Dear friends in Christ,
This Sunday’s Gospel shares an encounter Jesus had with his disciples after his resurrection. He first finds them fishing. They’ve fished all night long, but they caught nothing.
Jesus tells them to try again, casting their net on the other side of the boat. This time, the net becomes so full they can’t haul it in. They went from no fish to too many fish!
Jesus leads us to abundance. But this is not abundance for our own gain. There aren’t stories in the Gospels of Jesus getting anyone a shiny new chariot or a herd of camels or a fancy palace. Instead, the stories of abundance are about having enough to feed everyone, offering healing where it is needed, finding joy, and sharing God’s grace and mercy extravagantly.
Perhaps there are lessons for us in today’s church. Too many of our churches are in decline. The people in our neighborhoods know little of what we do or why. We wonder if there will be enough money.
It’s tempting to say we’ve tried this or done that. It didn’t work. We should give up. But the Gospel offers another way.
What if we listen to Jesus, who has promised to abide with his church forever? What if we trust the Holy Spirit? What if we cast our proverbial nets on the other side?
We may well find that we move quickly from lacking what we seek to having an abundance of what we need.
Yours faithfully,
Scott Gunn
Executive Director
More from our ministry:
New from RenewalWorks: Is your congregation ready for Sunday?
Scripture and tradition on power and wealth: The Unjust Steward
How do we live after the resurrection? Easter Triumph, Easter Joy