From Fishing to "People-ing"

Isaiah 6:1-8; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11

As I read our Old Testament lesson for today, I was reminded of my own call into the ministry. For, indeed, this scripture out of Isaiah is the account of Isaiah's call to be a prophet. And, as we compare the experiences people have of being called into ministry, while there is certainly a wide range of experience, there are, yet, some important elements which are common to all.

Perhaps the first thing that happens that is common to all experiences of being called into ministry is that there is a certainty on the part of the person that the One who is doing the calling is none other than God. And the second thing that is common to all experience of being called is that the person feels a deep sense of inadequacy. Then, finally, another major common element within the calling experience is that assurance is given by God that in spite of the person's feelings of inadequacy, God will supply everything needed to make that person worthy of the call.

But, first, as each of us are called for Christian ministry, how can we be sure that it is God who is doing the calling? For Isaiah, the experience of being called was pretty convincing. He was in the Temple and had a vision. In the Jewish faith it was believed that the Temple was a portal between heaven and earth, an intermediary step between one and the other. They further be lieved that it was only because of mortal limitations that humans were unable to actually see the throne of God as they stood in the Temple and gazed at the altar. Human eyes only saw an altar. But, if one stood in the Temple with spiritual eyes, it was believed that one would be able to see the very court of God.

And, so, this is what Isaiah saw as he stood in the Temple. And he could see the Lord, sitting on his throne, his robes filling the Temple. And there were six winged angels flying in the temple. And smoke filled the Temple. Certainly, at this point, there was no doubt in Isaiah's mind that it was God who was calling him to be a prophet.

The call we may get from God to serve him isn't usually this vivid. Indeed, rather than being a throne room full of smoke and six winged angels, our call may be as simple as a warm feeling in our heart, or an unexplainable urge to follow Jesus. It may be an indescribable moment spent on our knees in prayer at the altar or in a pew or as we sit in our car listening to the radio.

Suddenly, we feel that it is God who is calling us. And we have faith that it is so.

But, I once had a psychiatrist ask how anyone could actually know that it was God who calls. He was one of those psychiatrists who believes that mystical experiences are actually a physical phenomenon of the mind. He believed that if persons felt God then, what they were actually hearing was one of their multiple personalities speaking a little louder than usual.

And I've had other persons tell me that what some people may feel is God calling them, may actually be the emotion of an evangelistic service or one's desire to follow peer or parental pressure.

Now, I don't believe that being aware of these possibilities is such a bad thing. In fact, it may be well that we understand that our mind is susceptible to being tricked. Indeed, whenever someone feels that they are being called, they should question their calling, or test it, to see if it is genuine. And, to test a calling, to test the validity of a message we feel has come to us from God, we are wise when we check with persons we can trust.

But, to deny that God does call us and does communicate with us, simply because we know of persons who were fooled, would be foolish. Indeed, to deny that God calls us would be to put in doubt the validity of the past 3,000 years of the history of what is called God's People. To deny that God calls us and speaks to us would be like saying that we are all alone in the universe. And I, for one, am unwilling to take such a foolish step.

So, indeed, God does call us. God calls each of us, in God's own way, to follow him; to be a minister of Jesus Christ; in our own way.

But, as soon as Isaiah realized that he had been called, what did he do? He cried out, "Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."

Indeed, it is a common experience for us to feel that we are not worthy to serve the Lord. For instance, as I have talked with young persons about their call, and have asked them if they felt that God had called them to be a clergy person, I have often gotten the response: "Well, I don't think I'm good enough."

Why is it that we think our clergy persons are supposed to have more "good" in them than anybody else? Indeed, what a terrible thing it is that we do to clergy when we put them on such a pedestal! For in doing so, we set them up for failure at the very moment they should reveal their feet of clay. But, what's worse is that in expecting our clergy to be more righteous than everyone else, we may be subconsciously putting that clergy into the role of a priest who lives the righteous life for the sake of his congregation. And when we do this, we both deny God's grace for us, as well as for the clergy, who needs it, too.

And, so, when someone tells me that they don't think they are good enough to be a minister, or to be a Christian, or to come to church, or to take communion, my answer is, "What has goodness got to do with anything?" For it is God's grace, who through the blood of Jesus Christ, accepts us just as we are, without a plea.

Yet, in this world there is much that goes against the teachings of the bible which may cause us to feel unworthy. We are faced with this every day in the newspapers, on television, and even in our families. And it is even getting to the point that we don't even know what right and wrong is, anymore.

The moral standards have disappeared. Parents are confused about how to discipline their children, even afraid to discipline. The institution of the family is crumbling and marriages are failing. Sexual taboos are thought to be obsolete. Intercourse outside of marriage, even among 12 and 13 year olds, is becoming standard practice. Responsibility has given way to licentiousness. The mores which once ensured stability for children to grow and develop to their full potentials have fallen by the wayside.

We had better wake up before it is too late. We would do well to read the Bible, to rediscover what moral standards are, to relearn what right and wrong is. Nevertheless, no matter where we are, no matter how we have fallen short of the glory of God, we are accepted by God's grace, through the blood of the Lamb."

Finally, when Isaiah realized that he was a sinful person; when he realized that his own people had violated, time and time, again, the laws of God; when he realized that he had no business being a minister for the Lord, it was at that very moment that God gave him all that he needed to do the job.

And in the very same way, when we finally understand who we are in relation to God, when we finally understand that we can't do it alone, it is then that God gives us what we need to be his people in ministry to the world.

The disciples found this out in our gospel lesson for today. They'd been fishing all night and hadn't caught anything. They'd been out there alone, going after those fish, aided only by their own experience and human resources. Yet, that hadn't been enough. They had failed. What they needed was something more. They needed Jesus. At it was Jesus who told them to put their nets down in a certain place. And when they obeyed Jesus, when they finally submitted themselves to his direction, they succeeded.

As we look at that miracle, aren't we reminded of how badly we need Jesus in our lives, giving us direction, especially for the important things God has called us to do? Those disciples, in order to bring in the fish, had to submit themselves, expert fisherman as they were, to the direction of a carpenter! Imagine! It would be like a plumber getting advice from an electrician on how to unplug a drain! Imagine the submission! Imagine the humility of those disciples as they decided to let Jesus guide them.

Sometimes we think we have all the answers. Sometimes we think we know everything we need to know. Sometimes we think we can make it on our own, that we know our way. But, then we fail, we get lost. It is only when we realize our need for Jesus and submit ourselves to him that we may ever be the fishers of men and women Jesus calls us to be.

Amen.