Believe it or not, but we all take risks. We take a risk every time we drive, go to the store, or eat dinner at a restaurant. When we drive, there is a risk of an accident. When we go to the store, there is a risk that we could slip and fall on spilled milk in isle 8. At a restaurant, there is a risk of eating contaminated food and getting sick.
Some risks are bigger than others. Football, skiing, snowmobiling, ski diving, and racing are all risky activities. Men are responsible for 68% of all injuries, while women only 32%. Young people under the age of 24 account for a third of all injuries. Unfortunately, for me, these statistics ring true for me, but that’s another story.
Insurance companies make money by discriminating people based on age, sex, and past medical history to account for the likelihood of accidents, medical procedures, or injury. Financial companies charge people more money for loans if they are deemed more likely to default on a loan. The bigger the risk, bigger the potential reward or loss. Millions of dollars are invested in “venture capital” projects that could either fail or make a ton of money.
Risk is big business… I guess you can say a risky business.
In our Gospel lesson for this Sunday, Jesus encounters the disciples fishing in Luke 5 and asks them to take a 
risk. The would-be disciples had been fishing all night and had not caught anything. Jesus instructs the fishermen to go to deeper water and put out their nets. Peter speaks up and tells Jesus that they had been working for hours and caught nothing. How are they going to catch something now? Well, it is not really that risky to take the advice. The fishermen listen to Jesus and they caught a lot of fish. So much fish that the fishermen had to call for another boat.
When Peter saw what happened he was struck to the heart. Peter was afraid to be in the presence of God and said he was a sinful man. Christ said, “Do not be afraid.” Then, Jesus asks the disciples to take a risk: come and follow me. The scriptures say that they, “left everything and followed Jesus.”
Wow, talk about risk! Leaving their profession, their way of life, and their families for this traveling preacher! That’s a huge risk. What is the benefit? Where is the profit and leaving fishing behind to follow Jesus? Well, maybe not a monetary profit, but a spiritual one.
God asks us to take risks. Not risks to our physical well-being, but risks in our relationships, families, stewardship, spiritual life, and in ministry. There is a religious word for it: faith. God asks us to take a risk of putting our faith in something that we cannot see. With risk there is the possibly of losing something. Just as Jesus asked the disciples to risk their professions, Jesus asks us to risk what we hold dear in order to reach out to others.
Being a Christian is a risky business because God asks us to do things that may be unpopular. What is something that you hold dear? Money, popularity, possessions, or a job? What would you risk for God?
Epiphany 5c
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