Gone Fishing
Want to catch the big one? Want to be one of those expert anglers who brings home the foot-long large-mouth bass? Just follow the 80/20 rule in fishing (also called the Pareto Principle) which says that 80% of fish are caught by 20% of fishermen, in 20% of the water, using 20% of the lures, during 20% of the time. That is, if you want to be one of the few to bring home the big catch, you must make sure that you schedule the right time, and choose the right place, and use the right lure, to catch the right fish, to be the right person who wins the trophy.
But, according to scripture, this is not the way the ancient fishermen on the Sea of Galilee fished. No, they cast their nets out into the sea and brought in all the fish they could possibly gather–big, little, right, wrong, guppies, and whoppers too.
Bible scholars tell us that this is a metaphor of how God longs to gather us all into the Kingdom of Heaven. For it is open to everyone, and the love of God is universal, and the invitation to God’s Way of Love is all-inclusive. It comes to each of us and to all of us, regardless of our background, nationality, age, size, shape, status, class, race, sexual orientation, gender identity–all the children of the world! Holy Mackerel!
That’s why we are called to be a church with open hearts, open minds, open doors, and to be fishers not just of a special few, but of all people. What might that mean to us at AUMC if we were a church that has “gone fishing”? Come this Sunday and see!
Grace and Peace,
Callie
