Netting A Dream
Children's sermon
Illustration
Preaching
Sermon
Worship
Object:
Dear Fellow Preacher,
Here's the wizened old-timer's version of a traditional saying: "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. If it still doesn't work, quit. It can't be done."
The American obsession with success and the fear of failure is the theme of this issue of The Immediate Word. Carlos Wilton draws on the Gospel reading from the lectionary -- Luke's story of the miraculous catch of fish -- to explore the "failure of lost dreams" and the relation of faith to success. In the selection of a presidential candidate, there will be several losers but only one winner. In athletic contests there will be a winner and a loser.
What is wrong with a religion of success? Are piety and obedience always rewarded? And does Christian faith speak to the experience of failure? Can the "theology of the cross" relate to our worship of success?
Team members highlight additional aspects of the lections for February 8, including the experience of divine holiness and human unworthiness recounted in both the First Reading and the Gospel. Illustrations and worship resources round out this issue.
NETTING A DREAM
Luke 5:1-11
by Carlos Wilton
The Message on a Postcard
The presidential primaries ... a season of dreams. Whenever there's a full field of candidates -- as there is with this year's Democratic primaries -- someone's dreams are bound to fail. The nature of electoral politics is that there can only be one winner. Sooner or later, everyone else is bound to go down to defeat.
"Master, we have worked all night, but have caught nothing." Those despairing words of Simon the fisherman symbolize the failure of lost dreams. But he's willing to trust Jesus, and let down his net one more time. Do we trust the Lord enough to do the same, in our lives?
This week's The Immediate Word is about the all-too-common experience of failure. How do we receive news of life's failures? And how do discover the faith to return to the Lord anyway, trusting him to provide for us abundantly in other ways?
Some Words on the Word
"The crowd was pressing in on him" (5:1). So, too, had been the crowd in Nazareth, after he had offended them with his frank declaration, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing" (4:21). That crowd had been hostile; as he left, they had parted to make way for him, but only reluctantly, with hatred in their eyes. This crowd, by contrast, can't get enough of him; they're pressing in to touch him.
What has changed? Healings. First, that demon-possessed man in the Capernaum synagogue. Then, Simon's mother-in-law, whose fever left her as soon as he rebuked it. And then a whole host of other desperate supplicants, each of them presenting their scabrous skin, their withered limbs, their limp-bodied children flushed with fever. Each of them Jesus healed: and now the crowds are following him everywhere he goes.
Again, at Gennesaret's shores, the crowd is pressing in on him, the rows of listeners behind pushing the ones up front even further forward. If this keeps up, the waves will soon be lapping at his ankles!
Nearby are two beached fishing boats, one of them belonging to Simon. He's absently washing his nets, his head angled to catch the words of Rabbi Jesus. (Those words may be all he'll catch that day, he tells himself; the fishing has been terrible!) Simon remembers well how this man recently healed his mother-in-law. Just then Jesus looks over to him, and their eyes meet in recognition. Interrupting his teaching, Jesus walks the short distance over to Simon's boat, the eager crowd following him. He climbs in and asks Simon to push off into the lake. "Why not?" thinks Simon. "The nets can wait." Simon gathers up his nets, drops them into the boat, and with his mates pushes off. They drop the anchor-stone just a few feet from shore. The rabbi resumes his teaching, in the traditional sitting position.
When he's finished, Jesus turns to his host and instructs him, "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch."
It's far too late in the day for good fishing: and this has already proved to be a terrible day for fishing, even at the most auspicious hours of pre-dawn darkness. "Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing." But then the reckless "Why not?" rises to the top of Simon's mind and he continues, "Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets." He beckons to James and John, and together they sail the two boats away from shore.
The catch is enormous. Too big for one boat, and even for the two boats together: so many flopping, silvery fish that the boats are riding low in the water, even the gentle waves eliciting anxious glances from the mariners. In all his years on the lake, Simon has never seen anything like this.
"Who is this man?" thinks Simon. "And who am I, to deserve such a miracle?" A cascade of memories rolls over him in an instant, regret piled upon regret. He remembers who he is. Simon kneels in the bilge water, bowing his head to the level of the teacher's knees: "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!"
The rabbi only smiles. "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people." Not an invitation as much as a statement of fact.
Days later, some relatives of Simon, and of his partners James and John, come to claim their boats. They will not be needing them.
Luke's version of the calling of the first disciples is filled with vivid details that can contribute to a lively sermon. As Fred Craddock points out, there are nuances in Luke's version of the call of the first disciples that differ from the other Synoptics:
[The disciples] follow a transcendent, compelling Christ in Luke, not a new preacher of an approaching kingdom, as in Mark and Matthew. That the church has traditionally regarded Luke 5:1-11 as an Epiphany text along with Isaiah's vision of God (Isaiah 6:1-8) and Paul's vision of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-11) is not surprising. Here Simon Peter gets a glimpse of the power and knowledge of Christ and falls before him in the profound grip of his own sinfulness.
-- Fred Craddock, Luke (Interpretation; Louisville: John Knox Press, 1990), p. 69
Luke's account is psychologically rich as well. The character of Simon is much more three-dimensional here. In contrast to the spare accounts of Matthew (4:18-22) and Mark (1:16-20), who portray nothing of the mental state of the fishermen as they abruptly leave behind everything they have ever known, Luke depicts something of Simon's inner struggle as he makes the decision to follow.
John tells a similar story as a post-resurrection narrative (John 21:1-23). If you mention John's account in a sermon at all, you must decide whether he's relating a separate, but similar incident -- a reprise, of sorts, of what Simon Peter experienced at the beginning of his journey of discipleship -- or simply telling the same story but locating it at a different place in the chronology. Some explain the relationship of the stories in Luke and John by suggesting that the Lukan version is a post-resurrection account transplanted back into the earlier narrative (so Eduard Schweizer, in The Good News according to Luke [trans. David E. Green; Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1984], p. 103).
The verb translated "catching" literally means "capturing alive." Since fishnets are involved in this context, it could be translated, "from now on you will be netting people." (Perhaps Luke is concerned here to avoid the possible predatory implications of "fishing for people," which is the language Mark uses.)
G. B. Caird suggests the greatest miracle here is not Simon's catch of fish but Jesus' catch of human beings:
The point of his story is Jesus' miraculous influence with dispirited men, wearied by a night of profitless toil. These were men he needed as his disciples, men disciplined by labour and hardship, but with the impetuous loyalty to say, "If you give the order, I will do it." On Simon at least the impact he made was a profoundly moral one, resulting in a sense of sin. It was not the miracle that brought him to his knees but the grandeur of sheer goodness.
-- Saint Luke (Penguin, 1963), p. 91.
A Map of the Message
A sermon on this text could begin with some speculation on the experience of all but one of the candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination. It's possible that a leading contender will have emerged in the days prior to February 8. And if a clear leader hasn't surfaced by then, it probably won't be long before one does. When that happens, all the others in that crowded field of presidential wannabes will have come face to face with the experience of failure.
Already, as these words are being written -- after the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary -- the press is declaring that several of the stragglers at the back of the pack have no hope of being nominated. These individuals, all of them men of accomplishment and leaders on the national stage, are becoming the butt of ridicule on the late-night talk shows. Americans may love a winner, but we sure don't think much of losers.
Yet the experience of failure is a remarkably common one. Few of us reach adulthood without ever having uttered an expression of despair similar to Simon's "Master, we have worked all night long, but have caught nothing." The circumstances may be different, but the feeling is much the same:
"Day after day, I toil to keep this house clean, to raise you children, and do I ever get a word of thanks?"
"They may call it a 'corporate restructuring,' but I'm still out of a job."
"They say retirement's supposed to be 'the golden years,' but if that's true, then why does life seem so empty?"
"Put out into the deep water," says the Lord, "and let your nets down for a catch." As we lean over the gunwale and peer into the murky depths, we may, like Simon, see only the dark terror in our souls. We may convince ourselves that ours is a world of scarcity, not abundance -- a dog-eat-dog place where only the strong survive. We steel ourselves continually for failure in life and aren't at all sure we'd recognize success, even if it stared us in the bank account.
There's a philosophy that's pervasive in our society. It's not a new way of thinking, especially; in fact, it's very, very old. It trades under the motto, "the ends justify the means."
It doesn't matter how you get there, say the proponents of this philosophy -- just that you do get there, and just that the place to which you get is a comfortable one. It matters little how many bodies you climb over on your way to becoming chairman of the board. It doesn't matter how you abuse your children emotionally, just that they're polite in public and impress the neighbors. It doesn't matter whether you cheat on the exam, just that you don't get caught.
There are plenty of ends-justify-the-means people who become successful, according to the world's standards. They've planned well, worked hard, and painstakingly "looked out for number one." From all outward appearances, they are healthy, wealthy, and maybe even wise.
But, says our Christian faith, they are going straight to hell.
Or perhaps it's more accurate to say they're already in a kind of living hell. For if hell is a place where hope is unknown and love is a stranger, then the people who truly believe that ends justify the means know that place all too well.
Success isn't a place at all. That's the insight of Christianity. It isn't a destination at which we end up, after a long and arduous journey. Success is found in the way we make the journey. That's why Peter could leave his nets behind, even nets bulging with fish: the road was calling him.
What is success? It may always be something of a riddle. But that ought to come as no surprise, for Christians. Jesus doesn't call us to be successful, after all: he only calls us to be faithful.
If we take him at his word -- if we have the courage, when he calls, to leave behind our nets, our boats, our pride, our aspirations to be admired, and set off with him on that journey of self-discovery and service -- we will find that all our former definitions of success will be shattered, the boundaries of our hopes burst at the seams, our nets hauled in with an overwhelming catch.
Team Comments
George Murphy responds: For a couple of generations American children have been comforted and inspired by the classic children's book The Little Engine that Could, by Watty Piper. None of the big trains will make the effort to get over the hill to bring the toys to the good little girls and boys on the other side, but the Little Engine agrees to try. "I think I can. I think I can," she keeps saying -- and she finally succeeds. No matter how hard the job, if we keep trying and keeping thinking that we can do it, we can eventually succeed.
That attitude is part of the American worldview. We are a "can-do" people. We can build a canal across Panama and a railroad across the country, defeat polio and communism, and put somebody on the moon. "The difficult we do at once. The impossible takes a little longer."
"I think I can. I think I can." But what if I just can't?
A positive attitude is certainly an asset in trying to deal with any difficult task. If you start out thinking that it's just too hard and that you can't do it, it's a good bet that you'll be right. The belief that you can't get over the hill, that you can't accomplish some task, is usually a self-fulfilling prophecy. But the fact is that there are things we won't accomplish, no matter how much we believe and no matter how hard we try. For every dedicated player on the New England Patriots who won the Super Bowl there was an equally dedicated player on the Carolina Panthers who was on the losing side.
In this week's gospel, Simon Peter and his fellow fishermen have worked all night and at their job and have nothing to show for it. They have, at least for this day, failed. And yet Peter is willing to go at it one more time, and this time there is success to an amazing degree.
You could use that to preach a sermon on the Little Engine that Could theme, with a variant in the old slogan "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." But of course there's something else going on here. What has intervened is this preacher Jesus who encounters Peter, whom Peter had (in Luke's version) never met before, the one who gives the suggestion -- command? -- to try again. The great catch of fish was in a way a result of Peter's faith, but a surprising kind of faith. He'd never met Jesus before. Why should he, an expert fisherman, follow the advice of this amateur? It was probably as much a "What have I got to lose?" as an "I think I can" faith. But it received the promise implicit in Jesus words.
That example of failure followed by success is very specific. Peter is told what to do to get results. That is very different from what is promoted in some versions of "positive thinking" or "possibility thinking" -- the notion that we can ask God for what we want and, if we believe hard enough, will get it. There is no such promise in scripture. When Paul asked to he relieved of his "thorn in the flesh," the answer was "No."
But the story of Peter points to something even more important than success in one's work, or being healthy and wealthy. Peter falls at Jesus' feet and says, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man." The event has made him see something beyond ordinary failure or success -- his status relative to God. He is a sinner.
With that, there is an obvious resonance with the First Lesson, from Isaiah 6. (Of course this is why the texts are linked in the lectionary.) Isaiah has a tremendous vision in the Temple of the enthroned God of Israel, surrounded by the angelic beings crying "Holy, holy, holy," and realizes by contrast that he is not holy. "Woe is me! 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."
The tremendous power of Isaiah's vision (which still influences Christian liturgy millennia later) shouldn't make us miss what is a really surprising course of events. Isaiah says, "I am unclean. I am not worthy to be in God's presence." God's immediate response, with the symbol of the burning coal touching Isaiah's lips, is to cleanse him. And when the divine call asks for someone to serve God, the immediate answer of the one who moments ago was unclean is, "Here am I; send me!"
Cleansing from sin, making the sinner the saint, is in a way a matter of failure being turned to success. We see it with both Isaiah and Peter. But it is not an "I think I can" or "Try, try again" story. Both these stories tell of people who realized that they were failures as far as holiness was concerned, and who were given forgiveness and holiness -- which means essentially to belong in God's presence -- by God's free gift, a gift that wasn't even asked for. It is the fundamental gift, and if you will the fundamental success, that underlies everything else in the life of God's people. With it comes a call to serve God in the world. It's what makes it possible for Isaiah to be God's prophet and for Simon Peter to become one who will fish for people.
With -- note well -- no promise of success in the eyes of the world. Verses 9-13 should not be omitted from the First Lesson (as is the case with most suggested excisions). Isaiah's prophetic call includes the information that not much of anybody will understand or heed his message. He was a great prophet but, according to tradition, ended his life by being sawn in two under the evil king Manasseh. Peter was the Prince of the Apostles but (again, according to tradition) ended his life on a Roman cross.
The way of the cross is an ineradicable part of Christianity, but perhaps that last paragraph is a bit strong for those facing failure in their lives right now. But it is important for all of us to be aware of the very different meanings that both "failure" and "success" have in God's eyes and in the eyes of the world. And it's important to understand the differences in the route to success in the two cases. Being in a right relationship with God is not, to begin with, a matter of "I think I can." The operative phrase here is "I believe you can."
Wes Runk responds: My best friend, who was a very successful businessman, always instructed his sales people that the only way they ever learned was through failure. When someone in his organization lost a little or big deal he would have them come in and analyze what went wrong and then they would discuss methods of correcting their work. He also applied this to his life. When at age forty-two he was told he had cancer and that his life would be limited to another 3-6 months, he studied cancer with enthusiasm and examined his previous lifestyle of all work and no play, of eating fast foods daily, and of giving his body little rest. The result was twenty-two years of the best life that almost anyone could imagine.
Tony Gwynn studied tape after tape of how he hit the ball. It did not make any difference if he went 4 for 4 or if he went 0 for 4; he still made a practice of sitting down and watching a video of his performance.
Athletes are all measured by their success, but the good ones understand that they have to accept failure more often than success in their game. Overcoming the failure makes them the best in their league.
Abraham Lincoln lost many more elections than he won, but he finally served his nation at the most critical time in the history of our country.
We all know of Paul's problems and yet in his writings he looked at what most people considered failure and took the opportunity to bring jailers, persecutors, and naysayers to a living relationship with Christ
Carter Shelley responds: Many years ago while serving as a summer seminary intern in a church in South Carolina, I had one of the youth approach me during a meeting and ask, "You're going to be a minister?" "Yes," I replied. "My Dad was a minister." she said, and quickly exited to join her friends before I could ask about him. I later learned from the church's minister that her father had been an incredibly successful and dynamic minister who had committed suicide a number of years before. While I never received any specific details of the father's life, the attached narrative is one I wrote later based upon my own imaginings of what might have happened. I have used it once as part of my charge to a new minister during his ordination service. It is drenched in southern Presbyterian details of the pre-reunion sort and merits significant editing to fit other faith traditions. In fact, the primary character doesn't need to be a minister at all, since all of us know individuals who fit this mold irrespective of profession.
Jeff Alexander was one of those people everyone remembers from high school. Athletic, good-looking, intelligent, a born leader. Jeff held almost every honor a guy could hope for: vice-president of the junior class, president of student government, voted most likely to succeed and most popular boy senior. Jeff lettered in football all three years -- not to mention basketball and tennis. His life was unblemished by unsightly pimples, unwanted perspiration, or girl problems. He was an Eagle Scout and a fine Christian.
Jeff had always known he would go to Davidson. It was part of his overall Presbyterian, predestined plan. At Davidson Jeff continued his excellent scholastic record while participating in many extracurricular activities. He played on the college tennis team, served as social chairman of his fraternity, and was mentioned in the Who's Who in American Colleges 1969.
As graduation neared Jeff couldn't decide about his future. He'd double-majored in chemistry and biology thinking, he'd go into medicine or graduate work in the sciences but, as the time for applications drew nearer, Jeff began to wonder about seminary. Some of the guys he most admired were going to seminary. Some of the men he'd most respected had been ministers. Suddenly, working on people didn't seem as important as working with them. Jeff wasn't sure what to do or if he had a call to ministry. He prayed about it, but was still unsure when he finally packed his bags and moved to Richmond, Virginia.
At Union Theological Seminary Jeff applied himself to his studies with his characteristic zeal. The professors read his papers with enthusiasm; they frequently praised his work. Always a success with the ladies, Jeff managed to snare the prettiest of the Presbyterian School of Christian Education graduates, Cynthia Summers. They were married the May before Jeff went off for his intern year. During his year as a seminary intern, Jeff worked as the assistant in a large, prestigious church in North Carolina. His work was exemplary, and the head pastor very much regretted his departure at the year's end. "Don't hesitate to ask for a reference anytime, Jeff."
Back at Union, Jeff went on to greater heights of glory. He won one of the four scholastic fellowships awarded each year to seniors, and he was voted by his peers in an impromptu election as the graduate most likely to become moderator of the Presbyterian Church at some future date. As graduation time approached, Jeff had more calls than a telephone operator. He agonized a long time before finally accepting the call as associate pastor in a church in Tennessee. From that position Jeff moved on to a solo pastorate in a medium-sized church, then onward and upward to the head pastorate of a large church -- all by the age of 31. While Jeff's ministerial responsibilities were growing, so also was his family. He and Cindy were the proud parents of a son and two daughters.
One day while alone in his church office, Jeff took a gun from his desk and shot himself in the head.
His grief-stricken wife commented afterwards, "If only he hadn't needed to be so perfect. If only he'd learned how to fail as well as how to succeed, he might be alive today."
Related Illustrations
Several centuries after Simon and his companions hauled in their miraculous catch of fish, a pampered Roman nobleman named Augustine would encounter the carpenter of Nazareth. He would do so not in a fishing boat but in the quiet luxury of a walled garden. Of that encounter he later writes, in his autobiography, the Confessions: "I was mad for health, and dying for life; knowing what evil thing I was, and not knowing what good thing I was shortly to become ... I was greatly disturbed in spirit...."
Augustine goes on to tell how he heard a faint voice, like that of a child, telling him to "take and read." He picked up a Bible, and opened it to Romans 13:13: "Let us live honorably, as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarrelling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires."
Compelling words, for a jaded playboy like Augustine. He continues,
"I wanted to read no further, nor did I need to. For instantly, as the sentence ended, there was infused in my heart something like the light of full certainty and all the gloom of doubt vanished away."
***
There's an old fable about a young woman who had a baby boy. Just after her son's baptism, a ragged old man came to her and offered to grant her one wish, on behalf of her son.
Thinking only the best for her baby, the woman wished that her son would always be loved by everyone he met. The old man said, "So be it," and vanished.
It turned out just as he said. As the boy grew, everyone loved him so much that he never lacked for anything. Yet -- as often happens in stories of magic wishes -- things did not turn out as expected. As adored and admired as this young man was, when he grew to adulthood he experienced a terrible emptiness within him. He could have had anything in the world he wanted just by asking, but he had no real friends, just admirers. He never knew the joy of a day's work well done or an achievement richly deserved, for his neighbors gladly took care of all his needs. The young man became cynical, jaded, and selfish, for no action of his ever brought him any negative consequences.
Finally the day came when his aged mother died. At the funeral, the same mysterious old man appeared, and this time he offered the son one wish. The young man took him up on his offer and asked that his mother's original wish for him be changed. Rather than being loved by everyone he met, the young man asked the old wizard to give him the power to love everyone he met.
And, the story goes, from that day forward he knew happiness such as no one on this earth has ever known.
***
"My mother drew a distinction between achievement and success. She said that achievement is the knowledge that you have studied and worked hard and done the best that is in you. Success is being praised by others. That is nice but not as important or satisfying. Always aim for achievement and forget about success."
-- Helen Hayes
***
"We heard of three engineers who came to their CEO with an idea for a project that they believed could be the next big money-maker for their company. After listening to their idea, the CEO gave them the green light to pursue it. After months of intensive work, the engineers had to face hard reality: their idea wasn't going to work.
Upon hearing the news, the CEO summoned the three engineers to his office. The mood was nothing like that of the earlier meeting -- no excitement, only the dread of what they were about to hear. Once the engineers were gathered, the CEO presented each of them with a gift. 'I know this project didn't work out the way you hoped,' he said, 'but the future of this company depends on just the kind of creative thinking the three of you have been doing. I want to thank you and ask you to keep it up.'
Now that is a company with a future."
-- Eddy Hall and Gary Morsch, "The Danger of Playing It Safe" (http://www.living-stones.com/dangeropisjump.htm)
***
In a dark time during the struggle for independence, John Adams quoted in a letter to Abigail a line from a popular play of the time, "Cato," by Joseph Addison -- a line George Washington would use on numerous occasions -- "We cannot insure success, but we can deserve it."
-- Cited by David McCullough, John Adams (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001), p. 91.
***
A classic Peanuts comic strip depicts Lucy in the outfield, ready to catch a fly ball. She extends her glove to catch the ball, but at the last minute she drops it.
She explains to Charlie Brown, "I almost had it, but then my past got in my eyes."
***
"One of the reasons why mature people stop growing and learning is that they become less and less willing to risk failure."
-- John Gardner
***
"Failure is an event, never a person."
-- William Brown, Welcome Stress!
***
"If there be anywhere on earth a lover of God who is always kept safe from falling, I know nothing of it -- for it was not shown me. But this was shown -- that in falling and rising again we are always kept in the same precious love."
-- Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love
Worship Resources
by George Reed
OPENING
Music
Hymns
"God Will Take Care of You." Words: Civilla D. Martin, 1904; music: W. Stillman Martin, 1905. Public domain. As found in UMH 130; AAHH 137; TNNBH 52.
"All My Hope Is Firmly Grounded." Words: Joachim Neander, 1680; trans. Fred Pratt Green, 1986; music: Herbert Howells, 1930, 1977. Trans. (c) 1989 Hope Publishing Co; music (c) 1968 Novello and Co., Ltd. As found in UMH 132; TNCH 408; CH 88.
"Leaning on the Everlasting Arms." Words: Elisha A. Hoffman, 1887; music: Anthony J. Showalter, 1887. Public domain. As found in UMH 133; Hymnal '82; LBOW; TPH; AAHH; TNNBH; CH 560.
"The Lord's My Shepherd, I'll Not Want." Words: Scottish Psalter, 1650; music: Jesse Seymour Irvine, 1872; harm. TCL. Pritchard, 1929. Harm. (c) by permission of Oxford University Press. As found in UMH 136; LBOW 451; TPH 170.
"Great Is Thy Faithfulness." Words: Thomas O. Chisholm, 1923; music: William M. Runyan, 1923. (c) 1923, renewed 1951 Hope Publishing Co. As found in UMH 140; Hymnal '82; LBOW; TPH 276;
AAHH 158; TNNBH 45; TNCH 423; CH 86.
"If Thou But Suffer God to Guide Thee." Words: Georg Neumark, 1657; trans. Catherine Winkworth, 1863; music: Georg Neumark, 1657. Public domain. As found in UMH 142; Hymnal '82 635; LBOW 453; TPH 282; TNCH 410; CH 565.
"On Eagle's Wings." Words: Michael Joncas, 1979; music: Michael Joncas, 1979; harm. Carlton R. Young, 1988. (c) 1979, 1989 North American Liturgy Resources. As found in UMH 143; CH 77.
Songs
"I Will Call Upon the Lord." Words and music: Michael O'Shields. (c) 1981 Sound III and All Nations Music. As found in CCB 9.
"The Steadfast Love of the Lord." Words: Edith McNeill; music: Edith McNeill; arr. J. Michael Bryan. (c) 1974 Celebration. As found in CCB 28.
"My Life Is in You, Lord." Words and music: Daniel Gardner. (c) 1986 Integrity's Hosanna! Music. As found in PMMCH3 120.
"Oh Lord, Our Lord." Words and music: Marty Goetz. (c) 1986 by Singin' In The Reign Music. A found in PMMCH3 297.
"Stand in the Congregation." Words and music: Bill Batstone. (c) 1988 and this arr. 1989 by Maranatha! Music. As found in PMMCH3 313.
CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader: I give you thanks, O God, with my whole heart;
People: before the gods I sing your praise;
Leader: I bow down toward your holy temple
People: and give thanks for your steadfast love.
Leader: One the day I called, you answered me,
People: you increased my strength of soul.
Leader: Your steadfast love, O God, endures forever.
People: Do not forsake the work of your hands.
COLLECT / OPENING PRAYER
O God, who created us from the dust of the earth: Remember our frailty and preserve us with the strength of your Spirit in all our adversities; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
or
God, you are the one who formed us and you know us better than we know ourselves. You understand our fear and especially our fear of failure. Help us to see the way your reign comes to fruition through weakness. By the Spirit of Jesus, help us to embrace the cross and your love. Amen.
Response Music
Hymns
"Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me." Words: Edward Hopper, 1871; music: John E. Gould, 1871. Public domain. As found in UMH 509; Hymnal '82; LBOW 334; TPH; AAHH 460; TNNBH 243; TNCH 441.
"Come, Ye Disconsolate." Words: Thomas Moore, 1816; alt. by Thomas Hastings, 1831; music: Samuel Webbe, Sr., 1792. Public domain. As found in UMH 510; AAHH 421; TNNBH 264; CH 502.
"Stand By Me." Words: Charles Albert Tindley, ca. 1906; music: Charles Albert Tindley, ca. 1906; arr. William Farley Smith, 1989. Arr. (c) 1989 The United Methodist Publishing House. As found in UMH 512; TNNBH 318; CH 629.
"Nobody Knows the Trouble I See." Words: Afro-American spiritual; music: Afro-American spiritual; adapt. and arr. William Farley Smith, 1986. Adapt. and arr. (c) 1989 The United Methodist Publishing House. As found in UMH 520.
"I Want Jesus to Walk with Me." Words: Afro-American spiritual; music: Afro-American spiritual; adapt. and arr. William Farley Smith, 1986. Adapt. (c) 1989 The United Methodist Publishing House. As found in UMH 521; Hymnal '82; LBOW; TPH 363; AAHH 563; TNNBH 500; CH 627.
"Beams of Heaven as I Go." Words: Charles Albert Tindley, ca. 1906; music: Charles Albert Tindley, ca. 1906; arr. F. A. Clark, 1906. Public domain. As found in UMH 524; TNNBH 271; TNCH 447.
"Be Still, My Soul." Words: Katharina von Schlegel, 1752; trans. Jane Borthwick, 1855; music: Jean Sibelius, 1899; arr. from The Hymnal, 1933. Arr. (c) 1933, renewed 1961 Presbyterian Board of Christian Education. As found in UMH 534; AAHH 135; TNNBH 263; TNCH 488; CH 566.
Songs
"Cares Chorus." Words and music: Kelly Willard. (c) 1978 Maranatha! Music. As found in CCB 53.
"Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus." Words and music: Helen Lemmel. (c) 1922 Singspiration Music. As found in CCB 55.
"You Are Mine." Words and music: David Haas. (c) 1986 G.I.A. Publications, Inc. As found in CCB 58.
"Learning to Lean." Words and music: John Stallings. (c) 1976 HeartWarming Music Co. As found in CCB 74.
"Strength of My Life." Words and music: Leslie Phillips. (c) 1984 and this arr. 1993 by Word Music. As found in PMMCH3 288.
"Beauty for Ashes." Words and music: Bob Manzano. (c) 1979 Maranatha! Music. As found in PMMCH3 141.
GENERAL PRAYERS, LITANIES, ETC.
All honor and glory and worship are yours, O God, for you are the very foundation of our being. You called us forth from the earth and filled us with your own breath. You have made us a little lower than gods and have blessed us with your presence.
(The following paragraph is most suitable if a prayer of confession will not be used elsewhere.)
We acknowledge to you and before each other than we have try to make a name for ourselves rather than receiving your blessing and proclamation that we are yours. We push others aside and try to make ourselves look better than those around us instead of celebrating your love and regard for all your creatures. Forgive our foolish ways and recall us by the power of your Spirit to that place where we fear neither success nor failure because we know we are yours.
We give you thanks for all the ways that you bring us life, even in the midst of what we consider failures. We thank you that you do not desert us to our own devices but constantly call and woo us to your vision of life eternal and divine.
(Other specific thanksgiving may be offered.)
We offer to your love and care those who think their lives are failures. We pray for those whose health is broken, who careers have taken a detour and those who are facing death. As you are with them, use our love and presence to bring your peace and grace more fully into their lives.
(Other petitions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of the one who "failed" that we might have life, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
* * *
Hymnal and Songbook Abbreviations
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
Hymnal '82: The Hymnal 1982, The Episcopal Church
LBOW: Lutheran Book of Worship
TPH: The Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
TNNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
TNCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
PMMCH3: Praise. Maranatha! Music Chorus Book, Expanded 3rd Edition
A Children's Sermon
Failing Forward
Luke 5:1-11
By Wesley T. Runk
V. 5 -- Simon answered, "Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets."
Object -- a musical instrument and some written music
Good morning, boys and girls. I brought along with me today a clarinet that I used to play a lot when I was growing up. My grandfather gave me this fine instrument because he thought that everyone should enjoy music and play with other people in an orchestra or band. He also bought me a book of music and paid for me to take music lessons. It made me very happy. I thought that I would sit down and play a song while he was there. Was I surprised! I spread out the music on a table and opened the clarinet case. The clarinet was in pieces and I could not even put it together. My parents helped me put it together and I put it to my lips and blew as hard as I could blow and nothing happened. Not a sound! Not one sound! I was so embarrassed in front of my grandfather that I did not know what to do. I considered myself a failure.
How many of you have ever failed? (let them answer) Did you ever fall off of your bike when you were first learning how to ride? (let them answer) Did you think you would fall? Did you fall again? (let them answer) Were you ready to quit after you fell 4 or 5 times? Did you watch your friends ride their bikes and think to yourself that they must be really special? (let them answer)
How many of you can read a book? (let them answer) Were you able to read a book the first time you tried? (let them answer) Did Mom or Dad have to help you with words that you did not know? (let them answer) Reading can be hard work and sometimes when we are learning we feel like quitting. We are sure that we are going to fail reading.
Jesus was with some fisherman one day after they had been out in their boats and had not caught any fish. The fisherman felt kind of bad. Here was Jesus who healed people from serious diseases and they could not do something that they had done many times before, catch some fish. They didn't have to be the biggest fish in the lake. They didn't have to be the most fish they had ever caught. They didn't have to be the best eating fish in the world. They just wanted to catch a few fish to show Jesus that they knew how to fish. Now, they were just checking their nets and kind of hiding from one another.
Jesus told them to go back out to a certain place and lower their nets. Simon, who later was named Peter, said that they had been out all night during the best fishing weather and they did not catch anything. But if Jesus wanted them to try it again they would give it their best.
Our parents are kind of like that aren't they? They know that someday you will learn how to ride the bike and ride it very well. They know that someday all of the words will make sense and you will learn to read a book all by yourself. They know that we have to fail many times before we will succeed. Jesus knew that too. He wanted Simon and James and John to overcome their failure and succeed because he wanted them to be his disciples. To be his disciples they had to trust him and what he said. Simon, James, and John all failed but they tried again and again and finally they succeeded. Jesus gives us hope that we will learn from our failures and succeed.
Jesus would like for you to be one of his disciples. He knows that you will fail sometimes but he also knows that if you trust him and follow his teachings you will become a fine disciple. Learn from failures and become a disciple of Jesus. Amen.
* * * * *
The Immediate Word, February 8, 2004, issue.
Copyright 2004 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., P.O. Box 4503, Lima, Ohio 45802-4503
Here's the wizened old-timer's version of a traditional saying: "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. If it still doesn't work, quit. It can't be done."
The American obsession with success and the fear of failure is the theme of this issue of The Immediate Word. Carlos Wilton draws on the Gospel reading from the lectionary -- Luke's story of the miraculous catch of fish -- to explore the "failure of lost dreams" and the relation of faith to success. In the selection of a presidential candidate, there will be several losers but only one winner. In athletic contests there will be a winner and a loser.
What is wrong with a religion of success? Are piety and obedience always rewarded? And does Christian faith speak to the experience of failure? Can the "theology of the cross" relate to our worship of success?
Team members highlight additional aspects of the lections for February 8, including the experience of divine holiness and human unworthiness recounted in both the First Reading and the Gospel. Illustrations and worship resources round out this issue.
NETTING A DREAM
Luke 5:1-11
by Carlos Wilton
The Message on a Postcard
The presidential primaries ... a season of dreams. Whenever there's a full field of candidates -- as there is with this year's Democratic primaries -- someone's dreams are bound to fail. The nature of electoral politics is that there can only be one winner. Sooner or later, everyone else is bound to go down to defeat.
"Master, we have worked all night, but have caught nothing." Those despairing words of Simon the fisherman symbolize the failure of lost dreams. But he's willing to trust Jesus, and let down his net one more time. Do we trust the Lord enough to do the same, in our lives?
This week's The Immediate Word is about the all-too-common experience of failure. How do we receive news of life's failures? And how do discover the faith to return to the Lord anyway, trusting him to provide for us abundantly in other ways?
Some Words on the Word
"The crowd was pressing in on him" (5:1). So, too, had been the crowd in Nazareth, after he had offended them with his frank declaration, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing" (4:21). That crowd had been hostile; as he left, they had parted to make way for him, but only reluctantly, with hatred in their eyes. This crowd, by contrast, can't get enough of him; they're pressing in to touch him.
What has changed? Healings. First, that demon-possessed man in the Capernaum synagogue. Then, Simon's mother-in-law, whose fever left her as soon as he rebuked it. And then a whole host of other desperate supplicants, each of them presenting their scabrous skin, their withered limbs, their limp-bodied children flushed with fever. Each of them Jesus healed: and now the crowds are following him everywhere he goes.
Again, at Gennesaret's shores, the crowd is pressing in on him, the rows of listeners behind pushing the ones up front even further forward. If this keeps up, the waves will soon be lapping at his ankles!
Nearby are two beached fishing boats, one of them belonging to Simon. He's absently washing his nets, his head angled to catch the words of Rabbi Jesus. (Those words may be all he'll catch that day, he tells himself; the fishing has been terrible!) Simon remembers well how this man recently healed his mother-in-law. Just then Jesus looks over to him, and their eyes meet in recognition. Interrupting his teaching, Jesus walks the short distance over to Simon's boat, the eager crowd following him. He climbs in and asks Simon to push off into the lake. "Why not?" thinks Simon. "The nets can wait." Simon gathers up his nets, drops them into the boat, and with his mates pushes off. They drop the anchor-stone just a few feet from shore. The rabbi resumes his teaching, in the traditional sitting position.
When he's finished, Jesus turns to his host and instructs him, "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch."
It's far too late in the day for good fishing: and this has already proved to be a terrible day for fishing, even at the most auspicious hours of pre-dawn darkness. "Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing." But then the reckless "Why not?" rises to the top of Simon's mind and he continues, "Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets." He beckons to James and John, and together they sail the two boats away from shore.
The catch is enormous. Too big for one boat, and even for the two boats together: so many flopping, silvery fish that the boats are riding low in the water, even the gentle waves eliciting anxious glances from the mariners. In all his years on the lake, Simon has never seen anything like this.
"Who is this man?" thinks Simon. "And who am I, to deserve such a miracle?" A cascade of memories rolls over him in an instant, regret piled upon regret. He remembers who he is. Simon kneels in the bilge water, bowing his head to the level of the teacher's knees: "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!"
The rabbi only smiles. "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people." Not an invitation as much as a statement of fact.
Days later, some relatives of Simon, and of his partners James and John, come to claim their boats. They will not be needing them.
Luke's version of the calling of the first disciples is filled with vivid details that can contribute to a lively sermon. As Fred Craddock points out, there are nuances in Luke's version of the call of the first disciples that differ from the other Synoptics:
[The disciples] follow a transcendent, compelling Christ in Luke, not a new preacher of an approaching kingdom, as in Mark and Matthew. That the church has traditionally regarded Luke 5:1-11 as an Epiphany text along with Isaiah's vision of God (Isaiah 6:1-8) and Paul's vision of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-11) is not surprising. Here Simon Peter gets a glimpse of the power and knowledge of Christ and falls before him in the profound grip of his own sinfulness.
-- Fred Craddock, Luke (Interpretation; Louisville: John Knox Press, 1990), p. 69
Luke's account is psychologically rich as well. The character of Simon is much more three-dimensional here. In contrast to the spare accounts of Matthew (4:18-22) and Mark (1:16-20), who portray nothing of the mental state of the fishermen as they abruptly leave behind everything they have ever known, Luke depicts something of Simon's inner struggle as he makes the decision to follow.
John tells a similar story as a post-resurrection narrative (John 21:1-23). If you mention John's account in a sermon at all, you must decide whether he's relating a separate, but similar incident -- a reprise, of sorts, of what Simon Peter experienced at the beginning of his journey of discipleship -- or simply telling the same story but locating it at a different place in the chronology. Some explain the relationship of the stories in Luke and John by suggesting that the Lukan version is a post-resurrection account transplanted back into the earlier narrative (so Eduard Schweizer, in The Good News according to Luke [trans. David E. Green; Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1984], p. 103).
The verb translated "catching" literally means "capturing alive." Since fishnets are involved in this context, it could be translated, "from now on you will be netting people." (Perhaps Luke is concerned here to avoid the possible predatory implications of "fishing for people," which is the language Mark uses.)
G. B. Caird suggests the greatest miracle here is not Simon's catch of fish but Jesus' catch of human beings:
The point of his story is Jesus' miraculous influence with dispirited men, wearied by a night of profitless toil. These were men he needed as his disciples, men disciplined by labour and hardship, but with the impetuous loyalty to say, "If you give the order, I will do it." On Simon at least the impact he made was a profoundly moral one, resulting in a sense of sin. It was not the miracle that brought him to his knees but the grandeur of sheer goodness.
-- Saint Luke (Penguin, 1963), p. 91.
A Map of the Message
A sermon on this text could begin with some speculation on the experience of all but one of the candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination. It's possible that a leading contender will have emerged in the days prior to February 8. And if a clear leader hasn't surfaced by then, it probably won't be long before one does. When that happens, all the others in that crowded field of presidential wannabes will have come face to face with the experience of failure.
Already, as these words are being written -- after the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary -- the press is declaring that several of the stragglers at the back of the pack have no hope of being nominated. These individuals, all of them men of accomplishment and leaders on the national stage, are becoming the butt of ridicule on the late-night talk shows. Americans may love a winner, but we sure don't think much of losers.
Yet the experience of failure is a remarkably common one. Few of us reach adulthood without ever having uttered an expression of despair similar to Simon's "Master, we have worked all night long, but have caught nothing." The circumstances may be different, but the feeling is much the same:
"Day after day, I toil to keep this house clean, to raise you children, and do I ever get a word of thanks?"
"They may call it a 'corporate restructuring,' but I'm still out of a job."
"They say retirement's supposed to be 'the golden years,' but if that's true, then why does life seem so empty?"
"Put out into the deep water," says the Lord, "and let your nets down for a catch." As we lean over the gunwale and peer into the murky depths, we may, like Simon, see only the dark terror in our souls. We may convince ourselves that ours is a world of scarcity, not abundance -- a dog-eat-dog place where only the strong survive. We steel ourselves continually for failure in life and aren't at all sure we'd recognize success, even if it stared us in the bank account.
There's a philosophy that's pervasive in our society. It's not a new way of thinking, especially; in fact, it's very, very old. It trades under the motto, "the ends justify the means."
It doesn't matter how you get there, say the proponents of this philosophy -- just that you do get there, and just that the place to which you get is a comfortable one. It matters little how many bodies you climb over on your way to becoming chairman of the board. It doesn't matter how you abuse your children emotionally, just that they're polite in public and impress the neighbors. It doesn't matter whether you cheat on the exam, just that you don't get caught.
There are plenty of ends-justify-the-means people who become successful, according to the world's standards. They've planned well, worked hard, and painstakingly "looked out for number one." From all outward appearances, they are healthy, wealthy, and maybe even wise.
But, says our Christian faith, they are going straight to hell.
Or perhaps it's more accurate to say they're already in a kind of living hell. For if hell is a place where hope is unknown and love is a stranger, then the people who truly believe that ends justify the means know that place all too well.
Success isn't a place at all. That's the insight of Christianity. It isn't a destination at which we end up, after a long and arduous journey. Success is found in the way we make the journey. That's why Peter could leave his nets behind, even nets bulging with fish: the road was calling him.
What is success? It may always be something of a riddle. But that ought to come as no surprise, for Christians. Jesus doesn't call us to be successful, after all: he only calls us to be faithful.
If we take him at his word -- if we have the courage, when he calls, to leave behind our nets, our boats, our pride, our aspirations to be admired, and set off with him on that journey of self-discovery and service -- we will find that all our former definitions of success will be shattered, the boundaries of our hopes burst at the seams, our nets hauled in with an overwhelming catch.
Team Comments
George Murphy responds: For a couple of generations American children have been comforted and inspired by the classic children's book The Little Engine that Could, by Watty Piper. None of the big trains will make the effort to get over the hill to bring the toys to the good little girls and boys on the other side, but the Little Engine agrees to try. "I think I can. I think I can," she keeps saying -- and she finally succeeds. No matter how hard the job, if we keep trying and keeping thinking that we can do it, we can eventually succeed.
That attitude is part of the American worldview. We are a "can-do" people. We can build a canal across Panama and a railroad across the country, defeat polio and communism, and put somebody on the moon. "The difficult we do at once. The impossible takes a little longer."
"I think I can. I think I can." But what if I just can't?
A positive attitude is certainly an asset in trying to deal with any difficult task. If you start out thinking that it's just too hard and that you can't do it, it's a good bet that you'll be right. The belief that you can't get over the hill, that you can't accomplish some task, is usually a self-fulfilling prophecy. But the fact is that there are things we won't accomplish, no matter how much we believe and no matter how hard we try. For every dedicated player on the New England Patriots who won the Super Bowl there was an equally dedicated player on the Carolina Panthers who was on the losing side.
In this week's gospel, Simon Peter and his fellow fishermen have worked all night and at their job and have nothing to show for it. They have, at least for this day, failed. And yet Peter is willing to go at it one more time, and this time there is success to an amazing degree.
You could use that to preach a sermon on the Little Engine that Could theme, with a variant in the old slogan "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." But of course there's something else going on here. What has intervened is this preacher Jesus who encounters Peter, whom Peter had (in Luke's version) never met before, the one who gives the suggestion -- command? -- to try again. The great catch of fish was in a way a result of Peter's faith, but a surprising kind of faith. He'd never met Jesus before. Why should he, an expert fisherman, follow the advice of this amateur? It was probably as much a "What have I got to lose?" as an "I think I can" faith. But it received the promise implicit in Jesus words.
That example of failure followed by success is very specific. Peter is told what to do to get results. That is very different from what is promoted in some versions of "positive thinking" or "possibility thinking" -- the notion that we can ask God for what we want and, if we believe hard enough, will get it. There is no such promise in scripture. When Paul asked to he relieved of his "thorn in the flesh," the answer was "No."
But the story of Peter points to something even more important than success in one's work, or being healthy and wealthy. Peter falls at Jesus' feet and says, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man." The event has made him see something beyond ordinary failure or success -- his status relative to God. He is a sinner.
With that, there is an obvious resonance with the First Lesson, from Isaiah 6. (Of course this is why the texts are linked in the lectionary.) Isaiah has a tremendous vision in the Temple of the enthroned God of Israel, surrounded by the angelic beings crying "Holy, holy, holy," and realizes by contrast that he is not holy. "Woe is me! 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."
The tremendous power of Isaiah's vision (which still influences Christian liturgy millennia later) shouldn't make us miss what is a really surprising course of events. Isaiah says, "I am unclean. I am not worthy to be in God's presence." God's immediate response, with the symbol of the burning coal touching Isaiah's lips, is to cleanse him. And when the divine call asks for someone to serve God, the immediate answer of the one who moments ago was unclean is, "Here am I; send me!"
Cleansing from sin, making the sinner the saint, is in a way a matter of failure being turned to success. We see it with both Isaiah and Peter. But it is not an "I think I can" or "Try, try again" story. Both these stories tell of people who realized that they were failures as far as holiness was concerned, and who were given forgiveness and holiness -- which means essentially to belong in God's presence -- by God's free gift, a gift that wasn't even asked for. It is the fundamental gift, and if you will the fundamental success, that underlies everything else in the life of God's people. With it comes a call to serve God in the world. It's what makes it possible for Isaiah to be God's prophet and for Simon Peter to become one who will fish for people.
With -- note well -- no promise of success in the eyes of the world. Verses 9-13 should not be omitted from the First Lesson (as is the case with most suggested excisions). Isaiah's prophetic call includes the information that not much of anybody will understand or heed his message. He was a great prophet but, according to tradition, ended his life by being sawn in two under the evil king Manasseh. Peter was the Prince of the Apostles but (again, according to tradition) ended his life on a Roman cross.
The way of the cross is an ineradicable part of Christianity, but perhaps that last paragraph is a bit strong for those facing failure in their lives right now. But it is important for all of us to be aware of the very different meanings that both "failure" and "success" have in God's eyes and in the eyes of the world. And it's important to understand the differences in the route to success in the two cases. Being in a right relationship with God is not, to begin with, a matter of "I think I can." The operative phrase here is "I believe you can."
Wes Runk responds: My best friend, who was a very successful businessman, always instructed his sales people that the only way they ever learned was through failure. When someone in his organization lost a little or big deal he would have them come in and analyze what went wrong and then they would discuss methods of correcting their work. He also applied this to his life. When at age forty-two he was told he had cancer and that his life would be limited to another 3-6 months, he studied cancer with enthusiasm and examined his previous lifestyle of all work and no play, of eating fast foods daily, and of giving his body little rest. The result was twenty-two years of the best life that almost anyone could imagine.
Tony Gwynn studied tape after tape of how he hit the ball. It did not make any difference if he went 4 for 4 or if he went 0 for 4; he still made a practice of sitting down and watching a video of his performance.
Athletes are all measured by their success, but the good ones understand that they have to accept failure more often than success in their game. Overcoming the failure makes them the best in their league.
Abraham Lincoln lost many more elections than he won, but he finally served his nation at the most critical time in the history of our country.
We all know of Paul's problems and yet in his writings he looked at what most people considered failure and took the opportunity to bring jailers, persecutors, and naysayers to a living relationship with Christ
Carter Shelley responds: Many years ago while serving as a summer seminary intern in a church in South Carolina, I had one of the youth approach me during a meeting and ask, "You're going to be a minister?" "Yes," I replied. "My Dad was a minister." she said, and quickly exited to join her friends before I could ask about him. I later learned from the church's minister that her father had been an incredibly successful and dynamic minister who had committed suicide a number of years before. While I never received any specific details of the father's life, the attached narrative is one I wrote later based upon my own imaginings of what might have happened. I have used it once as part of my charge to a new minister during his ordination service. It is drenched in southern Presbyterian details of the pre-reunion sort and merits significant editing to fit other faith traditions. In fact, the primary character doesn't need to be a minister at all, since all of us know individuals who fit this mold irrespective of profession.
Jeff Alexander was one of those people everyone remembers from high school. Athletic, good-looking, intelligent, a born leader. Jeff held almost every honor a guy could hope for: vice-president of the junior class, president of student government, voted most likely to succeed and most popular boy senior. Jeff lettered in football all three years -- not to mention basketball and tennis. His life was unblemished by unsightly pimples, unwanted perspiration, or girl problems. He was an Eagle Scout and a fine Christian.
Jeff had always known he would go to Davidson. It was part of his overall Presbyterian, predestined plan. At Davidson Jeff continued his excellent scholastic record while participating in many extracurricular activities. He played on the college tennis team, served as social chairman of his fraternity, and was mentioned in the Who's Who in American Colleges 1969.
As graduation neared Jeff couldn't decide about his future. He'd double-majored in chemistry and biology thinking, he'd go into medicine or graduate work in the sciences but, as the time for applications drew nearer, Jeff began to wonder about seminary. Some of the guys he most admired were going to seminary. Some of the men he'd most respected had been ministers. Suddenly, working on people didn't seem as important as working with them. Jeff wasn't sure what to do or if he had a call to ministry. He prayed about it, but was still unsure when he finally packed his bags and moved to Richmond, Virginia.
At Union Theological Seminary Jeff applied himself to his studies with his characteristic zeal. The professors read his papers with enthusiasm; they frequently praised his work. Always a success with the ladies, Jeff managed to snare the prettiest of the Presbyterian School of Christian Education graduates, Cynthia Summers. They were married the May before Jeff went off for his intern year. During his year as a seminary intern, Jeff worked as the assistant in a large, prestigious church in North Carolina. His work was exemplary, and the head pastor very much regretted his departure at the year's end. "Don't hesitate to ask for a reference anytime, Jeff."
Back at Union, Jeff went on to greater heights of glory. He won one of the four scholastic fellowships awarded each year to seniors, and he was voted by his peers in an impromptu election as the graduate most likely to become moderator of the Presbyterian Church at some future date. As graduation time approached, Jeff had more calls than a telephone operator. He agonized a long time before finally accepting the call as associate pastor in a church in Tennessee. From that position Jeff moved on to a solo pastorate in a medium-sized church, then onward and upward to the head pastorate of a large church -- all by the age of 31. While Jeff's ministerial responsibilities were growing, so also was his family. He and Cindy were the proud parents of a son and two daughters.
One day while alone in his church office, Jeff took a gun from his desk and shot himself in the head.
His grief-stricken wife commented afterwards, "If only he hadn't needed to be so perfect. If only he'd learned how to fail as well as how to succeed, he might be alive today."
Related Illustrations
Several centuries after Simon and his companions hauled in their miraculous catch of fish, a pampered Roman nobleman named Augustine would encounter the carpenter of Nazareth. He would do so not in a fishing boat but in the quiet luxury of a walled garden. Of that encounter he later writes, in his autobiography, the Confessions: "I was mad for health, and dying for life; knowing what evil thing I was, and not knowing what good thing I was shortly to become ... I was greatly disturbed in spirit...."
Augustine goes on to tell how he heard a faint voice, like that of a child, telling him to "take and read." He picked up a Bible, and opened it to Romans 13:13: "Let us live honorably, as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarrelling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires."
Compelling words, for a jaded playboy like Augustine. He continues,
"I wanted to read no further, nor did I need to. For instantly, as the sentence ended, there was infused in my heart something like the light of full certainty and all the gloom of doubt vanished away."
***
There's an old fable about a young woman who had a baby boy. Just after her son's baptism, a ragged old man came to her and offered to grant her one wish, on behalf of her son.
Thinking only the best for her baby, the woman wished that her son would always be loved by everyone he met. The old man said, "So be it," and vanished.
It turned out just as he said. As the boy grew, everyone loved him so much that he never lacked for anything. Yet -- as often happens in stories of magic wishes -- things did not turn out as expected. As adored and admired as this young man was, when he grew to adulthood he experienced a terrible emptiness within him. He could have had anything in the world he wanted just by asking, but he had no real friends, just admirers. He never knew the joy of a day's work well done or an achievement richly deserved, for his neighbors gladly took care of all his needs. The young man became cynical, jaded, and selfish, for no action of his ever brought him any negative consequences.
Finally the day came when his aged mother died. At the funeral, the same mysterious old man appeared, and this time he offered the son one wish. The young man took him up on his offer and asked that his mother's original wish for him be changed. Rather than being loved by everyone he met, the young man asked the old wizard to give him the power to love everyone he met.
And, the story goes, from that day forward he knew happiness such as no one on this earth has ever known.
***
"My mother drew a distinction between achievement and success. She said that achievement is the knowledge that you have studied and worked hard and done the best that is in you. Success is being praised by others. That is nice but not as important or satisfying. Always aim for achievement and forget about success."
-- Helen Hayes
***
"We heard of three engineers who came to their CEO with an idea for a project that they believed could be the next big money-maker for their company. After listening to their idea, the CEO gave them the green light to pursue it. After months of intensive work, the engineers had to face hard reality: their idea wasn't going to work.
Upon hearing the news, the CEO summoned the three engineers to his office. The mood was nothing like that of the earlier meeting -- no excitement, only the dread of what they were about to hear. Once the engineers were gathered, the CEO presented each of them with a gift. 'I know this project didn't work out the way you hoped,' he said, 'but the future of this company depends on just the kind of creative thinking the three of you have been doing. I want to thank you and ask you to keep it up.'
Now that is a company with a future."
-- Eddy Hall and Gary Morsch, "The Danger of Playing It Safe" (http://www.living-stones.com/dangeropisjump.htm)
***
In a dark time during the struggle for independence, John Adams quoted in a letter to Abigail a line from a popular play of the time, "Cato," by Joseph Addison -- a line George Washington would use on numerous occasions -- "We cannot insure success, but we can deserve it."
-- Cited by David McCullough, John Adams (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001), p. 91.
***
A classic Peanuts comic strip depicts Lucy in the outfield, ready to catch a fly ball. She extends her glove to catch the ball, but at the last minute she drops it.
She explains to Charlie Brown, "I almost had it, but then my past got in my eyes."
***
"One of the reasons why mature people stop growing and learning is that they become less and less willing to risk failure."
-- John Gardner
***
"Failure is an event, never a person."
-- William Brown, Welcome Stress!
***
"If there be anywhere on earth a lover of God who is always kept safe from falling, I know nothing of it -- for it was not shown me. But this was shown -- that in falling and rising again we are always kept in the same precious love."
-- Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love
Worship Resources
by George Reed
OPENING
Music
Hymns
"God Will Take Care of You." Words: Civilla D. Martin, 1904; music: W. Stillman Martin, 1905. Public domain. As found in UMH 130; AAHH 137; TNNBH 52.
"All My Hope Is Firmly Grounded." Words: Joachim Neander, 1680; trans. Fred Pratt Green, 1986; music: Herbert Howells, 1930, 1977. Trans. (c) 1989 Hope Publishing Co; music (c) 1968 Novello and Co., Ltd. As found in UMH 132; TNCH 408; CH 88.
"Leaning on the Everlasting Arms." Words: Elisha A. Hoffman, 1887; music: Anthony J. Showalter, 1887. Public domain. As found in UMH 133; Hymnal '82; LBOW; TPH; AAHH; TNNBH; CH 560.
"The Lord's My Shepherd, I'll Not Want." Words: Scottish Psalter, 1650; music: Jesse Seymour Irvine, 1872; harm. TCL. Pritchard, 1929. Harm. (c) by permission of Oxford University Press. As found in UMH 136; LBOW 451; TPH 170.
"Great Is Thy Faithfulness." Words: Thomas O. Chisholm, 1923; music: William M. Runyan, 1923. (c) 1923, renewed 1951 Hope Publishing Co. As found in UMH 140; Hymnal '82; LBOW; TPH 276;
AAHH 158; TNNBH 45; TNCH 423; CH 86.
"If Thou But Suffer God to Guide Thee." Words: Georg Neumark, 1657; trans. Catherine Winkworth, 1863; music: Georg Neumark, 1657. Public domain. As found in UMH 142; Hymnal '82 635; LBOW 453; TPH 282; TNCH 410; CH 565.
"On Eagle's Wings." Words: Michael Joncas, 1979; music: Michael Joncas, 1979; harm. Carlton R. Young, 1988. (c) 1979, 1989 North American Liturgy Resources. As found in UMH 143; CH 77.
Songs
"I Will Call Upon the Lord." Words and music: Michael O'Shields. (c) 1981 Sound III and All Nations Music. As found in CCB 9.
"The Steadfast Love of the Lord." Words: Edith McNeill; music: Edith McNeill; arr. J. Michael Bryan. (c) 1974 Celebration. As found in CCB 28.
"My Life Is in You, Lord." Words and music: Daniel Gardner. (c) 1986 Integrity's Hosanna! Music. As found in PMMCH3 120.
"Oh Lord, Our Lord." Words and music: Marty Goetz. (c) 1986 by Singin' In The Reign Music. A found in PMMCH3 297.
"Stand in the Congregation." Words and music: Bill Batstone. (c) 1988 and this arr. 1989 by Maranatha! Music. As found in PMMCH3 313.
CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader: I give you thanks, O God, with my whole heart;
People: before the gods I sing your praise;
Leader: I bow down toward your holy temple
People: and give thanks for your steadfast love.
Leader: One the day I called, you answered me,
People: you increased my strength of soul.
Leader: Your steadfast love, O God, endures forever.
People: Do not forsake the work of your hands.
COLLECT / OPENING PRAYER
O God, who created us from the dust of the earth: Remember our frailty and preserve us with the strength of your Spirit in all our adversities; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
or
God, you are the one who formed us and you know us better than we know ourselves. You understand our fear and especially our fear of failure. Help us to see the way your reign comes to fruition through weakness. By the Spirit of Jesus, help us to embrace the cross and your love. Amen.
Response Music
Hymns
"Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me." Words: Edward Hopper, 1871; music: John E. Gould, 1871. Public domain. As found in UMH 509; Hymnal '82; LBOW 334; TPH; AAHH 460; TNNBH 243; TNCH 441.
"Come, Ye Disconsolate." Words: Thomas Moore, 1816; alt. by Thomas Hastings, 1831; music: Samuel Webbe, Sr., 1792. Public domain. As found in UMH 510; AAHH 421; TNNBH 264; CH 502.
"Stand By Me." Words: Charles Albert Tindley, ca. 1906; music: Charles Albert Tindley, ca. 1906; arr. William Farley Smith, 1989. Arr. (c) 1989 The United Methodist Publishing House. As found in UMH 512; TNNBH 318; CH 629.
"Nobody Knows the Trouble I See." Words: Afro-American spiritual; music: Afro-American spiritual; adapt. and arr. William Farley Smith, 1986. Adapt. and arr. (c) 1989 The United Methodist Publishing House. As found in UMH 520.
"I Want Jesus to Walk with Me." Words: Afro-American spiritual; music: Afro-American spiritual; adapt. and arr. William Farley Smith, 1986. Adapt. (c) 1989 The United Methodist Publishing House. As found in UMH 521; Hymnal '82; LBOW; TPH 363; AAHH 563; TNNBH 500; CH 627.
"Beams of Heaven as I Go." Words: Charles Albert Tindley, ca. 1906; music: Charles Albert Tindley, ca. 1906; arr. F. A. Clark, 1906. Public domain. As found in UMH 524; TNNBH 271; TNCH 447.
"Be Still, My Soul." Words: Katharina von Schlegel, 1752; trans. Jane Borthwick, 1855; music: Jean Sibelius, 1899; arr. from The Hymnal, 1933. Arr. (c) 1933, renewed 1961 Presbyterian Board of Christian Education. As found in UMH 534; AAHH 135; TNNBH 263; TNCH 488; CH 566.
Songs
"Cares Chorus." Words and music: Kelly Willard. (c) 1978 Maranatha! Music. As found in CCB 53.
"Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus." Words and music: Helen Lemmel. (c) 1922 Singspiration Music. As found in CCB 55.
"You Are Mine." Words and music: David Haas. (c) 1986 G.I.A. Publications, Inc. As found in CCB 58.
"Learning to Lean." Words and music: John Stallings. (c) 1976 HeartWarming Music Co. As found in CCB 74.
"Strength of My Life." Words and music: Leslie Phillips. (c) 1984 and this arr. 1993 by Word Music. As found in PMMCH3 288.
"Beauty for Ashes." Words and music: Bob Manzano. (c) 1979 Maranatha! Music. As found in PMMCH3 141.
GENERAL PRAYERS, LITANIES, ETC.
All honor and glory and worship are yours, O God, for you are the very foundation of our being. You called us forth from the earth and filled us with your own breath. You have made us a little lower than gods and have blessed us with your presence.
(The following paragraph is most suitable if a prayer of confession will not be used elsewhere.)
We acknowledge to you and before each other than we have try to make a name for ourselves rather than receiving your blessing and proclamation that we are yours. We push others aside and try to make ourselves look better than those around us instead of celebrating your love and regard for all your creatures. Forgive our foolish ways and recall us by the power of your Spirit to that place where we fear neither success nor failure because we know we are yours.
We give you thanks for all the ways that you bring us life, even in the midst of what we consider failures. We thank you that you do not desert us to our own devices but constantly call and woo us to your vision of life eternal and divine.
(Other specific thanksgiving may be offered.)
We offer to your love and care those who think their lives are failures. We pray for those whose health is broken, who careers have taken a detour and those who are facing death. As you are with them, use our love and presence to bring your peace and grace more fully into their lives.
(Other petitions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of the one who "failed" that we might have life, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
* * *
Hymnal and Songbook Abbreviations
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
Hymnal '82: The Hymnal 1982, The Episcopal Church
LBOW: Lutheran Book of Worship
TPH: The Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
TNNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
TNCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
PMMCH3: Praise. Maranatha! Music Chorus Book, Expanded 3rd Edition
A Children's Sermon
Failing Forward
Luke 5:1-11
By Wesley T. Runk
V. 5 -- Simon answered, "Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets."
Object -- a musical instrument and some written music
Good morning, boys and girls. I brought along with me today a clarinet that I used to play a lot when I was growing up. My grandfather gave me this fine instrument because he thought that everyone should enjoy music and play with other people in an orchestra or band. He also bought me a book of music and paid for me to take music lessons. It made me very happy. I thought that I would sit down and play a song while he was there. Was I surprised! I spread out the music on a table and opened the clarinet case. The clarinet was in pieces and I could not even put it together. My parents helped me put it together and I put it to my lips and blew as hard as I could blow and nothing happened. Not a sound! Not one sound! I was so embarrassed in front of my grandfather that I did not know what to do. I considered myself a failure.
How many of you have ever failed? (let them answer) Did you ever fall off of your bike when you were first learning how to ride? (let them answer) Did you think you would fall? Did you fall again? (let them answer) Were you ready to quit after you fell 4 or 5 times? Did you watch your friends ride their bikes and think to yourself that they must be really special? (let them answer)
How many of you can read a book? (let them answer) Were you able to read a book the first time you tried? (let them answer) Did Mom or Dad have to help you with words that you did not know? (let them answer) Reading can be hard work and sometimes when we are learning we feel like quitting. We are sure that we are going to fail reading.
Jesus was with some fisherman one day after they had been out in their boats and had not caught any fish. The fisherman felt kind of bad. Here was Jesus who healed people from serious diseases and they could not do something that they had done many times before, catch some fish. They didn't have to be the biggest fish in the lake. They didn't have to be the most fish they had ever caught. They didn't have to be the best eating fish in the world. They just wanted to catch a few fish to show Jesus that they knew how to fish. Now, they were just checking their nets and kind of hiding from one another.
Jesus told them to go back out to a certain place and lower their nets. Simon, who later was named Peter, said that they had been out all night during the best fishing weather and they did not catch anything. But if Jesus wanted them to try it again they would give it their best.
Our parents are kind of like that aren't they? They know that someday you will learn how to ride the bike and ride it very well. They know that someday all of the words will make sense and you will learn to read a book all by yourself. They know that we have to fail many times before we will succeed. Jesus knew that too. He wanted Simon and James and John to overcome their failure and succeed because he wanted them to be his disciples. To be his disciples they had to trust him and what he said. Simon, James, and John all failed but they tried again and again and finally they succeeded. Jesus gives us hope that we will learn from our failures and succeed.
Jesus would like for you to be one of his disciples. He knows that you will fail sometimes but he also knows that if you trust him and follow his teachings you will become a fine disciple. Learn from failures and become a disciple of Jesus. Amen.
* * * * *
The Immediate Word, February 8, 2004, issue.
Copyright 2004 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., P.O. Box 4503, Lima, Ohio 45802-4503
