Sunday, February 10, 2019

Epiphany, Theophany aka God's Call


5 Epiphany C February 10, 2019
Isaiah 6:1-8, [9-13] Psalm 138
1 Corinthians 15:1-11 Luke 5:1-11
The season of the Epiphany is about how God's love wins us in such a way that we seek to become winsome in sharing that love with others too. How does God become manifest to us?

The readings from the Scriptures appointed for this day gives us insights into the dynamics of God's call.

Today's Gospel presents us with the well-known calling of the fishermen by Jesus. When it comes to the Gospel fishermen,  I think that we often project our notion of fishing as a relaxing recreational sport back onto these fishermen of Gospel fame. Apparently, Peter, Andrew, James and John were from families on the Sea of Galilee that shared a fishing business. Fishing as business and fishing for sport are quite different things. Peter, Andrew, James and John had to fish as a part of the family business. And they probably ate lots of fish too.

Jesus, an itinerant rabbi, knew that these four men had interests beyond fishing. How did he know this?  Some were followers of John the Baptist, a relative and friend of Jesus, so we know that these men were looking for something beyond just the fishing business.

How do you think professional athletes feel when fans and amateurs try to tell them how to play their games? People in any profession do not like outsiders messing in their business. But Jesus meddled in the fishermen's business. "Hey, guys, you're not doing too well on the Lake today; why don't you throw your net in a different place?”

Can you imagine these fishermen rolling their eyes? “Jesus, we were born and raised on this Lake and into a fishing family. We know this Lake. We know the fishing spots. So, why would you presume know more about fishing on this lake than we do? Okay, we've heard good things about you, we trust you and we'll be polite and follow your fishing advice.” And what happened? They caught a bumper crop of fish. And Peter felt all embarrassed that he had doubted Jesus and he humbled himself apologetically before Jesus. And what did Jesus do? He called them to follow him. He gave them spiritual mobility. Their family script told them they were locked into the fishing business for the rest of their lives. But Jesus knew that they were men of words and curiosity about something completely different than fishing. The call of Jesus gave them a deliverance from being locked into just earning a living. Frankly, their families were probably happy for them since there were probably other family members in the business and so if some left the business there would be more left for those who remained.

So, we should be prepared for Christ to meddle in our business. Spirituality will meddle with every human enterprise. God's Holy Spirit will tell us how we can actually do our occupations better if we will allow the insights of our faith to enter our life calling.

What we also can learn from the Gospel is that you and I can do many things at the same time. We can have occupations to earn our livelihood and we can respond to the call of the Christ and much more at the same time. So, we should not let our occupations be an excuse to avoid responding to the call of Christ to our lives.

No, matter what we are doing in our lives, the call of Christ comes to us to make us better people persons.  Jesus told the fishermen, "From now on you will be catching people."

Sometimes we can use our occupations as excuses to avoid learning people skills; the call of Jesus is the call to love. And the call to love means learning people skills. It means learning how to be winsome with others.

One of the most famous accounts of the call of God was to the prophet Isaiah.  And it is a rather ironic call.  His epiphany was a profound theophany.  He entered a mystical dreamy realm and he experienced something that we are told that people cannot do: He saw God and the angelic singers of the heavenly courts.  What did they sing?  Holy, Holy, Holy…..meaning uniquely different and distinct from anything human.  And God’s uniqueness and fame called glory filled heaven and earth.

From hearing such holy singing, what did Isaiah feel about his speech?  He felt like he had a potty mouth and he dwelled among people who also had potty mouths.  And so, the hot coals had to sear his lips to give him the right words to speak.

The irony of Isaiah is that he was called to be a failure.  He was told that the people would not listen to him.  Isaiah was an unrequited prophet; he preached a message that wasn’t received in his own time.

It is still the irony of the call of Christ for us today.  Sometimes we are given insights, ministry and mission even when there are no people present to accept to our insights, ministry and mission.  I’ve seen  people become all “gung ho” with insights and energy to make the parish a better place, but they haven’t always found other people to support them.  When we seem called to be irrelevant, it can be frustrating; and we can be tempted to give up and sometimes we need to remember that the greatness of the one who calls us is greater than what we are actually called to do.  Very early in ministry, like the first week, I realized that I was called to prepare my sermon with the same faithfulness whether I thought 5 people would be present or 500.  It is important to know that the greatness of God and the calling itself is greater than any seeming successful or failing results.  It is also important to know that God hides us from knowing how we are successful, especially when it comes in ministry to youth.  I had lots of mentors when I was young who probably never knew how much they did for me.

What else about the call of God?  God is unique and holy, and God made each of us in our being and in our experience unique.  No one can be called exactly in the way in which we are called.  St. Paul noted how Christ appeared to him in a unique way long after the appearances of Christ to many others before him.  When Paul was called, he quit persecuting the church and he became the one who was called to preach the Gospel to the Gentile people.  As a result, he became one who was called to suffer and be persecuted by his former religious associates.  Paul had a unique calling and so do each one of us.  The call of Christ rides upon the obvious gifts and experiences of our lives.  The call of Christ integrates our personal experience and when we offer them to the church, they are blessed and made to be winsome to other people.

The call of Christ has come to people in their life experiences; they have brought it into the parish and “peopleized” it and it becomes parish ministry.  This is what has happened in our parish in the past;  and I believe that it will continue in the future.  What we need to let people know is that God is calling them within the gifts of their lives and within their life experience; and if they offer it for ministry within the church, Christ will make us all catch people; Christ will make us people persons.

So the call of Christ upon you and me in the uniqueness of our lives; and we need to say, “Here am I send me”…..and we can learn to rejoice in the calling itself, because the calling is in fact our relationship with Christ.   We will have some success and some failures; but let us not get disheartened in our callings as we continually offer all that we have to God to be used to be winsome in enriching the lives of the people whom we are called to be with.

Consider the call of Christ on your life today.  Consider how Christ might want to bless and use your gifts in our parish today.  Amen


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