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Isn’t it fascinating that Jesus didn’t begin His ministry by gathering elite scholars, revered priests, or powerful political leaders to be His disciples? No, He walked right past the synagogues, temples, and courtyards and headed instead down to the docks. His target was men of the sea. Think of it. Jesus called fishermen to be his men of the hour, His evangelists, His missionaries—men with calloused hands, weathered skin, and persistent spirits. Gritty men who don’t quit when the fish don’t bite. Maybe Jesus saw in them the perfect mix of patience, courage, and creativity. Maybe He chose them because they had to be innovative or open to new ways or new techniques to increase their yield, to adapt as the old ways became outmoded and the old holes became fished out. Maybe Jesus knew that if these men could master the unpredictable seas, they could navigate the stormy uncertainties of sharing His living Word with a dying world.
Peter knew the rules of fishing like the back of his calloused hands, but those rules didn’t straitjacket him. He proved his receptiveness to new ideas when He went against a tried and true tradition that you can’t fish during the daylight, because the fish will spot the nets and vanish. Peter flew in the face of that tradition and listened to his Lord. Peter didn’t debate. He didn’t resist. He obeyed. And in doing so, he experienced a miracle. That wasn’t just about fish—it was about faith.
Jesus told Peter to go again, to cast his clean nets out once more, to do it again…in a different way at a different time. Peter gave it a try. He tossed the nets one more time—on faith. And what happened? The nets nearly burst. He was open to a new idea, and it paid off. His willingness to break with tradition and conventional wisdom opened the floodgates of blessing.
That wasn’t just a miracle—it was a masterclass. Jesus was teaching Peter a deeper lesson: In this new calling—fishing for people—it’s OK to try a new way. The message stays the same, but the method? That’s where faith and creativity collide.
And Peter got it. Fast forward to Acts, and it’s Peter who sees the vision of the Gospel going beyond Jewish boundaries—to Gentiles, to the ends of the earth, to all people. Radical. Revolutionary. Risky. But Peter didn’t balk. He moved. He cast the net wider. He cast the Gospel into brand new waters, and it changed the Church forever. The Church exploded. It all goes back to the permission the Lord gave him at the Sea of Galilee to do what he had always done…in a different way. Now he could do the same thing with the Gospel.
Now zoom forward to today. Times have changed since Peter walked the shores of Galilee. But some things haven’t changed. The Gospel hasn’t changed, and people’s need to hear the Gospel hasn’t changed. We just need to make sure that we are fishing where the fish are. That might mean flying in the face of tradition, abandoning old fished-out fishing holes and looking for fresh, unfished holes. It might mean abandoning old, worn-out fishing methods and trying creative new approaches. But if Peter taught us anything, it’s that sometimes blessings come when we’re willing to try new things.
Crean Lutheran High School is doing just that. We are fishing in areas where the fish are teeming. We have a spectacular mission field – both home and world – walking down the halls of our school! This is the moment to cast the Gospel net boldly. To adapt. To reach. To teach. What an opportunity the Lord is providing for us, and what a tool He has given us in Crean Lutheran High School!
Why are we here? What is our mission? What is the bottom line? Isn’t the bottom line to share the Gospel, to speak the truth in love, and to do what we can to get our CLHS students across the finish line, not just the academic finish line, but the eternal one? Our reason for being and our reason for being at CLHS is, yes, to provide and deliver academic excellence, but more importantly, to win souls for Christ and to keep souls in Christ. Isn’t that what Lutheran education is all about? That’s why we fight so hard against Mission Drift and to keep the main thing the main thing. Jesus needs to be the main thing in our academics, in our athletics, and in our arts. Jesus needs to be at the center of everything we do! He’s not an add-on—He’s the anchor.
This may be the only opportunity that some of these young people will ever have to hear the Good News of the Gospel, to feel the love of Jesus, and to see their Savior. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our students would be able to say about our faculty and staff what the folks in Acts 4:13 said about Peter and John: “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” When our students see Christ in us—when they sense that we have “been with Jesus”— they are being transformed through the Gospel. That’s the kind of legacy that Jesus is building here at CLHS. That’s the kind of faith we want our students to catch—not just hear about, but see lived out.
When we wear Jesus every day and share Jesus in every way, not only do our students benefit as the Spirit works in their hearts, but we will benefit as well: our own faith will grow. Here’s the amazing part: when we share Jesus and share our faith, we don’t divide it, we double it. Crean Lutheran is a living, breathing mission field. And we get to fish in it every day. We have the privilege to be part of a very exciting ministry, a ministry where we can see the Lord’s blessings daily! Saints, you all share in that ministry as well. As parents, people, and pupils, we are partners and all share a common mission.
It’s OK to fish new holes with new methods. The Lord has given us permission to be innovative and creative. So let’s be bold. Let’s be persistent. Let’s be wildly creative. Let’s be relentlessly faithful. The Lord has given us permission to try new methods. He’s invited us to cast the Gospel net into new waters. And He’s promised us this: the catch will be abundant—more than we could ever possibly conceive of. He wants us to be persistent, and He wants us to fish where the fish are. Saints, the fish are here! We’ve got the best bait in the world – the Gospel! We’ve got the Lord’s promise of great blessings on our efforts! More than we could ever dream or imagine.
The cool thing is that when we catch these fish, they don’t die; they come alive and get to live forever. So grab your nets, Saints. The fish are here. The time is now. The fishing is gonna be good. Let’s go fishing. Amen.
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