Tom, this is a special day for you. Today, we install you as the shepherd of this flock—the pastor of this congregation. You aren't the only shepherd here. Each of us is a shepherd. But your role as shepherd is special. God called you to be a clergyman. He called you to go to seminary and to devote your life to ministry.
They caught fish, not because they got lucky, but because they listened to the Lord. The question each of us must ask ourselves is this: Am I willing to listen for the voice of God and act on faith alone? Well, by now, you can see that this story is not about fishing at all, but trusting in the sovereignty of God.
When Dr. Donald Hagen paid the toll for the Bay Bridge, he heard loud music from inside the booth--and saw the toll-taker, a young man, dancing wildly inside his little booth. "What's going on in there?" he asked. "A party," came the answer.
To look with the third eye is possible for us. This mode of vision is known by many names: Conversion, enlightenment, transformation, contemplation, holiness. This is the pearl of great price that you sell everything you own in order to buy.
When I was fifteen, I asked my dad why he didn't go to Good Friday Service. He said, "I can't, it's just too depressing." I wish I had him with me still so that I could help him understand the real meaning behind the cross.
"Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?" the people demand of Moses. Think about it... It's been forty years and they haven't gotten anywhere. They've being doing nothing but wandering around in circles, eating the same manna and sleeping in tents. No wonder the people are impatient!
Let's make no mistake about it: There's more to the hanging of the greens than decorating the sanctuary. What we're about is nothing less than preparing for the coming of the Lord. Company's coming! That's the word for the day.
The redemption that is ours in Jesus Christ is not some sort of luxury cruise through the calm waters of the Sea of Pain-Be-Gone. God's plan has never been to insulate His people from the rain that falls, but to prepare us for the storms that come our way.
Millions have been freed from addiction by twelve step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous. We can all be freed from the burdens of our past by forgiveness—the forgiveness we receive from God and the forgiveness we give and receive from each other.
Luke reminds us to live our lives trusting that he keeps his promises, that Jesus is with us in the chaos of our daily lives, in the ordinariness and in the tragedy that daily life affords. Advent calls out to us with hope.