One of the seraphs…holding a live
coal…touched my mouth with it and said, “...your guilt has departed and your
sin is blotted out.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I
send…” And I said, “Here I am, send me!” [Isaiah 6:6-8]
All
the kings of the earth will praise you, O Lord, when they have heard the words
of your mouth. They will sing of the ways of the Lord…The Lord will make
good his purpose for me…O Lord, your love endures for ever… [Psalm
138: 5, 6a, 9a]
I
would remind you…of the good news that I proclaimed to you…by the grace of God
I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. [1
Corinthians 15:1a, 10a]
…[Jesus] said to Simon,
“Put out in the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” …they caught so
many fish that their nets were beginning to break…when Simon Peter saw it, he
fell down at Jesus’ knees saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful
man!”…Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching
people.”…they left everything and followed him. [Luke
5:4b, 6b, 8, 10b, 11b]
In
religious circles – as well as secular – we often hear and/or use the
word call as, for example, “I/She/He/They are called to
ordained ministry, working with homeless shelters, political activism, or
medical training, etc. In the lessons and the Gospel, and to some extent in the
Psalm appointed for this week we are hearing the language that expresses a
calling. The dictionary defines calling in this context as, 1: a strong
inner impulse toward a particular course of action especially when accompanied
by conviction of divine influence; and 2: the vocation or profession in which
one customarily engages. We also use the word commission when
one has been more formally launched into her or his chosen path. And that is
defined as, 1: an instruction, command, or duty given to a person or
group of people; and 2: a group of people officially charged with a
particular function.
One can decline a call and quit a job, but that divine spark, that still small voice within
that nags and niggles will continue to make itself known whether or not you
accept. When a sense of a divine call is allowed to bubble up, one may
then be commissioned to engage with it throughout the
entirety of one’s life, in many and various and surprising ways.
Isaiah engages
us immediately with his vision that places him in the presence of the Divine.
In the Lord’s presence, Isaiah declares that he is unworthy as a man of
unclean lips. The description that Isaiah then gives when the seraph
touches his mouth with a burning coal makes me want to put ice on my lips!
Seraph is the highest order of angels and that informs us that this encounter
is clearly significant. The angel tells him that now his guilt has been sent
away and his sin is blotted out. God speaks asking “Whom shall
I send?” Isaiah answers, “Here I am, send me.” He then clearly accepts the
commission of the Lord who tells him all that he must do. When Isaiah
asks, How long, O Lord? the answer is stark. It is a very long
time indeed.
For the
Psalmist, the call is accepted within his heart and all the kings of
the earth will be commissioned when they hear God’s words, and “sing
of the ways of the Lord.” Presumably, this will be enough for the kings to
reign accordingly.
Paul’s
calling was abrupt and startling as we read it in Acts 9 and it is Ananias who
is then called to commission him on behalf of Jesus. In this letter to the
Corinthians, Paul reminds us of his own feelings of unworthiness when he tells
us that Jesus also appeared to him as he had to many others. Paul, feeling
especially unfit as a persecutor in his former life, now speaks of his sense
and earnestness of mission in his words, But by the grace of God I am
what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain…I worked harder…though
it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.
And then we
come to our favorite fishermen. Jesus calls them to go to the deeper water with
their nets. You can almost hear the sigh of Simon, who, weary after a full
night of fishing with no yield, says, “…if you say so, I will…” Simon has
perhaps felt the call and although he is still uncertain, he follows an instinct
and does as Jesus says. In a parallel to Isaiah and Paul, Simon stunned by the
overly abundant haul of fish, and realizing the reason, spontaneously tells
Jesus to go away from him because he is a sinful man. The initial commissioning
for Simon who becomes Peter, and for all those with him comes with the words of
Jesus, Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people. And
they all accepted by leaving everything to follow him and embark on an
unexpected new life. They are given the Great Commission by Jesus after the
Resurrection [Matthew 28:19-20] which fills the rest of their lives.
Isaiah, the Psalmist, Paul, Peter and those who
became disciples/Apostles, were in it to win it for God, for Jesus, for the
abundant catch of people, for whatever came to them and at them for the length
of their lives. They acknowledged, accepted, and obeyed the call. We, too, are
what we are by God’s creation. Now all we have to do is acknowledge that we are
each called by God to discern and accept the commission through the words of
the Gospel, then work it every day so that God’s grace within us is never in
vain. The Good News in Christ is that we are in this together, setting sail in smooth
seas and rough with the breath of God in our sails.
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~ O Lord of Glory, cajole us to delve
into the depths of our faith, that we may be captured in the net of Christ and
the bounty of Your grace within us may never be in vain.
O God of Grace
RESPONSE: Your Love endures forever
~ O Lord of Glory, open the ears of all who wield the power of government across
this planet, in our country, and within our community, that they may hear Your
Word and give You praise by moving according to Your ways. Guide them to make
good Your purpose for the emancipation of all Your people from injustice,
intolerance, and incessant injury. We pray especially for: add your own
petitions
O God of Grace
Your
Love endures forever
~ O Lord of Glory, bind the wounds and heal the hearts of all who suffer in
body, mind, or spirit, and give strength to those who give them care. We now
join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…add your own petitions
O God of Grace
Your
Love endures forever
~ O Lord of Glory, brighten the shadows for all who are bereaved, as those who
have stepped from the constrains of this life, now delight in the glory and
radiance of new and unending life in Christ. We pray especially for: add
your own petitions
O God of Grace
Your
Love endures forever
~ O Lord of Glory, we pause in this
moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions,
petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently…add your own petitions
O God of Grace
Your
Love endures forever
~ O Lord of Glory, renew and empower
those who welcome us to the sacred feast at Your table and proclaim the Good
News of Christ’s Gospel, that together we may know and experience Your
blessings and abiding love. We pray especially for: add your own
petitions
O God of Grace
Your
Love endures forever
The Celebrant adds: Holy Lord of Hosts, so immerse us in the
confidence of Your love that we feel our guilt depart and we stand in Your
strength with the courage to say, “Send me.” Diminish our fear of the deep as
we set our sails for Christ and bring others along to our glorious destination.
We ask through Jesus, Fisher of Souls; and the Holy Spirit, our Navigator; who
together with You are One God in Glory, now and forever more. Amen.
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