Team Unity

This is where we gather as a "team"; as
the body of Christ; as the church.

The Giants and the Patriots Who to root for? A couple good East Coast teams. People can criticize professional sports for the outrageous salaries, but we eat it up, we love it.

I come from a small town where the center of life is the church and football in that order except in the fall when it is football and the church. Of course playing football was not a requirement, but it was just assumed that every male would indeed be on the team. Had I gone to a larger school where you actually had to try out for the team I would very likely not have made the team. But I did make the team just by virtue of my willingness to get beaten by my classmates. During the end of the year banquet my junior year, the coach was going over the season and saying good things about each player, how fast they were or how agile they were, the thing they said about me was this: "He may not have a lot of natural talent, he may not be very fast but, he can sure take a hit." I had to be able to take a hit when the defense was practicing I was the one carrying the ball; I was the one that was the tackling dummy. And that year our defense was rated the best in the state. One week we were playing our biggest rival Sacred Heart Academy. We were beating them pretty bad so I got to get in the game. They put me in on defense. Safety. It was the end of the fourth quarter and we were shutting them out. All I had to do is not let any one get behind me and we would beat our biggest rival without allowing a single point. As the clock ticked down. It happened the receiver ran right past me and caught the ball in the end zone ruining our shut out. And it was my fault. The team won the game, but I failed in my part. I was fortunate to be part of such a strong team. That season I rode on coat tails of those much more talented than I and I got all the praise due a much more talented athlete than I. But I knew that my contribution was much different than those who did the really heavy work. I don’t mean to diminish my contribution just as I don’t want to elevate it. I was a part of the team and I worked just as hard as any one. In the Bible

Jesus was teaching the crowds. They were hungry to hear the word of God and they were pressing in on him. He needed a way of reaching more people. So he looked around and saw these two boats. The fishermen had been out all night and apparently it wasn’t such a productive night. They were cleaning their nets so they could go back out that night. Jesus used on of the boats to teach from. But Jesus, with his mind always on the bigger picture, always looking to the eternal while teaching and living in the present moment, sees this as an opportunity to make an impact on Simon Peter that would be felt through the ages. I am sure Simon Peter was just waiting for Jesus to be done teaching so that he could bring his boat back ashore and finish his work, but Jesus told him to go out in to deeper water. If I were Simon in this situation I probably would feel a little irritated. I had been working all night; Jesus wants to use my boat to teach from, fine. Now He wants to go for a boat ride, come on I’m busy, I'm tired, I have things to do, and my body aches. How much more does he expect from me! But he does it. And Jesus says let your nets down for a catch. Now he’s telling me how to do my job! Simone answered, probably while gritting his teeth, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” I think Jesus is really pushing Simon Peters buttons. He is really pushing him outside of his comfort zone. And while all this was going on inside of Simon Peter Jesus reveals something wonderful. He shows Peter what is possible. The text says that when they had done this, (let down the nets) they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. Now I don’t know if there were workers in the boat with Simon Peter and Jesus, the text doesn’t say. But if it is just Jesus and Simon Peter in the boat, then look at what the text says. It says when they had done this, (let down the nets) they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. If it were just Jesus and Simon Peter that means that Jesus was right there trying to haul in fish with peter. Working side by side to get the job done. And they couldn’t get the job done by them selves so they signaled for help. So James and John came and helped land the biggest catch of fish of their lives.

That is the way it should be on a team. That is the way it should be in a church. There are those churches that have memberships in the thousands. And I don’t want any one to ever think that I am critical of those churches because they do a lot of good. They have resources to do ministry on a level that we small churches could never do. But in those large churches, it is so much easier for an individual to attend for years and years and never do a thing to contribute to the ministries of that church and no one may ever notice. A person in a large membership church can be as anonymous as they want. The church works like a small team. When one member puts forth an extra effort it makes a difference in the life of the church. When someone that doesn’t usually get involved puts forth an extra effort it really makes a difference in the life of the church. Jesus said that from now on you will be fishers of men. From the time that you trust in Jesus as you Lord and make the decision to follow him. He intends for you to bring others to him. This is the team; Are you doing all you can to make disciples? We aren’t a big church, need unity.  Working together is essential. When 10 people in a big church do nothing, it goes unnoticed. When 10 people do nothing here we become ineffective. From now on you will be fishers of men. In the gospel lesson today James and John were on the shore while Simon Peter was out in the boat with Jesus. Who was catching fish? Simon. Who made it possible? Jesus? Where were the fish being caught? Out where the fish live. And with Jesus right there by their side sleeves rolled up doing the work that needs to be done, the catch was bigger than they could ever imagine. Even though Simon Peter may not have wanted to go back out fishing, he was submissive to the will of god and he was blessed by it. He spent all night failing at what he was supposed to be good at.

It doesn’t matter how good you are at something, what matters is that you are willing to work hard at what ever you do and always, always put god first.

Oh yeah...Go Giants!