We are in the midst of The Great Resignation. In my twenty-five years as a tax professional, I changed jobs a couple of different times. Each time I felt that I was moving on for the right reasons. In each case I was advancing my career and assuming new responsibilities while also moving to something that was a better fit for me. A recruiter once told me that it is not unusual for the departure of one person from a company to cause others to resign. The first three times that I moved on to seemingly greener pastures that did not happen as my resignation was an individual act that did not trigger a mass exodus, but things were different in 2021. Shortly after I quit a colleague accepted a new position in Phoenix. Then a few weeks later as I was preparing for my first sermon at Faith-Lilac Way, I received a text from a friend and former co-worker who told me that he was moving to another company so that he could work from home full-time which I knew was really important to him so that he could spend more time with his young kids while still advancing his promising career. The Great Resignation has also impacted my wife who supervises a team of five. She lost four of her five employees during 2021. These are just anecdotes but there is substantial evidence that people have recently quit their jobs and have moved into new positions with much higher frequency than what is considered normal turnover. The Great Resignation is an unexpected and very real consequence of the pandemic. However, it is not the first event of its kind. In today’s Gospel lesson, we hear of a Great Resignation that impacted the fishing industry in Galilee.
The event that prompted this Great Resignation in Galilee is an act which demonstrates that Jesus is the source of hope and abundance. Simon Peter and his crew had been working hard all night with no success and they were frustrated. In telling Simon to cast the nets into deep water Jesus is telling Simon and all of us that there may be areas which we have not explored which have great potential if we are willing to expand what we perceive as limits. We do not know Simon’s tone in verse five but I assume that despite his reverence for Jesus whom he addresses as Master, Simon likely has pretty low expectations and may just be dropping the nets simply to please Jesus. Of course, the catch of fish far exceeds what anyone would have realistically foreseen. It is a simple but powerful lesson. When we put our trust in the Lord, we receive in return much more than we expect. God provides us with abundant gifts to live a full and satisfied life. The pandemic has caused all of us to reassess our lives and what is truly important to each and every one of us. Many of us have decided to pursue a new vocation or to look for a new employer within the same field which has led to the Great Resignation. Regardless of employment status this pandemic has been an opportunity for many of us to change the trajectory of our lives. Over these past two years almost all of us have contemplated what it means to live a meaningful and contented life. When we put our hope in Christ, we see that things that once seemed impossible are now fully realized and it is this relationship with Christ that makes it possible for our lives to be filled with the joy and happiness that is represented in the bursting nets.
My Great Resignation was years in the making as I discerned my call to ministry. It really was not a hard decision as I have a great desire to serve the Lord, but I also knew that I had reached my limits in the corporate world. It is easy to quit when management does not consider you a future vice president. I really admire the disciples for quitting when they did. They had just achieved the greatest moment in their fishing careers. They could have argued with Jesus that with their fishing skill they could have fed many hungry people and built a fishing business that could have funded Jesus’ ministry. However, that was not Jesus’ plan for these disciples. They were called by Jesus to fish for people as they would join Jesus in a ministry of teaching and relationship building as they planted the seeds that would develop into the first Christian communities.
The lesson of this Great Resignation in Galilee is not that we quit our jobs all at once but that we listen to where God is calling us. Many of you are really good at what you do, you enjoy it, your work may benefit the life of the community and your employment provides you and your family with a good living. Many of you are happy with your life but we should not be afraid to consider new opportunities. We all have a part in building God’s kingdom whether you jump between jobs or whether you are that rare company lifer. This story invites us to trust in God and to be open to the new possibilities that God may have for us to use our talents to create a community of hope and abundance.
- Vicar Kyle Anderson