Is it live? Or . . . ?

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. 

You believe in God; believe also in me."

--John 14:1

You just never know where this silly mind is going to go when I set off on my walk in the morning. I wasn't even asking God to show me a sign-- but he did. 

I preached on the Feeding of the 5000 recently, from John 6:1-15. Throughout Scripture, and in this passage, as well, the images of fishing are everywhere. Right from the beginning, when Jesus began calling his disciples, he called them to do what?

Yep. To be fishers of men (and women). 

And this is still what we are called to do today. But I am not sure we really take the time to think what that means.

There are a couple of ways to fish, and I believe we need to employ them both. 

There is the "cast your net wide and haul 'em in" approach. This is important because, for instance, at my church, University Circle UMC in Cleveland, Ohio, we say it right up front:

All are welcome. All the time.

So if we cast our nets to haul 'em in, that means we will (I hope) draw in a wide variety of "fish." One look at our congregation on Sunday morning will confirm that we have, indeed, used some good bait somehow that attracted lots of varieties of fish. Flounders and guppies, tuna and perch. All are welcome, all the time.

But there is also the Huckleberry Finn approach to fishin', and I think we practice this, as well. 

You know, this is where you sit back, seeming sometimes to be dozing off, but really just waiting for the appropriate opportunity. And when the worm on the hook wiggles just right and catches the eye of that elusive rainbow trout . . . gotcha!

In a congregation such as ours, where people come from all over to praise God, we need to be deliberate in our invitation, as well. And when the "fish" arrive-- land in our boat, so to speak-- we need to carefully tend to their needs, making sure they know they are welcome. (In our case-- you are welcome for dinner but you will not be the dinner.)

* * * * * * * * * *

So this morning I was thinking about the "bait" we use as we fish. Is it "lively"? And by that, I don't mean do we sing happy, upbeat praise music. A holy silence can be at least as lively as a service filled with Chris Tomlin. Just sayin'.

Do we really come to worship God in a spirit of living and honoring life? Or do we come because it is Sunday morning, and all our lives, we have gone to church on Sunday morning? And it really doesn't even matter what is going on, we just go to the church we have always gone to, because like Mt. Everest to Sir Edmund, it is there?

Sounds kinda un-lively to me.

Today might be a good time for a bait check.

Step back. Look at your place of worship. (Don't have one? Are you anywhere near Cleveland?)

What does your place of worship do? What do they believe and how does that look in the world, with legs on?

Tough question: Is your heart stirred by what goes on there on Sunday-- and the other six days? Or has the bait lost its allure? Does that spinner no longer have the shine it once did? (Are you impressed? This chick who has never fished a day in her life is spinning out a whole metaphor here. . . .)

The church in general has become something no longer automatically "accepted," and that is all right. But it does mean that we, as fishers of men (and women) may need to look again at our own selves and see if we are part of the problem, part of the reason our children, our youth, our young adults-- heck, our middle-aged and our seniors-- think they have fallen out of love with  God. (Truth is, it is probably just the church they are struggling with.)

What kind of bait are you using? Is the life you live, the faith you profess something that attracts people, makes them want what you've got? If you are wondering, then it just might be time to sit down and have a long, heart-to-heart with the One who called you to fish in the first place.

Gracious and loving God, thank you for reeling us in and never letting us go. Help us to fish as you fish, with a sweet, winsome loving faith that speaks louder than any words on our lips. Amen.