Into Deep Waters

The Gospel appointed for yesterday in the Book of Common Prayer was Luke 5: 1-20.  This is the account of Jesus calling the first disciples.  Jesus preaches to the assembled on the shore from Peter’s fishing boat.  I thought this was a great strategic move by Jesus to gain the best position to assure the full attention of the people assembled.

From this vantage point, Jesus addresses the assembly–we could say he was delivering a sermon in today's context.  Unfortunately, Luke does not record what Jesus said so it is lost in the mists of time.  We can only speculate and use our imagination to fill in this significant gap in Jesus ministry. 

Once he finishes speaking to the assembled, Jesus urges Peter to go out into the deep water and let down his nets.  Here is Peter’s journey in a nut shell.  Here are the things that he will face in his life as a disciple.  He would need Jesus to channel all that energy he had.  Peter would want to run off in all directions; he would get into deep waters many times in his life as a disciple but Jesus would always be there to guide him.  He would declare that Jesus was the messiah and then go too far and try and forbid Jesus to go to Jerusalem and fulfill his divine calling.  Jesus would declare, “Get thee behind me Satan.” He would see Jesus transfigured on the mountain and wants to build a booth to contain that vision – as if Jesus could be contained.  He would declare that he would follow Jesus to the death but then deny him three times.  And yet he would be one of the first to see the risen Jesus. 

Have you ever taken the leap of faith and gone into deep water?  This is making more of a commitment than staying close to the shore.  If you are in deep water you may be out of your depth and have trouble getting back to dry land if you run into troubled waters.  However, you can get results that you don’t get by staying close to shore and do not take a risk.

It is a great temptation for many of us to stay close to the shore where solid ground is never out of reach.  If we push ourselves into deep water who knows what might happen.  We might run into troubled water.  We might fall overboard and not be able to get back to the boat or reach the shore.  I am the kind of person who does not take risks easily.  I am caution by nature.  I do not like to go against the flow.  However, I have found that often when I do this and take a risk, it can be very rewarding.   It does take a leap of faith and the rewards are often not immediate.  But they have led me to very rewarding places.

I am not suggesting that you should blindly leap into the unknown.  Don’t push into the deep waters without a life preserver; don’t be reckless.  However, sometimes that leap of faith is where we are being called to go.  Above all don’t forget to seek guidance from someone you trust as your guide. Be it a trusted friend, a counselor, a clergy person.  And don’t forget to pray to whomever is your ultimate concern (in Paul Tillich’s phrase) for divine guidance.

Blessings on you journey, especially if it takes you into deep waters.