“As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea for they were fishers.”

— Matthew 4:18

Here’s a confession for you. I am a little triggered by this week’s pericope from Matthew. It has nothing to do with the actual text or the message or the exegesis of this text. I mean, it does a little. This is the pericope I was assigned when I preached at Perkins Chapel. In my mind, we all have this reverence for the pulpit in our seminary chapels. We got to hear sermons from our favorite professors there, those who inspired us, challenged us, called and affirmed us, amused us, and sent us out to serve. I stepped into the pulpit feeling the presence of Zan Holmes and Albert Outler, Schubert Ogden, John Holbert (who still sounds a bit like God to my ear), Alyce McKenzie, and Ted Campbell. These were the nephilim who called for justice, reformed our United Methodist tradition, and challenged their student congregants. I was terrified, shaking to my toes with fear, a little like I was clopping around in my mother’s giant heals. I’d be curious to know who were the giants of your seminary pulpit? What a coincidence this was the text I was preaching. Matthew sets the scene calling forth the memory of the great prophet Isaiah and a good chunk of the great history of Israel with him. Then we find Jesus proclaiming the same words John did in Matthew 3:2– repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near. . Jesus calls his first disciples. Surely they must have been great people, learned people, scholars and giants in their own right, right? But no. Jesus walks along and sees some folks at their daily work, doing their daily, tedious things – throwing nets, being sprayed in the face with water, struggling to cast the way their fathers taught them. He sees these two ordinary people and calls them to join him in his kingdom work. I wonder how much they knew? This would be a good scripture to reinvent “Mary” (or disciples)” Did You Know?” Did they know, as they fought to untangle a corner of the net, they were called by God’s own child? As they stood thigh deep in smelly lake water, did they know they would see this same messiah walk on water? Did Peter know he would one day be the rock upon whom Jesus built his church? Beloved we serve and have served in pulpits where giants preached. It may be difficult to see it, but you also are one of those giants, not because of your particular skills or eloquence or homiletical giftedness, but because we serve an extraordinary and giant God who works through small, bumbling people just like us. May you feel the arms of the saints support you as you serve God this week.