Jesus said, “Come and follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” ~Matthew 4:19
Always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks of you about your hope. 1 Peter 3:15
This is the time of year I usually start thinking about fishing. I pull out my fly tying box and assess how many Coho flies I need to tie up, wondering all the while why we call them Coho flies when we use them for Sockeye, (insert best Rose McLean impersonation here) but I di-gress...
Last summer, David Donaldson (a regular 9:15am worshipper and mean French Horn player – actually he's about the kindest man I can think of without a mean bone in his body, but I di-gress...) and I had the most spectacular day fishing. We were dip-netting the mouth of the Kenai, and after netting a couple dozen fish for our families we said, “that's probably enough, we should quit.” Nah!
The fact is, we had SO much fun together, harvesting food for our families and friends, we just didn't want to quit. And we kept fishing. All. Day. Long. It was So. Much. Fun!
Sometime back I preached about this passage, Jesus instructing us to fish for people, and I said that perhaps fishing for people (the Christianese word here is WITNESS), when we witness to others about our faith, perhaps it's more like dip-netting than flipping a single Coho hook over and over and over again.
Covid-19 has given us quite an opportunity for dip-netting my friends. I can think of no better time than now to invite your friends, your family, your coworkers to church, and they don't even have to leave the comfort of their La-Z Boy(TM) recliner! They don't have to live in Alaska, all they need is an internet connection and a web browser and our Livestream Link.
So let's use the virus outbreak for good, witnessing to others, inviting them to be a part of this community of faith called St John, sharing the source of the hope that is within you. The fishing is good right now my friends. The world is in great need of the hope of Jesus Christ, and fishing really is So. Much. Fun! Who are you inviting to church tomorrow?
Our Lord Jesus, give us the courage and grace to share your Good News of hope, love, and light even amidst the fear that surrounds us. Help us to be fishers of people, inviting others into the goodness of your community. Help us to experience the thrill and excitement of inviting others into this way of life centered in forgiveness, grace, and love. We ask this in Your precious name, Amen.