A “No Fish” Day
a sermon based on Luke 5:1-11
Rev. Dr. Cynthia Huling Hummel

I was helping at a local hoop shoot and I watched the little boy miss all five of his shots.  He was on the verge of tears!  What about you?   Do you remember a time when you were on the verge of tears because you failed at something that you tried very hard in?  Have you ever just wanted to throw in the towel?  Have you ever felt defeated?   Ready to give up, to pack up and to stand up and walk right out the door, because you failed?  Because you lost?  Because you didn’t feel like you were good enough?  Then I’ve got a story for you; the story of a fisherman named Simon Peter and of his call to discipleship.  A call that was born in failure and frustration; in fear and in faith. 

            Luke tells us that while Jesus was standing by the Lake of Genesserat (that is, the Sea of Galilee), that a crowd began to gather.  There were so many people and it was so crowded that people started pressing in on Jesus.  We can imagine the crowd almost forcing Jesus into the water.  They wanted to get as close as possible to him (Luke says) to hear the word of God.  The people knew that Jesus had something important to say and they didn’t want to miss a word.  And as the crowd moved in closer and closer, Jesus noticed two boats down on the edge of the lake.  The boats were empty.  The fishermen were done for the night and left them to wash their nets.  They had spent the whole night on the lake and had nothing.  NOTHING to show for their toil and their trouble.  We’re not talking about fishing for recreation.  Fishing was their livelihood.  Fishing was how they fed themselves and their families.  No doubt they were down and discouraged and disgusted by their failed fishing attempt.  Those of you in retail know how discouraging it is when sales are down.  I was talking to a friend in a little specialty shop in NJ who said that she shouldn’t have bothered to be open last Friday—she didn’t have one customer.  Not one.  It was a “no fish” day. 

I remember watching a young man sitting at a table at a college fair.  Activity buzzed around him, but no one stopped to pick up one of his catalogs.  No one!  Boy did he look discouraged.  It was a “no fish” day.  I don't care what your profession is, there are days that are total busts!  There are days of failure and frustration, days where nothing seems to go right; where nothing we try works, days when you want to give up, to pack up, and to stand up and walk right out the door.  “No Fish Days.”  I’ve heard some folks blame these days on God.  Let’s face it, you’ve got to blame someone and God is a pretty convenient target.   I’ve heard some people say that God is teaching them (teaching us) a lesson—and I guess I would agree with that.  The lesson (in our planner) might be called: “Have Faith on No Fish Days!”  Yes,  God is with us in our no fish days and calls us to cast out our nets one more time.  We need to believe that God can and does work miracles in our lives.  The miracles though, may not be about fish.  God may just surprise us when we act in faith. 

            It’s been my experience that it’s precisely in those moments of failure and frustration (those No fish days)  that we are willing to risk trying something new.  Maybe its because of desperation- or that we’re at the end of our rope; maybe it’s because we’ve tried everything else and now we’re willing to try Jesus.  Something brings us to that moment of defeat when we are finally able to whisper the words that Peter said to Jesus: “If you say so Lord, I will let down my nets.”  Peter wasn’t called to follow Jesus when things were rosy; but in a moment of frustration and of failure.  God doesn’t call people who think that they can do it all.  God calls people like you and me; people who have known failure.  God wants to use us!

            Isn’t it interesting that when Peter listens to Jesus and casts out the nets that he has this amazing catch.  There are so many fish that the nets began to break; so many fish that he had to signal his partners to come and help; so many fish that the fish filled both boats; so many fish that the boats began to sink.  And it’s in this mysterious, miracle, moment that Peter’s eyes are opened.  He realizes that he is face to face with his Lord and Peter falls down on his knees in shame.  He says “go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man” Like many of us, Peter was ashamed of who he was and of what he had done.  Peter is saying : Lord if you really knew me, you wouldn’t want to be around me.  Peter really struggled with his sinfulness.  He’d no doubt done some bad things, some dumb things, and some stupid things—like you and me.  And Peter is ashamed.  Go away Lord! 

You know I can’t begin to tell you how often people come and share this sort of burden with me.  They are ashamed of their past.  They are ashamed of their present.  They say to me "Pastor Cynthia, if you only knew, you wouldn’t want me to be a deacon; if you only knew, you wouldn’t want me to be a liturgist; if you only knew, you wouldn’t ask me to serve on any committee at all; why you wouldn’t want me to even come to this church.  Peter’s words are our words: “Go away Lord, for I am a sinful woman.  Go away Lord for I am a sinful man.  Go away Lord for we are sinful people.” 

There are three things that you need to know  and I want you all to pay attention! 

Number 1   God isn’t going anywhere.  Okay, you’re sinful.  We’re sinful.  Guess what? God still wants to hang around us- because God loves us more than we’ll ever know.  Of course God wants us to stop sinning, because it hurts us, and those we love-- but God never stops loving us.  Nothing you or I can ever do can separate us from the love of God that we know in Christ Jesus.  Nothing. 

Number 2.  God’s already forgiven you.  It’s time to forgive yourself. 

Number 3.  God uses sinful people like Simon Peter.  Like you and me.  God calls us to begin again; to put our failures behind! To put our frustrations behind; to put our fears behind and to follow in faith.  When we want to throw in the towel; God calls us to throw in our nets once more and be surprised at the abundance of God’s love; of God’s mercy; of God’s forgiveness. 

Jesus says to Peter as he says to us.  “Don’t be afraid.”  Don’t be afraid of your sinfulness and your shortcomings.  Don’t be afraid to try something new.  God can and will use us.  In fact , God needs us to fish for others and to use our sins and our shortcomings as bait.  We fish not out of our strengths- but out of our weaknesses!  When others see how God has been at work in our lives; they might just be willing to let themselves be caught in the net of God’s  love and be transformed by God’s forgiveness. 

Our call to discipleship isn’t rooted in our successes, but in our failures.  It’s not born in our shining moments, but in our shameful moments.  It isn’t nourished in the great things that we do, but in the sinful things we do.  What did we learn? How did we grow?  Where did we feel God’s presence? And how do we move on?  Our moments of failure can be turning points (and learning points) in our lives!  Jesus calls us just as we are, to a life of discipleship; to fish and to follow.  Will you let yourself be caught in the net of Gods love?  Amen.