A Propelling Voice

Day of the Transfiguration, Feb. 14, 2010 (Luke (23-48)

 

As a child we would begin every Sunday morning's worship with the same hymn. Do any of you remember or know what that hymn might have been? It began with these words (which I sang) "Holy, holy, holy, Lord god almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee; Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty, God in three persons, blessed trinity."

 

We don't sing that hymn to begin every gathering of Sunday worship anymore. There's a part of me that embraces such change, that appreciates the diversity of singing a different entrance hymn every Sunday. But something is also lost. We seem to have almost "commonized" God. The sense of God's otherness, of God's holiness, of God's mystery seems nearly to be gone for many people. Luther reportedly said something like this: he nearly fainted the first time he was privileged to serve Holy Communion (the Eucharist). How could he, common maggot fodder that he was, be so privileged as to hold the bread in which Christ's very presence is embodied? Wow!

 

Do you have any sense of this holiness, of the ineffable mystery of God?

 

At different times in his life Moses certainly did. After being consumed by his anger at the injustice of slavery Moses murdered a man. Subsequently he was forced to flee into the wilderness. One day as he was living in that wilderness Moses noticed a burning bush. At first glance this wasn't unusual.  But then he noticed something that was very unusual. The bush was burning but it wasn't being consumed! Moses wandered over to check it out. In that moment his curiousity moved him to investigate. Once he drew closer to the bush he came to was open to an even larger revelation. Moses was standing on holy ground. The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof!

 

At different times I have become aware of the holiness of a moment, of God somehow being particularly present in an act, a word, a silence. God is the creator of an amazing universe. In the interior of British Columbia there is a river known as the Adams River. Periodically millions of salmon find their way back to where they have been hatched. They come back to spawn, to lay their eggs and then to die. To be there while that is happening, is to be caught up in God's mystery of new life and death – of the wonder of creation which passes any sense of human control or coincidence. To be present then is to be watching God's work, something holy, something other than just us.

 

I remember too sensing the holy at a particular wedding. The couple was older than many of the couples that I had married in rural communities. The groom was tall of stature and broad of girth. The bride was of short stature and ever so slight.  Now they were to make their promises to each other in the presence of over 150 guests. But in that moment as these two people promised with the help of God, to love, honor and cherish each other for as long as they both would live – it was suddenly as if no one else was there. Instead it was just the two of them and God. As they spoke, as they held each other's hands and looked at each other, their faces were glowing. In that moment I felt as if I shouldn't be there, that I was witnessing a sacred event between just them and God. Wow!

 

 

The early disciples liked to think that they had a sense of God's power. Jesus sent them out with power and authority to heal many who were sick. They had done that. But now they had returned to be with Jesus.  It was in some ways the status quo. People who were hungry, people who were ill and people who were desperate continually gathered around Jesus.  In the face of such demands the disciples became tired, even irritable. Jesus was amazing in the face of such demands. They may have wondered, who is he? 

 

One day Jesus takes Peter, John and James up a mountain. Mountains are amazing places. If you have ever climbed one – or even watched an Olympic Event from one, you will have some sense of what I mean. Sometimes I think of mountains as "thin places" where it seems that we are closer to God, or that at the very least the separation between God and ourselves isn't as great.  There's a mystery about that. The clouds, the thin air, at times the quietness, all may serve to open us to the One who is more than we are.

 

In any case Jesus and 3 of his disciples are up on the mountain. Jesus is praying. Then  something happens. What occurs captivates those 3 tired disciples. Now they are able to see 2 other men with Jesus.  Moses the one through whom God brings the law is there with Jesus. So too is Elijah, the prophet. In these two men we may be asked to see Jesus standing with the summation of the law and the prophets.  We are allowed to eavesdrop on their conversation. They are speaking of Jesus' departure (exodus). This is not about when Jesus will leave the mountain. Rather they are alluding to the reality that soon Jesus will be on his way to Jerusalem. There he will fulfill his mission: to free the captives, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring release to those in prison.

 

But Peter, James and John don't get it. Peter longs to stay in the moment. He wants to cling to the glory he has just observed. That's human nature. But God won't allow Peter John or James to stay there. So, a cloud overshadows them. They are terrified. Then it is that they hear a voice from the cloud: "This is my Son, my Chosen, listen to him!" 

 

Suddenly Jesus is alone. Peter, James and John are dumbfounded and rendered mute.

 

They do follow Jesus down the mountain, back to everyday reality. Once again they encounter pain, suffering, loss – even hopelessness. Now a father, the father of an only son, approaches them. He is crying out to Jesus. He has already tried the disciples for help, but to no avail. He is at his wit's end. Jesus is frustrated not with the man, but with his own disciples, perhaps even with all those who have seen him and yet not seen, who have heard and not yet heard – who believe that all there is, is what they can see, feel, taste, touch and explain. If all there is, is what we can do, where will we, where will "it" all end up? What's it all about Alfie?

 

Now Jesus acts. He acts on behalf of that only child, or even only on behalf of this desperate father. 

 

So I ask you, is Jesus still at work, still acting?

 

One has to wonder. There are many valleys, dark places, dark sides to our human life, individually and collectively. We are tempted as we face such difficulties to not trust or to act as if God doesn't care, doesn't love, is Himself/Herself a stranger to our suffering.

 

You see our grave temptation is to believe that we are in control, that we are so intelligent, so capable, that mustering enough resources we will figure everything out. Oh yes, Jesus is good, a teacher, a healer, an amazing historical figure – but the Son of God, our Lord??

 

Nevertheless God's voice cares to come out of the cloud. Sometimes God's voice  may emanate into the stillness of our being, proclaimed again through Word and Sacrament, or manifest at times to us through some amazing realities of nature.

 

Are we listening? Are we open to God taking on flesh, even dying so that we can know we are not alone, so that we can begin to fathom that God has a dream? God is working to bring about new life. Jesus is going to Jerusalem.

 

Will we listen, follow, see and hear? God help us! Amen.  

Into Deep Water!

Epiphany 5c, February 7, 2010

Luke 5:1-11 with Isaiah 6:1-13 & I Cors. 15:1-11 in the b.g.

 

I distinctly remember when each of our daughters was born. In particular I vividly recall the birth of our first child. My wife's labour was long and hard. But after that child was delivered with the help of high forceps and I was eventually allowed to hold her tiny body in my arms, I was overwhelmed. I began to realize that this tiny life was ours. God had entrusted her to us. I would be, I was, I am her earthly father. Much of the way she would see life in her formative years would be influenced by my words, my actions, the circle of our lives. In that moment I was terribly aware of my inadequacies: my impatience, my prejudices, my lack of faith, my inexperience at being any kind of parent. But none of those shortcomings change the call that continues on in my life, to be my daughters' father. What a call it is. I am convinced that it is a call sent directly from God.

 

How about you? Have you, are you experiencing calls from God in your life, our lives together?

 

I have also been blessed with friends. These are not just people I know whom I respect and who respect me. Rather these are a number of people who care for me as I am, warts and all. In the earliest stages of our friendship we may have been thrown together because we grew up together, or went to the same school or played on the same teams or even sang in the same choir. Later on in life I may have first met people who became my friend  because we were part of the same church or our children did things together. But whatever the reason or reasons those initial meetings blossomed into something more, something else. In the course of time we began to know each other, to trust each other – even to care deeply about and for each other. Then we began to walk with each other on life's journey. Even the separation of great geographical distances could not end (in fact sometimes deepened) those relationships. Eventually, by the grace of God, nothing could break us apart – not even strong disagreements, not even the hurt we sometimes cause each other. Eventually one or both of us apologize. Or an embrace erupts or a new understanding takes hold between us. Then the bond becomes stronger.

 

I have had friends help me financially, listen to me go on and on so that I could emotionally vent, pray for me and care for me and my family in many, many different ways.

 

This last year I have been privileged to be with 2 close friends and their families while they have been dying. As I sat by their beds, walked with their families in grief and reflected on our 30 years or so of friendship, I realized how fortunate I have been to be part of their lives:  of receiving and giving, of being and having a friend, of being a part of relationship that eventually had the sense, that this is who I am to be to and with this person.  Is all of that, sometimes any of that easy? NO! But is it good? Absolutely!

 

How does any of this occur – these calls from God in our lives?

 

I am not sure. With some of my friends I can't remember when it actually it was that we became such friends. With others there was a defining moment, circumstance or situation. From that moment on – the reality of our friendship meant that there was no turning back. We are friends, come what may – and that is that! There are more unknowns in such relationships than if as an individual one were to attempt to remain  isolated. But in a friendship the unknowns are somewhat faced together.

 

This morning we hear of God's call upon Isaiah. We also hear Paul articulate a bit of how he understood his call from God. Then in Luke's Gospel we are privileged to behold Jesus' pronouncement upon Peter – that his calling will now include catching people alive – or somehow captivating them.

 

Isaiah shares some of the awe that enfolds him as he begins to become aware that God is actually calling him. Yes, God – the Creator of the universe, the one whose hem fills the largest known building to humankind, is the One who is speaking to Isaiah. This God calls Isaiah to speak to the people of his time of God's hopes and dreams, of God's commands for them. But Isaiah is deeply aware of his unworthiness. Yet that's not what God's call is about. God's call will be heard. God selects both people and things to work through. And God also equips such people and such things for this work.

 

Paul is one example of how the call of God can work. Paul was so religiously fervent that he was absolutely convinced that if people weren't worshipping God the way he had been taught, that they weren't only wrong, but they need to be changed with whatever it takes. Paul was at least as fanatical as some of the fans who will be at the Super Bowl today or the upcoming Winter Olympics. Despite Paul's sometimes misplaced fanaticism, God reaches out to Paul and redirects him. Paul is gradually moved from a fervent conviction that could and at least on one occasion led to violence – to a trust in God that would lead him to be open to other's violence in order to care for them. He shared his revelation of Jesus whatever it cost not others, but at first himself. Now that's a call.

 

Simon Peter is another a person wrestling with and responding to God's call in his life. Simon is doing his thing as a fisherman. He has just completed a particularly long night's work without any reward. At that point of Peter's frustration and exhaustion Jesus comes along. Jesus wants to do some teaching. Who knows if Peter was even paying attention? How attentive are you after a long day or night of work? How much do we care in the midst of our frustration?   

 

In any case, Jesus speaks directly to Simon. "Simon, put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch". Simon initially resists by stating the obvious. We fished all night and caught nothing. But Jesus is persistent. Eventually Simon gives in and obeys. Master, if you say so. Then something amazing happens. The catch is great, beyond any and all expectation any Galilean fisherman would have had! Peter is blown away. He falls down on his knees. In Jesus, He begins to realize that someone, something other than just himself is present. He mutters, "Go away from me Lord – I am sinful."

 

But Jesus does not recoil. In fact Jesus presses Simon with his call. Do not be afraid. From now on, you will be catching people alive – reinvigorating them. You, Simon, will become a vehicle of new life for them. 

 

Does God ever speak to you – audibly, consciously in such a way that you just know that you are being called to do something or set out on some new venture?

 

I encourage all of us to listen for God. Listen for God as you reflect on Scripture. Listen by asking the Spirit of God to guide you in prayer. Listen as you go about your daily tasks, as you pursue your interests, with your God-given gifts. God is speaking. God calls us to share what is most important to us with others in word and deed. We are to "empty ourselves" while trusting God.

 

Jesus is the One who has come to set the captives free, give sight to the blind, unstop the ears of the deaf. By God's grace we can see and experience that we do not need to any longer be held captive by fear, or by any form of evil, including the many powers of death. God, the one and only God, the Creator of this magnificent universe that includes even the smallest cell and organism is the One who loves us. This God becomes human in Jesus so that any and all can be given new life. In this new life our selfish tendencies to stay near the shore, to think first and foremost of ourselves, to be filled with fear are being overcome. 

 

We are to embody, to sing and proclaim this hope with all we are and have, individually and collectively. To do so is to put out in the deep water where there continues to be ever more unknowns and incredible risk. But to refuse to do so is to miss the amazing experience of the great freedom of new life with God.

 

God continues to call, asking, "Whom shall I send? Who will go for us into this world?"

           

Do not be paralyzed by our sense of inadequacy! Instead ask God to help us respond and obey. Be ready for something to happen. God will help us. Amen.