A game warden observed that a certain fisherman always seemed to come back to shore with an unusually large number of fish. Week after week, this particular fisherman would come in with a big catch even when other fisherman complained that the fish were not biting. The warden became leery and inquisitive. Finally, he asked this successful fisherman if he could go fishing with him and perhaps learn his technique. The fisherman obliged and at the appointed time the game warden joined the fisherman in his boat. The fisherman navigated the boat to an isolated lagoon. Dropping anchor, he opened his tackle box, withdrew a stick of dynamite, and lit the fuse. The game warden watched dumbfounded as the fisherman tossed the dynamite into the water. As it struck the water, it exploded causing dead and stunned fish to float to the surface. Calmly the fisherman pulled out his net and began to scoop up the fish. The infuriated officer was beside. "You can't fish this way . . . it's illegal." As the warden railed on the fisherman took out another stick of dynamite, lit the fuse, and put it in his companion's hand saying "Are you gonna talk or are you gonna fish." No doubt the game warden did learn a new way of fishing that day.

Today's Holy Gospel is a story about fishing. Our Lord Jesus did teach those three seasoned fishermen, Simon Peter, James, and John something about fishing that morning on the Lake of Gennesaret. They would catch fish not by throwing a stick of dynamite into the water but by something that is more potent than dynamite, the Word of the Lord Himself. The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-bladed sword says the Book of Hebrews. Psalm 33 says "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made and the starry hosts by the breath of His mouth." Indeed, the word of the Gospel "is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith" as the Apostle Paul writes in Romans 1. God's Word says what it does and does what it says.

Jesus is Himself the Word made flesh. John opens his Gospel with those majestic words "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). Then he goes on to write that "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us full of grace and truth."The Word made flesh and dwelling among us speaks. He preaches. He does not rely on gimmicks or slick programs to get His message across. Instead, He does something that is very simple, very ordinary. And some would say boring and outdated. He opens His mouth and He preaches. Beginning at the synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus preaches. There at the synagogue in His hometown, you will recall that Jesus takes the scroll of Isaiah and He reads from Chapter 61: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." Then the Lord Jesus preaches a very short sermon. It's a one-liner: "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." That preaching continued as Jesus made the boat belonging to Simon Peter His pulpit.

Then Jesus turns His attention to Simon Peter. He says to Peter, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." Now Peter was an experienced fisherman. He knew a few things about how fish were to be caught. Peter knew that the best time for fishing was not in the heat of midday but at night. Peter knew that it was best not to go out into the middle of the Lake of Gennesaret in search of fish but rather to let the nets down in the more shallow coves where the nets could reach the fish. Peter knew that he had fished all night, using all of his savvy and skill as a fisherman, and yet had come in empty-handed. So he says "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless, at Your word I will let down the net."

Peter takes Jesus at His Word. He does not insist on following what he knew from his experience. He does not demand that Jesus' words conform to the dictates of his own reason or knowledge. "Nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net." And those nets lowered into the waters are retrieved full of fish. So many fish that the nets were breaking. Such an abundance of fish that it takes both boats to haul the catch to shore and even at that the boats are beginning to sink. It's clear that this miraculous draught of fish was not due to Peter's ingenuity or hard work. The Word of the living God who at creation filled the seas with all manner of fish now fills Peter's nets with a catch the likes of which Peter had never seen before.

Peter took Christ at His Word. Luther comments "This is a beautiful aspect of Peter's faith for us to imitate. If our own insights run counter to Christ's word, we should dismiss them and follow him" (Klug II:287). That's the way faith lives. Faith closes its eyes to reason and experience and takes the Lord at His Word.

Human reason would say "How can a little water poured on the head of an infant who doesn't even know--let alone understand what is going on--that Baptism is a washing of regeneration and rebirth that bestows forgiveness of sins and grants eternal life and salvation to those who believe?" Yet we have the word of Christ. We have the word that promises "He who believes and is baptized and shall be saved." It was on the strength of that Word that Oliver and Rebecca brought their newborn son to the baptismal font this morning.

Human reason would say, "How can a man nailed to a Roman cross be the Savior of the world?" Human reason would say, with the Jews, if God is coming to save us then there will be some unmistakable sign, some miracle that is plain for all to see. Reason would say "unless I can see it, I will not believe." Human reason would say, with the Greeks, if we are to believe in God we must have some philosophical proof, some profound wisdom that cannot be disputed. But instead God gives us His Son crucified as the sacrifice that atones for the sins of the world. And as Paul says in today's Epistle "For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe." Therefore "we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."

Human reason would say "How can mere bread and wine be the body and blood of Christ?" Yet God says of the bread and wine on the altar, "This is my body and this is my blood." Faith says "Amen . . . Truth" to the words of Christ. Faith takes Jesus at His Word!

Human reason would say "If we are to catch twentieth century fish, we need to use a different bait, something that is not tantalizing and is attractive. We'll need a boat equipped with one of those fish detectors so that we can find where the fish are swimming and be more effective fishermen." Faith receives only what the Lord gives and what He gives is Christ crucified and He gives us this gift in the ways that He has determined to give it-in the waters of Holy Baptism, in the words of preaching and Absolution, in the body and blood of the new testament given us to eat and to drink. It all depends on Christ's Word.

Peter was overwhelmed at the bounty of the Lord's gift. The catch of fish was more than anything that Peter would have dared to hope for or to imagine. In the light of the magnitude of this gift and in the presence of Christ, Peter can only confess his sin, his unworthiness: "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." Yet Jesus does not depart from Peter nor does He depart from us. To Peter, He says "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men."

The Lord will make of Peter an apostle, one who is sent into the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ crucified for our sins and raised for our justification. He will fling the net of the preaching of the Gospel far and wide, not to snare fish, but to draw men, women, and children into the boat of Christ, His holy Christian church. Take Him at His Word and rejoice that you are His catch, redeemed in body and soul, for time and eternity. Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus to life everlasting. Amen.