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The lectionary scriptures this morning continue the theme of "Call." The question this sermon poses is "How is God calling you?" In the Old Testament we read about the visionary experience of a Temple priest named Isaiah. It is interesting to compare and contrast his call to that of Jeremiah, of whom I spoke last Sunday. And in the Gospel of Luke, we read of the call of the first disciples by Jesus.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke each describe the call of the fishermen in similar, yet distinctive stories. As Bishop Spong would remind us, the question is not really "Did it happen exactly like this?" but "What is the story showing us?" We could also add that there is probably a bit of midrash going on. In the Hebrew scriptures there is a theme of people being called by God from their everyday tasks. Moses is called as he is tending his father-in-law’s sheep. Gideon in the Book of Judges is called as he is winnowing wheat, and so forth. So we are told that the first disciples are called by Jesus from the midst of their daily work as fishermen.

We find Jesus speaking to a crowd of people on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The people are jamming in on him. He notices some fishing boats with the fishermen cleaning their nets after a long night’s effort. He climbs into Simon’s boat and instructs him to shove him off a little so he can preach from off shore, which Simon does. When Jesus is finished, he tells Simon "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch."

Let me stop here to make a point about the call of God. Look how assertive Jesus is. He gets into Simon Peter’s boat. He tells him to move the boat out a bit. Then he orders him out to the deep waters. He’s not being rude, I don’t think, but he’s not asking anybody’s permission either. God is assertive. God interrupts. We talk a lot about our own personal faith journeys. We are on our search for meaning and truth. We struggle to discern and determine God’s will for us. All well and good, so long as we don’t forget the basic fact that it is God who comes to us. It is God who takes the initiative, when and where God decides to. Faith is not finding the truth so much as it is being open and receptive to the possible meaning of the interruption. There is no indication whatever that these disciples were on a spiritual journey, or any kind of journey for that matter. They were not so much seekers after truth as they were average people trying to earn a living. Faith is first and foremost being open and receptive and alert to the initiative God is taking in your life. God’s assertiveness may be experienced in amazing and unusual peak experiences, but also, and perhaps more importantly, as interruptions of your everyday world of normal activity. Moses was interrupted. Isaiah was interrupted. Mary was interrupted by the Angel Gabriel. Paul was interrupted as he happily went about his task of persecuting Christians. And in perhaps the most famous story of human kindness, the Good Samaritan was interrupted on his journey up to Jerusalem on the Jericho road. He decided to go out of his way to help someone in need. An interruption faces us with a decision. Rarely is this a conscious decision of whether or not to respond to a call from God. Sometimes it is, but nearly always it is instead a conscious decision of whether or not to respond to the need of another human being, or the challenge of a cause. And in that moment of decision we must weigh the risks and benefits to us. Some of the most important calls from God to me have come over the telephone. Would I do this? Would I go there? Would I give this? My life has been profoundly changed by some of the answers I have given. Yet there is a part of me that resents it every time a telephone rings. I hate interruptions. And yet.

Next comes the first of two amazing interchanges between Simon and Jesus, and they are the very heart of the passage. Jesus tells Peter to put out into the deep water and lower his nets for a catch. Peter responds, "Master (sign of respect, like ‘Sir,’), we have worked all night long but have caught nothing." Simon Peter is politely saying that it would be a waste of time and effort. Been there and done that for today. But then he adds "Yet, if you say so, I will let down the nets." Peter is saying it’s a bad idea, but I am willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. Why does Peter say this? He could have blown Jesus off entirely. But he doesn’t. Why? I just said that faith is an attitude of openness – receptivity to something that might happen. And together with this, faith always involves taking a little risk. Peter seems to be saying to Jesus "I think this is a bad idea, but I am open to the possibility that I could be wrong. And I am also willing to give you the benefit of the doubt this time." Jesus has been firm and assertive, but not coercive. Peter does not appear sullen or resentful, though perhaps he winks at his brother or rolls his eyes a bit. So he takes a little risk. Faith is an attitude of openness to interruption and faith is willingness to risk.

Now again, let me make this point. This story situates faith and call right in the midst of everyday life. Yes, faith is about openness and risk on the big questions in life – where the stakes are high. I don’t want to minimize the importance of that. But, as often as not, the call comes in a seemingly simple and humble way. And, as I said last week, the call is always about doing something. At the end of the story Jesus calls the fishermen to set aside their nets and follow him. But the first inkling of this call is much more modest. Not – give up your entire life to me, but give up a couple of minutes and do something that seems, on the surface, a waste of time, and you will be greatly rewarded. Jesus seems to be saying "I’ll show you something that works in little things. And then you will be able to see how it works in big things." And Peter’s wonderful response is "If you say so, I’ll give it a try." I am tempted to say that there, in a nutshell, is how call and faith work.

Think about this in your own life for a moment. In what ways during the week has God interrupted you and said, "Do this and see what happens." Can you think of any examples of how you were asked to risk a few minutes for someone who couldn’t possibly reciprocate, or give a few dollars to some losing cause, and found that you were rewarded in ways that amazed you. Or when you found yourself saying "Wait a minute. This works. I’ve been blessed." All you ever have to say to God is ‘If you say so, I’m willing to take the risk." Perhaps in things small at first, then things great later on.

The story in Luke is wonderful about this. Luke the storyteller goes out of his way to point out that, not only did they catch fish, they caught so many fish that their nets tore apart and their boats almost sank. Luke just doesn’t want to leave us in any doubt that Peter’s trust and willingness to risk were rewarded abundantly.

Now comes the second interaction between Peter and Jesus. When Peter sees what has happened, the scripture says he and all the others were amazed. He falls to his knees and cries out "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" How do we interpret this response? There are other responses that could have been possible. He could have imagined all the money he was going to get from selling the fish. He could have slapped Jesus on the back and said, "I don’t know who you are, stranger, but I’m mighty obliged." He could have said, "How would you like to be a partner in the firm?" or "Show me how you did that." No, he doesn’t say anything like that at all. He says "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" Why? Because Peter has put it together. He knows that Jesus is not just a clever guy, or even a wonder worker. Peter realizes that there’s something else going on here.

Isaiah stands in the Temple and beholds the glory of God in all God’s holiness and majesty, and he cries out: "Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!" You stand in the presence of God, and you inevitably take stock of yourself. You stand in the presence of total holiness, and you look at your own unholiness. You behold the awesome righteousness of God, and you find yourself thinking about your own unrighteousness. That’s just the way it works. You stand in the presence of such might, and you think about your own weakness. Is it that God is trying to make a point and remind us how small we are? I don’t think so. It is just an unavoidable conclusion we draw. The appropriate physical posture called for here is not, it seems to me, to give God a hug – it seems a more suitable response is to fall on your knees in holy terror. It is the reaction of the creature in the presence of the Creator. This is not, of course, the totality of our relationship with God. Our relationship with God is also one of the utmost intimacy and tenderness. But it is an intimacy with the Creator God of the prophets – the righteous and transcendent judge.

Not many of us have had that kind of indisputable experience of the Holy that Isaiah had, or at least not very often. But Peter’s reaction is the same. He has discerned the righteousness and holiness of God present in this man Jesus. And in that moment of recognition, he falls to his knees and cries out in fear. And how could it be otherwise?

But it doesn’t stop there, and that is not the point. God assertively enters and interrupts our lives. God asks us to do something, most likely something that seems inconvenient, annoying, or even outright incomprehensible. We are asked to be open to that call and take that risk. And if we do, it is in that action and that interaction, that God is revealed to us. It was in what happened to Peter when he was open and took that modest risk he did, that he experienced God. Yes, we should not overlook that his risk was rewarded in a very tangible sense – more fish than he knew what to do with – God does reward faith often in very material ways. But Peter saw beyond this materialistic compensation to what was really going on and who Jesus really was, that Peter really was standing in the presence of the Holy. Perhaps the best way to understand this story of the miraculous catch is to see it as Jesus getting these fishermen’s attention. A little introduction, a little glimpse into the kind of human transformation that is in store for those willing to trust and to risk.

This story from Luke and the story of Isaiah are really, in the end, about God’s call to discipleship. To both Peter and Isaiah, God is revealed in Holiness and majesty. They respond in the only way they can – with awe and terror. But yet there is tremendous intimacy, warmth, and reassurance from God. To Isaiah God says "Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?" To Simon Peter Jesus says "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people." Isaiah answers God, "Here I am. Send me." The fishermen’s response? The scripture says "When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him." AMEN.

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