Our preacher this month is Seth Horrell, with a message called, The Calling, from Luke 5:1-11.
Everyone loves a good fish story… but this one is not about fish, but calling, vocation, and purpose.
Peter does not give a fisherman’s response, but a spiritual one. He is told to not be afraid, and has his calling redefined. The great news here, sinfulness does not disqualify us from ministry.
It is interesting that we don’t know what happened to the fish, but we do know what happened to the men.
Calling is not about some higher level of spirituality, like for preachers and missionaries. This would assume that all other callings are insufficient. There are no bystanders in the Kingdom of God (N.T. Wright).
- Go deeper – to the place of large ships and dangerous creatures, the ocean rather than the bay. The bay is nice and safe, but it is not where the fish are. We are called to an abundant life, not a safe one.
- Let your net out even when you have not been successful. Go where it doesn’t make sense, trust his instruction. We deceive ourselves if we think we know better. Do things you never thought you could, radical living.
- Leave everything to follow, they abandoned everything, even the fish.