Claimed, gathered and sent

This is the sermon I preached for Ocean Sunday, the first Sunday in the Season of Creation C at St. Timothy Lutheran Church . The text was Luke 5:1-11 . I love the Sea of Galilee, which is just a small lake, not an awful lot bigger than Chautauqua. I have fond memories of vacations there as a family when the kids were small. The area was so much greener and lusher than the desert of Bethlehem, where we lived. We could relax on various beaches with little to no other people and just play in the clean, beautiful water. I enjoy the stories of Jesus, like today’s, that take place on or near that lovely lake. The first three verses of our gospel set the stage for all that follows. Jesus’ growing reputation has resulted in a crowd. There were so many “pressing in on him” that Jesus needed a boat as a place from which to teach, the water providing a natural amphitheater for sound. And so we find the elements of Earth become Jesus’ teaching partner. When Jesus calls Simon Peter to ...

This is the reflection sent out to the people of St. Timothy Lutheran Church . Take a look and see what stands out to you. Then let me know your thoughts via Facebook or my blog. Luke 5:1-11 5Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, 2 he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” 6 When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to com...