February 7, 2010
Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
Pastor Brad Davick
Jeremiah 1:4-10; Luke 5:1-11

Send Someone Else

Grace and peace to you.

The Gospel story you just heard me read... Jesus calling his first disciples... isn't one of my favorites. Not that it's a bad story, it's just that while in seminary this story was one that seemed to be lifted up as the "feel good" story of all time; a story about us, seminarians, soon to be ordained ministers. A story about our call to be a pastor of Christ's church. A story of an unbelievable catch in a place that had been over-fished. A story of awe and wonder that compelled a group of professional fishers to drop their nets, leave their catch, abandon their boats, and go with the one who simply said, "Follow me."

That's the part which keeps this story off of my Gospel story Top Ten list. I can't imagine dropping whatever I'm doing... leaving my work, my home, my family... to follow anyone. I don't get why this story is often the Gospel preached at ordination services; must be for the "feel good" vibe.

The only vibe I feel is the sense of terror vibe... a sense of fear vibe. Think about it; Jesus tells the soon to be disciples to put out farther, cast the nets back out and wait. A catch of such magnitude fills the net, requiring a call to the other boat. Simon Peter is so scared he cries out, "Get away from me, I'm such a sinful person!" Undaunted, Jesus simply says, "Follow me."

Without hesitation, they do! They've just witnessed an unbelievable miracle, a testament that there's something quite different about this person standing in their boat. As well, Jesus doesn't even flinch as Simon Peter makes his confession.

No... that I don't get at all.

Today's other reading is another story. The call of Jeremiah. Another great story; a story I can relate to. God wants Jeremiah to be a prophetic voice for the people Israel. Jeremiah is not so interested in this call from God. So Jeremiah makes up an excuse, "You don't want me, God. I'm young and can hardly put two words together in any sort of audible sentence."

Jeremiah doesn't freak out like Simon Peter, he simply made up an excuse. That... .that I get... that I understand. I know all about making excuses to God. One of the ongoing jokes while in seminary whenever we talked about our "calling" to ministry, was "Here I am Lord... send someone else!"

Jeremiah and I are not alone in offering excuses to God, either. In biblical times, Moses told God that he was not a good public speaker and Gideon said that he was too insignificant to be God's agent. In these times, listen to what a "roaming reporter" heard when he asked random people why they didn't go to church or get more involved with God:

Sunday morning is the only day I can sleep in
I don't get all the up down up down stuff
I'm creating my own spirituality.

Here's a few well thought out theological excuses I picked up online:

Fear of Rejection: I would commit to God, but what if I spent time with God and God realizes that God doesn't like me... I don't think I could handle that kind of rejection.
Overexposure: I would commit to God, but if God is really everywhere then I've already spent my whole life with God... how much more of me does God want.
Predestination: I would commit to God, but I don't feel like it and since God created me and knew in advance that I wouldn't make time for God, God must be cool with that or God would have created me differently.

Just like Jeremiah, our response to God's call hasn't changed that much in thousands of years. God's response to our hesitation hasn't changed that much, either.

When Jeremiah says, "I'm too young," God says something like, "Look young man, don't give me the, 'I'm just a boy' line. Here's what you're going to do; you'll go to whomever I send you and you will speak to them whatever I tell you. Don't worry about a thing... I'll be right there with you."

Sort of sounds like a line from an Indiana Jones movie, right before entering some forbidden spooky place; "You go on ahead, I'll be right behind you every step of the way!"

That may be how it sounds, but that's not at all how it is. God says these things to Jeremiah to affirm the promise God first spoke to Jeremiah:

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations."

The word consecrate means, "to associate with the sacred." To be consecrated is to be blessed, made holy, devoted, reserved, set apart, anointed, ordained. From the beginning, God has consecrated God's people. Not just Moses and Jeremiah. Not just me and Pastor Caroline. Not just to my buddies at Seminary. God spoke this promise to each and every one of us. Every one of us is holy, set apart, ordained. I don't know if that's good news or bad news to you, but I do know that the old adage is true; God doesn't call the equipped, God equips the called. That is Jeremiah's story. Jeremiah chapter one verse nine says, "..the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me, 'Now I have put my words in your mouth.'"

The same is true when Jesus calls to the disciples and says, "Follow me." He calls them... not because they have specific skills or are good with words... but because God can use who they are and what they bring to the table to "fish for people."

In that way, these stories are our stories, too. Not just in a "feel good" sort of way, but because this is how God has chosen to work in this world. God says to people like you and me, "you have been blessed, set apart and equipped to do my work. Follow me. Don't be afraid. Don't say that you can't because I just want you to be who you are. Who you are is what I need you to be. Follow me."

That I get.

Let us pray

St. Paul's Lutheran Church § 824 N. Lewis § Waukegan IL