Celebrating Our Parish – Casting Our Nets into Digital Waters: Anglican Tradition in a Changing World

🕇 The 5^th Sunday after Trinity – 1928 BCP – July 20^th, 2025

Preached at St. Barnabas Anglican Church, Bellville, TX

Fr. Mike Keppler, Rector – Celebrating Our Parish – Casting Our Nets into Digital Waters: Anglican Tradition in a Changing World

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be always acceptable to thee, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer, and Lord, give us here today, eyes to see and ears to hear so we can learn your word together as a family. We offer you all the praise, honor, and Glory for it in Jesus' name. Amen.

Good morning, my fellow encouragers!

Today marks a significant milestone in our shared history. After years of faithful prayer and dedicated service, St. Barnabas Anglican Church has evolved from a mission church to an actual parish.

What a journey it has been! We've welcomed new families, witnessed renewed vigor in our worship, and seen our community flourish through God's abundant grace. And so, we gather this morning as a living testimony to God's faithfulness. Let us begin by saying clearly and joyfully: Thanks be to God!

Our celebration finds perfect reflection in Psalm 62:2: "He verily is my strength and my salvation; he is my defense, so that I shall not greatly fall." Indeed, God has been our strength and our defense throughout this journey.

But as we rejoice in what He has accomplished among us, our reading from the Gospel of St. Luke 5:1-11 beckons us toward an even greater adventure.

In this passage, we encounter Simon Peter, exhausted from a night of fruitless labor on the Sea of Galilee. His nets are empty; his spirits are low. Then comes the voice of Jesus with a command that must have seemed almost absurd to this experienced fisherman: 'Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.'

Despite his professional judgment telling him otherwise, Peter responds with beautiful simplicity: 'Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.'

This moment on the Galilean waters reveals something about faith and obedience. Peter knew the fishing conditions were poor. By all practical wisdom, casting the nets again was futile. Yet something in Christ's authority compelled him to set aside his expertise and obey.

And what happened? The nets filled so abundantly that they began to break. The catch was so overwhelming that Peter had to signal his partners to bring another boat, and even then, both vessels began to sink under the weight of this miraculous harvest.

But notice what follows this abundance. Rather than celebrating the catch—which would have meant significant income for these fishermen—Peter falls to his knees in recognition of who Jesus truly is. 'Depart from me,' he says, 'for I am a sinful man, O Lord.' In the presence of divine power, Peter sees himself clearly for perhaps the first time.

Peter moves from professional skepticism to humble obedience, from self-reliance to divine dependence. When Jesus declares, 'from henceforth thou shalt catch men,' Peter doesn't hesitate. Scripture tells us, 'they forsook all, and followed him.'

What motivated St. Peter’s dramatic change? Perhaps it was the realization that his own expertise—valuable as it was—paled in comparison to the wisdom of Christ. Perhaps it was the humbling experience of abundance that came not through his skill but through his surrender.

This same pattern appears in Ecclesiastes 2:1-11, where King Solomon recounts his pursuit of pleasure and wealth, yet concludes: 'behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit.' Solomon's warning echoes through the centuries: turning inward leads ultimately to emptiness.

Our greatest fulfillment comes not from what we accomplish for ourselves, but from what God accomplishes through us when we respond to His call.

St. Peter's boat serves as a perfect metaphor. The boat floats, surrounded by water—the world. The fish are of the water—the world. We are in the boat, floating in the water, in the world, but we are not in the water; the fish are. It's up to us to bring the fish into the boat with us.

Our Anglican heritage provides a robust theological foundation for embracing this mission. Richard Hooker established our theological method through his three-legged stool of Scripture, Tradition, and Reason. Scripture remains our ultimate authority, tradition guides our interpretation, and reason helps us apply eternal truths to contemporary circumstances.

As we celebrate our new parish status, with our new parish hall duly blessed by our Bishop, we face a choice not unlike Peter's. Do we turn inward, content with what we've achieved? Or do we heed Christ's call to launch deeper?

Let me paint a hypothetical picture. This is a fictional story, but in reality, it presents a believable scenario with a feasible outcome.

A young woman, whom we’ll call Sarah, discovered our church through a photo of one of our stained-glass windows that someone shared online. That simple image, something that took one parishioner seconds to post, became the net that Christ used to draw Sarah toward Himself.

'I didn't know worship could be like this,' she said after attending a service. 'It feels real,’ finding in our liturgy the spiritual depth she'd been seeking. That’s a simple illustration of launching our boat into deeper water.

Our Epistle from 1 St. Peter 3:8-15 calls us to unity and outward focus: 'Be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous.' St. Peter instructs us to be 'ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you.'

The Collect for today emphasizes serving the Lord in 'godly quietness'—not laziness, but the inner disposition of faithful service while actively engaged in His work. Just as St. Peter used his fishing boat as the platform from which he followed Christ's command, so we use our Anglican heritage as the foundation from which we reach new generations.

Where are the younger generations today? Are they filling this building? Or are they at the ballfield, coffee shop, or on their devices? Mostly, they're on social media. But many hunger for something real—for truth, beauty, and the sacred. Our Anglican tradition offers exactly that, if we're willing to go where they are, to launch our boat to where the fish are.

My fellow encouragers, that's where we need to cast our nets today, into the digital waters of social media. I'm asking each of you to commit to digital outreach in four specific ways:

1. **Sunday Sharing**: After service, check in on our Facebook page or Instagram, which we don’t have now but soon will. A simple photo with a message about today's service can reach hundreds in our community who may never have considered Anglican worship.

2. **Digital Doorkeepers**: We need a few volunteers to respond to online messages with the same warmth and hospitality we show visitors at our physical door. This ministry requires just 15 minutes a day, but could be someone's first meaningful contact with our parish family.

Similarly, to also follow up with visitors via email or text, thanking them for coming and asking open-ended questions. “How was the service?” “What did you like the most?” How can I pray for you?” And then invite them to return.

3. **Wednesday Witness**: Each week, we'll post brief video reflections on various scripture readings or prayers. Consider volunteering to record one—your personal testimony of how God's Word speaks to your daily life might be exactly what someone needs to hear.

4. Beginning today, we'll record my sermons and utilize a Christian service provider to create 1-minute video clips for posting on social media. That same service will take my sermons and develop a devotional to use throughout the week. It will also generate a Bible study for use after the service based on the day’s message. Consider making a financial donation to support this outreach.

These are just four ways we can joyfully serve Him with new approaches.

Some might say: "Father, we can't change who we are!" And I say: Amen! We must not change the Gospel or abandon the Prayer Book. We must stand firm on our doctrine. However, the problem with many churches isn't that they have lost their tradition; it's that they have forgotten their mission. Our tradition is not a museum piece to be admired; it is a living legacy to be shared.

When St. Peter and his companions brought their boats to land, they “forsook all, and followed him.” They walked away from the biggest catch of their lives because they had caught a glimpse of something infinitely greater. True fulfillment isn’t found in what we gain for ourselves, but in what God does through us when we answer His call with faith and obedience.

God has brought us to this day, from mission to parish. That is a gift, but also a responsibility. It's not an endpoint but a new beginning for innovative outreach consistent with our Anglican heritage.

I invite you to see your phones not merely as distractions, but as modern-day fishing nets, tools through which the Gospel can be cast into digital waters. When you share our parish events or engage with others online about your faith, you participate in the Great Commission in ways St. Peter would surely recognize in essence.

Remember that our Anglican tradition has always embraced the principle of 'via media'—the middle way—finding balance between extremes. Today, we strive to strike a balance between preserving our sacred traditions and adopting new methods of outreach. We need not choose between reverent worship and relevant witness; through God's grace, we can offer both.

I’ll close the same way I opened this morning, with Psalm 62, verse 2: "He verily is my strength and my salvation; he is my defense, so that I shall not greatly fall." Let us trust in God. Let us desire Him earnestly. May God direct the course of this world through His sovereignty, so that St. Barnabas Anglican Church may serve Him joyfully in all quietness of spirit.

And may He send us forth to launch out into the deep, to let down our nets for a catch, and to bring many souls to the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ our Lord.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.