Homily for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity 2025
GRANT, O Lord, we beseech thee, that the course of this world may be so peaceably ordered by thy governance, that thy Church may joyfully serve thee in all godly quietness; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
I worked for a ecumenical men’s ministry while in seminary by the name of Man in the Mirror. The purpose of the ministry was to help business men find true peace, fulfillment not in worldly success but through faith in Christ. The founder, Patrick Morley, told his own story of conversion. He was incredibly successful in his youth, prior to faith in Christ. He climbed the corporate ladder, acquiring wealth and status. After decades of climbing, he reached the pinnacle of success for his field. He compared it to a man who put a ladder against the wrong wall.
Climbing and climbing just to discover that he wasn’t going to get where he needed to go. He was seeking success but needed peace; he served money and status but he needed deeper purpose, indeed salvation, instead.
This is the tenor of Solomon in our Old Testament Lesson. Solomon had the resources to do most anything he wanted. He had power, prestige that would make the Musks and Bezos of our present day envious. We read in Ecclesiastes 2 of his attempts to find meaning, purpose. He tried folly, humor and distraction; he became a wine connoisseur, growing vineyards and enjoying the very best wine. Solomon followed up with elaborate building projects - building great houses and planting well-watered gardens with trees. It is as though Solomon is focused in his own direction upon creating a paradise, recreating in some sense the Garden of Eden in his own time.
We read that he had immense wealth - Solomon says “I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces” Singers, servants, the best the world had to offer - it was at Solomon’s disposal.
At the conclusion of the work, at the end of the project, we read Solomon’s assessment. “And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.” Solomon pressed on to reach his goals, climb his ladder and he was successful. Once the distraction of attainment was over, the project completed, then despair set in because Solomon had no control over what his successors would do with what he had achieved.
The more he thought about the reality of his succession - he came to the conclusion. “Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun….For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.” Solomon has no peace; sorrow and grief characterize his days.
By contrast, our Gospel shows where true peace is to be found. Not laboring according to our priorities, finding purpose in what we do, but rather who we listen to, embracing God’s will for us. This is the story of the calling of Peter. Meaning, purpose, lasting peace is found in listening to the directions of Jesus - even when they seem counterintuitive. We read that Jesus came to the sea of Galilee to teach the masses. He entered and commandeered a boat belonging to Peter and told him to push a bit out from the shore - giving him some space to teach.
Afterward, he commanded Peter to take the boat to deeper waters. Moreover, Jesus commands Peter to let down a net. Keep in mind that Jesus is telling this experienced fisherman to do that which is counter to all prevailing wisdom. In Galilee, everyone fishes in the shallow water and at night. Here, Jesus says to fish in the deep water in daytime. Peter even challenges the instructions by telling Jesus of the futility of the previous night’s work. They fished at the right place and the right time and caught nothing. What hope would they have of fishing in the deep during the day? Yet, Peter obeys. The results - so many fish were caught in the nets from the one cast of the net that the net nearly broke and both ships began to sink. Peter had labored with futility prior to the miracle. He was overwhelmed by the power of Jesus, acknowledging his unworthiness. Yet, it is God who calls, it is Jesus who commands, who speaks peace to the storms of the soul of Peter.
He will find purpose and peace following the Lord and embracing the vocation of being a fisher of men. Casting the net of the Gospel at the direction of Jesus so that men and women might be drawn into the loving embrace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Rectitude and purpose in exchange for the futility of working according to one’s own purposes.
Our Epistle is written by the same Peter who features prominently in our Gospel. He speaks to the peace both inside the life of the individual Christian and the Church when people seek peace and ensue it. Most of this has to do with controlling one’s tongue - being careful with words, deliberate with one’s communication. Unity, being of one mind, coupled with compassion and Christian love should reign among God’s people.
A key component in unity and Christian love is control over one’s speech - nothing divides like harsh words and nothing brings peace and harmony to the Body of Christ like words filled with blessing. Indeed, St Peter, taking the mantle of wisdom literature from Solomon, says that if one wants to truly enjoy life, one should avoid evil speech and actively seek peace, surely peace will follow. Peace, here, is broader in meaning that an absence of conflict. Many of us would be content with no conflict but what is sought and promised is fullness of life, shalom, all forms of human flourishing. St. Peter, here, reminds us of the constant watchfulness of God - he knows completely what the righteous are enduring, he hears and responds to their prayers. The same watchfulness of God is not distracted by appearances - he knows truly the intentions and works of the wicked and is opposed to them. God works through all things - this is the objective source of comfort and peace in this world.
We can flourish, grow in true godliness regardless of the circumstance. Even in suffering, suffering for Christ’s sake, will result in our good. Our responsibility is to sanctify the Lord God in our hearts. Meaning, we are to acknowledge the holiness of God in the seat of our deepest emotions and let our reverence and love for God replace fear with faith, reverence and peace taking its place.
So, on this 5th Sunday after Trinity. We are reminded of what doesn’t bring peace - trying to create our own realities and meaning apart from God. It could be resting in our labors, our wisdom; it could be focusing our attention and affections on any created thing. We shouldn’t marvel that we aren’t satisfied with the work of our hands - that our creative energies could satisfy the longing for meaning that lies within us. The longing, the need of our hearts is for God.
We were designed for fellowship with Him; we cannot be satisfied apart from Him. It is a gift to desire, to be restless in our pursuits if it leads us into His loving embrace. In his spiritual autobiography, St. Augustine has said it this way “Great are you, O Lord, and exceedingly worthy of praise; your power is immense, and your wisdom beyond reckoning. And so we men, who are a due part of your creation, long to praise you – we also carry our mortality about with us, carry the evidence of our sin and with it the proof that you thwart the proud. You awaken us so that praising you may bring us joy, because you have made us and drawn us to yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you. Let us therefore embrace our need, our need for meaning, our need for purpose and fellowship with God. Let us receive afresh, anew the beauty of the Gospel which brings new life, healing, and restoration.
In doing so, let us in the words of St. Peter, sanctify the Lord in our hearts by committing to serve no created thing but love and obey the God who made us for loving fellowship with Him. Turning our restless hearts to our loving creator, receiving the peace, the rest, true purpose that our souls long for. Amen.