Fishing for Abundance: Embracing Change in Faith

You see today is not just a day for Star Wars fans to celebrate Jedi wisdom. It's a day that speaks of new hope. And not just the kind of hope that's in a movie. a new hope for how we live out our call as the people of Salt. As you know, change is coming to Salt. And our scripture brings this moment when the disciples are looking for their next hope. They're looking because the resurrection has happened and they're unsure of what's happening next. I find it interesting that what they went back to was what they had done before Jesus came along. [00:04:00]

They're looking for what's going to to come, what's the next thing. They go back to fishing like many of us do when we try to go back to how things used to be. And it doesn't really work out that way. They fish all night and they catch nothing. And then comes this Jedi moment or a Jesus moment. At dawn, Jesus calls out to them and says, "Friends, have you you caught anything for breakfast?" And they're like, "Nope, didn't caught nothing." And he tells them to cast their net on the other side of the boat. [00:04:43]

And they obey. And suddenly the net is overflowing. You see, if you notice, they didn't change the lake. They didn't change the boat. They didn't cast the net differently aside from being on the other side of the boat. And here we are in Salt at Salt where we're kind of in that same moment. We've fished faithfully on Sunday mornings. We've cast our nets in traditional waters. And don't get me wrong, it's been beautiful. But now, now it's time to cast our nets on the other side. [00:05:22]

It's time to decide what is the next iteration of salt. It's time to fish differently. Maybe it's fishing on a different day. Maybe it's fishing in a different way. Maybe it's fishing in a different world. And although I don't know what it means or what it looks like to do that, I believe that together we will figure this out. [00:06:04]

Last night, I was scrolling through Facebook, as many of us do, and I saw a story about a a high school friend who shared these these commencement words from the North Carolina State uh graduation that happened yesterday. And it turns out they were words that were from one of our classmates in the class of 1981 from Northfor Scythe High School. He's now Admiral Daryl Codel, commander of the US Fleet Forces Command. And Daryl said this, "Think boldly, think differently, think critically, think passionately, think compassionately." [00:06:28]

And then do with purpose, do with excellence, but most importantly do it with integrity. Because when you do and think together toward a noble purpose, you change the world. In United Methodist terms, we say that we make disciples for the transformation of the world. This past week, the the bishops for the United Methodist Church, the United Methodist Council of Bishops met in Chicago. And drawing inspiration from um Senapa, a West African word and image that encourages us to remember and learn from our past, the council of bishops and the connectional table discern the new thing that God is doing that is unfolding in this season. [00:07:16]

And after considering decisions made at general conference last year and examining the scriptures that reveals God's dream for creation, a world where every person encounters the transformation transformative grace of Jesus Christ, where communities flourish, where all creation is made whole. The council of bishops and the connectional table unveiled a new vision for the United Methodist Church. And I'm pretty excited about this. It's a vision that reflects our deep commitment to embodying God's dream for the world. [00:08:09]

And it says this, "The United Methodist Church forms disciples of Jesus Christ who empowered by the Holy Spirit, love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously in local communities and through worldwide connections." Friends, I believe this is a vision of the church that we need to live into as a denomination. And I think it's something we need to live into as our little church here in Wilmington, North Carolina. I believe that this this ties in with this miraculous catch that the disciples have. [00:08:54]

I think that that it's important to notice that what Jesus does after the miraculous catch is Jesus feeds them. He feeds them bread and he feeds them fish. Simple and nourishing, physical, but then Jesus feeds their souls. And I believe we are called to embody the same. And then Jesus turns to Peter and he asked him three times, "Do you love me?" And each time Peter says, "Yes, yes." And each time Jesus commands, "Feed my lambs, tend my sheep, feed my sheep." [00:09:26]

Jesus isn't just talking about a church potluck here. Jesus is calling Peter and is calling all of us to feed bodies and to feed spirits, to meet hunger of every kind, to nourish people with food and and a community with love and with purpose. And that's our mission. That's the mission of Salt. We're shifting not because change is easy, but because love calls us to feed in ways that really nourish, that actually nourish us and others. [00:10:15]

In Star Wars, the call is to join the rebellion, to resist the empire, to believe that light can overcome darkness. And it's exactly the same for us. The force, my friends, is with us. Not cosmic energy, but the very spirit of God. The spirit of God is upon us. The spirit that says, "Don't cling to old ways just because they're comfortable. Cast your net differently and feed my people boldly." [00:10:57]

And so, Salt family, are you ready to go fishing? Are you ready to fish on the other side? Are you ready to feed the hungry? Are you ready to feed the hungry world? Not just because we have something, but because we are called to feed the hungry world. So today, I implore you to step boldly into this next chapter to think about how we are going to fish differently and how we're going to fish fearlessly. [00:11:35]

After this Jesus appeared again to the disciples this time at the Tiberious Sea, the Sea of Galilee. This was how he did it. Simon Peter, Thomas, nicknamed the twin, Nathaniel from Canaa in Galilee, and the brothers Zebedee and two other disciples were together. And Simon Peter announced, "I'm going fishing." And the rest of them replied, "Well, we're going with you." And they went out and got in the boat, and they caught nothing all night long. And when the sun came up, Jesus was standing on the beach, but they didn't recognize him. [00:00:30]

And Jesus spoke to them and said, "Good morning. Did you catch anything for breakfast?" And they answered, "No." And he said, "Throw your net off the right side of the boat and see what happens." And they did what he said. And all of the sudden there were so many fish in it that they weren't strong enough to pull it in. And then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, "It's the master." And when Simon Peter realized that it was the master, he threw on some clothes, for he was stripped for work, and dove into the sea. [00:01:14]

The other disciples came in by boat, for they weren't far from the land, 100 yards or so, pulling along the full net of fish. And when they got out of the boat, they saw a fire laid with fish and bread cooking on it. And Jesus said, "Bring some of the fish you've just caught." And Simon Peter joined them and pulled the net to shore. 153 fish, big fish. And even with all of those fish, the net did not rip. And Jesus said, "Breakfast is ready." And not one of the disciples dared to ask, "Who are you?" For they knew it was the master. [00:01:48]

And then Jesus took the bread and gave it to them. And he did the same with the fish. Now this was the third time Jesus had shown himself alive to the disciples since being raised from the dead. And after breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" Yes, master. You know I love you. And Jesus said, "Feed my lambs." And then a second time, Simon, son of John, do you love me? Yes, master, you know I love you. And Jesus said, shepherd my sheep. [00:02:33]

And then he said it a third time. Simon, son of John, do you love me? And Peter was upset that he was asked for a third time. Do you love me? And so he answered, "Master, you know everything there is to know. You've got to know that I love you." And Jesus said, "Feed my sheep. I'm telling you very truly now. When you are young, you dressed yourself and you went wherever you wished. But when you get old, you'll have to stretch out your hand while someone else dresses you and takes you where you don't want to go." [00:03:11]

And he said this to hint to the kind of death that Peter would would have which Peter would glorify God. And then he commanded follow me. [00:03:45]

The United Methodist Church forms disciples of Jesus Christ who empowered by the Holy Spirit, love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously in local communities and through worldwide connections." Friends, I believe this is a vision of the church that we need to live into as a denomination. And I think it's something we need to live into as our little church here in Wilmington, North Carolina. I believe that this this ties in with this miraculous catch that the disciples have. [00:08:45]