Church as Christ Befriending and Fellowship

3 Epiphany A January 25, 2026

Is. 9:1-4 Psalm 27:1, 5-13
1 Cor. 1:10-18 Matt. 4:12-23

Lectionary Link

One of the themes of the Season of Epiphany, is the call of Christ. Epiphany being a manifestation or coming to awareness of the significance of the life Jesus Christ happens because certain people were befriended by Jesus in such a significant way that this special befriending set off a domino effect of continuous cross generational befriending which accounts for the presence of the churches in our world today.

Today, we read the account of the call of Christ coming to fishermen on the Sea of Galilee and Jesus told the fishermen, from now on you will fish for people.

Jesus was a fisherman of people; he fished and caught the fisherman, and told them that they would henceforth be doing the same.  What does this fishing for people mean?

I believe that this metaphor of fishing for people means the special kind of befriending which takes place between people and in this befriending a person becomes persuaded about some new values in one's life that initiates new decisions and often a change of direction in one's purpose of life.  A re-valuation takes place and one's priorities become reassessed.

For church administration reasons and because Christians have perpetual disagreed, the very imitate and charismatic dynamic of befriending gets reduced to administrative acts for standardizing conduct and doctrinal purity.  When we ponder the rite of laying on of hands in what is called apostolic succession, we can make this liturgical event the real meaning church succession and success from generation to generation.  We can easily reduce charisma to administrative office for church discipline.

But when the charism of befriending is replaced with mere office or rite, the church can be but like another secular business and miss the reality of what is involved in apostolic succession.

Why do people become more Christ-like?  Because they are baptized, confirmed, ordained, or absolved in official rites of churches?  I would suggest that the Christ-like charism happens in the wonder of befriending which happens when interior values are exchanged in such winsome ways that another person becomes convinced by those exchanged values which happen in the events of befriending.

One who has been befriended in this wonderful succession of befriending in the mentoring process which accounts for the enduring presence of the communities of Christ, are people who are embraced by the mystical communion of what is called "fellowship"  koinonia.  A fellowship or koinonia is the mystical result of the exchange which happens in the dynamic events of befriending.  One who has been befriended, proves that befriending reality,  in turn, by becoming a befriender of others.  A befriender of others is one who lives in winsome ways with values that make the Christ-like lifestyle attractive and desirable.

And this is what Jesus meant in the saying about making fishermen, fishers of people.  Jesus invited his followers to this wonderful dynamic of befriending, because befrienders are those who have been touched and released to have activated their own gifts and charisms, such that they learn to live winsomely with persuasive values which in turn attract others to the befriending process.

The season of Epiphany means that the befriending dynamic was not limited to race, or nation, but was open to all.  This is why the Christ values became attractive to people beyond Palestine who were not really familiar with the meanings of what it meant to be ritually adherent as a Jew.

Let us today live winsomely in this befriending tradition of Jesus Christ.  Loving our neighbors as ourselves is a winsome lifestyle that will draw others into this befriending dynamic and into the mystical experience of fellowship, communion with God and each other because we experience a deep sense of connection based upon mutual care.

Let this Epiphany season for us be a discovery and re-discovery of this wonderful dynamic of befriending because of the winsome values derived from Jesus Christ.  Amen.