Luke 5:1-11

A discipleship story in which there is no call - movement from the safety of the shore to the uncertainty of deep water. There is no command to fish for people - but a promise that they will be caught.

The crowd are on the shore - they want to hear Jesus from safety, from a place where they can choose to come and go - no commitment, little input. Jesus teaches, heals, doesn’t seem overly concerned that for most of the crowd it is just entertainment.

He gathers a few around him and they push off shore - the crowd can be addressed better and those few become more committed - they need to get their feet wet in order to leave - but Jesus is one step removed from the crowd - no longer an entertainment.

The small group move into deep water - they are now committed to one another, a long way from the shore and the crowd. Here, Jesus reveals his full power - Simon’s epiphany - takes him from skepticism to wonder to the realisation of his own sinfulness to a new sense of purpose - and a promise he will catch people - not a command a promise. And there will be too much work to do, so others will come to help and there will still be too much work to do - we are in deep water, without lifeboats, but do not be afraid.

Opportunity to catch people in deep water. We are exploring the possibility of providing a Chaplaincy to the town centre - the town centre management and the council are very keen that we do so, we are unsure where the resources will come from - we need people to be part of a management team, perhaps they will bring business and administrative skills and we need someone with the time and ability (without at this stage being paid) to be the main Chaplain, mainly available for those working in the retail sector, negotiating access with individual store managers and others to support. Pray for this project, pray that the people we need will emerge, and if you can hear Jesus telling you to cast out your nets then do not be afraid, step forward and offer yourself.