Homily, Fishers of People, Builders of Community
The Third Sunday after the Epiphany (Year A)
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church
Plant City, FL
The Rev. Derek M Larson, TSSF
In the name of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
In 2023 the Surgeon General of the United States declared a new epidemic in our nation. Do you recall what that was? It was not the Coronavirus—that was the pandemic of a few years before. It was not the flu. It was not cancer. It was not opioid addiction. All of these are national health challenges we are facing, but the one I’m referring today is loneliness. In 2023 the Surgeon General of the United States declared loneliness as a national epidemic.
After a listening tour across the United States, it was found that loneliness is one of the greatest risks to the health of Americans. In an introductory letter from the formal report it says, “Loneliness is far more than just a bad feeling—it harms both individual and societal health. It is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety, and premature death. The mortality impact of being socially disconnected is similar to that caused by smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day, and even greater than that associated with obesity and physical inactivity.” Loneliness is that serious.
And this comes in a time of history where we are more technologically connected than ever before. And yet we are lonely.
I can’t help but wonder, if there is a direct correlation between the rise of loneliness in this nation and the decline in church participation over the last few decades. I don’t have any data to report to make this connection and so I’ll be careful about making any specific claims, but in a society that has increasingly emphasized independence, individualism, personal liberty, and personal truth—all of which have their value—, we sometimes forget the value of community. Of what it means to belong to something—to someone. Of what it means to find our identity not according to our own personal convictions, beliefs, passions, and ideas, but according to our relationships. Our connections to one another. We have forgotten what it means to belong to one another. And at its best, that is what the Church is all about. And at its worst, that is what the Church forgets.
In our gospel passage today we hear a story of belonging. We hear a story of the forming of a community. In this season after the Epiphany all of our gospel passages are meant to reveal something about the person of Christ. They are meant to help us understand better who Jesus is. And in today’s gospel we see that Jesus is a builder of community.
It’s one of the first things he does in his public ministry. He calls people into community. At the beginning of today’s story, there is a ministry of one. At the end, there is a ministry of five and growing. You’d think if anyone could handle doing-it-alone—if anyone could be independent—if anyone could do it all themselves, it would be Jesus, the long anticipated messiah of ancient Israel and Son of God. But Jesus chooses to be in community. To walk alongside of others.
And what does he call Peter and these other fishermen to do? To be fishers of people. In other words, builders of community. The first commandment Jesus gives to his disciples is to join him and the work of bringing people together as community. This is a story of belonging.
Jesus does not first ask Peter and his coworkers to subscribe to a set of doctrines, or to participate in an education program, or to give financially to his cause, or to submit legal documentation, or to perfectly follow the commandments. First, he simply asks them to walk with him and invite others to walk with him too. To be builders of community. To be fishers of people. This is the heart of what the Church is all about. We are first and foremost a community that belongs to Jesus. Not an education program. Not a charity club. Not a production company. A community. We talk about this a lot. We are a community where we can belong to Christ and one another.
Jesus also calls us to be fishers of people, and in today’s epidemic of loneliness, perhaps Jesus’ call is more important than it ever has been.
But the question is, if we are fishers of people, where are we casting our nets? In other words, where do we spend our time? How do we spend our money? What takes up most of our thought and attention? How do we spend our screen time? Where do we cast our nets?
For where we cast our nets determines what we will catch. Where we spend our time and attention determines what we will build and receive. If Christ calls us to build community, the only way that happens is if we shape our lives in such a way that we prioritize people and relationships. The only way that happens is if we show up for our neighbors and one another.
According to the Surgeon General, our neighbors (and many of us) are literally dying of loneliness. And the gospel of Christ, is that Jesus has come near to tell us that we belong. That we are not alone. That we are part of a family. A community of God.
Today just as in the days of Peter and the first disciples, the world is longing for that good news. And today just as Jesus spoke to Peter and those first disciples he speaks to us, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” We at St. Peter’s are a welcoming Christian community of all ages, so let us follow Jesus and share that community with the world. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
- In what areas of my life am I experiencing loneliness, and how can I take proactive steps to connect with others in my community?
- How do I prioritize relationships in my daily life, and what changes can I make to ensure I am casting my net more effectively?
- In what ways do I embody the call to be a “fisher of people”? Who in my life might I invite to join our community?
- How do I balance my individual pursuits with the need for community involvement, and what might I need to adjust to better align with Jesus’ call to belong to one another?
- Reflect on a time when you felt a strong sense of belonging. What did that experience teach you about the importance of community in your spiritual journey?
Thoughts on Faith 