Long Talk….

I am consumed with fishing, bait and all kinds of stuff as I am preparing to preach a sermon in a few weeks about fishing. The text is John 21:1-23. This is a passage where I find lots of hope. One of the questions I am pondering is, “Do we like catching fishing or cleaning fish”? Within this question is perhaps a deeper definition of what it means to be an Angler for Christ. As Christ’s disciples in the 21st century, God continues to call us to catch fish and God will clean them. Sometimes our memories are short and perhaps we forget that at some point in our lives an Angler for Christ “caught” us for the kingdom of God. God “cleaned” us by tranforming us from the inside out.

In all the research, I asked another question, “Who is considered the best anglers?” I’m glad you asked the question, Roland Martin and Ernest Hemingway. To be honest, I never thought of Ernest Hemingway as an angler. After more research, Hemingway lived in Northern Michigan and found solace in the outdoors. In knowing this, it helps the reader better understand some of Hemingway’s great writings, “The Old Man and the Sea” and “The Sun Also Rises”.

I am re-reading a book by another great angler. His name is Matthew Stewart Simon. He writes a book, “Catching Broken Fish: Untangling Discipleship from a Tractor Seat.” This is a great book!! Very practical and insightful. Simon reminded me and others that to be an Angler for Christ, it is so important that we know ourselves. In pulling back the layers of our own lives, we recognize our own bias (we all have them) that exists because of family dynamics, life experiences, and the conditions in which we grew up. Who we are has alot to do with how we end up treating each other; both strangers and those we love dearly. Simon identifies everyone as “broken fish”.

After re-reading Simon’s book, I once again looked at the different call stories of the early disciples. I remembered the many images of Jesus on a boat, preaching and calming the stormy waters. I have to admit, memories of fishing as a child returned. I remembered the smell of bait, the taste of snacks on the boat and the feeling of being sun burned. I remember family members who would spend hours with their hooks in the water, hoping to catch the “big one”.

Jesus Christ invites you and I into a life of exploring, experiencing and believing. Are we willing to cast out our nets or hooks into the water to catch fish and leave the cleaning to God? As I am realziing more and more, the first step in being an Angler for Christ is realizing I too am a broken fish, saved by the grace of God.

May God continue to allow me to better understand myself and how to relate to others. It is here where my life interacts with others.