Called to Go Deeper

By Art Smith of Independence, Missouri

Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he 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 let down your nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break.… Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.”—Luke 5:1–10 NRSV

Shopping for groceries, going out to eat, watching television, cleaning house, feeding the kids, changing their diapers, getting the kids the latest toys, getting to work, getting home…. So many things keep us busy.

Many people don’t make time for church anymore, or just a quick hour on Sunday. Is there even time in your life for relationships, to notice the people around you? But Jesus tells his disciples to “Row the boat out into the deep water and let (their) nets down to catch some fish.”

Yaneth Hernandez, Community of Christ pastor in Cartagena, Colombia, had all those things to do, living in poverty. Still, she noticed the 13-year-old boy she thought lived a street over, spending more and more time around her home, even when he should have been in school. People called him “Gordito” (Fatso). He never had been to school, and they thought he was mentally challenged.

Yaneth occasionally had extra food, sometimes an extra bed, when things were rough at home for him. She also had some friends who might help him get into a special school.

One year later the boy is volunteering to read scriptures at church, and more and more people are calling him Luis Eduardo.

Can we make time to notice the needs around us and to go deeper? If we choose to start rowing to those deeper waters, Jesus promises to make us fishers of men.

Dear Lord, where there is hate, may we exemplify love; where there is need, may we be charitable; where there is loneliness, may we give comfort; where there is misunderstanding, may we seek reconciliation.

Honoring and keeping the Sabbath is a spiritual discipline that nourishes persons, families, and congregations. Spend several minutes meditating on your plans for the day. Discern ways you can give intentional attention to God, the sacredness of life, and creation. Cook and eat your food with keen awareness of color, taste, texture, fragrance. Listen to music, look closely at the face of a loved one, laugh and talk together. Pray over these Sabbath possibilities and enter the day with reverence.

Let us instill peace in all our ways, and the God of peace will be with us.