Grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.

When we start to dig into the text some interesting things come to light. Simon, James and John were experienced fishermen and partners. Their experience taught them that nighttime was the best time to fish and the shallow waters were better than the deep waters. On this occasion, the nightly trip had been fruitless.

At the same time the fisherman were repairing and washing their equipment Jesus is nearby and people were pushing in around Him. They were eager to hear His message.

Jesus takes advantage of the availability of the boat to move away from the crowd to a point where he can effectively speak to them. We read that He sat down and taught the people, which implies this may have been a bit longer than the Lutheran Hour.

At the end of His teaching Jesus commanded Simon to put out to deeper water and let down the nets. Despite Simon's better judgment he follows Jesus' command.

Let's take a moment to analyze the situation. Simon, James, John, and their help are tired from a fruitless night on the water. They have cleaned the nets and made any necessary repairs. Then Jesus tells Simon to go back out and drop the nets again. Not only is this against the common wisdom of the fisherman, the previous night was a loss, and besides that they just completed their tasks and were ready to go home. Lets face it most of us would have resisted following the command of Jesus. But Simon Peter answers, "because you say so, I will let down the nets". This isn't the answer of a beaten or coerced man; it's an acknowledgement that there is true purpose in what Jesus commands.

I'm sure the crew was not overly enthusiastic about casting the nets that morning. It was probably a half-hearted effort at best. Regardless the nets are dropped and immediately there is a large catch.

The catch was so large that the boat starts to founder so they signal the other boat to come assist. Now think about this, if the other boat was still on shore. That means this miracle was in full view of the people on shore not just the fishermen on the boats.

Simon the fisherman was guided to a bountiful catch by Jesus a rabbi and carpenter all are astonished and Simon Peter falls to his knees before Jesus. An interesting reaction, instinct would dictate making every effort to save the boat. Simon Peter experienced something that overrode his normal instinct. Simon Peter recognizes that Jesus is truly the Christ.

As any of us would do at that realization, he bows in shame before the Lord. We would be ashamed of our sins and feel unworthy to be in His presence. As truthful as Simon's assessment was, Jesus says to Simon don't be afraid. Simon Peter was transformed by the Lord's comforting words demonstrated by him dropping everything to follow Jesus.

Later Peter, James and John will accompany Jesus up the mountain and witness His transfiguration. Peter will be transformed again on Pentecost. No longer in hiding him and the other disciples become bold professors of Jesus Christ.

In the Old Testament reading Isaiah has a very similar reaction to his vision of God. Isaiah says, "Woe is me for I have unclean lips." He too recognizes his sinfulness and the wrath that he deserves. Like Peter, Isaiah undergoes a miraculous transformation. In the vision he is cleansed by the actions of the seraph. Isaiah is transformed from a cowering man into a bold prophet.

Along with confessing their guilt and unworthiness Peter and Isaiah knew they couldn't save themselves only God can do that. God had chosen them and redeemed them.

One thing that I see in common with these readings is gifts. These men were given gifts just as each of us has received gifts. God has provided us gifts to use to his glory and for his good purpose.

What do you think of when you hear the word gifts? I think of:

The skills of an artisan, a carpenter, a painter, a sculptor, a machinist, a sailor, or a pilot.

The patience of a mother, a nurse, or a teacher.

The courage of a soldier on the battlefield, or a firefighter charging into a burning building, or a police officer protecting the community.

I think of people gifted with great wisdom.

I think of those with the presence of mind to see the lost all around us. I think they have received a very special gift along with people that see and hear the lessons of God and are able to apply it to their own lives.

Recently I had a discussion with a young woman on a plane. The whole encounter opens ones eyes to spiritual gifts. For some unknown reason she was moved to speak to me about church planting.

It was one of those evenings I just wanted to watch a video and vegetate. For some reason she closed her book and started a conversation that led to the revelation that her family had moved around the country to plant churches. She shared a lot of the uncertainties her family has seen over the years especially the questions of how to attract people. She said they could never come up with a formula that explained why people come and stay. In her eyes it either happened or it didn't. She summarized it all by saying if God wants a church to succeed it will succeed regardless of who is involved.

I thought that was a very wise summation especially for a twenty something. Equally intriguing was that she was moved to start the conversation in the first place. Other than her yawning and me responding with me too, there was no recognition of each other. In fact it was several minutes after that before she closed her book and started the conversation.

This young woman was given a gift. Whether it was a onetime event or something that has occurred many times I can't say.

She demonstrated a gift we don't give much thought about, that God dwells in each of us. He was there and He moved her to speak.

Despite our nature He is in all of us, we are His. He has chosen us redeemed us and dwells in us. How often do we recognize that fact?

If we were ever vigilant of that fact:

Would we be conscientious with the gifts we have been granted and not squander them?

Would we be careful to complete our tasks to the best of our abilities, or take a half-hearted stab at getting them done, or avoid doing them at all?

Would we resist or hesitate when urged to act for or speak to another of God's children, especially when they are hurting or in need.

Jesus was aware of a poor night of fishing and cared for the crews by bringing in a catch larger than any they had ever experienced. To their credit they didn't give up on their calling as fisherman because of a failed night on the water and trusted to drop the nets again.

We should all be so conscientious with the gifts we have been granted; constantly working toward the prosperity of the one that shared the greatest gift of all our salvation.

Peter James and John weren't the only ones fishing that day. Jesus was also fishing that day and He is still fishing today. His nets are our gifts. Sometimes He is going to ask us to cast His net in a time and a place that just doesn't make sense.

Expect the unexpected. If He tells you to try something even when it failed before try it again. This time may be the bountiful catch.

Expect the unexpected. The Lord equips you to accomplish his calling.

You are always worthy, through the blessings of Jesus Christ.

In the name of our risen Lord and savior Jesus Christ, Amen.