caught unprepared at first by the abundant amount of fish that became caught in the nets. And yet, his experience and preparedness to respond to situations is apparent in his next actions - he calls on the other boats to come out to them to help them bring in the load. Instead of trying to do it all himself, which would have sunk his boat and lost the fish, he called on the support available to him and together they were able to save the catch and the boat.
There is so much of importance for us to learn from Simon's situation. First, Jesus sometimes puts us in situations that we have not had a chance to physically or mentally prepare for. In those situations, our willingness to listen and heed the call is just as important as having taken steps to prepare for that particular situation in advance. In many ways, our willingness in those spaces is our act of preparedness - our willingness to experience something different that we have never experienced before and adapt ourselves to it is part of the act of preparedness.
Second, and just as important, is recognizing when we need help and then willingly asking for it. This is also a part of being prepared for new situations. When we encounter difficulties on our path, when we are in danger of capsizing and losing everything, there are others around us who are experienced and can help us with the burden of a heavy load. So knowing the resources available to us is also a part of our preparedness.
It was in that moment, as the nets began to rip and the boat began to tip, that Simon realized he was in the presence of the Son of God. He had surely heard the stories circulating about Jesus. He had just had Jesus in his boat teaching to a crowd of people. But the unexpected haul of fish was when he recognized Jesus. Sometimes it is the unexpected in the midst of familiarity that helps us to recognize the presence of God. Simon knew fishing. This was his life’s work. He understood that lake and the fish in a way I can’t begin to imagine. Hearing the teaching of Jesus may have begun to kindle some curiosity in him, but it was the great haul of fish that finally tipped him over the edge into knowledge.
And in many ways it is exactly the same for us. We hear the teachings of Jesus. We hear the stories of his life and ministry. We hear about his death and Resurrection. But it is our direct experience in the midst of everyday life that is most likely to move us from intrigue to belief.
Where is God speaking to you in the midst of your everyday life? Where is the miracle that is Jesus breaking into your life?
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Being prepared does not necessarily mean that we cannot be surprised, only that we can better adapt to the unexpected when it happens. Though Simon was unprepared in the initial moment for the haul of fish being brought in, he had shown a willingness to listen to Jesus even as his experience told him it didn’t make sense. However, once they realized the haul of fish was ripping the nets and swamping the boat, the fishermen showed their preparedness as they reacted to work together to bring the fish to shore.
In the same way, heeding the call of Jesus often doesn’t make sense to our experience. Talking about angels, voices from heaven, turning water into wine, and especially the Resurrection doesn’t make logical sense to our modern minds. It is hard to be prepared for that sort of knowledge or experience. When Jesus tells the veteran fisherman to lower his nets into the water after an unsuccessful night, Simon didn’t ignore him. We can imagine his tone of voice probably communicated something about how he was feeling about the suggestion, but he listened. He was willing to humor this non-fisherman. And the abundant amount of fish caught was overwhelming.
In that moment, Simon believed.
In that moment, James and John believed.
And they left their nets and their boats and followed Jesus to fish for people.
Like the disciples, we follow the One that is both fully human and fully God. And like the disciples, we often have no idea what to do with that knowledge when we first receive it. But we follow with the knowledge that preparedness will come.
Consider the fact that each week, we gather together in this place. Like the disciples, we hear the teaching of Jesus. We hear Jesus calling us into relationship with God and with each other. We hear Jesus calling us to love God and our neighbors as ourselves. We hear Christ’s call to share that love with other people, to be fishers of people. And hopefully, like them, we will listen and follow Jesus deeper along that path.Whether we are fully prepared or not, our presence shows our willingness to hear the teachings of Jesus and to be transformed by his love for us.
May we remember that Christ calls us even though we are sinners, even though we are imperfect, even though we aren’t quite prepared for the new life that he is calling us to.
Even so, still he calls.
May we be prepared to hear that call.
May we be prepared to hear that call even when it comes in unexpected ways.
May we be prepared to be led in directions we did not intend to go.
May we be prepared to leave behind our assumptions and experiences in order to travel deeper with Jesus.