“I Hope You Never Graduate”
Luke 5: 1-11 ~ Rev. G. Scott Turnbrook;
Northwood United Church; June 11, 2017
On “Graduation Sunday”, we gather and celebrate our graduates. I speak this morning as a minister of the gospel, and also as a proud father of a high school graduate. And the message I would like to offer is that ‘I hope you never graduate’. That might sound wrong coming from a pastor or a father, but really, truly, from the bottom of my heart, ‘I hope you never graduate’.
This morning at Northwood, we celebrate Jaden Sutherland who graduates from North Surrey Secondary; we celebrate Janice Kornik who graduates from CDI College; and we celebrate Bradley Balogh who graduates from Enver Creek Secondary School . Lying behind my wish that you never graduate is my observation that we live in a world that is driven on seeing things through to completion, on finishing everything up, on knocking each and every item off our ‘to do’ list, and ~ in this case ~ on coming to the end of your studies and graduating. The problem with a ‘graduation type’ of mindset is that we are tempted to define life by our achievements, to define our value in life by what we have completed, to pull meaning in our life from the graduation moments we have experienced and the letters behind our name and the framed diplomas hanging on the wall. So, to Jaden, and Bradley and Janice and all the many graduates who celebrate convocation this spring, I hope you never graduate.
The reason I chose the call story of the disciples is because I think this is a graduation story; however, it was a graduation that the first disciples had not anticipated or planned. Not as commonplace in today’s world, however, commonplace in Jesus’ time, was the prescribed career path of entering the family business in one’s adult years. Many of our surnames are representations of that lineage. The Fishers were a long line of anglers who caught fish and sold them at market. The Carpenters were a long line of woodworkers who fashioned homes and cabinets. And the Bakers were a long line of culinary experts who prepared various breads and pastries. For the characters in this morning’s text, James, John and Simon, they were fishers. As little children, they had grown up eating fresh fish caught that very day by their father. They had learned to mend fishing nets before they could tie their sandals. The smell of the sea was one that brought comfort. The sea was home for them. So, when they were old enough, they ‘graduated’ and became fishers in their own right. In this morning’s text, we meet James, John and Simon as grown adults, graduated in their own rights as accomplished fishers, continuing on what the generations before had started. They could capably sail a vessel through rough seas; they could successfully locate a school of fish through the various seasons of the year; they had fully graduated into a life of being fishermen in their own right.
Except, what the text reveals is that James, John and Simon’s graduation into the family business was not an end point. It was a defining point for a while…for a long while. They would walk into the city square and people would ask ‘how’s the fishing these days fellows’? Fishing was what the did. Even to this day if you were to take a pilgrimage to Israel you would definitely want to have the ‘cichladae’ ~ a large pan-fish still referred to this day as “St. Peter’s fish”. Yet, we learn in the text that their graduation to fishers in their adult lives was not the end point of their lives. This graduation did not define their lives fully…there was still more that lay ahead. I love the image of Jesus taking one of their two boats ~ Simon’s boat ~ out a little bit from the shore. Some scholars view this as a wise tactic of Jesus in order that he might project his voice back to the crowd gathered at the shore. But, I think something even more significant was at play. I think this was a metaphor of Jesus opening their minds to the next steps of their journey. He unties the boat from the dock, takes it out a bit from the shore, and he shows them that this boat – this tool previously used for fishing - is good for other things as well. It is good for sharing the Word of God, it is good for being touched by the Spirit, it is good for being touched and inspired by God. The text doesn’t record this; however, I can imagine it. I can imagine Jesus standing up and as he was speaking and beginning to rock the boat back and forth and making waves. As he was teaching and inspiring and calling them to new ways of being, Jesus stood up and rocked the boat and made waves; the same way he was going to make waves in their lives; Jesus rocked the boat and spurned them on to the begin the next step of the journey. The text doesn’t record Jesus’ words, but his hearers were so inspired by what Jesus said, they agreed to go out for another fishing run. They put their nets into the “deep unknown waters” and they were overwhelmed by the catch. When they return to the shores overflowing with fish in their boats, when everything seemed good once again, Jesus makes his call to them; to leave their vocation as fishers, to move on to a new direction ~ “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people”. It was time to walk a new path; it was time to take a new direction; the rocking boat was truly a metaphor for the shaking up of their lives. It was time for them to become Jesus’ disciples working with him and spreading the good news of God’s coming Kingdom of Shalom.
I think what we are uncovering in the life of Simon, James and John is that to live the life of a Christian is to be prepared to live the dynamic life of change and growth. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin described our human journey well: “We are not human beings on a spiritual journey. We are spiritual beings on a human journey”. At this point in eternity’s journey, our beings have been enwrapped in this human existence. We are beings who are constantly growing, evolving and changing throughout this life and into the beyond. This text is often referred to as ‘the calling of the first disciples’. A disciple is a student of, a learner. In this text, Jesus is calling Simon James and John to be students of himself, to be lifelong learners of God. It think it is important to be clear that Jesus did not call these first disciples because they, in some way, had graduated from the Christian faith; it was not for their knowledge; it was not for their seminary degrees; it was not for the way they lived their lives out as perfect people. They were called because that is what all who follow Jesus way are ~ we are all called to wander the way of Jesus with the gifts, talents and blessings God has offered unto us. Our final hymn this morning is a beautiful piece that speaks about they journeying way of Christians ~ “We Are Pilgrims on a Journey”. The first verse goes: “We are pilgrim on a journey, fellow travelers on the road, we are here to help each other, walk the mile and bear the load”. It’s unfortunate, we don’t use the term ‘pilgrim’ much in reference to our faith identity in the Mainline Protestant Churches. Other faiths do. Islam strongly encourages all Muslims to make the pilgrimage called “the Hajj” at least once in their lifetime and make the journey to Mecca. And, if we take our faith seriously, I would suggest that we are pilgrims too. Author Leonard Sweet writes: “Pilgrims are students of everything and everyone. Pilgrims never graduate. We are students sitting lifelong and one day, eternity-long at Jesus’ feet”
I think what we are uncovering is that these words ‘I hope you never graduate’ are as applicable for our graduates who receive diplomas as they are to each and every one of us who seeks to follow the way of Jesus, and even for the church for that matter. I think this text warns us not to be focused on the destination – the graduation, so much as being focused on the journey. What would you have done if you were one of those fishers called by Jesus that fateful day? Would you have left your nets? your ways of comfort? Would you have followed? Are you, am I, ready for the ways in which God is calling us to walk into our tomorrows and serve as the hands and feet of Christ? Are we open to the newness that God calls us to live, or are we stuck in the comfort and ruts of life that we have fashioned throughout the course of our life’s journey?
And just as we individuals should never graduate, I would suggest that the church should never graduate either. It is always the challenge of any institution to remain fresh and fluid. The church is in a living relationship with God as well. The church is the body of Christ. It is the collection of people who unite to be the body of Christ in the world. Can we adopt ways of humility that allow us to be open to hear the call to move in bold new ways in the future? Can we be vulnerable and trust that God guides and shapes us? Can we be the ones with wounded hands and feet of Christ offering His healing to the nations?
And so, I hope you and you and I never graduate. I hope the church never graduates. I hope we never stop growing in the Spirit. I pray that God’s call continues to evolve throughout this life’s journey. May we be pilgrims on the journey, follow travelers on the road, here to help each other, walk the mile and bear the load.
Amen.