I grew up fishing in the mountain lakes that are sprinkled around the interior plateau of BC: Osprey Lake, Pennask Lake, Lac La Jeune, Poland Lake. So many hikes. So many trips. And so many fishing stories. Some of them are born of true detail, some of merely fiction, and all make me look downright heroic. I never tell the story about sitting in the boat until my behind fell completely asleep catching nothing. I never tell one of the many stories about coming back to shore with no fish and without my lures because they caught bottom and needed to be abandoned. Let’s leave the waves of time to wash those away, but the big fight, the great catch, the huge fish expertly landed- now that’s a fishing story for the history books.
So why, when the gospel writers chose the fishing stories to tell, did it always make the disciples look inept? Either they get scared of the wind, or they fish in the wrong place, or they get overwhelmed and scared by the catch. Even when they are successful they come out looking like they can’t do it without help.
And maybe that’s the point. Maybe that is why these stories are told over and over- because we need to hear again and again that most of the time we are not superhuman, that we do get overwhelmed and scared, and that needing help is actually a good thing.
When we commit to the faith as we will do with Zoya and Shay at their baptism on Sunday, when we decide to follow in the way of Jesus, we are not trumpeting our success. No, we are declaring our need for God’s love to lead us and for the community of imperfect people to journey with us.
Truth be told, life gets overwhelming and we often need help- God’s and each others- to make our way. And our very best life stories (and fishing stories) help us lean into each other and into God. See you Sunday.
Blessings, Will