Send me, Lord...

NOTE: As I often do about this time each week, here are my sermon notes for Sunday, February 7, 2010. The texts are wonderful - the call of young Isaiah and the confusion of Simon Peter - and speak to the condition of both the church in this generation and many of our own challenges. This week I am exploring the way of discipleship as expressed in Eucharist - taken, blessed, broken and shared - as Henri Nouwen used to say. So, if you are in town, please join us for worship at 10:30 am.

There are a variety of ways to approach our readings for today from both Isaiah and Luke and many of them are brilliant:

• Kate Huey of the United Church of Christ has written that we might begin our reflection by asking “how big is your boat?” Recent archaeological discoveries have found “a first-century boat from the Sea of Galilee that is 26.5 feet long, 7.5 feet wide and 4.5 feet high, giving us a pretty good idea of the size of Simon Peter's boat.” She goes on to say that since men of Simon Peter’s time were about five and a half feet tall – that’s a BIG boat – big enough to hold a LOT of fish. And it would have taken something even BIGGER to get “its crew… to walk away from it and the livelihood it must have represented.”

• Jan Richardson, a wonderful fabric artist and theologian, is more taken by the passage where Jesus tells the workers to, “put out into the deep waters… and let down your nets.” Think of the possibilities those words offer us? Deep spiritual insights – profound psychological wisdom – challenging and ever changing options for how to live with integrity and joy amidst the harsh realities of everyday life. “Put out into the deep waters – not the shallow streams – not the kiddy wading pools – put out into the deep waters” and see what a life of faith brings to you.

And William Willimon, United Methodist Bishop of Alabama, has observed that this could also be a story about how liberal and progressive pastors and congregations too often fail to trust that God can take a horrible situation and turn it into a blessing. Describing a meeting between Jim Wallis of the Sojourner’s community in inner city Washington, DC and a group of mainline pastors, Wallis talked about how churches in decline could be resurrected – and often are renewed – by discovering a sense of God’s mission. And when he was finished he had to listen to his audience say that either he was looking at the church through rose-tinted glasses or lying. Horrified, Willimon expressed shock and dismay, only to be told by Wallis:

"I’m not surprised… that’s the reaction I always get from mainline, liberal pastors. They are always amazed when God wins – scared to death that Easter just might, after all, be true.” To which Willimon reminds us that this is often the response of those who claim to follow Jesus: look at Peter after Christ brings in a huge boatload of fish. He doesn’t celebrate – he demands that Jesus get out of town! (Christian Century, January 4, 2004)

There is so much to be said about these two powerful stories of God’s call in our lives – but I’m not going to follow any of these leads. Rather, I want to call you attention to the way we respond to God’s presence in Holy Communion – the Eucharist or Lord’s Supper – because, you see, I sense that all too often we are like Peter in the boat rather than Isaiah in the temple.

• When Peter is given evidence of God’s abundant grace, what does he say in today’s lesson? “Leave me, Lord, get out of town because I am a sinner.”

• And Isaiah – after his mystical encounter with God’s healing presence – what does he say when he hears God’s invitation? “Send me, Lord.”

• Peter prefers his fears and his habits – let me call this business as usual – to the blessings Jesus promises, while Isaiah opens his heart to be embraced by grace. One disciple is wrapped up in fear and his own limited perspective while the other opens his arms in trust: get out of town – or – send me, Lord.

To be sure, over time Peter has a change of heart – and that’s good news for you and me – but he has to get his theological behind kicked over and over before it happens. And while there is some merit to being humbled – and clearly some of us need it in spades – there is another spiritual path to discipleship, too, and we call it Eucharist.

And from my perspective – and I would be happy to discuss this with you after worship – the Eucharistic path of discipleship has been either denigrated or minimized in our tradition to the point that we don’t really know why we do it. It is habit or ancient tradition for some – it is one of the only times others make for quiet reflection in their lives (which is a stinging indictment of busyness) – or else it is a vaguely endearing spiritual practice that is supposed to bring us hope and forgiveness but we don’t exactly know how or why?

The late Henri Nouwen once summarized the essence of the Eucharistic path of discipleship like this: like the bread on the communion table we are taken by God, blessed, broken and then shared for the healing of the world. Those four words – taken, blessed, broken and shared – are the path of becoming a disciple through the wisdom and grace of the Eucharist.

And one of the blessings of the contemporary church is that this spiritual path is being explored more explicitly through the new music of Holy Communion. Much of our music in the past is too private – it is beautiful and has a place (and we will always include it in worship) – but it is sadly incomplete. Not so with the sounds of the international and ecumenical church – and let me give you a few examples:

• From the Community of Iona – an ecumenical monastery on one of the wee islands of Scotland – comes this song – Among Us and Before Us – with an emphasis on being taken by God…

• From the Community of Celebration in Aliquippa, PA – another ecumenical monastery dedicated to the renewal of the church – comes this song – Jesus Is Our King – with an emphasis on being blessed…

• From Nicaragua and the struggle of the church against social injustice comes this song – We Are People on a Journey – that invites us to claim the joy of being broken for God’s love in the world…

• And from the isle of Jamaica comes this fun and playful song – Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ – about how to be shared as an agent of God’s grace in the world…

The Book of Worship in the United Church of Christ suggests that if we are to grasp the way of discipleship found in Eucharist, we must be more like Isaiah and less like Peter. We must open our hearts in gratitude – we must accept our failing and sin honestly – and then let God heal and cleanse us so that we might be sent out into the world in joy to bring hope and healing.

• Not cynicism and despair nor that worn-out fear that maybe Easter is real but we don’t want to believe it

• No… joy and gratitude born of being taken by God’s love – and blessed – and broken – and then shared for the feeding of the world

As you have probably gathered by now I am a Eucharistic disciple: fed and nourished and instructed at the Lord’s table – and while it is not the only way to learn the faith of following Jesus as Christ – it is one I invite you to consider. So, as the ancient liturgy says: come, let us feast with the Lord for now all things are ready.