Lectionary: Isaiah 6:1-8, [9-13]; Psalm 138; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11
En el nombre de Dios que es nuestra fuente, nuestra luz, y nuestro sustento. Amén. In the name of God who is our source, our light, and our sustenance. Amen.
Dutch priest and theologian, Henri Nouwen, once said, "It is a mystery that the heart, which is the center of our being, is transformed by God into God's own heart, a heart large enough to embrace the entire universe. Through prayer, we can carry in our heart all human pain and sorrow, all conflicts and agonies, all torture and war, all hunger, loneliness and misery, not because of some great psychological or emotional capacity, but because God's heart has become one with ours."
Here's how it usually works: God calls to us and says, I want you to do this… Who me? No, I can’t do that, as Moses said. Or… no thanks, God, I don’t want to do that, as Jonah said. Or… that’s impossible God, as Mary the Mother of God said. Or… as we heard Isaiah say, Not me God, for I’ve strayed from your path of righteousness. Like others around me, I say and do unloving things.
We have lots of very rational “not me” responses when God calls to us: I/we don’t have enough time, talent, or treasure to do what you ask, God. It’s pretty much our knee-jerk response, isn’t it?
As our psalmist reminds us, God has a purpose for each of us and all of us, and God will strengthen and empower us to accomplish that purpose. God’s enduring love and presence with us assure us of Their divine protection, guidance, and provision, every step of the way.
This is exactly what Jesus is demonstrating in our gospel story. As we ponder this story, I ask you to listen prayerfully, with your hearts as well as with your heads, because this story is full of symbolic imagery and action.
The setting is the northern portion of the Sea of Galilee near Gennesaret. The timeline, in this gospel anyway, begins with Jesus claiming his identity as the Messiah having read from the scroll of Isaiah in his homeetown synagogue in Nazareth, angering some who heard him. From there Jesus goes to Galilee where he drives an unclean spirit out of a man in the that synagogue. Then he goes to Simon’s house where he heals Simon’s mother-in-law of a debilitating fever. As a result, people came to Simon’s house from all around, seeking spiritual and physical healing. Jesus layed hands on them and healed them all. Then he went throughout Judea to teach in the synagogues and the people heard the word of God come from him. Jesus’ reputation for wisdom and healing spread like wildfire in the region.
This explains why the crowds were pressing in on Jesus in today’s gospel story. To serve them well, Rabbi Jesus plans to use the geography of the area to amplify his voice by going out a little way into the lake to teach.
Jesus goes to Simon, whom he wouldn’t have known yet, and asks Simon to take him out in his boat so he can teach the gathering crowd. Simon, who has just returned from an unsuccessful night of fishing and cleaned his nets, is tired and probably ready to go home to sleep.
Poor Simon Peter. He’s tired, frustrated, and has no food to bring home to his family or to sell after a long night of practicing his trade. Yet, he takes this rabbi on his boat so he can teach the gathering crowd. This puts Simon Peter up close to Jesus as he teaches. I can’t even imagine how transforming that would be!
When he had finished teaching, the rabbi, who is not an experienced fisherman, told Simon (notice he didn’t ask this time) to go out farther and let down his nets to catch fish. We’ve just got back, Simon says, there are no fish out there. But if you say so, I will let down the nets. I will obey.
The fish are so plentiful that the nets begin to break. Another boat is called in to help haul in this incredible abundance of fish. Both boats are so loaded up they begin to sink. What a vivid illustration of the abundance of God!
Luke says that when Simon Peter saw this, he fell to his knees before Jesus confessing his sinfulness. Whenever we become aware that we are in the presence of God, we also become keenly aware of how weak, insignificant, and broken we are by comparison.
Jesus comforts Simon Peter saying those words that always come from heaven right before a call is issued: “Do not be afraid.” Then Jesus issues Simon his divine purpose: “from now on,” he says, “you will be catching people.”
I need to point out that in Jesus’ time, that phrase was used to talk about teachers gathering students. Jesus is anointing Peter to become a teacher of so many people that his proverbial nets will break and boats will sink from the numbers of them. Turns out, Jesus was right!
The story ends with Simon - and others – devoting their lives to this newly revealed purpose. Luke says they left everything else behind to follow Jesus. And there it is… the movement from obedience to a transformed heart, a heart in unity with the very heart of God.
As I often say: thank God for Simon Peter! He’s so like us. He doesn’t get it, then he gets it, then he doesn’t again. Yet, God stays with Simon Peter, forming him, guiding him, and making him ready to serve. Simon Peter wasn’t successful because he was so smart or skilled. Clearly he wasn’t. But as Brother Andrew once said, “God does not choose people because of their ability, but because of their availability.”
Simon Peter’s availability to God transformed him and his mission, and the outcome was an abundance of transformed hearts in numbers so large no one could have imagined it. This, my beloved family of God at Emmanuel, is our call too: to be available to God knowing that if we answer this call, we and our mission will be transformed.
The world is now and always has been, as Henri Nouwen said, filled with pain, sorrow, conflicts andagonies, torture, war, hunger, loneliness, and misery – but we believe that our hearts are united to the heart of God, and through prayer, we can not only survive the pain and misery, but serve as lights of Christ in it. Without prayer, I don’t know how we’d even survive.
Our prayer, whether alone at home, or together in our worship, keeps us aware that we are always living, walking, and serving in the real and powerful presence of God who protects us, guides us, and provides for us in every step we take. And when we stray from the path of righteousness, as Isaiah did, God acts to restore us. And when we humbly surrender, as Peter did, we are empowered to serve in unity with the very heart of God. Amen.
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