Sermon for The Fifth Sunday after Trinity, 2026
- a few seconds ago
- 2 min read
On his knees, in front of his partners, Simon is a truer picture of you than you would care to admit: no longer as one with a fine catch and a decent reputation, standing on his own two strong legs, sure of himself and needing no one; rather, as one on his knees, face down in the bottom of the boat, only now realizing Who has been standing this close to him all along, and therefore cannot for his life think of one reason the Lord should remain. Weigh your own heart against what the Commandments demand, and find it wanting even once, and Simon’s words are yours as well: “Depart from me, O Lord! I do not belong in a boat with the likes of You. Cast me overboard; it is no more than I deserve.”
And it would be no more than justice if He did. He could go; He could leave. He could depart from you, exactly as your sin demands, and no court in heaven would call it unfair.
Yet, He does not.
For the Lord did not give Jonah nor Simon Bar-Jonah what they deserved, despite their wayward selves. And Beloved, He will not give you what you deserve, though your sinful nature nets as much. Despite it, He does not depart from you or cast you overboard, for you are His catch, brought up out of a darkness deeper than the deepest trench on earth. In His net, bad fish become good fish; by the casting of that net, He has drawn you out and declared you good. Yes, you, Beloved, are His prize catch.
Readings:
Old Testament: 1 Kings 19:11-21
Epistle: 1 Peter 3:8-15
Holy Gospel: Luke 5:1-11
