Time To Upgrade.

In this past Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Richie spoke about the danger of “downgrading” God. If we seek to make God understandable by reducing His greatness to look more like our weakness, then we really don’t know who He is. And, if we don’t know who He is, we are prone to ignore what He says.

Our pastor gave a wonderful illustration of this, based on Luke chapter 5. After an unsuccessful fishing venture, Peter and his fishing crew are advised by Jesus to go back out and cast another net for fish. Pastor Richie said, and I paraphrase here, “If I were a professional fisherman, and a carpenter advised me on how to catch fish, I wouldn’t listen to him. But because Jesus is not just a man, but Lord of creation, He can make fish to go into the net.” I hope that concept is not too surreal for us to grab hold of in this twenty-first century. Jesus is Lord. He speaks creation into being, across the millennia. He also speaks to you and me.

So, if Jesus has been relegated to being only your friend, or if you think He’s only a nice person that lived a long time ago, I encourage you to look at Him again. Look beyond His preaching on the hills of Jerusalem. Look beyond His blessing babies and healing lepers. Look up into the heavens: He is there, our Creative King, with all power in His hand. And He is an interested intercessor, calling your name and taking note of how you respond to His call.

Will you hear Him? Or will you ignore Him?

Now Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing around him to hear the word of God. He saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then Jesus sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing! But at your word I will lower the nets.” When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets started to tear. So they motioned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they were about to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” For Peter and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so were James and John, Zebedee’s sons, who were Simon’s business partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” So when they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him. (Luke 5:1-11)