Brad Sullivan
5th Sunday after the Epiphany, Year C
Sunday, February 7th, 2010
Emmanuel, Houston
Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13)
Psalm 138
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Luke 5:1-11
For the last couple of weeks, we’ve been hearing about the Body of Christ. We heard about how there are many parts to the Body of Christ and that each part has its own gift. Paul was writing this to a church that was increasingly divided over whose gifts were better or even divided the person from whom they heard the Gospel. Paul reminded them that Jesus works through all of us. Many different gifts, and the greatest is love.
Today, Paul reminds the Corinthians again to be unified in their belief. Regardless of whether they heard the Gospel from Paul or from another apostle, Paul reminds them again of the importance of their belief in the Gospel, regardless of the one who preached that Gospel to them. Again, Paul is recalling the divisions in the Corinthian church, reminding them to be unified in their faith in Jesus as one body, rather than divided over human matters or controversies.
The focus of the Body of Christ, for Paul, was the good news that Jesus died for our sins. In Jesus’ actions, Paul was firmly convinced of God’s love for us. As he wrote in his letter to the Romans, “But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) In this one sentence, we find why the Gospel really is such good news. God loves us. We’re imperfect; we’re sinful; we know this fact. God loves us.
We can see the love God has for us in the calls of Isaiah and Peter which we heard this morning. In Isaiah’s vision of God, Isaiah saw God in his full majesty in his temple. Knowing scripture like we do, we all know that Isaiah should have died from having seen the Lord. No one could see God and live. As we heard in the story, Isaiah knew this too, and was very frightened that he had seen God. “Woe is me!” He said. “I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”
In other words, Isaiah was saying, “not only am I unworthy to be your prophet, Lord, but darn it, now I’m about to die.” God, of course didn’t let him die. “You think you’re so unworthy Isaiah, fine,” and God purified Isaiah with the burning coal so that he could speak for God and be his prophet.
We find a similar call narrative in Luke’s telling of the call of Peter. Jesus was teaching in Peter’s boat, he then directs Peter to have this miraculous catch of fish, and what does Peter say, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” There are obviously some differences in these call narratives. Isaiah was in the temple of God, seeing God’s very presence, in all his glory and majesty. Peter was in a boat with a bunch of fish. Isaiah saw God and was afraid for his life, knowing he was a sinful man. Peter was in the presence of a man whom he believed to be a mighty prophet of God, and Peter, like Isaiah, was struck by his own unworthy sinfulness.
Notice the similarities in the reactions of God to Isaiah and of Jesus to Peter. In both cases, these sinful men were asked to go and do service for God’s kingdom. Isaiah was asked to preach God’s word. Peter was asked to fish for people.
Whom did God chose to be his voice, his hand and feet here on earth, perfect human beings? No. God chose sinful human being, people like you and me to be his prophet, to be his disciple and apostle. Further, God not only chose sinful people, but he then helped them move beyond their sinfulness into something more, into his life of love. In these two call narratives of Isaiah and Peter, we can see once again the great love has for us.
Rob Bell is the founding pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and in a video teaching series he has called Nooma, he spoke of God’s love in the following way: “We fall short, and that’s the beautiful part. Broken, flawed, vulnerable people like you and me are invited to be the hands and feet of a Jesus who loves us exactly as we are and yet loves us way too much to let us stay that way.” (Nooma You
015 Rob Bell)
That sounds pretty good to me. That sounds like good news. God really does love us, as we are. So, having laid that foundation, I’m now going to talk briefly about Janie’s upcoming sabbatical, its implications for Emmanuel, and ways in which Janie’s sabbatical might help us hear anew God’s message of love.
As most of us know by now, Pastor Janie is going to be leaving for about 4 months. Her last Sunday before the sabbatical will be April 25th, and she’ll return to us on August 17th. Part of this time will be vacation, which as we all know is important time for Sabbath rest. The purpose the sabbatical is for her rest, and to study, and to go as Jesus often did, to a lonely place and be with God. Most of Janie’s sabbatical time, will be spent in study and in prayer so that she can be reinvigorated, re-inspired to lead us here at Emmanuel when she
Janie, and Gill, and the vestry, and I have heard nothing but positive support for Janie’s sabbatical, and that’s a wonderful gift that has been given to her. I’m guessing, however, that there is still some anxiety about her being gone for May, June, July, and half of August. To that anxiety, I would point us again to God’s love for us, expressed in Paul’s words in his letter to the Corinthians.
As I noted in the beginning of this sermon, Paul was writing to a church with division, with controversy. Paul had started the church there, and then he had left to start other churches. In Paul’s leaving, a central leader of the Corinthian community had left. It’s little wonder they had some division going on. Paul was reminding them in his letter today, that he was not the glue which bound the Corinthian church. God’s love, given to them through the Gospel of Jesus Christ was the glue which held the Corinthian church together. The person who preached to them the Gospel was not of prime importance. The Gospel itself was of prime importance. “…God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.” The love of God in the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the tie that binds us. The love of God in the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the call we can each receive like Isaiah and Peter. The love of God in the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the assurance that God loves us just as we are and that God loves us way too much to let us stay that way.
Janie’s sabbatical is going to change this congregation. Janie will be changed by the Sabbath rest she is going to receive, and we are going to be changed by our leader’s absence. New avenues of ministry will likely open up simply because Janie won’t be here to do some of those ministries. Janie’s sabbatical may well be a time of call for many of us here. Our life is going to be different for a while, and yet, the heart of our life together is not going to change one bit. The love of God in the Gospel of Jesus Christ remains with us always.
The love of God in the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the glue that holds us together, not any one person. The love God has for this congregation and for ever person in this congregation is expressed in Janie’s sabbatical and the change that will come to all of us from her sabbatical. “Do not be afraid,” Jesus told Peter, “from now on you will be catching people.” From that moment on, Peter was changed. From the time of Isaiah’s call, Isaiah was changed. Peter and Isaiah were changed from people whom loved God to people whom God loved, but with a new purpose, a new calling.
With Janie’s sabbatical, we all are being called, like Peter, like Isaiah to be changed from people whom God loves to people whom God loves but with new purpose and new calling. In the coming months before Janie’s sabbatical, in the months during Janie’s sabbatical, and in the months following Janie’s sabbatical, remember God’s love for each of us and God’s call to each of us. Remember that like Peter and Isaiah, none of us need to be perfect to be called by God. Remember that we are all the Body of Christ, “we [all] fall short, and that’s the beautiful part. Broken, flawed, vulnerable people like you and me are invited to be the hands and feet of a Jesus who loves us exactly as we are and yet loves us way too much to let us stay that way.” Amen.
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