5th Sunday after Epiphany
February 10, 2019
Luke 5:1-11
“Reverence”
Things aren't like they used to be,
that's fairly obvious. We live in a time of massive and rapid
change. It's not just technology that is ever-changing our world,
but we are seeing societal and cultural changes at perhaps the most
rapid pace of any people in history. The very pillars of western
civilization are shaking – and if it started in the 1960s, the
readers on the Richter scale are only going up, it seems. If you see
the world around us, and are paying attention at all, you have to
wonder what kind of world we are leaving for our children.
It shouldn't really surprise us,
though. Paul said creation itself is like a woman in labor – and
the birth pangs get more intense as the end draws near. Revelation
paints all sorts of scary pictures of the chaos that grows and
deepens up until the final judgment. Even Genesis helps to explain
the situation, showing that the creation under Adam is fallen along
with its head, and as the kudzu of the curse sprouts and spreads with
each passing generation, far more than thorns and thistles infect the
ground – death itself reigns. Christians might seem like we're
getting pretty doom-and-gloom as of late, but we've always known the
course of history is really a managed decline at best. And so we've
always prayed, “come quickly, Lord Jesus”.
But in all of this deterioration and
upheaval, cultural, moral and spiritual, some of the changes seem to
get lost in the shuffle. And one of those is the loss, for many
people, of a sense of reverence. A sense of deep respect or regard
for something or someone, and in our context, especially, for the
Lord Almighty.
Reverence, respect, regard or even
modesty – whatever you call it – it's one of those things that's
hard to define and quantify, but you know it when you see it. And
you really know it when it's missing. There are simply ways that you
act and don't act that communicate and demonstrate your true regard
for something. Sure there are shades of it left in our culture, in
certain corners – the military, government rituals. Weddings, to
some extent, funerals, mostly, although these are changing, too.
Some of the reverence people do
maintain is for things that really don't matter all that much, say a
famous sports figure or youtube celebrity. And so in all things,
confusion reigns. But of course what we are most concerned about is
where almighty God fits in all of this.
Isaiah knew reverence. When he saw his
vision of the Lord in the temple, he couldn't help but respond as he
did. He was not casual about it. He didn't take this lightly. This
was not God my good buddy here to share a fist-bump. This is Yahweh
Lord of Hosts who shakes the foundations of creation with his breath.
This is the one attended by angels, the one whose train fills the
temple even as his glory fills creation. There is no more glorious
and also more terrifying sight for mortal eyes. Isaiah can only
exclaim, “Woe is me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean
lips...”
Peter knew reverence. He showed it, in
part, when he agreed to Jesus' non-sensical seeming instructions on
how to catch fish. This professional fisherman must have known
better – the fish weren't biting last night, they certainly won't
be today. But out of respect for the one he called “Master”, he
let down the nets. And then. Then the miracle happened. And Peter
had a realization. This was not just a teacher or a master, this one
is more appropriately called “Lord.” And Peter has an Isaiah
moment. He says much the same, “Woe is me” as Isaiah. He begs
Jesus to depart from him, for like Isaiah, he is unclean. He is a
sinner.
What about you? Are you properly
reverent toward the Holy God, in whose presence you stand, even
today? Do you treat this place, this house of God, with a casual
attitude, as if what goes on here is just a social club or coffee
hour? Get together with some friends and sing some nice songs, make
ourselves feel good about God and life, and go on our happy way?
Maybe you're not quite so crass as that. But I think we are all
tempted to be.
Here is where our liturgy can helps us.
When we enter God's presence, and call upon his name, there is a
reason one of our first orders of business is to follow in the train
of Peter and Isaiah, and to confess: We are sinful and unclean. We
are a people of unclean lips. We are not worthy to stand in the
presence of Holy God, let alone come to him for blessings. We
confess, each of us, we deserve temporal and eternal punishment. We
say the same as what God has said about us – that we have fallen
short, our best works are filthy rags, there is no one righteous, not
one. The commandments convict us. The teachings of Jesus drive the
stake further into us. We sin in deed, but also word and thought.
We are lost in sin. Woe is me. Woe is you, too.
But then see how the pattern unfolds...
The great surprise! The wonder of wonders! God does not smite
Isaiah on the spot, as he very well could have. Instead he sends an
angel- a messenger, to purge his sin. Your lips are unclean? Well
fear not, this has touched your lips. You are now clean.
And Peter, falling down in quaking fear
before Jesus in the boat – Jesus doesn't speak harshly, but kindly
to him. He says, “fear not”. He doesn't spell it out, but his
kind manner shows the forgiveness is already happening. There's no
punishment to fear, no wrath of God for your sin. He doesn't argue,
“no, Peter, you're not really that bad”. But he shows Peter that
in him there is nothing to fear from sin.
And so, you, and so me. When we make
our confession of sin, whether here all together or privately to the
pastor – the response is the same: fear not. Your sins are
forgiven. Your guilt atoned for. Your price paid. You don't need
to dread that God will pay you back for what you've done. Instead,
he has paid, in Christ, for what you've done. The wages of sin are
on him. The chastisement that brought us peace is on him. With his
stripes, you are healed. With his cross, his suffering, his death.
Christian reverence – respect,
regard, honor – whatever you call it – this kind of reverence
moves from fear to love and trust. As Luther said in the meaning to
the commandment, “we should fear, love and trust God above all
things”. It starts with a recognition of God's holiness and our
unholiness, an honest appraisal of what ought to happen to us by
rights. But when Christ changes it all for us, when God's grace and
mercy become manifest in him, and through the word and the
sacraments, now in us. Fear of death is driven away. Fear of
judgment is no more. Peace with God becomes our new reality. We can
trust him, his grace, his mercy. All is well once again.
But that doesn't end the story. For
Isaiah had work to do – he was sent to preach and prophesy.
Likewise Peter and the others received a commission - “I will make
you fishers of men”.
And so you, also, sins forgiven, are
called to work. You, made clean before God are called to serve him
and your neighbor. You may not be called to preach or teach. You
may not be called to a church board or committee. You may simply be
called to show Christian love wherever and however you can, in
whatever place God has placed you. You may even be called upon to
give answer to the hope that is within you, and witness in Jerusalem,
Judea, Samaria, or the ends of the earth. You may be called upon to
give that confession in the face of opposition. And if this world
keeps going its way, that opposition may be out-and-out persecution,
and even come with threat of death.
But no matter. You, in whatever way
God sees fit, become a part of this great net-casting endeavor, the
fishing of men, as the Good News of Christ that you've heard and
believed goes forth and spreads on top of all the weeds of the world.
And having moved from fear to faith,
and knowing that we are no longer doomed in the presence of God, our
reverence takes another turn. We don't become so casual and familiar
with God that we forget his holiness. We maintain a reverent
posture, but now without fear. More like an honor guard, showing by
our words and actions where the foundation of all things begins and
ends. In good order, bringing other sinners to come and see and hear
what we have seen and heard. With fitting decorum, worshiping the
God who has done great things for me, and magnifying him in our song,
our prayer, our gifts, and all things. Holding sacred that which is
sacred, cherishing these good gifts.
Forgive us, Lord, when we take you
lightly, and fail to hold sacred your name and your word. Teach us
true reverence. For the sake of your Son, Jesus, cleanse us and
drive out our fear, so that we may serve you with a good conscience.
And bless our work, in our vocations, that we too may become fishers
of men, support the ministry of the Gospel, and bring others to hold
sacred the things of God in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment