Epiphany V

By The Rev. Martha Frances+

Year C Epiphany V

6 February 2010

Text:  Luke 5: 1-11

Other Readings: Isaiah 6: 1-8 [9-13]; Psalm 138; I Corinthians 15: 1-11

      All our scripture readings today are call stories—moments when God calls people to ministry.  Especially at this time in the life of Hope, each parishioner has a call to ministry; ministry is not limited to those of us who wear clerical collars.  Listen carefully to these lessons, for God is calling you too!

      What a spectacular setting for God's call to Isaiah!  God is on the throne &, even before God gets a chance to speak, Isaiah is already back-peddling:  "Woe is me!  I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, & I live among a people of unclean lips;" he replies when the angels/God appears.  God's seraph touches his mouth with a live coal, forgives his sins, & commissions him to become God's ambassador.  Isaiah responds in 5 of the most significant words in scripture:  "Here am I; send me!"  Hmmm, seems like I've sung that somewhere before.

      Likewise, Paul's call from God follows the same pattern as the call to Isaiah.  Paul's call comes after many appearances the resurrected Christ has made to the disciples & finally to Paul himself.  Listen to Paul's objections: he is unworthy—as one untimely born, the least of the apostles—because he persecuted the Church. 

      Christ obviously doesn't take no for an answer from Paul, & it is by God's grace that he is equipped for the great missionary work ahead of him.  His response—". . .by the grace of God I am what I am"—echoes Moses' conversation with God on Mt. Sinai. Paul's frenetic activity for the spread of Christ's kin-dom speaks for itself.  Paul's proclamation has resulted in the Corinthians'—& many other new churches—coming to believe.

      Finally, we come to Jesus' call to his first disciples—the 3 fishermen—beside Gennesaret Lake, better known as the Sea of Galilee.  Jesus' popularity has caused him to resort to extraordinary measures to reach the crowds.  He borrows Simon's boat, & they put out from shore so he can better speak to the crowd.  Then he tells Simon to launch his boat into deep waters once more & to let down his nets.  How does Simon Peter react?  He argues with Jesus, telling him that they have already been working fruitlessly all night.  Nevertheless, he agrees to do as Jesus has asked & indeed puts out the nets.  What a miracle:  so many fish that they fill both his boat & that of his partners James & John! 

      At this point, we encounter Simon's self-centeredness.  Does he thank Jesus for this amazing catch of fish?  No, he responds by moaning about how sinful he is & pleads with Jesus to disappear!  Of course, Peter always over-reacts, & here is Jesus' first encounter with Peter in Luke's gospel.  Peter might have wallowed in his self-pity, yet Jesus does not allow that.  Jesus calls Peter out of himself to do the work of netting people, hauling them in to build up the Christian community, & really to lead that community, all with the help of his brother Andrew, his partners James & John, & the other folks Jesus calls to discipleship. 

      Notice they leave everything in order to follow Jesus.  In the group-oriented culture around the Mediterranean Sea, people don't see themselves as independent individuals but rather rely on the social unit of the extended family & community for their livelihood & indeed for their identity.  We independent Americans may have a hard time relating to the drastic steps these disciples take to haul off & follow Jesus, but their departure leaves serious gaps in the interdependent family structures.  Jesus' band of disciples becomes a non-traditional family for each other. 

      But we get ahead of ourselves.  When Peter steps out & follows Jesus, he has no clue as to what will follow.  Peter steps out in faith only after Jesus reassures him with the now-familiar, "Do not be afraid" & then promises "from now on you will be catching people" or, as one translation says, "you will net people."  Notice that Peter's not dangling a fishline out to catch an individual fish; no, he's hauling in schools of fish with a net—a whole community of fish!

      With Isaiah, Paul, & Simon Peter's calls to action, a pattern emerges:  First, God initiates the action.  God does the choosing.  God chooses according to God's qualifications, not according to those whom we humans consider worthy.  Even if you've never heard that call before, I want to assure you God is calling you right here, today.  Listen up!  Second, the person God chooses obviously doesn't consider him or herself worthy & gives God excuses as to God's poor judgment in choosing him or her.  In modern-day language, we call this whining, or sitting on our pity pots.  Are you familiar with such a response? Third, God doesn't take "no" for an answer; God goes right ahead with God's plans & urges the person to respond positively.  We often say that God doesn't choose the equipped but equips the chosen.  That applies to each of you too, not just to the preacher!  Finally, the chosen one responds & then acts on God's calling her or him out.  What ministry is God calling you to today?  Keep listening!

      Now, all 3 of these examples are of men, but this same pattern applies to women.  Remember God's call to Mary that we usually call the "annunciation"?  The angel appears &, after telling Mary not to be afraid, initiates the call for her to bear a son.  Mary is astonished & tells the angel he must have knocked on the wrong door; she can't have a baby as she is still a virgin.  Gabriel replies that God can accomplish more than we humans can ask or imagine.  Mary responds "then let it be to me according to your Word."  And she brings forth the Savior of the World.  God's call is not limited to one type person or group, & we're often surprised at those God chooses for a particular task.  One prayer I encourage for you is for you to be as open to God's calls to your neighbors as God is; you all need each other.

      As we ponder Christ's call to each of us, I think it is comforting to realize that this is an ongoing call to conversion, not just a one-time deal.  Paul alludes to the ongoing progression of conversion & growth in faith in the last line of the Corinthian reading for today when he says, ". . .and so you have come to believe."  You may remember a man who comes to Jesus for his child's healing.  He says, "Lord, I believe.  Help thou my unbelief."  Conversion & response are not once over & done with, you see.  Openness to the transformation of parts of ourselves which are unbelieving leads to a lifetime of spiritual adventures & gradual maturing in the faith.

      I hope you haven't sat back & thought smugly during this sermon, "Well, I've already accepted Jesus as my Lord & Savior, so these call stories don't apply to me."  Just as Jesus' call is not to a select few but to ALL, so is Jesus' call to a lifetime of growth in faith & in ways to act out our faith.  Each time we respond in love & obedience to Christ's call to us, we're strengthened for the next call to be faithful.  It is when we get comfortable with our faith walk that we are most likely to stumble.  Christ calls us over & over to turn again & follow him.

      Also, I want to make it perfectly clear that these call stories are examples not of the call of special extra-talented people to be professional Christians.  My brothers & sisters, this call to conversion & to living life with Christ & in a Christian community is to ALL of us. Some days I know we all want to say with Peter, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!"  If Simon Peter could say that & then become the leader of the apostles, the one who holds the keys to God's realm, then not one of you is so sinful or untalented that you are exempted from the call to discipleship.  We're all in this together, you all.  We're ALL, every one of us, invited—actually urged—to a lifetime of conversion & new life in Christ.

      As you enter a time of discernment & new beginnings for Hope Church, I'll recommend 3 ways you can respond to God's call to you which will strengthen you for service & also build up the body of Christ.  These might be good Lenten disciplines.  The writer I'm borrowing from calls them the 3 Gs:

      First, go to church!  There's no better time in the church year to establish the habit of church attendance than Lent.  You need each other, & you need to pray and celebrate Eucharist together.  There will be Lenten supper & prayers on Wednesdays & Stations of the Cross on Fridays in addition to Sunday's services, & each of these worship times gives you the opportunity to pray for Hope & for each other. This is certainly not the time to hide out at home & watch to see what happens at the church.  Come & participate!

      Secondly, give significantly & generously.  Last Sunday was Covenant Sunday, & many of you brought your 2010 Covenant & placed it in the Ark here on the altar.  Those covenant prayer letters ask you to evaluate what you have to give to your church community, open your heart & your mind to give generously, commit to that on the Covenant which is for God's eyes only, then place your Covenant with the others in the Ark here on the altar, & make sure to ask God to help you keep your Covenant during the year.  In so doing, with the others who are led to do the same, Hope can blossom with a generosity of Spirit as never before.

      Closely allied with that generosity of Spirit is the 3^rd G:  give up grudges.  That many churches have become grudge-filled, resentment-infested places on earth is scandalous.  Jesus himself gave his life for our salvation, & many Christians have lost theirs also over the centuries of Christian history.  No church is ever going to be perfect; it's made up of imperfect people!  Your ability to contribute what you can & accept what you cannot change is one sign of a mature Christian.  Rumors are deadly to a small community like Hope, & no matter how transparent I've tried to be as I'm transitioning out as your rector, some amazing rumors have bubbled up like flotsam & jetsam on top of the waters.  Don't participate in that childish behavior.  St. Paul reminded us last week that when we become adults, we're to give up our childish ways.  Now is the time to be filled with the love of God & the discernment of the Holy Spirit.  Your Senior Warden, after the vestry retreat & a visit from the Canon to the Ordinary this past week, has affirmed that you will be just fine.  Believe that the Spirit will lead you to new life.

      And don't think that you've got all the time in the world.  Christ is incredibly patient, but why not begin to live abundantly right now?  What's more important than abundant life?  Whatever holds you back from conversion to new life today, shed it, let go of it, & let God fill that void in your life.  Epiphany is the time of year when we explore all the many places & persons God calls us to engage with in enlarging & strengthening God's reign on earth.  Soon, we will enter the season of Lent in which we are made ready once again to respond as an Easter people, "Here I am, send me!"  What is holding you back?  Can you give it up to God?