Nevertheless I Trust You: Surrendering All To Christ
Homily by Fr. Matthew Brown September 28th, 2025 St. Mary Magdalen Orthodox Church (OCA)
Work in Paradise
In the Garden of Eden, before the temptation and the fall, we recall that whole encounter with the serpent. There was a command given to Adam and Eve, which was that they should work the garden and keep it. This is actually really significant. One, it tells us that Eden—the garden, this image of paradise, this idyllic picture of the human person in perfect harmony with each other and with nature—still involved work.
Often, we’ve had terrible jobs that we hate, where work feels like toil and bitterness. But the greatest fulfillment and joy in life comes when you have good work to do. Something you’re good at, something that is challenging, but in which you succeed and which produces good in the world.
Oftentimes, the reason we hate much of the work we do is because it doesn’t seem to produce any tangible good. Even if a job is very hard, if it has purpose and meaning—if it produces something of goodness—we can endure a whole lot of hardship, difficulty, and sacrifice. Aristotle’s definition of happiness is “unimpeded work.”
Man was made with a purpose: not only to maintain creation, but to be a co-creator with God. The Eastern Fathers especially teach this: creation was made incomplete and then given to us to finish. That elevates the human person to the level of co-creator with God.
In today’s Gospel, we see Jesus come to Peter while he is working—fishing—and give him a greater calling. Christ calls Peter to be a fisher of men, and Peter drops everything to take up this new work.
The Gift of a New Purpose
Fishing provided food and sustenance, but Christ’s call was loftier and more noble. For, recalling the words of Christ, “Man cannot live on bread alone.” Our fulfillment is more than just satisfying material survival.
So what does it mean to be saved? What does it mean to have an encounter with Christ? In many cases, it means being given a new purpose, a new task, a new work to do. Having this purpose is liberation. It is freedom from meaninglessness and shallowness. It is freedom to fully be what it means to be a human being.
We also see what was necessary for Peter in this story. In order to see the miracle of the fish, in order to receive this calling, he had to be obedient. By obedience here, I mean trust. They had been fishing all night, and Jesus says, “Put the boats out a little bit and try again.”
Peter’s response is: “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing, but nevertheless, we will go out.”
That is a fantastic line to live by. It means: trust the process with God in your spiritual life. You will go again and again without fully seeing the end, without having the picture completely clear, without all the evidence you might want to feel safe. You will still have to trust God.
This isn’t much different from what we have to do in relationships. We have to trust each other. We have to put the boat out into the deep with one another. There has to be risk.
When we are willing to trust like that, to trust like Peter, it requires humility, courage, and belief. But when we put out nonetheless, God responds.
Abundance in the Deep
So often in life, we pray, we fast, or we try in relationships, and when it doesn’t seem to be producing fruit, we are tempted to give up. But what we must say instead is: “Nevertheless, I trust You. I will put out into the deep.”
When Peter did this, the nets overflowed with fish. This is a common theme through the Gospels: the superabundance of the good news. Christ does not merely give us what we want—He gives more than we expect or imagine.
The two boats sinking under the weight of fish show us that God’s plan is greater than we could dream. It may not be what we thought we wanted, but it is exactly what we need. To reach it, we must venture into the deep—that place of risk, sacrifice, and faith.
Then comes one of the most beautiful parts of the Gospel story: Peter falls on his knees and says, “I am a sinful man, O Lord. I should not be in Your presence.”
This is the universal experience of encountering God’s grace. Whether in prayer, in receiving communion, or through an act of love, the grace of God overwhelms us with a sense of unworthiness.
And that is exactly how it should be. The love and grace of God are not deserved or earned. Love is always a gift. The authentic response is humility, openness, vulnerability, and surrender.
When we respond in this way, we make room for God. Just as the Virgin Mary said yes to the Archangel Gabriel and made room in her womb for Christ, so we too must surrender our ego to make room in our hearts. Love always requires this surrender.
And when we do, the result is superabundance—boats overflowing with fish.
The Pearl Worth Everything
Peter responds with gratitude and surrender. Jesus tells him, “I will make you a fisher of men.” Peter realizes this is a precious pearl worth sacrificing everything else for.
This is love as work, love as labor, love as sacrifice. This is the reversal of the Gospel: “The first shall be last, and the last shall be first.” When we abandon everything in love, we gain everything.
Glory to Jesus Christ.