WEBVTT 00:00:02.179 --> 00:00:09.679 In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 00:00:09.679 --> 00:00:17.640 of the Holy Spirit. Amen. In the name of the 00:00:17.640 --> 00:00:19.559 Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 00:00:19.920 --> 00:00:22.160 Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, 00:00:22.579 --> 00:00:30.670 and of the Holy Spirit. This is a vivid, dramatic, 00:00:31.109 --> 00:00:36.049 and amazing scene that St. Luke describes to 00:00:36.049 --> 00:00:41.750 us today. Have you noticed we jumped from Matthew, 00:00:41.969 --> 00:00:46.109 which we've been reading since the week after 00:00:46.109 --> 00:00:51.229 Pentecost, all the way up to last week, and now 00:00:51.229 --> 00:00:55.710 we're going to move, this is called in a priest's 00:00:55.710 --> 00:01:00.649 garden, Luke and Job. And so we begin to read 00:01:00.649 --> 00:01:03.829 from the Gospel of Luke. And the church says, 00:01:03.890 --> 00:01:09.370 start with chapter 5, verse 1. Jesus, in chapter 00:01:09.370 --> 00:01:13.189 4, had been to vast mountains of people. They 00:01:13.189 --> 00:01:15.430 were following him everywhere. And he was healing 00:01:15.430 --> 00:01:22.049 people. And he wanted to have time to help them 00:01:22.049 --> 00:01:24.989 there as well. So he came down. And he came to 00:01:24.989 --> 00:01:30.200 the lake. And there were vassals and people waiting 00:01:30.200 --> 00:01:34.400 for him to teach. And he saw the two boats, as 00:01:34.400 --> 00:01:38.500 you heard. You know the story. And he got into 00:01:38.500 --> 00:01:42.239 one of them. It happened to be Simon, who would 00:01:42.239 --> 00:01:46.280 become Peter. We have a fresco of St. Peter here. 00:01:46.340 --> 00:01:48.480 You see there's a little rock. There was a school 00:01:48.480 --> 00:01:53.599 field trip here on Thursday. The Healdsburg School 00:01:53.599 --> 00:01:55.939 came, the fourth grade classes. They always do 00:01:55.939 --> 00:01:58.689 every year. And one of the kids looks up at that 00:01:58.689 --> 00:02:01.909 fresco and says, there's a rock there. What's 00:02:01.909 --> 00:02:07.629 that? I hope you can all explain that, but I'll 00:02:07.629 --> 00:02:11.449 tell you right now, just in case you can't. A 00:02:11.449 --> 00:02:14.810 parishioner went to Rome, I won't say who, and 00:02:14.810 --> 00:02:21.289 took the private tour of the Church of St. Peter, 00:02:21.469 --> 00:02:25.840 that magnificent and huge church in Rome. And 00:02:25.840 --> 00:02:29.360 went under where St. Peter had been buried. And 00:02:29.360 --> 00:02:32.080 she took a rock from the floor. You're not supposed 00:02:32.080 --> 00:02:35.259 to do that. And she brought it back. And Father 00:02:35.259 --> 00:02:38.939 Patrick plastered it in there. Because Peter 00:02:38.939 --> 00:02:42.199 was named, his name was Simon. The Lord gives 00:02:42.199 --> 00:02:45.479 him the name Petros, Peter. It's a nickname. 00:02:45.840 --> 00:02:52.599 It's like Rocky. Simon Bar -Jonah. Simon, son 00:02:52.599 --> 00:02:56.180 of Jonah. Simon Johnson, Rocky Johnson. There 00:02:56.180 --> 00:03:00.460 you go, in our parlance. So, in any case, the 00:03:00.460 --> 00:03:03.539 Lord had healed Peter's mother -in -law. And 00:03:03.539 --> 00:03:08.580 so Peter knew him. He had not been yet a disciple 00:03:08.580 --> 00:03:14.240 when this event took place. And after the Lord 00:03:14.240 --> 00:03:19.219 is teaching, he says to Peter, go into the deep. 00:03:20.909 --> 00:03:24.629 Peter had been fishing all night. Nothing. Go 00:03:24.629 --> 00:03:28.650 into the deep. Let down your nets. Fish. And 00:03:28.650 --> 00:03:34.889 Simon Peter answers him, Master, we're fishermen. 00:03:35.550 --> 00:03:38.650 You're the carpenter. We've toiled all night. 00:03:39.669 --> 00:03:43.349 What are you talking about, basically? He's thinking 00:03:43.349 --> 00:03:45.889 rationally. He's thinking realistically here. 00:03:46.349 --> 00:03:49.189 There are no fish out there now. And it's daytime. 00:03:49.389 --> 00:03:53.810 We're the experts. We're the fishermen. I think 00:03:53.810 --> 00:03:59.810 we know. But then, in his humility, having heard 00:03:59.810 --> 00:04:02.830 the Lord speak and having seen his mother -in 00:04:02.830 --> 00:04:05.689 -law be healed, he realizes who he is talking 00:04:05.689 --> 00:04:11.110 to. And he says, nevertheless, okay, at thy word 00:04:11.110 --> 00:04:15.389 I will go. I will go out and let down my nets. 00:04:17.420 --> 00:04:21.420 And Jesus gives the sign of what is to come. 00:04:21.620 --> 00:04:25.019 It's not a magic trick. It's not a magic trick. 00:04:25.620 --> 00:04:29.100 The miraculous catch of fish is not about setting 00:04:29.100 --> 00:04:33.939 up a successful fishing business so that it would, 00:04:34.100 --> 00:04:40.319 I don't know, finance the whole project of evangelism 00:04:40.319 --> 00:04:44.819 for Jesus. Jesus was poor. He had only the clothes 00:04:44.819 --> 00:04:49.209 on his back. This miraculous catch of fish is 00:04:49.209 --> 00:04:52.790 not about that. It's about the divine power, 00:04:53.089 --> 00:04:57.089 the grace of God, the Lord's power over nature, 00:04:57.370 --> 00:05:01.490 the holiness of Jesus, who has come for the salvation 00:05:01.490 --> 00:05:06.110 of the world. And the boat is the church. And 00:05:06.110 --> 00:05:09.490 the fish, obviously people being brought to Jesus 00:05:09.490 --> 00:05:19.069 for life, for salvation. These men, Maybe Peter 00:05:19.069 --> 00:05:22.889 owned his own boat. That it was subsistence living. 00:05:23.569 --> 00:05:26.230 You know, he could go out and if he didn't catch 00:05:26.230 --> 00:05:29.970 anything, he didn't eat. He had nothing to sell. 00:05:31.910 --> 00:05:36.670 And Jesus does this amazing miracle and Peter 00:05:36.670 --> 00:05:41.050 is overwhelmed with fear and wonder. And he falls 00:05:41.050 --> 00:05:43.709 down at Jesus' feet and he says, Depart from 00:05:43.709 --> 00:05:46.910 me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. Now this response 00:05:46.910 --> 00:05:51.050 might seem a little odd to us. But is it? No, 00:05:51.129 --> 00:05:54.949 it's not. Peter is confronted. He's awakened. 00:05:56.170 --> 00:06:01.230 He's astonished by the mighty, loving power of 00:06:01.230 --> 00:06:08.250 God crashing in on his world. In his own... As 00:06:08.250 --> 00:06:12.040 the master... of all things in heaven and earth, 00:06:12.160 --> 00:06:17.120 the sea and all that is in them. This change 00:06:17.120 --> 00:06:19.540 of heart is more impressive than the miracle 00:06:19.540 --> 00:06:24.079 of the catching of the fish. What does it mean 00:06:24.079 --> 00:06:31.939 then? The apostles left everything. They didn't 00:06:31.939 --> 00:06:36.160 say, oh, let us tidy up and we'll be with you 00:06:36.160 --> 00:06:39.910 tomorrow. They caught this amazing catch of fish, 00:06:40.069 --> 00:06:46.029 and it says in the gospel, they left it all behind, 00:06:46.129 --> 00:06:52.850 and they followed this homeless, penniless, poor 00:06:52.850 --> 00:06:57.629 man who has the words of life. And because they 00:06:57.629 --> 00:07:00.769 were astonished, and they were awakened in their 00:07:00.769 --> 00:07:05.540 soul. And that's why the gospel is given to us 00:07:05.540 --> 00:07:10.699 today. To awaken us in our soul. To give us trust 00:07:10.699 --> 00:07:16.759 in Christ. The trust that brings obedience. The 00:07:16.759 --> 00:07:20.180 word obedience has a bad connotation. Some are 00:07:20.180 --> 00:07:22.600 abused out of their obedience. But that's not 00:07:22.600 --> 00:07:25.660 what this is about. This is to be able to hear. 00:07:25.779 --> 00:07:29.000 To obey is to hear. To follow Christ. It's about 00:07:29.000 --> 00:07:34.819 offering ourselves. Leaving behind. The sin and 00:07:34.819 --> 00:07:39.300 the non -essentials of our life. The things that 00:07:39.300 --> 00:07:44.019 keep us from being with Christ. You know, with 00:07:44.019 --> 00:07:48.800 Christ, there's not a, you must do this, you 00:07:48.800 --> 00:07:52.459 must do that. The Lord gives us absolute freedom. 00:07:52.819 --> 00:07:56.819 There is no, you must, with Jesus Christ. But 00:07:56.819 --> 00:07:59.800 he who believes in me, says Jesus to us, even 00:07:59.800 --> 00:08:04.649 now today. As a gift of everlasting life. Belief, 00:08:04.649 --> 00:08:08.250 not as a mental construct or an idea or a religious 00:08:08.250 --> 00:08:11.930 concept, but faithfulness. Doing what you can 00:08:11.930 --> 00:08:17.290 do in your situation of life. To do what the 00:08:17.290 --> 00:08:23.949 future apostles did that day. To follow Jesus 00:08:23.949 --> 00:08:29.589 with all their heart. I have seven ways, let 00:08:29.589 --> 00:08:33.379 me suggest to you. that we can do that. The epistle 00:08:33.379 --> 00:08:37.200 itself laid it all out for us. But let me give 00:08:37.200 --> 00:08:43.700 you these ways. First, love is always first in 00:08:43.700 --> 00:08:49.559 any list. But love God. Love God first. Love 00:08:49.559 --> 00:08:52.659 him with the entirety of your being, your mind, 00:08:52.740 --> 00:08:55.610 and your strength. More than you love family. 00:08:55.789 --> 00:08:58.570 More than you love things. More than you love 00:08:58.570 --> 00:09:02.129 video games. More than you love food or any other 00:09:02.129 --> 00:09:06.669 thing of pleasure. More than your job. And how 00:09:06.669 --> 00:09:09.710 do you express that love? Is it just in our mind? 00:09:11.669 --> 00:09:16.250 Prayer. We express our love by prayer. If we 00:09:16.250 --> 00:09:18.970 love someone, we want to embrace that person. 00:09:19.129 --> 00:09:21.970 Run to them. Be with them in their presence. 00:09:22.649 --> 00:09:29.389 Enjoy. their presence pray pray with your heart 00:09:29.389 --> 00:09:34.190 that's how you will express your love and by 00:09:34.190 --> 00:09:37.610 prayer you will then want to dive into the holy 00:09:37.610 --> 00:09:40.669 scriptures to know more about the lord and what 00:09:40.669 --> 00:09:43.889 god is giving you his word so it will become 00:09:43.889 --> 00:09:50.450 alive and not just pages in a book second again 00:09:50.450 --> 00:09:56.100 love If we love God, if we express our love through 00:09:56.100 --> 00:10:00.240 prayer, much more, says St. James, do we express 00:10:00.240 --> 00:10:05.279 our love for God by loving everyone, even the 00:10:05.279 --> 00:10:09.059 most unlovable. And that's a miracle of God's 00:10:09.059 --> 00:10:11.840 power and Holy Spirit working in you. To see 00:10:11.840 --> 00:10:15.580 the image of God in someone else, that's divine. 00:10:17.919 --> 00:10:21.340 This is also about forgiving everyone, as you 00:10:21.340 --> 00:10:25.210 would wish. To be forgiven by God. It only harms 00:10:25.210 --> 00:10:27.750 us to nurture anger and resentments in ourselves. 00:10:29.129 --> 00:10:35.289 So love. Number three. Nurture the attitude. 00:10:36.629 --> 00:10:41.149 That everything that you have. Comes from God. 00:10:41.830 --> 00:10:47.610 And actually belongs to him. Everything. All 00:10:47.610 --> 00:10:50.769 your personal traits. All your material possessions. 00:10:51.529 --> 00:10:55.429 all your friendships, everything you have is 00:10:55.429 --> 00:10:59.029 from God and therefore belongs to God. And we 00:10:59.029 --> 00:11:03.289 offer that back to him even now, today, in the 00:11:03.289 --> 00:11:08.809 bread and wine. Number four, live righteously. 00:11:09.690 --> 00:11:15.129 Speak righteously. Speak ethically. Be honorable. 00:11:15.909 --> 00:11:20.370 Work hard to support your family, your church. 00:11:21.049 --> 00:11:25.669 your fellow citizens. Support your church with 00:11:25.669 --> 00:11:31.389 your tithes and your offerings. Live righteously, 00:11:31.429 --> 00:11:34.549 ethically, honorably with love. Number five, 00:11:34.789 --> 00:11:38.190 because you have love now, because God's love 00:11:38.190 --> 00:11:41.210 is pouring through you in everything you do and 00:11:41.210 --> 00:11:45.470 you think, be merciful then and give alms to 00:11:45.470 --> 00:11:49.690 those who don't have love or anyone to love them. 00:11:50.220 --> 00:11:54.000 who have less than you do, without judging or 00:11:54.000 --> 00:11:59.559 criticizing or analyzing their life. Number six, 00:11:59.720 --> 00:12:04.080 because you love God, and because he says, blessed 00:12:04.080 --> 00:12:11.600 are the peacemakers, be a peacemaker. Easy, if 00:12:11.600 --> 00:12:16.539 you're on social media, do not respond to agitated 00:12:16.539 --> 00:12:20.340 comments. Be a peacemaker. In your life, with 00:12:20.340 --> 00:12:22.919 your family. Try to bring about reconciliation 00:12:22.919 --> 00:12:26.960 between people. Not because you have incredible 00:12:26.960 --> 00:12:32.419 powers of negotiation. But because you love God 00:12:32.419 --> 00:12:39.139 first. And his love will be working in you. Number 00:12:39.139 --> 00:12:43.659 seven. The no -brainer. The absolute easiest 00:12:43.659 --> 00:12:48.559 thing that every single one of us could do. And 00:12:48.559 --> 00:12:53.779 we're doing right now, go to church. Go to church 00:12:53.779 --> 00:12:58.360 as much as you can. Worship the Lord who has 00:12:58.360 --> 00:13:02.019 given you everything. Labor for the good of the 00:13:02.019 --> 00:13:08.639 parish. Find ways to be astonished by what God 00:13:08.639 --> 00:13:12.000 is doing in your life so that your soul will 00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:17.129 awaken and you will be able. even to do what 00:13:17.129 --> 00:13:20.250 St. Peter did that day, to fall down at the feet 00:13:20.250 --> 00:13:22.830 of the Lord and say, depart from me, I am a sinful 00:13:22.830 --> 00:13:25.909 man, because you see how holy and good he is, 00:13:25.970 --> 00:13:29.629 and you see your own sins. And then he picks 00:13:29.629 --> 00:13:35.169 you up and calls you. All of you, brothers and 00:13:35.169 --> 00:13:41.309 sisters, you are all an irreplaceable part, a 00:13:41.309 --> 00:13:45.539 member. of the very body of Jesus Christ, the 00:13:45.539 --> 00:13:48.580 church. These seven steps, they're just a beginning. 00:13:49.480 --> 00:13:51.799 They're the things that distinguish an Orthodox 00:13:51.799 --> 00:13:54.799 Christian from just about any other person living 00:13:54.799 --> 00:13:57.600 in the world, and they're the things that will 00:13:57.600 --> 00:14:02.840 allow you to be astonished at the Lord's majesty 00:14:02.840 --> 00:14:07.120 and beauty and love for you, which will change 00:14:07.120 --> 00:14:10.399 your heart. This is how we follow Jesus. This 00:14:10.399 --> 00:14:13.779 is how we become his faithful disciples. And 00:14:13.779 --> 00:14:17.879 isn't that the true goal of our life? To our 00:14:17.879 --> 00:14:20.679 Lord be glory, now and ever, to ages of ages. 00:14:21.059 --> 00:14:21.580 Amen.