Drop Your Nets!

As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish

for people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him. Mt 4:20-22

I grew up in a large church where I spent most of my time as a child and teenager. I remember, as an 8 year-old, newly baptized Christian, hearing a missionary from China preach about his work there.  As a 9 year old boy, a tiny voice spoke up from my  gut that said, “You should do that.” Random strangers I met, even, in the course of growing up going to church camps and other churches even conspired to say to me, “I think you are called to ministry.” Weird.   

Well, it’s along story, but you all know I was called to be with you here after a few years of education, more discernment, and work.

All of us are called to “drop our nets” and follow Jesus to wherever he leads us. Perhaps the place we are being lead means ordained ministry. More importantly, though, more of us are called to ministry right now in the lives we lead. When I have conversations with some of you about ordained ministry, my question is always, “What is stopping you from doing ministry right now? What ministry can you do right now?” Ordained folks are indeed called, but we are called to pretty specific work. Lay folk like you have the freedom to do so much more.

If we keep a tight grip our nets, though, and just stay where we are, we cannot fully realize our identity. “Dropping their nets” meant turning their back on the lives they knew and going somewhere else with Jesus.  If you think about it, though,  they more than likely  still fished some to pay the bills and feed themselves!  When we listen to our calling, God can take our multitude of gifts and use them for good we never could have imagined!

What does it mean to be a Jesus-follower who plays lacrosse, or gets in IB diploma, or performs in musicals or even runs the Spanish club? You can take who you are, right now, and use your gifts to follow Jesus to wherever he leads! How can you walk and work as a “priest” out in the world, helping people to hear God speaking and working amongst them?

Drop your nets- and find out!

Tim