Feb. 7, 2010
2010 02 07
All or Nothing
Isaiah 6:1-8, (9-13)
Psalm 138
Luke 5:1-11
In the 1870's, Alexander Graham Bell was credited with the invention of the telephone, but it was about a hundred years later when Ted Paraskevakos made it a whole lot better. Let me explain by first asking you a question. How many of you have ever received a call from a wrong number? How many of you have had prank call, or a call from a bill collector, telemarketer, or an incredibly irritating minister? Anyone here?
Some years ago, Jennifer and I had a phone number that once belonged to a couple who were in some serious financial trouble. For four years, we were called by bill collectors asking for this person and his wife. We would tell the people on the other end...no, we are not them, and we do not know how to get a hold of them. Please stop calling. Please stop calling. And for four years, they kept calling. Like most of you, I spend enough time taking care of our own business. I don't need someone else's bills to worry about.
Since the invention of the phone, the ring of the bells or the sound of the ringtone usually brings to mind just one question ...who is it? It was while working for a Greek telephone company in the 1970's, that Paraskevakos helped us to answer that exact question. You see, he developed the very first...caller ID. Nowadays, most people can't imagine living without it. We have caller ID on our cell phones and our phones at home. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that when your phone rings, some cable and satellite companies, will even put the incoming name and number of a caller on your TV screen. Is that right? We don't have that service, but it would be nice to have this evening as we are watching the Super Bowl. I can imagine: Final seconds of the game, fourth and one at the one, the game is on the line and someone calls asking if our "refrigerator is running."
I think that we are a people who love caller ID because we want to know who is calling, so we know whether or not to answer the call. This morning we have two examples people answering a call from God. In the passage from Isaiah 6, there is little question who this call is from. Isaiah has a vision of the Lord himself. He is seated on a throne in heaven. There are angels...seraphs flying about. And the greatness of the Lord is so spectacular that even they cover their faces and their feet (anything that might be unclean or unworthy) in his presence.
3 And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." 4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. Have you ever worn a piece of dark clothing near a black light? It picks up every little speck of lint. Every little thread and imperfection of your clothing is seen as plain as day.
This is how Isaiah felt in the presence of God. Everything he had ever done wrong...every word, every deed, every sin...was laid bare and brought to light in God's presence. 5 "Woe to me!" I cried. "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."
An angel brought forth a fiery coal from the altar and touched his lips with it. "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for." 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"
God called to Isaiah, and there could be no doubt as to who was calling. God had something special in mind for Isaiah, but there was no way Isaiah could do it on his own. Like everyone else, Isaiah had his sin...a burden hanging over his head. With the burning coal, God took care of that, Isaiah was now ready to do what God wanted. But God still had to ask him. It seems impossible that Isaiah could have turned down this request from the Lord. Yet God still asks: "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" Perhaps we would all be as faithful as Isaiah in these circumstances. I believe that if any of us had stood in Isaiah's place...in God's presence...we would all have said, "Here am I. Send me!" It is hard to turn down the call where you are 100% sure of the caller.
But what about Simon? What if we were in Simon's sandals on the day that Jesus first walked into his life. Simon was a rough and tumble fisherman. He was a good Jew. He likely kept all the customs and celebrated the feasts like everyone else. But hard work was where he put his faith, and fishing was his religion. Simon and his crew had been out fishing all night. It was too hot to fish in the day, and their catch would quickly turn bad in the hot sun.
The day is over for Simon, he and his men were just cleaning their nets when Jesus got into Simon's boat. They put out to shallow water, so Jesus would be able to teach the crowds who remained on shore. Simon probably went back to cleaning his nets while Jesus taught. Another holy man...another prophet...no big deal. They had probably all seen their share of people claiming to be God's messengers...and they all faded away or were killed by the Romans.
But Jesus strikes a chord with Simon. "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." 5 Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything..." Work all night. Work all day. Simon has probably been a fishermen since he could walk. And now this wandering holy man is going to tell him how to fish? Yet something Jesus either said or did, convinces Simon otherwise. "But because you say so, I will let down the nets."
The empty nets are filled with fish such as the likes these men have never seen. They begin to break from the sheer number...the sheer mass of the fish they have caught. The other boat came out to help, but soon both boats began to sink. . 8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners.
Simon did not have all the advantages that Isaiah had. Simon may have heard of Jesus, but it is now that Simon had been in his presence, that he figured out who Jesus was. Simon may not have had the divine caller ID, but he got the message all the same.
Simon realized his sin the same as Isaiah did. He had been worshipping at the Temple of Empty Nets and scratching out a mere existence. But Jesus was now calling him to be a fisher of men and to give him a life he could never known on his own. Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.
Simon...even James and John walked away from their boats. They surrendered all that meant anything to them up to that point and followed Jesus. Maybe I am oversimplifying things, but following God is an all or nothing proposition. I truly believe that God is always looking into the hearts of all humanity. He is looking for that time, that place, that opportunity where can call out to us and we will respond to him.
And maybe it is a lot like a caller ID. God calls out to people and they don't recognize the caller. So they ignore him. I don't know who that is. I don't know what they want, and I am not interested in talking. Goodbye. Maybe God calls out to some people and they view God like a prank call. Is this some kind of a joke? God isn't real. Leave me alone, and go bug someone else. Maybe God calls out to some, and they know who it is, but they think God is like a bill collector. They may feel that they are not good enough for God, or that God is trying to collect some debt that they cannot afford. I think I'll let that one go to the answering machine. If I get a chance...if I become good enough of a person...maybe I'll get back to him later.
Remember Isaiah. Remember Simon. Neither were perfect. Neither were without fault. Neither were without sin. To be honest with you, we would all be better off if when the Lord calls us, we would just listen to what he has to say.
In a few moments, we will enter into a time of Holy Communion...an encounter with God. So many times we take it for granted...bread and juice...juice and bread. But in Communion, God is calling to you. He is asking, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" He is telling us, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." You may be called to a ministry in or outside of the church. You may be called to share your faith with everyone around you. You may be simply be called to believe. Whatever God has called you to...make sure you respond. "Here am I. Send me!" You may have to leave everything you know and follow him. Just make sure that you hear the Lord out.
