"We fail successfully." That is part of the statement of one of our emerging core values that is our focus this week.  If you slow down and think about the rub of putting these two words side by side -- “fail successfully” -- it startles. And it frightens us for any number of reasons. We know and love success here in the 37207. The possibility of failure makes us anxious. We are creatures of habit and we like our routines. To experiment takes us out of our comfort zone.  But to experiment also opens us up to God doing a new thing in our lives and in our context. In this Sunday’s Scriptures, Jesus called Simon Peter to the great task and life changing opportunity to be one of his disciples. But before he does that Jesus tells Simon Peter to take him fishing. Simon Peter knew fishing.  Simon Peter also knew failure, having spent all night fishing but with no success. You know the story of the catch when Simon Pete goes fishing with Jesus (Luke 5:1-11)! 

This experience of Peter got me thinking of our successes and failures: our personal failures that can be private and public; our church’s understanding of success and failure; our nation’s ethos of success.  Delving into the energy of this phrase “fail successfully” has sent me this week into the painful introspection of my own failures in search of the “teachable moments” and sent me reaching out to a number of you who I sent emails asking for insights into your own experiences of failure in your private and public life. I was moved by some of the responses of private failings that involve loss and public failings in business dealings. Failure forced some of you to reflect and, as a result, to amend life. One person responded with this quote by the legendary basketball player Michael Jordan.  What a great inspiration that failure is inevitable and that where there is  failure, there is life; and it is failure in life that will help us to redefine what success is and what success can be. Your comments have informed Sunday’s sermon “Failing…Successfully”. We do not willingly choose failure, but our moments of testing and maturity will be determined by how we choose to deal with the failures that are inevitable personally or experienced collectively (church). Especially when we try to respond to and follow Jesus who beckons us out to the deep water.  Especially when it is the time to do ‘you’, church, and nation differently. 

This is a time of failure. This is a time of success. This is a time of faithfulness.


This Sunday the music will be led by Nate, choir, and praise band. The choir will sing a beautiful anthem, “Celtic Communion” and praise band will do “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail).  We will celebrate the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. We hope to see you there at 10 am!

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