February 4, 2007
Epiphany 5
NUCC
“Woe is me! I am lost.”
“Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!”
These were the reactions of two men in our scripture lessons this morning:
A prophet/priest named Isaiah.
A fisherman named Peter.
Each one felt unworthy and inadequate when he encountered God. Each one of these men felt as if he was like a “filthy rag.” But each one was used by God for some wonderful work. These men could be called “God’s unlikely choices.” They were not perfect men. They were not always holy men. But, for some reason they were God’s men.
Isn’t it strange how God works? God works through people: stupid, fallible, sometimes faithful, sometimes wayward people. People like Isaiah and Peter. People like you and me.
As I looked at our two lessons this morning I found it interesting how God took these two men and used them. There is a progression:
1. Each one encountered the greatness of God.
2. Each one felt unable to face God.
3. Each one came to feel called by God.
With Isaiah we have some interesting figures called seraphim ----- as in our first hymn: cherubim and seraphim. Traditionally the seraphim are seen as six winged fiery creatures. Early Christian theologians came to see them as beings of pure light having direct communication with God. As I mentioned with the children, in Isaiah they sing: “Holy, holy, holy.”
We could see the seraphim as pictures of the way we feel when we sense God’s great power and holiness and then learn to do God’s will:
The seraphim have:
2 wings to cover their eyes, as if they are afraid to see God’s great power and purity.
2 wings to cover their bodies, as if they are afraid for God to see how impure they are.
2 wings to fly about to do God’s will, knowing that God has called them.
These six-winged creatures show us what it means to encounter God’s holiness, recognize our own sinfulness, and respond as God’s own two-legged, wingless yet wonderful creatures.
Look at Peter, the man Jesus found fishing and told to cast his net. Peter responded to Jesus, but Peter was responding to more than a marvelous catch of fish. Peter had heard Jesus teach and had watched Jesus in action for a while before this event took place. Peter sensed God’s presence in all he had seen of Jesus --- his loving healing, his demanding teachings, his control of nature. Peter realized, even before Jesus told him, that being Jesus’ friend and disciple would not be safe and comfortable, but demanding and life changing. For us also, being Jesus’ disciple is exciting, demanding and life changing.
Exciting, demanding and life changing. That’s what the Christian life is. It certainly happened for Peter, the man who fished for fish most of his life, but after meeting Jesus fished for people. We can think of others who made dramatic changes in their lives as they went through the same three-pronged process as Isaiah and Peter:
1. Feeling overawed by God.
2. Feeling unworthy.
3. Feeling the call, in spite of the awe and unworthiness.
· People in history like Augustine of Hippo, who dabbled in other religions and sought his own pleasure, but then answered the call of God in the voice of a boy and became one of Christianity’s greatest thinkers.
· People today like our own UCC minister Jeremiah Wright, who rebelled against his family’s tradition of service in the ministry, but came back from service in the Navy to eventually lead our largest congregation, Trinity in
Perhaps you have not had any dramatic experience in your life, like an Isaiah encountering the six-winged seraphs or Peter catching his miraculous net of fish. All the same, each of us has an opportunity to live out discipleship here in little old Neillsville in this church. I’ve seen various among you take hold and share the excitement in our Unwrapping and Unleashing groups. I’ve seen you grow in faith and dare to take leadership. I’ve seen you earnestly explore what it means to be a disciple.
Today we will be experiencing God’s holy presence in the loaf and cup. May each of us be convicted of God’s holiness, accept our own inadequacies, and move on the claim our role as Christ’s disciples.
