Sermon: "Gone Fishing"
The Right Reverend Charles G. vonRosenberg
Third Bishop of East Tennessee

Among Episcopalians, an old dirty word comes up in conversations more often than it used to. And this dirty word does not seem to embarrass Episcopalians quite as much these days when mentioned in polite company. However, for some of us, it still is a dirty word. And the word is "evangelism."

The Greek word evangelon actually does not seem to present a problem in terms of its meaning. It means simply "good news." Thus, an evangelist is one who conveys or spreads good news. More particularly, we Christians consider evangelism to involve the Good News … that is, the good news about Jesus Christ, the Gospel. Evangelism, then, is sharing that Good News with other people. And, therefore, it really is not a dirty word.

Perhaps we need to be clear about what an evangelist is not. He or she is not someone who has all of life figured out and who comes across as a self-righteous, condescending know-it-all. Rather, an evangelist - when responding appropriately - is, as others have said, one beggar showing another beggar where to find a loaf of bread.

In our Gospel today, we read of the calling of the first disciples, who became the first Christian evangelists. These men were fishermen. And, in that reading, we heard the first description our Lord gave for the act of evangelism. He said, "Follow me" - that is, "Become my disciples and engage yourselves in the work I do" - and "I will make you fish for people"(Matt 4:19). That is, "With me and with the word I have to share, you will catch other people. This word is what you and they need, for it is the word of life itself. Therefore, follow me, and I will make you fish for people." Jesus invited these fishermen to become evangelists, to share in the activity of evangelism, to tell others of the Good News.

Most of us here enjoy sharing something important - some good news - with our friends. What if you found a good buy at the grocery store. Would you tell your neighbors about it? Of course you would. Or, what if you read a book that was especially important or meaningful to you. Would you recommend it to someone else? Certainly. Or, what if you heard a speaker who has lived a particularly interesting life. Would you want your friends to hear that person? I feel certain that you would. Or, what if you saw a painting that was lovely beyond description. Would you take someone else to see it? Yes, indeed.

But now, consider this. What if you had some hint of the reason and purpose for life itself. What if you had a glimpse of what gives life meaning. What if you could identify a possible source of strength in times of stress, of consolation in times of need, and of hope in times of hopelessness. I did not say that you have all the answers. I said what if you had found some possibilities. Would you share that news? I hope so. I pray so.

The lack of willingness to share Good News has changed the course of history. Let me read you a little news clipping.

"One of the great disasters of history took place in 1271. In that year, Nickelo and Matteo Polo (the father and uncle of Marco Polo) were visiting the Kubla Kahn. Kubla Kahn at that time was a world ruler…for he ruled all China, all India, and all of the East. He was attracted to the story of Christianity as Nickelo and Matteo told it to him. And he said to them: 'You shall go to your high priest and tell him on my behalf to send me 100 men skilled in your religion and I shall be baptized. And when I am baptized, all my Barrons and great men will be baptized…and their subjects will receive baptism too. And so, there will be more Christians here than there are in your parts.'

"Nothing was done. Nothing was done for about 30 years, and then two or three missionaries were sent. Too few and too late.

"It baffles the imagination to think what a difference to the world it would have made if in the 13th century China had become fully Christian…if in the 13th century India had become fully Christian…if in the 13th century the East had been given to Christ" (Barclay, Introduction to the Bible).

Our opportunities for evangelism seldom are so grand in scale. However the point is clear. We must be willing to speak of our faith in Jesus Christ, for the consequences of failing to do so may be great indeed.

May we be as willing to speak of what we find at Church as we are of grocery store bargains we discover. May we care as much about sharing the Good News of Jesus as we do about telling the news of a good car buy. May we be as joyful about speaking of God's love as we are in bragging about the winner of the Super Bowl. May we be at least as concerned about the eternal life of our friends as we are about their immediate needs or problems.

I want to conclude with another story. This one is a fish story, and since the first evangelists were fishermen, perhaps the connection will be clear.

A certain fisherman always seemed to bring home a boatload of fish. Other people wondered how he - and only he - could be so successful.

Therefore, one day a stranger approached the man and asked if he could go fishing with him. The stranger had heard of the fisherman's reputation, and he wanted to see for himself if the stories were true. And so, early the next morning, the fisherman and the stranger set out in a boat. They went across the lake to a secluded area. The stranger noticed that the fisherman did not have a fishing pole, but he did not ask about it.

They reached a certain spot, and the fisherman opened his tackle box. He took out a stick of dynamite, lit it, and tossed it into the water. After the subsequent explosion, many fish rose to the surface. Then the fisherman began dipping his net into the water and putting fish in the boat.

However, the stranger then reached into his pocket and took out his wallet. He showed the fisherman his credentials as a game warden!

Calmly, though, the fisherman opened the tackle box again, got out another stick of dynamite, and lit it. He handed it to the game warden. And then, as the fuse burned away, the fisherman asked, "Are you just going to sit there, or are you going to fish?"

And that, my friends, is the question with which I leave you today. We may not have all the answers. Indeed, I am sure that we do not. But we do have some possibilities of ways to make this a better world. We do have some hints of means by which we may get along with one another. We do have a glimpse of what is really important in this life. And, we profess that what we believe makes all the difference, both in this life and in what happens after death.

Remember, then, that the first evangelists were fishermen…fishermen who spread the Good News…fishermen who with Christ become fishers of people. They knew that many people out there in the world desperately needed to hear the Good News of Christ. That is certainly no less true today than in the day of those first evangelists. And, after you remember those early fishermen, then ask yourself, "Am I just going to sit here, or am I going to fish?"

Copyright © 2002 The Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee