Deep Waters and Radical Transformation A Reflection on the Gospel of Luke 5:1 11 on the Daily Bible refresh with Dr.

Brad Miller hello good people.

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Let's get into our reading for Today from Luke 5:1 11 Reading from the Message Push out into Deep Water Once when he was standing on the shore of Lake Gennesaret, the crowd was pushing in on him to better hear the word of God.

He noticed two boats tied up.

The fishermen had just left them and were out scrubbing their nets.

He climbed into the boat that was Simon's and asked him to put out a little bit from the shore.

Sitting there, using the boat for a pulpit, he taught the crowd.

When he finished teaching, he said to Simon, push out the deep water and let out your nets for a catch.

Simon said, master, we've been fishing hard all night and we haven't even caught a minnow.

But if you say so, I'll let out the nets.

It was no sooner said than done.

A huge haul of fish straining the nets past capacity.

They waved to their partners in the other boat to come help them, and they filled both boats, nearly swamping them with the catch.

Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell to his knees before Jesus, master, leave.

I'm a sinner and can't handle this holiness.

Leave.

Leave me to myself.

When they pulled in that catch of fish, all overwhelmed Simon and everyone with him.

It was the same with James and John Zebedee's sons, co workers with Simon.

Jesus said to Simon, there is nothing to fear.

From now on you'll be fishing for men and women.

They pulled their boats up on the beach, left them nets and all, and followed him.

Well, a wonderful story and today we're going to explore this story about stepping out into deep waters, challenging our assumptions and reimagining what's possible.

Let's get into some points to ponder.

The first one is going beyond the shallows.

Jesus called out to push out into deep water.

That's what the scripture says.

And it isn't just about fishing.

It's an invitation to move beyond comfortable certainties and do spaces of risk and transformation.

In our time, this might mean moving beyond surface level thoughts and prayers to a deeper engagement with justice work, or pushing past comfortable theology to wrestle with challenging questions about inclusion, empire and liberation.

The second point is about collective labor.

Notice that the miraculous catch still requires collective effort.

They wave to their partners in the other boats to come help and this challenges individualistic spirituality and reminds us that transformation work requires community.

The boats nearly swamping suggests that abundance can be overwhelming without collective support and shared resources.

A third point is about reimagining Worth.

Simon's response was I'm a sinner and I can't handle the holiness.

This reflects internalized sense of unworthiness, but Jesus immediately counters this with affirmation and calling.

This challenges religious systems that weaponize shame and suggest that our perceived inadequacies don't disqualify us from justice work.

Here's your action step.

Identify an area in your life or your community where you're staying in the shallows.

Choose one concrete way to push out into deeper water.

That might mean moving beyond some performance type of thing to more substantial hands on action to some area in life that you are passionate about or examining how the institutions that you're a part of could share resources more radically or join others in deeper engagement with challenging justice issues.

Remember, like the disciples, don't try to handle the catch all on your own.

Work together in community.

We'll come have a time of prayer here in just a moment.

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Here's our prayer.

Oh God, you are the divine challenger.

We often prefer the safety of shallow waters to the risk of the deeper, but help us find courage to push beyond comfortable certainties into spaces of transformation.

When we feel inadequate, remind us that you call us despite and perhaps through our limitations.

Guide us in building communities that can handle abundance together.

Show us how to move past surface level engagement to deeper justice.

Work in hope and courage we pray.

Amen.

It's with hope and courage that I will be with you again tomorrow.

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Remember till that day, friends, remember My name is Dr.

Brad Miller and I'll be with you.

Please remember that God's loyal love doesn't run out.

His merciful love hasn't dried up, it's created new every morning.