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. One test
is to explore the rightness and the goodness of its intended purpose and also
to discuss with a trusted advisor.
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. Hmmm…wonder
how many “kings” haven’t heard God’s words.
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, in the shallows and in the deep, with the breath
of God always filling 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 hearts to pray 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, experience, and share 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.
No comments:
Post a Comment