William Gaventa William G. Gaventa
Second Presbyterian Church
Sermons: November 12, 2006

"Great Unexpectations"

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William Gaventa was the guest preacher on Second's Access Sunday, November 12, 2006. His sermon was part of a weekend of activities exploring accessibility and inclusiveness in the church. The activities were organized by Second's Open Arms Committee.

In his sermon, Bill says:

"Part of our common call, as God’s people, in worship, in service, in prayer, in our searching, may be simply to be aware that God so often comes and calls from places we least expect. The call was to fishermen, tax collectors, common folk. Who would have expected that? Over and over again in the Bible, God comes

Through unexpected people

From unexpected places

In unexpected ways."

You may read the sermon here, or listen to the sermon here

Scripture Readings

Luke 9:10-17
On their return the apostles told Jesus all they had done. He took them with him and withdrew privately to a city called Bethsaida. When the crowds found out about it, they followed him; and he welcomed them, and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed to be cured.

The day was drawing to a close, and the twelve came to him and said, "Send the crowd away, so that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside, to lodge and get provisions; for we are here in a deserted place."

But he said to them, "You give them something to eat."

They said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish -- unless we are to go and buy food for all these people." For there were about five thousand men.

And he said to his disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each." They did so and made them all sit down.

And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And all ate and were filled. What was left over was gathered up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.

John 21: 1-8
After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way.

Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will go with you." They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, "Children, you have no fish, have you?"

They answered him, "No."

He said to them, "Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some."

So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish.

That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off. (NRSV)