A Strange Sound, A Strange Power

Luke 5:5-6 And Simon answered [Jesus], “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets. And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking.

I’ve noticed a strange power that some people have. My dad has it. I have it and others have it. It showed up when I was first learning to drive. I would get in the car and drive to the store. While I was driving I would hear a strange sound in the car. When I got home, I would tell my dad about the strange sound. He would then get in the car and drive it and the car would not make the strange sound. The next time I drove the car, the sound was gone. It’s a strange power that some people have. Just when you think everything is going wrong, they show up and everything is fine or better. Is there someone in your life that possesses that strange power?

The fishermen had worked all night long and come up empty. Eight or more hours of back breaking labor and you have nothing to show for it. That stinks! The sea is empty. All the fish are gone. There’s something wrong with the nets. Then, Jesus shows up. “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” But there’s no fish, the fishermen think. This guy is crazy, they might laugh. If you say so, we’ll try it. Then, the miraculous catch of fish astounds everyone.

It’s not hard to know what Jesus’ strange power is. He’s God. He shows up in the lives of the fishermen when they had nothing to show for their work. They couldn’t boast in their boat load of fish. In fact, others may have laughed at them for coming home empty handed. But not Jesus. In his strange, powerful way he shows up.

He shows up in our lives to forgive us and make the strange sounds stop. Now, it’s not always a lightning bolt or something, but he shows up. He shows up and makes the sounds stop in Holy Communion In bread and wine he’s there to quiet the noise. In prayer, we get the chance to tell him about the noise we’re hearing and he shows up to say, “What noise? Don’t be afraid, I’m with you wherever you go.”

My dad’s power may not be the same as Jesus because my dad is not Jesus. But you get the idea. Thank God for people who show up and stop the noise and thank God for Jesus who shows up and reveals to us that there’s more to life than the noise.

Heavenly Father, thank you for taking care of the strange sounds in our lives those sounds of sin that hiss and clang. Through your son, Jesus, you show up and reassure us that you are here with us, in the midst of the noise, to quiet the noise. Amen.