{"id":609577,"date":"2022-01-17T18:24:31","date_gmt":"2022-01-17T23:24:31","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2026-06-24T12:41:44","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T16:41:44","slug":"the-deep-water-epiphany-5-c-february-6-2022","status":"publish","type":"sermon","link":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/sermons\/the-deep-water-epiphany-5-c-february-6-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"The Deep Water, Epiphany 5 (C) \u2013 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/lectionary\/epiphany-5c\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">[RCL] Isaiah 6:1-8, [9-13]; Psalm 138; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-green-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-green-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/playlist.megaphone.fm\/?e=DFMS5696066216&#038;light=true\" width=\"100%\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-green-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-green-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/E5-2022-Cover-FB-1024x536.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-259618\" style=\"width:512px;height:268px\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The message of all the people in our scriptures today is: \u201cI\u2019m not very good at this. I don\u2019t think this is working.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWoe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;of hosts!\u00bb Isaiah says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI am the least of the apostles,\u201d Paul says, \u201cUnfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMaster, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing,\u201d Peter says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m not very good at this. I don\u2019t think this is working,\u201d our scriptures say. Have you ever felt like that in life? In ministry?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is one word that describes the feelings of all of our scripture writers this morning: futility. There is an overwhelming sense in these texts of seriously being about to give up. And futility is perhaps a feeling we can all identify with in year 3 of pandemic with ever-growing cultural conflicts. Many of us are perilously close to giving up on ourselves and those with whom we disagree. We\u2019re starting to believe that change is <em>not<\/em> really possible. We\u2019re starting to believe our efforts are futile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is the situation in our scriptures, and this is all too often the situation in our lives. Futility is a dangerous state. It robs us of hope, of possibility, of faith itself. This is where Peter is one early morning on the Lake of Gennesaret. He and his companions have been out all night fishing and have caught nothing. They will have nothing to eat that day and nothing to sell that day. They also may be doubting their skills and capability as fishermen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is where the slow-rising tide of futility can land us. We don\u2019t just begin to doubt what we can do. We begin to doubt who we are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then Jesus comes into the situation, and everything changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, \u2018Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.\u2019 Simon answered, \u2018Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.\u2019 When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This story is about far more than just, \u201cIf at first you don\u2019t succeed, try, try again.\u201d One thing Jesus says here jumps off the page: \u201cPut out into the deep water.\u201d Let that phrase pierce your heart. \u201cPut out into the deep water.\u201d When we are feeling swamped by futility, we need to go deeper. When you can\u2019t figure out what to do next, go deeper. When you are mad at everybody and everyone is mad at you, go deeper. When the tasks placed before you seem insurmountable, go deeper. When you feel like you have nothing but failure to show for your very best effort, go deeper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPut out into the deep water and let down your nets.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What is the difference between beating our heads against a wall, i.e. doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, and following Jesus\u2019 advice?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two things. Jesus asks us to return to the ground of our futility, the place of feeling stuck and stymied and sad, and go deeper there. Fish beneath the same assumptions and habits and patterns that we have used before. Ask ourselves harder questions. Give ourselves and others more time and more commitment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And then do something radically different. Take Jesus with us. That is what changes the disciples\u2019 action from \u201cdoing the same thing and expecting different results\u201d into a sudden and bountiful harvest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Jesus is with us\u2014in our minds, in our hearts, in our conversations, in our discernment, in our priorities, two things happen. First, we are empowered to go out into the deep water. We are able to take risks and stretch ourselves and each other toward something new. And then, we can let down our nets and actually find fish. What was once the site of futility becomes the site of abundance, discovery, and sustenance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Notice one more interesting detail in this gospel text. At the end of the fishing part of the story, we read this sentence: \u201cAnd they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They began to sink? That sounds pretty problematic. Like, actually took on water and started to get alarmingly low in the frighteningly deep water? If they go down in the deep water, they\u2019re in trouble. They\u2019re a pretty good ways offshore. It might be hard if not impossible to swim back, and the disciples may not have the \u201cwalking on water\u201d skills that Jesus has.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We don\u2019t actually know how they dealt with it. Luke doesn\u2019t tell us that they started rowing pell-mell for the shore, or had to chuck some of the fish out of the boat, or who knows what. Peter, in fact, is so overcome by the miracle that he either doesn\u2019t notice or doesn\u2019t care that the boat is about to sink. He falls to his knees before Jesus and says, \u201cGo away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We do find out by the end of the story that they make it back to shore, but that detail that Luke includes is important. The boat begins to sink. Notice the significance of that in the context of the end of this story. This is Peter, James, and John\u2019s call to ministry. Jesus says, \u201cDo not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people,\u201d and \u201cWhen they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The boat begins to sink. This is a symbol of having to leave your old life behind. The boat was the fishermen\u2019s primary tool of the trade, the economic engine of their lives. They needed that boat, and they needed it to stay afloat, so they and their families could stay afloat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But when Jesus showed up, the bounty and abundance his presence brought into their lives completely overwhelmed their old worldview, their old tools, their old ways of living their lives. \u201cBusiness as usual\u201d just couldn\u2019t stand up to following the call of Jesus. Saying yes to Jesus means we have to give up all our most cherished sources of security, to find true security and freedom in him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And remember what the call is to Peter and his friends: to become fishers of people. This is about evangelism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And that is surprising. We don\u2019t expect energy and vocation around evangelism to be sparked out of being swamped by futility. Peter and his companions begin this story sad, frustrated, afraid, and almost hopeless. They don\u2019t believe there are any fish, and they don\u2019t believe that they have what it takes to catch them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Jesus says, \u201cPut out into the deep water, and let down your nets for a catch,\u201d and everything changes. The shamefaced group of failed fishermen are courageous new evangelists and followers of Jesus by the end of the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So ask yourself: where do I find futility in my life? Where do I feel like a failure? Where am I ready to give up? Where have I lost hope?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And then listen to the call of Jesus: \u201cPut out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch\u2026 Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The road from failure to evangelist is quite short\u2014it just requires saying yes to Jesus and saying yes to depth. What will you do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-527af406-929e-4810-849a-8135c4ea59c7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Sermon-Epiphany-5C-English.docx\">Word \u2013 Epiphany 5 (C) Sermon<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Sermon-Epiphany-5C-English.docx\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-527af406-929e-4810-849a-8135c4ea59c7\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-88c2af44-0acd-4863-bb00-a4b3aa4d4e06\" href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Sermon-Epiphany-5C-English.pdf\">PDF \u2013 Epiphany 5 (C) Sermon<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Sermon-Epiphany-5C-English.pdf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-88c2af44-0acd-4863-bb00-a4b3aa4d4e06\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[RCL] Isaiah 6:1-8, [9-13]; Psalm 138; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11 The message of all the people in our scriptures today is: \u201cI\u2019m not very good at this. I don\u2019t think this is working.\u201d \u201cWoe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":201212,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[32,43,52,3],"tags":[257],"class_list":["post-609577","sermon","type-sermon","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-epiphany","category-sermons","category-sermons-that-work","category-worship-and-prayer-menu","tag-epiphany-5c"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":32,"label":"Epiphany"},{"value":43,"label":"Sermons"},{"value":52,"label":"Sermons That Work"},{"value":3,"label":"worship_and_prayer_menu"}],"post_tag":[{"value":257,"label":"Epiphany 5C"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":[],"comment_info":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/609577","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/sermon"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/609577\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":950935,"href":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/609577\/revisions\/950935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=609577"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=609577"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=609577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}