Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany February 8, 2004.

Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13)

Psalm 138

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Luke 5:1-11

First Reading

Isaiah provides another example of commissioning. Again, the commission is specific; Isaiah's ministry is to take place in the year King Uzziah died (v. 1). The commission includes an awareness of God. And what a vision Isaiah gives us! Isaiah sees the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; the hem of God's robe filling the temple, seraphs in attendance, each with six wings. With booming voices they shake the foundations as they call, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of God's glory." And around the altar, the entire temple puffs with smoke.

While we may never see such a thing, we can be just as certain that our mission is a response to God's will. For the unconditional love of God is the will, power, and promise that works in and through us to reach out, reclaim, and return all things to God. As in all biblical commissioning stories, Isaiah is afraid and protests because he is a man of unclean lips. The speed with which the seraph touches those lips with a coal indicates the readiness of God to remove our guilt and make us ready for God's service. The Lord's question, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" (v. 8) is answered decisively in the person and ministry of Jesus.

1 Cor 15:1-11 is held to be an early credal formulation. The passage can be divided into three parts: vv. 1-2, introduction; vv. 3-7, credal recital of the gospel; vv. 8-11, Paul's own experience of the gospel. Paul speaks of the credal formula in terms of traditio, something that one receives and in turn hands over. The essential message that Paul received and passed on is that Christ died and rose according to the Scriptures. The reality of Christ's death is underscored by the reference to burial. Christ demonstrated the reality of the resurrection and Christ's continuing presence by a series of post-resurrection appearances that were experienced and attested to by many of Jesus' closest followers. The general reference to Scripture makes clear that Christ's death and resurrection are part of God's plan revealed in Scripture. The credal formula is important for preaching because of all that it enabled Paul to do. It provided the details of the gospel that Paul preached to the Corinthians, the gospel by which those who believed were saved. Paul makes clear that all mission is grounded in and a response to the good news about Jesus. In fact, the mission of every believing community is to experience, share, articulate and pass on this good news.

Luke's account of the call of Simon Peter and the sons of Zebedee parallels Isaiah's commissioning in some striking ways. Again, the commission is specific; Jesus tells the fishers to put out into the deep water and let down their nets. The fishers have an overwhelming experience of God's abundance in terms of a catch so big that their nets begin to break and the boat begins to sink. In response to this experience, Simon Peter falls down at Jesus' knees. Where previously Simon addressed Jesus as "master," now Simon addresses Jesus as "Lord." Simon Peter recognizes God's presence in this catch offish. Like Isaiah, Simon is afraid and confesses his sin and unworthiness. Jesus tells Peter not to be afraid and lays out a new vision for Peter's life. "From now on, you will be catching human beings" (v. 10). The phrase literally means "you will be capturing people alive," implying that Simon will join Jesus in bringing people from death to life. Simon leaves his nets and, like Isaiah, embraces a new vocation.

Pastoral Reflection

The readings touch upon commission, vocation, and mission. Isaiah receives a vision of God's smoke-encircled, angel-adorned throne and, in response to God's voice, agrees to go. A most unusual carpenter turned teacher turned fishing guide comes along, shows Simon and the Zebedees where to find fish, and says, "Let's go." And the partners shut down their fishing business, leave life as they know it, and follow. God's people have struggled with these stories ever since. Are they intended to be the model for all disciples at all times, or are there other forms of following that could also be legitimate?

No matter how we answer the question, following Jesus means, of course, sharing in Christ's mission. And to share in Christ's mission involves trusting Jesus above everything else. So what does trusting Jesus above everything else, leaving all, and following mean for the church and the Christian of today? A Christian who wants to grow spiritually and a congregation that wishes to be more vital as a witness to the good news will have to take into account what must be left behind in order to join Jesus in bringing people from death to life. Both as individuals and as congregations, Christians today have invested so much of our being in obtaining and maintaining our property and possessions. Both as Christians and as congregations, we have become comfortable with who we are and how we do things. So often the task of mission becomes secondary to the institutional machinery that's supposed to make mission happen.

Luke invites us to put ourselves in Simon's place. The Lord calls us to cast the nets. We find ourselves dumbfounded at the command, because we've been casting our nets in various ways for so long, but so often they seem to come up empty. Like Simon who confesses his weakness of faith ("Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinner!"), we know ourselves to be faithless, lazy, exhausted, indifferent, content, frustrated, fed-up failures when it comes to Christ and mission. And yet, it is to Simon, a self-proclaimed sinner and a fisher who admits he hasn't caught a thing all night, that Jesus says, "From now on you will be catching people." And Jesus says the same to us. Jesus does not shame Simon for hesitating to follow. Jesus is not angry and condemning. Jesus is the one who brings God's unconditional love near, the one who suffers and dies so that sinners will know how much they are loved. Notice how soft, how compassionate and caring Jesus is in dealing with Simon. "Do not be afraid," Jesus says, reassuring the prostrate disciple who has failed to understand. And following that simple command come the words of the commission: "From now on you will be catching people."

Confronted by the divine commission and our (lack of) response, today's readings all remind us that the essential ingredient is an overwhelming experience of God's presence. Isaiah's vision, Paul's creed, and Simon's catch have all been passed on to us. Unfortunately, these stories often strike us as somewhat less than overwhelming. An indispensable part of any sermon on this Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany is the preacher's passing on the experiences of Christ's death and resurrection that this assembly has received. Better than individual anecdotes is the common story of the congregation's life. For nothing less than our own experience of being brought from death to life will empower us to leave our nets, cry "Send me!", and join Jesus in this life-giving work for the sake of the world.