Synod Anniversary Sermon on Luke 5:1-11

Text: One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. 2 He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”
5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.
8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.
Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

On May 26, 1850, Pastors John Muehlhaeuser, John Weinmann, and William Wrede met at Salem Lutheran Church in Granville, Wisconsin to establish a new Lutheran church body. The first resolution of the constitution committee stated that: “The synod which is to be founded bear the name ‘The First German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Wisconsin’ and that this specific name and title remain with it forever.” There is significance to the details of this resolution. “German” – The ministers came from Germany, spoke German, and sought to serve the large population of German immigrants. “Lutheran” – They would follow the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther. “Synod” – The word “synod” is a Greek word that means “walking together.” They would work together to accomplish the ministry. The word that I would like to focus on this morning is “Evangelical.” The word “evangelical” comes from the Greek and it means that it is centered on the good news, specifically the good news about Jesus Christ. The church body sought to make the proclamation of the good news, the gospel, to be its chief endeavor. It was not founded as a place where Germans could gather with their own kind, nor was its primary task to make the world a better place. It was founded with the purpose of sharing the good news. This morning, as we commemorate the founding of our church body and thank God for his blessing over these past 175 years, we want to focus our attention on the word “evangelical.” We are reminded of THE GOOD NEWS. 1. Christ To Us and 2. Christ Through Us.

Our text takes place as Jesus is teaching on the shores of the Lake of Gennesaret, or, as it is also known, the Sea of Galilee. The people were crowding around to hear Jesus. There were so many of them that Jesus asked Simon to put his boat out a little from the shore. Jesus spent the day teaching the people.

When he had finished teaching, Jesus said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” (Verse 4) Simon, having earned his livelihood on this lake, replied, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” (Verse 5) As an experienced fisherman, Simon knew that the best time to catch fish was at night, not in the broad daylight. Also, the best place to catch fish was in the shallows near the shore, not in the depths of the lake. We also note his trust in the Lord as he says, “But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” (Verse 5)

Simon’s trust in the Lord wasn’t misplaced as we can see in verses six and seven, “When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.” Despite the improbable circumstances, they had such a great catch of fish that their sheer weight began to break their nets and sink their boats. In this way, Jesus revealed his almighty power to Simon.

What was Simon’s reaction? “When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!’” (Verse 8) All Peter could think of, as he stood in the presence of Jesus, was his sinfulness. This, obviously, was the Son of God. Peter knew that this divine power should rightly consume and crush him.

How would we react if, suddenly, Jesus was to appear and stand in front of us? I think that we, too, would react as Peter did. We are standing in the presence of the holy God. All our sins would come flooding to our memories. We would think of all those time that we had dared to do those very things that God has commanded us not to do. We might think of the time that we said something that hurt another. We think of those times that, instead of helping someone who needed our help, we turned the other way. What about the times that we refused to forgive someone who wronged us? This is the law that is pointing out all our sins. We plead, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man! I am a sinful woman!”

Jesus replied to Peter, “Don’t be afraid.” (Verse 11) He told Peter that he had no reason to fear. He had not come to destroy Peter. He says the same thing to us when we fear the sharp sting of our sins. He tells is not to be afraid. The reason that he does so is that he came to the earth not to judge, but to save. He came to rescue us from our sins. He did so, first, by living a perfect life. He obeyed every single one of the commands of God. In his love, he gives us that perfect life, that is necessary to enter heaven. Then, because God has said that sins must be paid for, Jesus went to the cross. While on the cross, as he suffered and died, he was paying for our sins. Jesus’ resurrection shows us that his Father accepted the payment for our sins. The Holy Spirit has entered our hearts, creating the faith through which we receive the benefits of all that Jesus has done for us. Since this is true, we know that heaven is waiting for us. That is such wonderful news. That is the best news. It is because of this good news that we have reason to rejoice today and always. That is the good news of Christ to us.

Jesus didn’t leave Peter groveling at his feet. Rather in verse ten we read, “Jesus said to Simon, ‘Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.’” Jesus told Peter he had no reason to be afraid. Rather, Jesus had a task for him. He was to go from catching fish to catching men. No longer would he use a net made of ropes. The Gospel would be the net to be spread out, and, through the working of the Holy Spirit, people would be caught for God. They would be brought to faith.

This is the task that has been passed down from generation to generation of believers. This is what the founding fathers saw as chief endeavor of our church body. This good news of Christ to us is not to be kept for ourselves. We want to see also that it is Christ through us. This is what Paul was reminding us of in 2 Corinthians 5:19-20, “[God] has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.” Normally, when we have good news, we can’t wait to share it with someone else. The young woman shows off her engagement ring. The couple sends out birth announcements. You tell someone about a great deal that you got. If this is the case with those instances of good news, how can we do less with the greatest news of all? “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) As God gives us opportunity, may we be filled with the zeal to tell others about what Christ has done for us and for them, as well.

An opportunity that God gives us to share the good news of Christ is to the next generation. God spoke about that in Deuteronomy 6:6-7, “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Our children are in desperate need of knowing the truth of God’s love. This is primarily the task given to parents, although other adults in the child’s life can share this responsibility. The church is there to assist in this important task. I remember one time, when I was in Colorado that the chairman of the congregation wanted an older version of the catechism taught for his nephew and niece than what was being used. I gave him a copy of the catechism that was being used and encouraged him to look at it. A week or so later, I went to his house, and he brought out the catechism that I had given him. He told me that he wanted the newer catechism to be used, because it covered things that had not needed to be addressed, when he was going through catechism. That was over thirty years ago. How much has the world changed since then? Our children, if they are going to be prepared to go out into the world, need to be reminded again and again of the truths of God’s Word, especially the good news of Christ.

We have joined together as a church body to do that, as well. Again, remember the meaning of the word “synod.” It means walking together; we join together to do more than we can do as individuals. We, as a synod, want others to know the good news of Jesus Christ. Since you and I cannot go around the world to share the good news, we support missionaries both here in our country and in other countries, as well. Not only do we support them financially, but we also support them with our prayers that God would speak through them, so that more and more people might know the good news of Jesus Christ. We also have joined together to train the next generations of pastors and teachers, who will be tasked with sharing the good news of Christ for years to come.

Today, we pause to celebrate our church body’s 175th anniversary. What an amazing thing! 175 years! Our country has been in existence for nearly 250 years. Our church body began when our country was only 75 years old. Yet, it is not a day for us to pat ourselves on the back and think of all the wonderful things that have been done. Rather, it is a day to thank our God. We thank God for the people that he has given to lead us, both at the beginning of our history and today. We thank God that he has given us the truth of his Word, especially the good news of Christ to us. We have been given the precious truth of salvation. However, today is not only a day to thank God for the good news of Christ to us. It is also a day when we pray that God would continue to keep our church body’s mission the same as our founding fathers sought: That we would continue to be “evangelical.” We pray that we are filled with zeal to share the good news of Christ with others, that it will always be Christ through us. May the Lord bless our synod, our congregation, and each one of us in this way. Amen.