St. Paul's Episcopal Church

St. Paul's Episcopal Church
425 Cleveland Ave SW
Canton, Ohio 44702
Phone: 330-455-0286
Fax: 330-455-9818
E-mail: office@stpaulscanton.org

5 Epiphany
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Canton OH
Isaiah 6:1-8, I Corinthians 15:1-11, Luke 5: 1-11

February 7, 2010
The Rev. Barbara L Bond

Send me

As we look for direction and meaning in our lives, we are influenced by many things in our world – the media is always hyping something or other, some grand product or process. We may pick up books, listen to tapes, go to lectures or even movies, looking for some insight or stimulation. Some of us might even look at the Bible!

Reading the Bible can be a scary trip sometimes. Members of our EFM class have expressed dismay lately as they read those parts of the Old Testament that normally get skipped. There is a lot of violence in the stories of the early Jewish experience -- well, there’s a lot of violence in today’s headlines, too – but we hope for something inspiring from the Scriptures, not a blood bath. Reading the Bible can take courage and tenacity. The Bible is not intended to give instant answers – despite the desire of some magical thinkers who just let it fall open to give them a message, bingo! I find myself reading the Bible more slowly, with awe. It is an encounter with God.

All three of our readings today express feelings of awe and inadequacy in the presence of God. All three protagonists are searching for God, and find themselves humbled by the encounter.

Take Isaiah, for instance. This great prophet began his vocation as a result of a spectacular vision in the Temple: God seated upon a grand throne, seraphim flying around singing the Sanctus, smoke everywhere. Seeing this grand vision filled Isaiah with terror. He cries, “Woe is me! I am lost! For I am a man of unclean lips, and so are all my people, and yet, and YET, I have been granted this vision.” Why should God choose him, he wonders? He is prepared for his vocation as prophet by a symbolic act: a seraph cleanses him, burns away from his lips all doubt, all inadequacy. Isaiah is now ready. God asks, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And the new Isaiah responds, “Here I am, send me!”

In the second reading, our patron saint, Paul, writes to his friends in Corinth about his own encounter with the Risen Christ. Paul says that Christ chose to appear to many others before him – over 500, apparently, and then, in words so desperately humble, he adds, ”Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called as an apostle….but by the grace of God I am what I am.” This is Paul on a good day, Paul letting us see into his heart and soul. Through God’s grace, his inadequacies, his sin, are burned away and he is sent on his way, to become a great apostle, to build up the Body of Christ.

And then there’s Peter. We’ve got to love Peter – this often bumbling follower of Jesus, enthusiastic, pushy, impetuous – he looks pretty familiar to me! In this scene, he and his fellow fishermen have had a long night fishing with no results. Perhaps up until now, Peter has kept his work life and his church life separate: Jesus preaches great sermons and it is wonderful to be his follower, but then Peter has to keep fishing, working at his profession, and he doesn’t see any connection. But when Jesus tells him to drop his nets into the water once again, Peter is willing. And just look at all the fish he catches! And Peter’s response? He falls to his knees, and declares his own inadequacy. “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” Here he is in the presence of his Lord and Master, and a miracle of a huge catch of fish, and he feels humbled to his very soul.

Perhaps we long for such an encounter – a smoked-filled Temple appearance, a dramatic scene on the road to Damascus, or a startling miracle. But chances are that our encounters with God will be more gradual, that we encounter God through steady practices, such as attending worship, or regularly reading the Bible, or opening ourselves to God’s presence in acts of mercy.

In all three instances of our stories, the scenes did not end with fear and trembling. In all three instances, there was a strong response requested. God asked Isaiah, “Who shall I send?” He responded, “Send me.” Paul was humbled by the Risen Christ, and responded by becoming an apostle for Christ. And Peter: I imagine Jesus lifting him gently from the bottom of the boat, looking him in the eye and saying with love, “Peter, don’t be afraid. This is just the beginning. You will continue to be a fisherman, but from now on, you will catch another kind of fish. You will fish for people, to catch them with the good news.”

We too are caught by Christ, and urged to tell the good news. This will not always be easy. The hymn we just sang tells of the challenges faced by the apostles, who began as naïve fishermen, but learned that the peace of God “is no peace, but strife closed in the sod.” All that violence I mentioned at the beginning of this sermon – it is still there. All the misery of the world – it is still there. But if we respond to God’s call, we can find peace, the peace of God. We can find peace through our work to make the world better. We can find peace by responding to needs wherever we see them – the poor, the hungry, the grieving, the searching -- we can respond to all kinds of needs, and through our response, we will be apostles too. “Here I am, Lord. Send me.”

AMEN