You Want Me to Do What?
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For February 6, 2022:
You Want Me to Do What?
by Mary Austin
Luke 5:1-11
As I think about my life, there are things I never would have done if I had known how hard they were going to be. You probably have a long list, too.
Babies are cute enough to charm us through the sleepless nights, churches present their best side when they interview you, romantic partners are on their best behavior at the start. Everything starts alluringly. The same happens for Jesus’ friends, as they begin their ministry with him. He provides them with a huge catch of fish, and then invites them to travel with him. Looking back 2,000 years, we can see that they had no idea what they were getting into. “Fishing for people” is a compelling, yet vague job description. Still, they sign on.
And still we sign on, following this same vague job description. We have no idea what we’re getting into when we take up our own calling to follow Jesus.
This happens whenever people follow any vocation, whether it’s taking up the family plumbing business, going into teaching or medicine, or becoming parents or tutors. It even seems to have happened to Joe Biden, who has longed to be President for decades. Even after he spent years in the Senate, his former colleagues are determined to block his agenda. Covid is much more difficult to contain than it should be. His generally upbeat personality isn’t a match for the gloom we feel as a country.
Is following a vocation all it’s cracked up to be?
In the News
Joe Biden might be wondering why he ever wanted to be President.
The economy is strong, growing by 5.7% is 2021, “the largest annual increase since 1984.” There was good news for many people in the country as “the economic lift was largely provided by vaccination efforts, cheap credit conditions put in place by the Federal Reserve and a fresh round of federal aid to households and businesses.” The economy has recovered 19 million of the 22 million jobs lost at the height of the pandemic. Still, what we hear about in the news is inflation, and what we think is about is why there’s no chicken on the shelves at the grocery store.
The terrible human suffering caused by the hasty withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan left a permanent dent in the President’s popularity. “Biden’s numbers never recovered, and have continued to slide — even though Afghanistan has largely disappeared from the headlines once more. Perhaps the effects endured because the withdrawal called Biden’s competence — one of his core campaign selling points — into question, and because the debacle encouraged a general pessimism about the country’s standing overall.” Covid also came raging back as a concern, as Omicron surged before the holidays, and some schools closed again.
The President has created a video to showcase his first year accomplishments, listing fact after fact about the fight against Covid and the economy. “If there were an avatar to accompany the PR campaign, it would be an image of the baffled president, lifting America up by its collective lapels and screaming, ‘What is wrong with you people? Why don't you LIKE ME?’” Maybe we’re not prepared to like anyone right now. “Experts attribute Biden's slide to two major factors: public exhaustion over the pandemic and a baked-in partisanship that means no president is going to attract more than about 10-20% support from the opposing party…Aggravating Biden's condition, Americans are "just grumpy," [Marquette University Law School pollster Charles] Franklin says. They want to go back to a more normal time — a scenario Biden promised during his campaign. And even though the omicron variant is not Biden's fault, the president becomes a natural target for their frustration, analysts say, even if Biden's efforts are being thwarted by Republican foes.”
Being President, for Joe Biden, has been a rougher road than he imagined, and it’s a hard time to be a Democrat. People who imagined sweeping changes to Trump-era laws are disappointed, and Democrats in Congress are stymied by two members of their own party.
In the Scriptures
Do the disciples of Jesus ever wonder, later on, what they were thinking when they followed him? He tailors the call of Peter, James and John to the skills they already have: persistence, the ability to wait for results, and a knack for hard work. As people who do dangerous work, they already have a wealth of courage. He even makes their call less scary by framing it with the work they already know.
Elizabeth Johnson notes that this call story is unique. Only Luke includes the huge catch of fish in the calling of the disciples. Before the miracle, there’s another gift in the story that I never noticed before. When Jesus asks Peter for his boat, and teaches from it, Peter is still in the boat, listening to everything Jesus teaches the crowd. Before the call, before the fish, he gets an introductory lesson. Whether he wants to or not, he’s listening in as he holds the boat steady for Jesus.
The calling of the disciples gives me hope. Couldn’t God do better than this? Why did Jesus choose these fishermen to be part of his inner circle? Plus tax collectors? What did he see in them? If the early church grew through the work of these ordinary people, and because of their deep connection with Jesus, then there’s hope that any of us can do some good for God.
In the Sermon
Jesus goes to the shore where Peter and the other fishermen are. He doesn’t expect to encounter them in the synagogue. The sermon might look at how we, as the followers of Jesus, are going out to find people where they are. Our churches used to be able to sit on a corner and have people come through the doors, and now those days are over. Where are we meeting up with people in their work, family lives, where they coach soccer, drink beer or volunteer?
Or the sermon might look at how we live out our calling from Jesus in our professional lives. I read recently that some scholars believe the disciples went back and forth between Jesus and their homes, traveling with him for a season and then going home to their families. (I wish I could remember where I read this, and it’s such an interesting idea to think about.) How can we help our members live their Christian calling in their lives as EMTs, teachers, nurses, landscapers and bond traders? How can they use the skills they already have, like the fishermen do, in service to Jesus?
In our time, we’ve sucked out the mystery out of following Jesus, and made it into committee work, writing articles for newsletters, running meetings and thinking about roof repair. Elizabeth Johnson finds the surprise in this story, noting, “Simon is caught by surprise. In the midst of his ordinary daily grind, and in fact, after a particularly lousy night at work, he is encountered by one who changes everything. Amazed by the power of God displayed in the abundant catch of fish, Simon is immediately aware of his sinfulness and unworthiness. He sees the overwhelming disparity between God’s power manifest in Jesus and his own mortal, compromised life.”
The sermon might look at where God has surprised you, or your congregation, recently. Where has God provided so much more than you imagined?
Even in this bleak Covid time, God still comes with power, and with the surprises we need to enter into life as followers of Jesus.
SECOND THOUGHTS
Power Moves
by Chris Keating
Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13), 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, Luke 5:1-11
Following a week of blizzards and snowstorms, millions of Americans will gather Sunday to behold the power of true champions. Awe-inspiring special effects and whiz-bang pyrotechnics will be coupled with displays of brute strength and dramatic revelations. It will be an unsurpassed display of strength and domination, an inspiring spectacle combining sight and sound.
And that’s just what will happen during church Sunday morning. There’s also a football game later in the evening.
Super Bowl Sunday is often touted as America’s biggest religious holiday, but this year preachers have a trump card available. This Sunday’s lectionary texts are ready to take the field as witnesses of God’s power. Isaiah’s call provides the kick-off, while Jesus deftly intercepts a net-breaking haul of fish to clench the final quarter. Meanwhile, Paul offers a halftime show that recounts the story of Christ, concluding with his own reverse action play on the meaning of greatness.
You can skip serving nachos for communion while still giving the congregation a field level, fifty-yard line view of God immanence and transcendence this Sunday. Each of the passages offer insights into the way God’s power and presence are made manifest in the world. These later Epiphany stories reorient our understanding of how the game is played, shifting our attention from brute strength to awe-spiring and miraculous grace linked with ineffably sublime transcendence.
Let’s get ready to rumble.
For the first half, spend some time with Isaiah’s commissioning to be a prophet. It takes place in the temple, though we have learned to discern God’s transcendence in living rooms as well. God’s people are lifted from their circumstances and shortcomings, empowered to do “far more abundantly than all we ask or think.” Isaiah’s own experience, time stamped as the year when King Uzziah died, confirms that the power of God is always interacting with human activities. Our own commissioning might read: “In the year that the Space Shuttle exploded,” or “in the months after George Floyd died,” or “in the year when the pandemic struck.”
From the outset, it is apparent that the power of God far exceeds anything Isaiah could imagine. In fact, the implications of Isaiah 6 initially stem from the prophet’s own self-awareness. Isaiah realizes that his own human frailty stands in contrast to the holiness he observes. Yet, with his sin blotted out, he is summoned like Simon Peter to a holy vocation. This act of awareness is crucial to discerning how God’s power differs from human acts of domination.
For example, we might soon be thinking of 2022 as the “year when Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine.” Whatever Putin’s gameplan is for Ukraine, it’s clear he wishes to dominate and control in ways that evoke the former USSR. The real prize, suggests Tom McTague in The Atlantic this week, is ending American influence in Europe. He adds,
Russia is a country of 142 million people with a hollowed-out petro economy about the size of South Korea’s. Together, Europe’s big three powers — Germany, France, and Britain — dwarf Russia in terms of wealth and population; the whole of democratic Europe, even more so. And yet, Europe is of secondary importance in this crisis even though it is happening on its own continent.
McTague notes that while some Russia observers remain skeptical of Putin’s strength, the game he is playing seems to be aimed at negotiating a deal that places Russia in charge of maintaining European security, reversing the losses it endured when the Soviet order collapsed. Putin’s empire-building impulses, not unlike the conquering empires of Isaiah’s day.
But God’s kingdom, as Isaiah will learn, is built from the stump of defeat and not from military successes. It’s clear that God’s power is unlike any human power. It appears not with tanks and fighter jets, but from the unlikely remnant of a decayed tree.
That old stump is not a bad image for people wearied by Omicron and anxious about a new war. As the first half of this game ends, there seems to be questions about God’s ideas regarding power.
Yet, as Paul’s cheerleading in 1 Corinthians 15 reminds, God’s call persists and endures in the second half. It is a calling of good news, proclaimed by Paul and embodied in grace. To paraphrase “The Godfather,” just when we thought we were out, we’re called back in.
As if on cue, Jesus takes the field, and offers a miraculous sign of the way God’s power works. Simon, et al are discouraged and fatigued by a pandemic of bad luck. They’ve worked all night (perhaps many nights) and come up empty netted. Yet Jesus demonstrates God’s power over the unpredictable seas, and produces a windfall beyond all imagination. It’s unexpected and amazing — hope that has emerged from seemingly nowhere.
God’s power, manifest through a seemingly insignificant fishing boat is more effective than larger and more equipped vessels.
Last week, for example, a relatively tiny Irish fishing village scored a victory over the Russian Navy. As the rest of the world worried that Russia was planning to invade Ukraine, The Irish South and West Fish Producer’s Organization in Castletownbere, County Cork, Ireland, were primarily worried about Russia’s plans to conduct naval exercises off the coast of Ireland. While the exercises would have been allowed by international law, they would be disruptive to the fishing industry.
"In light of the current political and security environment in Europe, the Department of Foreign Affairs has raised a number of concerns with the Russian authorities in respect of these exercises," said Ireland’s Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney.
The drills and rocket launchings created safety concerns for the fishing industry, as well as anxiety among the residents of Castletownbere. Patrick Murphy, head of the fishing group, met with Russian’s ambassador to Ireland and pressed his case. Initially, Russia was not moved by Murphy’s “fishing boat” diplomacy. The fishermen were urged to “refrain from any provocative actions which might endanger all involved,” the ambassador said.
But suddenly, Moscow changed its mind, announcing it was moving the exercises as a gesture of goodwill. Murphy’s fishing boat diplomacy carried the day, and the gunships retreated. It all happened because a fisherman sat down with an ambassador from one of the world’s most powerful countries.
"You wouldn't expect the Russian nation to listen to a couple of fishermen," he said. "Doesn't it show that a simple little conversation can change things? It's huge. The power of words is a lot better than the power of the gun. I'm chuffed."
It wasn’t a typical power play, but instead was the sort of unexpected, late in the game drive that reflects the astonishing power of God. After all, it’s not hard imagining Jesus saying, “Blessed are the chuffed — for they will become fishers of people.”
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Tom Willadsen:
Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13)
Near death experience
Protestants are familiar with the rash promise Martin Luther made that led him to St. Augustine’s Monastery: “On 2 July 1505, while Luther was returning to university on horseback after a trip home, a lightning bolt struck near him during a thunderstorm. Later telling his father he was terrified of death and divine judgment, he cried out, ‘Help! Saint Anna, I will become a monk!’ ”
(Brecht, Martin. Martin Luther. tr. James L. Schaaf, Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1985–93, 1:48.; Brecht, Martin (1985). Google Books Archive of Martin Luther: His road to Reformation, 1483–1521 (By Martin Brecht). Martin Luther: His road to Reformation, 1483–1521 (By Martin Brecht). ISBN 978-1-4514-1414-1. Retrieved 14 May 2015.)
It is not much different from Isaiah calling out “Here am I, send me!” after observing God’s awesome, terrifying presence in the Temple. It is not a stretch to say that Isaiah had a near-death experience, or at least was scared to death. Was Isaiah more ready to accept God’s call after his brush with the Almighty?
* * *
Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13)
In the sanctuary
It is crystal clear that Isaiah’s vision and call took place in the Temple’s sanctuary. This indicates a combining of the roles of prophet and priest. This fact sets Isaiah’s call on a different level from Jeremiah’s, Moses’, Gideon’s or Ezekiel’s; they were merely prophets. Isaiah wore two hats as prophet and priest.
* * *
Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13)
What, exactly, are seraphim?
שְׂרָפִ֨ים the Hebrew term rendered into English as “seraphim” is used in two distinct, but related senses in the Hebrew Bible. In Numbers 21 the Wanderers are beset by seraphim and it’s clear that it is venomous snakes that are threatening them. The Hebrew root שרף means “burn.” Perhaps the effect of the snake bit was a burning sensation.
In Isaiah 6:2 it’s clear that seraphim are a different animal entirely. They stand upright, above the enthroned Lord, royal attendants. They have hands, faces, voices and private parts. They use one of their three sets of wings to fly. It does not appear that there is anything snake-like about them.
* * *
Luke 5:1-11
Where is Jesus and who is with Him?
Luke calls the body of water where today’s lesson takes place “the lake of Gennesaret.” Gennesaret is a settlement on the west side of what other sources call the Sea of Galilee.
Jesus has been doing a lot of travelling. After his baptism in Judea and his temptation in the wilderness he “returned to Galilee,” and began frequenting synagogues. He was in his home synagogue in Nazareth in Galilee during last week’s reading when he escaped being thrown off the cliff and killed. From there he went to Capernaum, not very far away, he healed Simon’s mother-in-law, presumably in Galilee, because Simon fished the Sea of Galilee/lake of Gennesaret. Just before today’s lesson starts, Luke 4:44 reads, “So he continued proclaiming the message in the synagogue of Judea.” Judea is pretty far from Galilee; it doesn’t make sense that Jesus went from Galilee to Judea, then found himself back in Galilee on the lakefront, but that’s where he is.
At this point in Luke’s gospel Jesus hasn’t called any disciples. He seems to have made a connection with Simon, having stayed at his house in chapter 4 and healed his mother-in-law.
The end of the huge haul of fish was the closest thing to a call from Jesus that Simon, James and John received in Luke’s gospel. Andrew is not mentioned here. Andrew’s only appearance in Luke is in 6:14, when he is identified to as Simon/Peter’s brother.
* * * * * *
From team member Dean Feldmeyer:
Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13), Luke 5:1-11
Called But Refused To Answer
Sometimes we are called to do things we’d rather not do, and the call doesn’t always come from God.
On December 23, 2021, Rep. Jim Jordan (R. Ohio) received a letter from the House Select Committee on January 6, inviting him to voluntarily appear before the committee and discuss “in detail” his communications with Donald Trump on January 5 and 6, and every other date where they discussed the overthrow of the 2021 election.
There was no question that Jordan was involved in such discussions because he bragged about his involvement on various right wing media outlets.
The letter hinted in a not-so-subtle way that failure to comply voluntarily would result in a subpoena requiring him to testify or face charges for contempt of congress.
Jordan, along with Republican House minority leader, Kevin McCarthy, and Republican member of Congress Scott Perry are suspected of having inside knowledge about Trump’s plan to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s election and whether it was coordinated with the Capitol attack.
But Republican lawmakers, even those who decried the January 6 attack when it originally happened, have refused to cooperate with the investigation and many have threatened that, if they are subpoenaed to testify, when they regain the majority, as they expect to do in November, they will issue frivolous subpoenas to Democrats to punish them for investigating the January 6 insurrection.
On January 15, Jordan officially refused to cooperate in any way with the work of the committee. More to follow...
* * *
Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13), Luke 5:1-11
Missed His Call But Not His
Cleveland, Ohio, native Drew Carey, the host of TV’s Price is Right, started out as a stand-up comic, working comedy clubs across the country and sleeping on the couch in the homes of friends and fellow comics.
When he was working at the Comedy Magic Club in Los Angeles, he was invited to audition for the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, which he knew could launch his career into the stratosphere. The audition went well and he was told that his name would be added to the list of about 30 comics who could be called on to fill in if a Tonight Show guest couldn’t make it at the last minute or if they were just having trouble filling out the guest roster for one night.
Drew was elated and figured that, with 30 people on the list, it would be a while before he was called. So, when his friend, Bob Saget invited him to a taping of Full House, he jumped at it. He’d never seen a TV show being taped and, besides, Bob told him, the Beach Boys were going to be there. Of course he went.
That evening when he arrived at the Comedy Magic Club the manager told him that someone from the Tonight Show was trying to get in touch with him and, of course, he called back immediately. Too late. They had wanted him to perform that night but, when they couldn’t get him, they gave the spot to someone else.
Another opportunity to be on the Tonight Show didn’t happen for Drew Carey for three years, but when he finally did get to appear, his bit went so well that Johnny invited him to come over and sit down — high praise, indeed.
The next night, when he took the stage at the Comedy Magic Club there were 26 people from the William Morris Agency in the audience. Drew Carey had been a club comic. Then, he said, he was in show business.
* * *
Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13), Luke 5:1-11
It Ain’t Easy
The prophet, Isaiah, and the disciples of Jesus are called to work that will change their lives. But if they think, as many today seem to think, that saying yes to God is a ticket to an easy life, they’re about to wake up to a shocking reality.
Popular author Elmore “Dutch” Leonard introduced us to US Marshal Raylan Givens in the short story “Fire in the Hole” and Raylan hasn’t sat down since. He has appeared in other stories, novels, movies and the hugely successful TV series “Justified” on the FX network. And, a few weeks ago, FX announced that actor Timothy Oliphant will return in a new Raylan Givens series, “Justified: City Primeval.”
Raylan, a native of Appalachia and a former coal miner, tends to play fast and loose with the rules, a habit that makes him a huge success at his job and with audiences as well as a constant pain in the neck to his boss.
In one episode of “Justified,” he gets angry and depressed over some mishap or other and goes to one of those dangerous roadhouse bars along the gravel roads in the mountains where he drinks too much and gets into a fight with a couple of good-ol’-boys who leave him bruised, sore, hungover and sleeping in his car with his famous cowboy hat missing.
A few days later he returns to the bar, sober this time, and asks the bartender about the good ol’ boys and remarks that he’d really like to get that hat back.
The bartender allows that those two guys usually return to the bar every day after their shift at about 3:00 PM, which is any minute, now. He then leans over the counter and says, softly, conspiratorially, “You know, it’d be a whole lot easier to just go buy a new hat.”
Rayland nods, allows a small grin and says, “It ain’t easy I’m after.”
The bartender nods. He understands.
* * *
Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13), Luke 5:1-11
Called To Something New And Different
When this article originally appeared on Oklahoman, the headline read: This pastor felt called to offer services in a new language at his church — English.
Joel Ojeda couldn’t speak Spanish fluently when he felt called to start a church serving the Hispanic community.
In 2018, when Joel Ojeda opened Nueva Vida Iglesia — “New Life Church” — he could speak very little Spanish. But his calling wasn’t to do something easy so, he wrote his sermons in English, his first language, and translated them to Spanish using computer translation/interpretation programs. When he came to a word that he stumbled over, members of the small congregation would help him by shouting out the correct pronunciation. With their help, he was learning to speak his second language better and better.
Looking at his children, however, he realized that younger generation of Hispanic kids were more comfortable with English, so he added a second worship service in English. He thought some members of his congregation might frown upon the English language service, thinking that he was caving to Anglo cultural demands. But, to his surprise, they were supportive. Offering two languages opened the church to more people, they said.
After closing for a brief time, due to the Covid pandemic, the church has recently reopened and is growing. They hope to be able to purchase their own building, soon.
* * *
Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13), Luke 5:1-11
Called To The Supreme Court
It is one thing to be called but quite another to be confirmed.
Justice Stephen G. Breyer has announced his plans to retire from the Supreme Court after the current term concludes. At 83, he is the oldest of the nine justices and has served on the court for nearly three decades. President Biden has pledged to nominate a new, African American woman justice by the end of February and the short list contains four names, all of which are eminently qualified.
Qualifications, however, have come to mean very little in the process that is known as “Advise and Consent” wherein the United States Senate must confirm the president’s nominee. Sadly, that process has become tainted with some vehement and vociferous political posturing.
Before the official candidate is actually named, however, a great deal of vetting must be done, and the process for that vetting looks like this:
First, the President and his advisors will do thorough background investigations of the candidate and talks to make sure she is in line with the president’s political views. If all goes well she will become his official nominee.
The committee process takes over, next with a committee of 11 Republicans and 11 Democrats doing their own vetting, followed by public hearings wherein they question the candidate about her qualifications, i.e. her politics, opinions, past judicial decisions and experiences, etc.
If a majority of the committee finds that she is not qualified, the candidate is passed on to the entire Senate with a recommendation that she be rejected. If a majority find that she is qualified, she is passed on to the Senate with a notation of the vote tally of the committee.
The Senate debates the nomination under the leadership of Senator Dick Durbin (D, Illinois) the chair of the Judiciary Committee. Republicans removed the filibuster rule from play in Supreme Court nominations in 2017 in order to speed the confirmations of judges appointed by then President Donald Trump so, after debating the nomination, the Senate votes on the nominee who can be approved and confirmed with a simple 51% majority of the Senate voting for confirmation.
* * * * * *
From team member Quantisha Mason-Doll:
Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13)
And the Lord said, “Until….”
In 2013 the Rev. Dr. William Barber, President and Co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign, preached at Wild Goose Festival. While Isaiah 6:1-8 was not his primary text he did touch on these verses. There was something about the way he said until. Leading up to this moment I never gave much thought to what it means to tell someone they will proclaim the good news of the Lord until the end. Full stop. It was at this moment that I understand the full gravity of the simple word until. In the context of proclaiming the news of the Lord all too often, we fall into the rhetoric of God is all love and warm hugs. In truth, the good news of the Lord is far from warm hugs and safe spaces. Do you wear the mantle of Christendom and are you willing to put clean the good news of the Lord until?
* * *
Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13)
Here I am take me
The year is 2022 and schools are still banning books that make white people uncomfortable.
For those of you who do not know, the nonfiction graphic novel Maus by American cartoonist Art Spiegelman was recently banned by a Tennessee school district. Spiegelman’s work was based on the accounts of his fathers, a Polish Jewish man who survived the horrors of the Holocaust. It was banned for “inappropriate language” among other things. In response, Maus has become a best seller. What the Tennessee school district failed to see in Spiegelman’s work and what the masses flocking to buy the book don’t see is that Maus as a concept is the manifestation of Isaiah’s plea in response to God’s call “Whom shall I send?...” What Isaiah says and what Maus demonstrates is that if you remain quiet in the face of tragedy there is no hope for the kingdom here on earth. That there is no hope for healing and that the tragedy life has handed you will succeed in silencing your voice. Zora Neale Hurston once said, “If you are silent about your pain, they’ll kill you and say you enjoyed it.” Maus can and should be a catharsis as well as a symbol for how we should respond to an increasingly decisive world.
* * *
Luke 5:1-11
Because you say so I will
Poor Simon Peter. All he and his friends wanted to do was go home after a long night of casting their nets and pulling them up empty. Then along comes Jesus of Nazareth who, in trying to escape from the masses pressing in on him, climbs into Simon’s boat. Our Lord implores the tired Simon to row them out so that he can speak without impediment.
We as modern people assume that Simon went along with Jesus’s requests without question. We have the luxury of knowing how the story ends, yet we should ask ourselves why did Simon Peter, who did not have the same luxury as we do, say yes?
The miracle of the fishes is more than just a simple miracle. It is a moment of private revelation afforded to someone who was willing to offer aid to someone in need even though they were tired and worn out. Simon was willing to trust in this stranger and was rewarded for that trust.
* * * * * *
WORSHIP
by George Reed
Call to Worship
One: We give you thanks, O God, with our whole heart.
All: We give thanks for your steadfast love and your faithfulness.
One: On the day we called, you answered us.
All: You greatly increased our strength of soul.
One: Your steadfast love, O God, endures forever.
All: Do not forsake the work of your hands.
OR
One: God comes to call us into the divine presence.
All: In awe, we present ourselves to our God.
One: God comes to call us to the work of redeeming creation.
All: We are willing but we don’t feel up to the task.
One: God comes to equip us for the work the lays before us.
All: Whatever the task, we will trust God to guide us.
Hymns and Songs
Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty
UMH: 64/65
H82: 362
PH: 138
AAHH: 329
NNBH: 1
NCH: 277
CH: 4
LBW: 165
ELW: 413
W&P: 136
AMEC: 25
STLT: 26
Renew: 204
Praise My Soul, the King of Heaven
UMH: 66
H82: 410
PH: 478
CH: 23
LBW: 549
ELW: 864/865
W&P: 82
AMEC: 70
Renew: 53
Here I Am, Lord
UMH: 593
PH: 525
AAHH: 567
CH: 452
ELW: 574
W&P: 559
Renew: 149
All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name
UMH: 154/155
H82: 450/451
PH: 142/143
AAHH: 292/293/294
NNBH: 3/5
NCH: 304
CH: 91/92
LBW: 328/329
ELW: 634
W&P: 100/106
AMEC: 4/5/6
Renew: 45
Hope of the World
UMH: 178
H82: 472
PH: 360
NCH: 46
CH: 538
LBW: 493
W&P: 404
Where He Leads Me
UMH: 338
AAHH: 550
NNBH: 229
CH: 346
AMEC: 235
Tú Has Venido a la Orilla (Lord, you Have Come to the Lakeshore)
UMH: 344
PH: 377
CH: 342
W&P: 347
I Surrender All
UMH: 354
AAHH: 396
NNBH: 198
W&P: 474
AMEC: 251
Lord, Whose Love Through Humble Service
UMH: 581
H82: 610
PH: 427
CH: 461
LBW: 423
ELW: 712
W&P: 575
Renew: 286
You Satisfy the Hungry Heart
UMH: 629
PH: 521
CH: 429
ELW: 484
W&P: 705
People Need the Lord
CCB: 52
Our God Reigns
CCB: 33
Music Resources Key
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our unwillingness to be open to your call.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You call us and invite us to be part of your joyous work redeeming your creation. You welcome us into your renewal of all you intended for your children. Yet we are reluctant to answer your call. We don’t feel we are up to the task or we have other things we must do. There must be someone else who could do the job better than us. Forgive our lack of trust in you and our unwillingness to be part of your redeeming work. Renew us in your Spirit that we may join with the Christ and do your will. Amen.
One: God continues to call us and welcome us into the work of salvation. Receive God’s blessing and forgiveness as you join the Christ on this mission.
Prayers of the People
Glory to you, O God, who comes to bring salvation and to invite us to be part of your redeeming work.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You call us and invite us to be part of your joyous work redeeming your creation. You welcome us into your renewal of all you intended for your children. Yet we are reluctant to answer your call. We don't feel we are up to the task or we have other things we must do. There must be someone else who could do the job better than us. Forgive our lack of trust in you and our unwillingness to be part of your redeeming work. Renew us in your Spirit that we may join with the Christ and do your will.
We give you thanks for all the ways in which you are a part of our lives. We thank you for our creation and for your continual presence in our lives. You work in us and among us to bring all creation to completion. You search for us when we go astray and bring us back to your fold.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all your children in their need. We pray for those who do not know of your love for them. We pray for those whose lives are hard and find it difficult to believe in love at all. We pray for those who are struggling with health issues, for those who are dying, and for those who are grieving. We offer ourselves to be part of your healing, redeeming presence in their lives.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together saying:
Our Father....Amen.
(Or if the Our Father is not used at this point in the service.)
All this we ask in the name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
* * * * * *
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Called by Jesus
by Katy Stenta
Luke 5:1-11
This is the story of how Jesus calls his first coworkers — asked to teach from the boats for some fishermen. When Jesus was done fishing, he asked those who were fishing to put their nets down. Their names were Simon Peter, James and John. When Jesus was finished talking he asked them to put their nets in the deeper water. Simon Peter said, “Okay but it won’t work for we have been trying all night, which is the best time to catch fish, and we haven’t caught anything.”
Simon Peter put his nets in the lake, and when he did the nets were so full of fish that he had to call his partners James and John to help to haul the nets out.
Then Simon Peter, James, and John all felt like that this was too much and that they were not worthy to be in the presence of Jesus. They said, “Go away Jesus, we are all sinners.”
Do you think Jesus minded that Simon Peter, James, and John were not perfect? No.
No one Jesus ever calls is perfect. Jesus knows exactly who we are when he calls us. Maybe they were embarrassed that they were just fishermen, but Jesus says to them.
“Come with me, I will use your fishing skills to net people…” and then all three of them immediately get up and follow Jesus.
(It’s okay to ask the following questions and not get any answers.)
What do you think made Simon Peter, James, and John get up and follow Jesus right away?
What do you think it felt like to catch all of those fish?
What do you think the disciples were looking forward to on the journey?
Let us pray.
Dear God,
Thank you
for calling us
exactly as we are.
Help us
when we fell
overwhelmed
or afraid.
In Jesus name
we pray.
Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, February 6, 2022 issue.
Copyright 2022 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 or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
- You Want Me to Do What? by Mary Austin — Even in this bleak Covid time, God still comes with power, and with the surprises we need to enter into life as followers of Jesus.
- Second Thoughts: Power Moves by Chris Keating — With Super Bowl-sized pyrotechnics and special effects, both the call of Isaiah and Jesus’ miraculous haul of fish remind us of the power of God at work in the world.
- Sermon illustrations by Dean Feldmeyer, Tom Willadsen, Quantisha Mason-Doll.
- Worship resources by George Reed.
- Children's sermon: Called by Jesus by Katy Stenta.
You Want Me to Do What?by Mary Austin
Luke 5:1-11
As I think about my life, there are things I never would have done if I had known how hard they were going to be. You probably have a long list, too.
Babies are cute enough to charm us through the sleepless nights, churches present their best side when they interview you, romantic partners are on their best behavior at the start. Everything starts alluringly. The same happens for Jesus’ friends, as they begin their ministry with him. He provides them with a huge catch of fish, and then invites them to travel with him. Looking back 2,000 years, we can see that they had no idea what they were getting into. “Fishing for people” is a compelling, yet vague job description. Still, they sign on.
And still we sign on, following this same vague job description. We have no idea what we’re getting into when we take up our own calling to follow Jesus.
This happens whenever people follow any vocation, whether it’s taking up the family plumbing business, going into teaching or medicine, or becoming parents or tutors. It even seems to have happened to Joe Biden, who has longed to be President for decades. Even after he spent years in the Senate, his former colleagues are determined to block his agenda. Covid is much more difficult to contain than it should be. His generally upbeat personality isn’t a match for the gloom we feel as a country.
Is following a vocation all it’s cracked up to be?
In the News
Joe Biden might be wondering why he ever wanted to be President.
The economy is strong, growing by 5.7% is 2021, “the largest annual increase since 1984.” There was good news for many people in the country as “the economic lift was largely provided by vaccination efforts, cheap credit conditions put in place by the Federal Reserve and a fresh round of federal aid to households and businesses.” The economy has recovered 19 million of the 22 million jobs lost at the height of the pandemic. Still, what we hear about in the news is inflation, and what we think is about is why there’s no chicken on the shelves at the grocery store.
The terrible human suffering caused by the hasty withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan left a permanent dent in the President’s popularity. “Biden’s numbers never recovered, and have continued to slide — even though Afghanistan has largely disappeared from the headlines once more. Perhaps the effects endured because the withdrawal called Biden’s competence — one of his core campaign selling points — into question, and because the debacle encouraged a general pessimism about the country’s standing overall.” Covid also came raging back as a concern, as Omicron surged before the holidays, and some schools closed again.
The President has created a video to showcase his first year accomplishments, listing fact after fact about the fight against Covid and the economy. “If there were an avatar to accompany the PR campaign, it would be an image of the baffled president, lifting America up by its collective lapels and screaming, ‘What is wrong with you people? Why don't you LIKE ME?’” Maybe we’re not prepared to like anyone right now. “Experts attribute Biden's slide to two major factors: public exhaustion over the pandemic and a baked-in partisanship that means no president is going to attract more than about 10-20% support from the opposing party…Aggravating Biden's condition, Americans are "just grumpy," [Marquette University Law School pollster Charles] Franklin says. They want to go back to a more normal time — a scenario Biden promised during his campaign. And even though the omicron variant is not Biden's fault, the president becomes a natural target for their frustration, analysts say, even if Biden's efforts are being thwarted by Republican foes.”
Being President, for Joe Biden, has been a rougher road than he imagined, and it’s a hard time to be a Democrat. People who imagined sweeping changes to Trump-era laws are disappointed, and Democrats in Congress are stymied by two members of their own party.
In the Scriptures
Do the disciples of Jesus ever wonder, later on, what they were thinking when they followed him? He tailors the call of Peter, James and John to the skills they already have: persistence, the ability to wait for results, and a knack for hard work. As people who do dangerous work, they already have a wealth of courage. He even makes their call less scary by framing it with the work they already know.
Elizabeth Johnson notes that this call story is unique. Only Luke includes the huge catch of fish in the calling of the disciples. Before the miracle, there’s another gift in the story that I never noticed before. When Jesus asks Peter for his boat, and teaches from it, Peter is still in the boat, listening to everything Jesus teaches the crowd. Before the call, before the fish, he gets an introductory lesson. Whether he wants to or not, he’s listening in as he holds the boat steady for Jesus.
The calling of the disciples gives me hope. Couldn’t God do better than this? Why did Jesus choose these fishermen to be part of his inner circle? Plus tax collectors? What did he see in them? If the early church grew through the work of these ordinary people, and because of their deep connection with Jesus, then there’s hope that any of us can do some good for God.
In the Sermon
Jesus goes to the shore where Peter and the other fishermen are. He doesn’t expect to encounter them in the synagogue. The sermon might look at how we, as the followers of Jesus, are going out to find people where they are. Our churches used to be able to sit on a corner and have people come through the doors, and now those days are over. Where are we meeting up with people in their work, family lives, where they coach soccer, drink beer or volunteer?
Or the sermon might look at how we live out our calling from Jesus in our professional lives. I read recently that some scholars believe the disciples went back and forth between Jesus and their homes, traveling with him for a season and then going home to their families. (I wish I could remember where I read this, and it’s such an interesting idea to think about.) How can we help our members live their Christian calling in their lives as EMTs, teachers, nurses, landscapers and bond traders? How can they use the skills they already have, like the fishermen do, in service to Jesus?
In our time, we’ve sucked out the mystery out of following Jesus, and made it into committee work, writing articles for newsletters, running meetings and thinking about roof repair. Elizabeth Johnson finds the surprise in this story, noting, “Simon is caught by surprise. In the midst of his ordinary daily grind, and in fact, after a particularly lousy night at work, he is encountered by one who changes everything. Amazed by the power of God displayed in the abundant catch of fish, Simon is immediately aware of his sinfulness and unworthiness. He sees the overwhelming disparity between God’s power manifest in Jesus and his own mortal, compromised life.”
The sermon might look at where God has surprised you, or your congregation, recently. Where has God provided so much more than you imagined?
Even in this bleak Covid time, God still comes with power, and with the surprises we need to enter into life as followers of Jesus.
SECOND THOUGHTSPower Moves
by Chris Keating
Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13), 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, Luke 5:1-11
Following a week of blizzards and snowstorms, millions of Americans will gather Sunday to behold the power of true champions. Awe-inspiring special effects and whiz-bang pyrotechnics will be coupled with displays of brute strength and dramatic revelations. It will be an unsurpassed display of strength and domination, an inspiring spectacle combining sight and sound.
And that’s just what will happen during church Sunday morning. There’s also a football game later in the evening.
Super Bowl Sunday is often touted as America’s biggest religious holiday, but this year preachers have a trump card available. This Sunday’s lectionary texts are ready to take the field as witnesses of God’s power. Isaiah’s call provides the kick-off, while Jesus deftly intercepts a net-breaking haul of fish to clench the final quarter. Meanwhile, Paul offers a halftime show that recounts the story of Christ, concluding with his own reverse action play on the meaning of greatness.
You can skip serving nachos for communion while still giving the congregation a field level, fifty-yard line view of God immanence and transcendence this Sunday. Each of the passages offer insights into the way God’s power and presence are made manifest in the world. These later Epiphany stories reorient our understanding of how the game is played, shifting our attention from brute strength to awe-spiring and miraculous grace linked with ineffably sublime transcendence.
Let’s get ready to rumble.
For the first half, spend some time with Isaiah’s commissioning to be a prophet. It takes place in the temple, though we have learned to discern God’s transcendence in living rooms as well. God’s people are lifted from their circumstances and shortcomings, empowered to do “far more abundantly than all we ask or think.” Isaiah’s own experience, time stamped as the year when King Uzziah died, confirms that the power of God is always interacting with human activities. Our own commissioning might read: “In the year that the Space Shuttle exploded,” or “in the months after George Floyd died,” or “in the year when the pandemic struck.”
From the outset, it is apparent that the power of God far exceeds anything Isaiah could imagine. In fact, the implications of Isaiah 6 initially stem from the prophet’s own self-awareness. Isaiah realizes that his own human frailty stands in contrast to the holiness he observes. Yet, with his sin blotted out, he is summoned like Simon Peter to a holy vocation. This act of awareness is crucial to discerning how God’s power differs from human acts of domination.
For example, we might soon be thinking of 2022 as the “year when Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine.” Whatever Putin’s gameplan is for Ukraine, it’s clear he wishes to dominate and control in ways that evoke the former USSR. The real prize, suggests Tom McTague in The Atlantic this week, is ending American influence in Europe. He adds,
Russia is a country of 142 million people with a hollowed-out petro economy about the size of South Korea’s. Together, Europe’s big three powers — Germany, France, and Britain — dwarf Russia in terms of wealth and population; the whole of democratic Europe, even more so. And yet, Europe is of secondary importance in this crisis even though it is happening on its own continent.
McTague notes that while some Russia observers remain skeptical of Putin’s strength, the game he is playing seems to be aimed at negotiating a deal that places Russia in charge of maintaining European security, reversing the losses it endured when the Soviet order collapsed. Putin’s empire-building impulses, not unlike the conquering empires of Isaiah’s day.
But God’s kingdom, as Isaiah will learn, is built from the stump of defeat and not from military successes. It’s clear that God’s power is unlike any human power. It appears not with tanks and fighter jets, but from the unlikely remnant of a decayed tree.
That old stump is not a bad image for people wearied by Omicron and anxious about a new war. As the first half of this game ends, there seems to be questions about God’s ideas regarding power.
Yet, as Paul’s cheerleading in 1 Corinthians 15 reminds, God’s call persists and endures in the second half. It is a calling of good news, proclaimed by Paul and embodied in grace. To paraphrase “The Godfather,” just when we thought we were out, we’re called back in.
As if on cue, Jesus takes the field, and offers a miraculous sign of the way God’s power works. Simon, et al are discouraged and fatigued by a pandemic of bad luck. They’ve worked all night (perhaps many nights) and come up empty netted. Yet Jesus demonstrates God’s power over the unpredictable seas, and produces a windfall beyond all imagination. It’s unexpected and amazing — hope that has emerged from seemingly nowhere.
God’s power, manifest through a seemingly insignificant fishing boat is more effective than larger and more equipped vessels.
Last week, for example, a relatively tiny Irish fishing village scored a victory over the Russian Navy. As the rest of the world worried that Russia was planning to invade Ukraine, The Irish South and West Fish Producer’s Organization in Castletownbere, County Cork, Ireland, were primarily worried about Russia’s plans to conduct naval exercises off the coast of Ireland. While the exercises would have been allowed by international law, they would be disruptive to the fishing industry.
"In light of the current political and security environment in Europe, the Department of Foreign Affairs has raised a number of concerns with the Russian authorities in respect of these exercises," said Ireland’s Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney.
The drills and rocket launchings created safety concerns for the fishing industry, as well as anxiety among the residents of Castletownbere. Patrick Murphy, head of the fishing group, met with Russian’s ambassador to Ireland and pressed his case. Initially, Russia was not moved by Murphy’s “fishing boat” diplomacy. The fishermen were urged to “refrain from any provocative actions which might endanger all involved,” the ambassador said.
But suddenly, Moscow changed its mind, announcing it was moving the exercises as a gesture of goodwill. Murphy’s fishing boat diplomacy carried the day, and the gunships retreated. It all happened because a fisherman sat down with an ambassador from one of the world’s most powerful countries.
"You wouldn't expect the Russian nation to listen to a couple of fishermen," he said. "Doesn't it show that a simple little conversation can change things? It's huge. The power of words is a lot better than the power of the gun. I'm chuffed."
It wasn’t a typical power play, but instead was the sort of unexpected, late in the game drive that reflects the astonishing power of God. After all, it’s not hard imagining Jesus saying, “Blessed are the chuffed — for they will become fishers of people.”
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Tom Willadsen:Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13)
Near death experience
Protestants are familiar with the rash promise Martin Luther made that led him to St. Augustine’s Monastery: “On 2 July 1505, while Luther was returning to university on horseback after a trip home, a lightning bolt struck near him during a thunderstorm. Later telling his father he was terrified of death and divine judgment, he cried out, ‘Help! Saint Anna, I will become a monk!’ ”
(Brecht, Martin. Martin Luther. tr. James L. Schaaf, Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1985–93, 1:48.; Brecht, Martin (1985). Google Books Archive of Martin Luther: His road to Reformation, 1483–1521 (By Martin Brecht). Martin Luther: His road to Reformation, 1483–1521 (By Martin Brecht). ISBN 978-1-4514-1414-1. Retrieved 14 May 2015.)
It is not much different from Isaiah calling out “Here am I, send me!” after observing God’s awesome, terrifying presence in the Temple. It is not a stretch to say that Isaiah had a near-death experience, or at least was scared to death. Was Isaiah more ready to accept God’s call after his brush with the Almighty?
* * *
Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13)
In the sanctuary
It is crystal clear that Isaiah’s vision and call took place in the Temple’s sanctuary. This indicates a combining of the roles of prophet and priest. This fact sets Isaiah’s call on a different level from Jeremiah’s, Moses’, Gideon’s or Ezekiel’s; they were merely prophets. Isaiah wore two hats as prophet and priest.
* * *
Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13)
What, exactly, are seraphim?
שְׂרָפִ֨ים the Hebrew term rendered into English as “seraphim” is used in two distinct, but related senses in the Hebrew Bible. In Numbers 21 the Wanderers are beset by seraphim and it’s clear that it is venomous snakes that are threatening them. The Hebrew root שרף means “burn.” Perhaps the effect of the snake bit was a burning sensation.
In Isaiah 6:2 it’s clear that seraphim are a different animal entirely. They stand upright, above the enthroned Lord, royal attendants. They have hands, faces, voices and private parts. They use one of their three sets of wings to fly. It does not appear that there is anything snake-like about them.
* * *
Luke 5:1-11
Where is Jesus and who is with Him?
Luke calls the body of water where today’s lesson takes place “the lake of Gennesaret.” Gennesaret is a settlement on the west side of what other sources call the Sea of Galilee.
Jesus has been doing a lot of travelling. After his baptism in Judea and his temptation in the wilderness he “returned to Galilee,” and began frequenting synagogues. He was in his home synagogue in Nazareth in Galilee during last week’s reading when he escaped being thrown off the cliff and killed. From there he went to Capernaum, not very far away, he healed Simon’s mother-in-law, presumably in Galilee, because Simon fished the Sea of Galilee/lake of Gennesaret. Just before today’s lesson starts, Luke 4:44 reads, “So he continued proclaiming the message in the synagogue of Judea.” Judea is pretty far from Galilee; it doesn’t make sense that Jesus went from Galilee to Judea, then found himself back in Galilee on the lakefront, but that’s where he is.
At this point in Luke’s gospel Jesus hasn’t called any disciples. He seems to have made a connection with Simon, having stayed at his house in chapter 4 and healed his mother-in-law.
The end of the huge haul of fish was the closest thing to a call from Jesus that Simon, James and John received in Luke’s gospel. Andrew is not mentioned here. Andrew’s only appearance in Luke is in 6:14, when he is identified to as Simon/Peter’s brother.
* * * * * *
From team member Dean Feldmeyer:Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13), Luke 5:1-11
Called But Refused To Answer
Sometimes we are called to do things we’d rather not do, and the call doesn’t always come from God.
On December 23, 2021, Rep. Jim Jordan (R. Ohio) received a letter from the House Select Committee on January 6, inviting him to voluntarily appear before the committee and discuss “in detail” his communications with Donald Trump on January 5 and 6, and every other date where they discussed the overthrow of the 2021 election.
There was no question that Jordan was involved in such discussions because he bragged about his involvement on various right wing media outlets.
The letter hinted in a not-so-subtle way that failure to comply voluntarily would result in a subpoena requiring him to testify or face charges for contempt of congress.
Jordan, along with Republican House minority leader, Kevin McCarthy, and Republican member of Congress Scott Perry are suspected of having inside knowledge about Trump’s plan to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s election and whether it was coordinated with the Capitol attack.
But Republican lawmakers, even those who decried the January 6 attack when it originally happened, have refused to cooperate with the investigation and many have threatened that, if they are subpoenaed to testify, when they regain the majority, as they expect to do in November, they will issue frivolous subpoenas to Democrats to punish them for investigating the January 6 insurrection.
On January 15, Jordan officially refused to cooperate in any way with the work of the committee. More to follow...
* * *
Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13), Luke 5:1-11
Missed His Call But Not His
Cleveland, Ohio, native Drew Carey, the host of TV’s Price is Right, started out as a stand-up comic, working comedy clubs across the country and sleeping on the couch in the homes of friends and fellow comics.
When he was working at the Comedy Magic Club in Los Angeles, he was invited to audition for the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, which he knew could launch his career into the stratosphere. The audition went well and he was told that his name would be added to the list of about 30 comics who could be called on to fill in if a Tonight Show guest couldn’t make it at the last minute or if they were just having trouble filling out the guest roster for one night.
Drew was elated and figured that, with 30 people on the list, it would be a while before he was called. So, when his friend, Bob Saget invited him to a taping of Full House, he jumped at it. He’d never seen a TV show being taped and, besides, Bob told him, the Beach Boys were going to be there. Of course he went.
That evening when he arrived at the Comedy Magic Club the manager told him that someone from the Tonight Show was trying to get in touch with him and, of course, he called back immediately. Too late. They had wanted him to perform that night but, when they couldn’t get him, they gave the spot to someone else.
Another opportunity to be on the Tonight Show didn’t happen for Drew Carey for three years, but when he finally did get to appear, his bit went so well that Johnny invited him to come over and sit down — high praise, indeed.
The next night, when he took the stage at the Comedy Magic Club there were 26 people from the William Morris Agency in the audience. Drew Carey had been a club comic. Then, he said, he was in show business.
* * *
Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13), Luke 5:1-11
It Ain’t Easy
The prophet, Isaiah, and the disciples of Jesus are called to work that will change their lives. But if they think, as many today seem to think, that saying yes to God is a ticket to an easy life, they’re about to wake up to a shocking reality.
Popular author Elmore “Dutch” Leonard introduced us to US Marshal Raylan Givens in the short story “Fire in the Hole” and Raylan hasn’t sat down since. He has appeared in other stories, novels, movies and the hugely successful TV series “Justified” on the FX network. And, a few weeks ago, FX announced that actor Timothy Oliphant will return in a new Raylan Givens series, “Justified: City Primeval.”
Raylan, a native of Appalachia and a former coal miner, tends to play fast and loose with the rules, a habit that makes him a huge success at his job and with audiences as well as a constant pain in the neck to his boss.
In one episode of “Justified,” he gets angry and depressed over some mishap or other and goes to one of those dangerous roadhouse bars along the gravel roads in the mountains where he drinks too much and gets into a fight with a couple of good-ol’-boys who leave him bruised, sore, hungover and sleeping in his car with his famous cowboy hat missing.
A few days later he returns to the bar, sober this time, and asks the bartender about the good ol’ boys and remarks that he’d really like to get that hat back.
The bartender allows that those two guys usually return to the bar every day after their shift at about 3:00 PM, which is any minute, now. He then leans over the counter and says, softly, conspiratorially, “You know, it’d be a whole lot easier to just go buy a new hat.”
Rayland nods, allows a small grin and says, “It ain’t easy I’m after.”
The bartender nods. He understands.
* * *
Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13), Luke 5:1-11
Called To Something New And Different
When this article originally appeared on Oklahoman, the headline read: This pastor felt called to offer services in a new language at his church — English.
Joel Ojeda couldn’t speak Spanish fluently when he felt called to start a church serving the Hispanic community.
In 2018, when Joel Ojeda opened Nueva Vida Iglesia — “New Life Church” — he could speak very little Spanish. But his calling wasn’t to do something easy so, he wrote his sermons in English, his first language, and translated them to Spanish using computer translation/interpretation programs. When he came to a word that he stumbled over, members of the small congregation would help him by shouting out the correct pronunciation. With their help, he was learning to speak his second language better and better.
Looking at his children, however, he realized that younger generation of Hispanic kids were more comfortable with English, so he added a second worship service in English. He thought some members of his congregation might frown upon the English language service, thinking that he was caving to Anglo cultural demands. But, to his surprise, they were supportive. Offering two languages opened the church to more people, they said.
After closing for a brief time, due to the Covid pandemic, the church has recently reopened and is growing. They hope to be able to purchase their own building, soon.
* * *
Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13), Luke 5:1-11
Called To The Supreme Court
It is one thing to be called but quite another to be confirmed.
Justice Stephen G. Breyer has announced his plans to retire from the Supreme Court after the current term concludes. At 83, he is the oldest of the nine justices and has served on the court for nearly three decades. President Biden has pledged to nominate a new, African American woman justice by the end of February and the short list contains four names, all of which are eminently qualified.
Qualifications, however, have come to mean very little in the process that is known as “Advise and Consent” wherein the United States Senate must confirm the president’s nominee. Sadly, that process has become tainted with some vehement and vociferous political posturing.
Before the official candidate is actually named, however, a great deal of vetting must be done, and the process for that vetting looks like this:
First, the President and his advisors will do thorough background investigations of the candidate and talks to make sure she is in line with the president’s political views. If all goes well she will become his official nominee.
The committee process takes over, next with a committee of 11 Republicans and 11 Democrats doing their own vetting, followed by public hearings wherein they question the candidate about her qualifications, i.e. her politics, opinions, past judicial decisions and experiences, etc.
If a majority of the committee finds that she is not qualified, the candidate is passed on to the entire Senate with a recommendation that she be rejected. If a majority find that she is qualified, she is passed on to the Senate with a notation of the vote tally of the committee.
The Senate debates the nomination under the leadership of Senator Dick Durbin (D, Illinois) the chair of the Judiciary Committee. Republicans removed the filibuster rule from play in Supreme Court nominations in 2017 in order to speed the confirmations of judges appointed by then President Donald Trump so, after debating the nomination, the Senate votes on the nominee who can be approved and confirmed with a simple 51% majority of the Senate voting for confirmation.
* * * * * *
From team member Quantisha Mason-Doll:Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13)
And the Lord said, “Until….”
In 2013 the Rev. Dr. William Barber, President and Co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign, preached at Wild Goose Festival. While Isaiah 6:1-8 was not his primary text he did touch on these verses. There was something about the way he said until. Leading up to this moment I never gave much thought to what it means to tell someone they will proclaim the good news of the Lord until the end. Full stop. It was at this moment that I understand the full gravity of the simple word until. In the context of proclaiming the news of the Lord all too often, we fall into the rhetoric of God is all love and warm hugs. In truth, the good news of the Lord is far from warm hugs and safe spaces. Do you wear the mantle of Christendom and are you willing to put clean the good news of the Lord until?
* * *
Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13)
Here I am take me
The year is 2022 and schools are still banning books that make white people uncomfortable.
For those of you who do not know, the nonfiction graphic novel Maus by American cartoonist Art Spiegelman was recently banned by a Tennessee school district. Spiegelman’s work was based on the accounts of his fathers, a Polish Jewish man who survived the horrors of the Holocaust. It was banned for “inappropriate language” among other things. In response, Maus has become a best seller. What the Tennessee school district failed to see in Spiegelman’s work and what the masses flocking to buy the book don’t see is that Maus as a concept is the manifestation of Isaiah’s plea in response to God’s call “Whom shall I send?...” What Isaiah says and what Maus demonstrates is that if you remain quiet in the face of tragedy there is no hope for the kingdom here on earth. That there is no hope for healing and that the tragedy life has handed you will succeed in silencing your voice. Zora Neale Hurston once said, “If you are silent about your pain, they’ll kill you and say you enjoyed it.” Maus can and should be a catharsis as well as a symbol for how we should respond to an increasingly decisive world.
* * *
Luke 5:1-11
Because you say so I will
Poor Simon Peter. All he and his friends wanted to do was go home after a long night of casting their nets and pulling them up empty. Then along comes Jesus of Nazareth who, in trying to escape from the masses pressing in on him, climbs into Simon’s boat. Our Lord implores the tired Simon to row them out so that he can speak without impediment.
We as modern people assume that Simon went along with Jesus’s requests without question. We have the luxury of knowing how the story ends, yet we should ask ourselves why did Simon Peter, who did not have the same luxury as we do, say yes?
The miracle of the fishes is more than just a simple miracle. It is a moment of private revelation afforded to someone who was willing to offer aid to someone in need even though they were tired and worn out. Simon was willing to trust in this stranger and was rewarded for that trust.
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WORSHIPby George Reed
Call to Worship
One: We give you thanks, O God, with our whole heart.
All: We give thanks for your steadfast love and your faithfulness.
One: On the day we called, you answered us.
All: You greatly increased our strength of soul.
One: Your steadfast love, O God, endures forever.
All: Do not forsake the work of your hands.
OR
One: God comes to call us into the divine presence.
All: In awe, we present ourselves to our God.
One: God comes to call us to the work of redeeming creation.
All: We are willing but we don’t feel up to the task.
One: God comes to equip us for the work the lays before us.
All: Whatever the task, we will trust God to guide us.
Hymns and Songs
Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty
UMH: 64/65
H82: 362
PH: 138
AAHH: 329
NNBH: 1
NCH: 277
CH: 4
LBW: 165
ELW: 413
W&P: 136
AMEC: 25
STLT: 26
Renew: 204
Praise My Soul, the King of Heaven
UMH: 66
H82: 410
PH: 478
CH: 23
LBW: 549
ELW: 864/865
W&P: 82
AMEC: 70
Renew: 53
Here I Am, Lord
UMH: 593
PH: 525
AAHH: 567
CH: 452
ELW: 574
W&P: 559
Renew: 149
All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name
UMH: 154/155
H82: 450/451
PH: 142/143
AAHH: 292/293/294
NNBH: 3/5
NCH: 304
CH: 91/92
LBW: 328/329
ELW: 634
W&P: 100/106
AMEC: 4/5/6
Renew: 45
Hope of the World
UMH: 178
H82: 472
PH: 360
NCH: 46
CH: 538
LBW: 493
W&P: 404
Where He Leads Me
UMH: 338
AAHH: 550
NNBH: 229
CH: 346
AMEC: 235
Tú Has Venido a la Orilla (Lord, you Have Come to the Lakeshore)
UMH: 344
PH: 377
CH: 342
W&P: 347
I Surrender All
UMH: 354
AAHH: 396
NNBH: 198
W&P: 474
AMEC: 251
Lord, Whose Love Through Humble Service
UMH: 581
H82: 610
PH: 427
CH: 461
LBW: 423
ELW: 712
W&P: 575
Renew: 286
You Satisfy the Hungry Heart
UMH: 629
PH: 521
CH: 429
ELW: 484
W&P: 705
People Need the Lord
CCB: 52
Our God Reigns
CCB: 33
Music Resources Key
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our unwillingness to be open to your call.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You call us and invite us to be part of your joyous work redeeming your creation. You welcome us into your renewal of all you intended for your children. Yet we are reluctant to answer your call. We don’t feel we are up to the task or we have other things we must do. There must be someone else who could do the job better than us. Forgive our lack of trust in you and our unwillingness to be part of your redeeming work. Renew us in your Spirit that we may join with the Christ and do your will. Amen.
One: God continues to call us and welcome us into the work of salvation. Receive God’s blessing and forgiveness as you join the Christ on this mission.
Prayers of the People
Glory to you, O God, who comes to bring salvation and to invite us to be part of your redeeming work.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You call us and invite us to be part of your joyous work redeeming your creation. You welcome us into your renewal of all you intended for your children. Yet we are reluctant to answer your call. We don't feel we are up to the task or we have other things we must do. There must be someone else who could do the job better than us. Forgive our lack of trust in you and our unwillingness to be part of your redeeming work. Renew us in your Spirit that we may join with the Christ and do your will.
We give you thanks for all the ways in which you are a part of our lives. We thank you for our creation and for your continual presence in our lives. You work in us and among us to bring all creation to completion. You search for us when we go astray and bring us back to your fold.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all your children in their need. We pray for those who do not know of your love for them. We pray for those whose lives are hard and find it difficult to believe in love at all. We pray for those who are struggling with health issues, for those who are dying, and for those who are grieving. We offer ourselves to be part of your healing, redeeming presence in their lives.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together saying:
Our Father....Amen.
(Or if the Our Father is not used at this point in the service.)
All this we ask in the name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
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CHILDREN'S SERMONCalled by Jesus
by Katy Stenta
Luke 5:1-11
This is the story of how Jesus calls his first coworkers — asked to teach from the boats for some fishermen. When Jesus was done fishing, he asked those who were fishing to put their nets down. Their names were Simon Peter, James and John. When Jesus was finished talking he asked them to put their nets in the deeper water. Simon Peter said, “Okay but it won’t work for we have been trying all night, which is the best time to catch fish, and we haven’t caught anything.”
Simon Peter put his nets in the lake, and when he did the nets were so full of fish that he had to call his partners James and John to help to haul the nets out.
Then Simon Peter, James, and John all felt like that this was too much and that they were not worthy to be in the presence of Jesus. They said, “Go away Jesus, we are all sinners.”
Do you think Jesus minded that Simon Peter, James, and John were not perfect? No.
No one Jesus ever calls is perfect. Jesus knows exactly who we are when he calls us. Maybe they were embarrassed that they were just fishermen, but Jesus says to them.
“Come with me, I will use your fishing skills to net people…” and then all three of them immediately get up and follow Jesus.
(It’s okay to ask the following questions and not get any answers.)
What do you think made Simon Peter, James, and John get up and follow Jesus right away?
What do you think it felt like to catch all of those fish?
What do you think the disciples were looking forward to on the journey?
Let us pray.
Dear God,
Thank you
for calling us
exactly as we are.
Help us
when we fell
overwhelmed
or afraid.
In Jesus name
we pray.
Amen.
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The Immediate Word, February 6, 2022 issue.
Copyright 2022 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 or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
