Epiphany 5C
February 10, 2019
Luke 5:1-11
INTRODUCTION
Last week, we
got to hear the story of Jeremiah’s call to be a prophet. Today’s readings
offer us three more call stories. First, we will hear the dramatic call of
Isaiah – complete with six-winged angels, burning coals, and the impossibly
large robe of God filling the room. Our reading from 1 Corinthians offers a
glimpse of Paul’s call to missionary work – though it is not his call story
(that can be found in the book of Acts), he reflects on how he became one of
Jesus’ apostles; despite his sordid history of persecuting the church. And then
of course in Luke we will hear the story of Jesus calling the first of his
disciples, and in particular, Simon (later called Peter). Not a-one of them is a
likely candidate for the job to which they are called, and yet each is hand-picked
by God.
Call stories
like this matter – especially when the stories are included, as these are, in
the biblical canon – because they set the tone for and even foreshadow the
ministry to come. So as you listen, take notice of the details around each
encounter and the way it is presented. What do you think those details can show
us about how God calls us into ministry today? Let’s listen.
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| Accessed at Vanderbilt Divinity School library: |
[READ]
Grace to you and
peace from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
I love a good story, but I especially
love origin stories – stories that tell us about the start of things. Like,
“how we met” stories. (Anyone seen When
Harry Met Sally? I love that movie, and especially for all the couples they
interview about how they met!) Or, “how we got engaged” stories. And right up
there with my favorite origin stories, are call stories: whether a call to
ordained ministry, or a call to any number of other vocations, like teaching, or
health care, or law, or parenting. I love a good call story.
And on that front, today’s readings
deliver! Isaiah, Paul, and Simon Peter – three giants of the faith, and we get
insight from all of them about how they came to do the Lord’s work of spreading
the word of God throughout the land. When a call story makes its way into the
Bible, it is especially worth noticing, because like most origin stories, how a
call story is told has much to tell us about the nature of that call, and what
we can expect from it.
So today I wanted to explore with you
the call of Simon Peter, because while we are not all called to be prophets,
like Isaiah, or church planters, like Paul, we are all called to be disciples,
like Peter. And I think we can all learn something about the life of
discipleship from Peter’s call story. So, you game to explore with me? Okay,
let’s go!
First of all, we can learn from Peter’s
story that God calls ordinary, broken people (just like us) to be disciples.
Luke tells us that Jesus has gone to the Lake of Gennesaret, some 80 miles from
Jerusalem, where he just was, in Podunk City. This is like, Nowheresville, Palestine,
and he’s talking to a bunch of country folk and fishermen – not exactly the
upper echelons of society. Furthermore, he’s targeted some fishermen who are
allegedly professionals at this gig, but who have just utterly failed. All
night they have fished, and caught nothing, not one fish! Some fishermen,
right? But it is from this bunch of losers and failures from whom Jesus plucks
his first (and most famous) disciples.
Of course, this should come as no
surprise to us, because this is a theme throughout the Bible: God is always
choosing people with issues to do God’s work. Abraham and Sarah were abusive,
Jacob was a scoundrel, Moses had a speech impediment, King David was a murderer,
liar and adulterer. John the Baptist was a loon in the wilderness, Matthew was
a slimy tax collector, and Paul was a persecutor of the church. And yet, I
think we sometimes tell ourselves that we need to somehow have it all together
before we can answer God’s call. I cringe when I hear people say things like,
“I’ve wandered so far from God, I think lightening would strike the church if I
ever entered it!” That’s exactly the opposite of what would happen if a
notorious sinner walked in the door – indeed, no one but a sinner ever has. But
God has shown again and again that sinners and failures and broken people are
exactly the crowd Jesus interested in.
Second, we can see from Peter’s call
story that following Jesus requires immense trust. All night Peter and his
friends have been fishing, and caught nothing. And then this carpenter/rabbi
Jesus guy comes along and tries to tell these professional fishermen how to do
their job! I doubt I’d be so gracious as Peter! I’d probably say, “Seriously,
dude, you think you can do my job better than I can? Listen, I’ve been at this
gig a long time, and I can tell you, if we didn’t catch any fish all night, we
sure as heck won’t catch any right now, in the light of day with all these
people around!” Surely Peter knew better than Jesus! And yet, Peter puts aside
his assurance that he knows better, and casts the nets anyway. And the result
is an abundance he can’t even manage on his own.
Boy, this is a lesson in discipleship
I need again and again! I’m a pretty logical, smart person, and I usually think
I know better than whatever crazy thing God has in mind. Yet dependence on my
own intellect does not reflect much trust, does it?
A couple weeks ago, at our annual
meeting, we passed a deficit budget for 2019. One thing council discussed before
recommending that budget to you, was whether it was the right move to increase
our benevolence, the money we give away, from 2.5% up to 5% (which is still, by
the way, less than half what it was in 2017). Every logical part of me says,
“Obviously not a good move! We need to keep that money, not give it away! Just
look at the numbers!” But I have, over the years, discovered that how we manage
money is one concrete way we can practice trust, rather than logic, in our
faith. Because of that, when I’m asked, I will almost always say, “I think we
should give more money away!” because the more we give away, the more we are
pushed toward trusting that God will take care of us. It’s hard! And I
certainly do not do it perfectly in my own life – I’m working on it! But
Peter’s call story shows us that this sort of trust is faithful discipleship.
Third thing we can learn from Peter’s
call story is that following Jesus starts with repentance – that is,
confession, and turning away from sinful ways. When Jesus tells him to cast his
nets again, his first response is skepticism. “Uh, we’ve tried that… but
whatever.” When he sees the bounty that results (so many fish the nets break
and the boats begin to sink!), he immediately recognizes his unbelief, his
limited perspective, his belief that nothing more than he had seen before could
ever happen. Jesus opens Peter’s eyes not only to the possibility of something
he’d never imagined, but also to his own sinfulness, his own need for grace.
And perhaps that is even the better
lesson we can learn here: that we are all sinners in need of God’s grace. That
every last one of us has doubted whether God can really pull through for us,
every last one of us has put our trust in human things, rather than divine
things, every last one of us has held a limited view of the power of God. To
start our journey with repentance, with confession of our unbelief, is to start
our journey by saying, “Here, Jesus, you drive. I can’t do it, but I know that
you can. I am a sinner in need of grace, and I know and trust that you will
deliver.” That’s why we start nearly every Sunday worship service with a time
of confession. It is so that, as we bring ourselves to worship (our whole
selves, even the broken bits), we are powerfully reminded that we are sinners
who are utterly dependent on God’s grace. And, even more, that we are, each
day, assured of being given that grace.
Finally, what we can learn from
Peter’s call story is that following Jesus, while inspiring and life-giving,
can also be really scary. After Peter recognizes and names his human frailty,
Jesus tells him, “Do not be afraid.” This is always a clue that what comes next
is really something worth being afraid of! It’s like, “Don’t freak out, I’m
about to give you a huge, important task,” but it also means, “but don’t worry:
I’m gonna be right here the whole time.”
And so it is here: “Do not be afraid,
Simon Peter. I’m going to use you to spread this gospel, to share the good
news, to cast your nets into the deep waters of the world, where there are
people you’re not used to talking to, and situations unlike you’ve seen before,
and experiences that will stretch you to your limit and then some. It ain’t
gonna be easy. But do not be afraid: I’ll be here with you the whole time.”
That’s how it is to be a disciple,
you see? Being a disciple of Christ implies a call into the deep waters, into
the chaotic world, to bring there a word of hope. Being a disciple means
sometimes choosing trust over logic and good sense. Being a disciple means admitting
your shortcomings, but rather than dwelling there, trusting that God will use
you despite or because of your brokenness and failures. Being a disciple means
sometimes rocking the boat, even sometimes to the point of it sinking, if doing
so will help to further the radical, life-changing, and loving message of the
gospel.
And so, my friends, let us not be
afraid to live into this call. Let us bring our whole, broken and sinful selves
to this work, to the deep, chaotic waters of the world. Let us turn from sin,
and above all, let us trust in God’s presence and abundant grace – for us bunch
of sinners and failures, and for the whole world.
Let us pray… Lord Jesus, you have called us into the deep waters of discipleship.
When we doubt our worthiness, or are overwhelmed by our sin or shortcomings, or
think we know better than you, help us to trust that you have called us for a
reason. Help us each day to live into that call. In the name of the Father and
the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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