Luke 5:1–11

5th Sunday after Epiphany

¹One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, ²he saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. ³He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. ⁴When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." ⁵Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." ⁶When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. ⁷So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. ⁸When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" ⁹For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, ¹⁰and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." ¹¹So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

There is a story about a man who had an office in downtown Chicago. His office was on a high story that overlooked Buckingham Fountain. Now, since 1927 the fountain is operated from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. during the warm months of the year. But every hour on the hour, for twenty minutes the fountain produces a major water display and the center jet shoots up 150 feet into the air. Visitors to Chicago stop by the fountain purposefully to watch the water display every hour.

So this businessman, who frequently had out of state visitors in his office liked to show them the fountain. So just a few minutes before the hour, he would invite them to the window to see the fountain. He would ask them, “Would you like to see the fountain turned on?” Then he would pick up the phone and make a fake call, and say into the it, “OK. Turn the fountain on.” Then hang up. Just then, the fountain would turn on the magnificent water display and choreographed water dance. The visitors were quite impressed and admired their host for his power and influence.

Peter and the apostles had a similar experience. When Jesus told them to throw their nets into the water, they knew that it was futile. There were no fish there. They had been fishing those waters all night long without a single fish. So when their nets were filled with so many fish that they started to tear, they were also impressed by the power and authority of this man, Jesus Christ. The difference between him and the Chicago businessman, is that the power of Christ was real. It was not a fake. He did indeed have power and authority over nature and could command the universe and the universe would obey. For he was the creator. This miracle revealed to Peter and the apostles with him that Jesus was no mere man. He was the creator and ruler of the universe and all of creation. Nature reveals to us the power and holiness of God. In nature we see the raw power of God, we see he might, his holiness, and his wrath and fury. But nature does not reveal to us the grace and forgiveness of God.

By this miracle and Jesus showed that he had power over nature. This miracle showed that Jesus was the God who created the universe and that he held the world together in his hands. Peter knew immediately that he was standing in the presence of the holy and all powerful God. Standing in the presence of such a powerful being is not necessarily a good thing. He became afraid. He was humbled and recognized that he was unworthy and unholy. He could not stand in the presence of God and live. He fell to his knees and begged Jesus, “Get away from me for I am a sinner.”

Our Old Testament lesson is very similar. In that reading it was Isaiah who came into the presence of God. He had the same reaction as Peter. He said, “Woe is me! For I am a man of unclean lips.” Standing in the presence of a holy God he too was made aware of his sin and unworthiness.

The experience of an encounter with God is not one of giddy song and dance. It is not an emotional high. Man’s reaction to God is fear, humility and reverence. Fear because we know that we are sinners in the presence of the most holy. Nothing holy can abide his presence and live. Humble reverence because we are in the presence of our Lord and Creator. Isaiah saw God in his awe-inspiring, overwhelming heavenly glory and cried, “Woe is me.”

We too are sinners. When we enter into the presence of God we are made aware of our sin and our finiteness. In the light of God’s holiness our sin is seen clearly. And this is the reaction of all who get even a small glimpse of the divine nature of God. All through Scripture the same thing happens to people when they have a personal encounter with God. Adam and Eve ran and hid from God in fear. Moses covered his face for he was afraid to look at God. Paul fell to the ground as a dead man, and so forth. In God’s presence we are crushed by the reality of our sin. The façade of our imagined self-righteousness falls away. The light of God’s glory reveals the darkness of our souls. All pride is removed and we despair. If ever our sinfulness stands out, it is when we are in the presence of holiness. It is a fearful thing to be delivered into the hands of the almighty God.

So also when we enter into this place, this holy place of worship consecrated as the dwelling place of God among men, we enter in fear and reverence, not in giddy joy and dance. Standing in the presence of God, invoking the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we see what we truly are—miserable, lost sinners who deserve both the temporal and eternal punishment of God. We are made aware that we deserve eternal destruction at the hands of God. We are convicted of our sin. We realize that we and all people are dead in our sins by nature and by nature no righteous or good thing dwells in us. Coming into the presence of God Isaiah had nothing to appease the wrath of God. He had no way to earn forgiveness. He stood before God naked in sin and shame. The angels that Isaiah saw at least had wings to cover their faces and hide their bodies. But Isaiah, like us, had nothing to cover himself. He, like us, was completely exposed. He was utterly undone and lost and felt his uncleanness. He was brought to silence as though dead. Peter fell to his knees and begged Jesus to depart from him.

This theology is what drives our worship. For we enter here not in revelry and seeking an emotional high, but we enter here in fear and humble reverence. We are reminded of the Pharisee and Publican who came to the temple. The Pharisee stood and boldly thanked God and praised him for making him a good person. But he went home unforgiven. The Publican on the other hand came into the presence of God humbly and trembling in fear, fully aware of his sin and he went home forgiven. So too we, enter here in reverence and fear, confessing our sin and seeking forgiveness. That is why we come to this place. That is why we seek God here. We come here because we are sinners. The only right reason to enter into this temple is to seek forgiveness for our broken and sinful lives. We do not come here to sing and dance, but to humble ourselves before God so he can restore our relationship with him. We are not right with God and we come here to be made right by the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.

So as Isaiah was standing in fear of God, an angel took a hot coal and touched his lips with it and proclaimed, “Your guilt is taken away and your sin is atoned for.” God alone can cover man’s sin and admit man into his presence. God alone can provide a place to hide from his holiness and cover his sin. God alone could atone for the sin of Isaiah and cleanse him.

Likewise Jesus told Peter, “Do not be afraid.” Only by God’s invitation can man come into God’s presence. Only by the very atonement of the cross of Christ can we stand before him. Jesus is our hiding place. It is Jesus who atoned for the sins of Isaiah. It is Jesus who covers our sin and hides it from God’s holy eyes. Jesus alone is our shield from the wrath of God. It is in Christ crucified that the grace and mercy and love of God is revealed to us. While nature only reveals God’s power, holiness and wrath, the cross of Christ shows us his mercy, grace and love. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son…” Jesus came into the world and suffered. He paid the price for our sin. He atoned for our sin through suffering and death. God’s justice is appeased and his wrath is turned away from us. He looks on us with his favor and mercy because of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.

In our baptism we are buried in Christ. We are hidden in him; our sins our covered by the righteousness of Christ. In baptism we are in Christ and God cannot see our sin. Our sin is hidden from the eyes of God. We are declared righteous by the death of Christ. As Isaiah was cleansed by the hot coal, so we are cleansed by the hot coal of Jesus suffering and death.

And our response to his grace is to thank and praise him. We respond with faith, trusting him for all our needs as we go to him in prayer. We respond with thanksgiving giving him gifts of love and sharing his love with others.

This too drives our worship. We enter into this place with confession and seeking God’s absolution. Then we hear his word read and preached in which he tells us that our sins are atoned for by Jesus Christ. And we respond with faith and prayer. We respond to the Gospel with song in our liturgy. We respond to his grace with thanksgiving and love; love which we show by giving him gifts, our offerings, the fruits of our labor. Our offering is our gift of love; it is our sacrifice of thanksgiving.

Then we come before him in humility and confession as we approach his table where he feeds us with his very own body and blood for the forgiveness of sin. There, at his table, and in his body and blood, our sins are washed. The fruit of this supper is love. Love for our neighbor which drives us out the doors of the church and into the world where we share that love of Christ with those around us. We share that love with others by telling them about the forgiveness of sins. We share that love with others by serving them in our daily vocations and helping meet their physical and spiritual needs.

As God sent Isaiah out to proclaim his word, and Jesus sent Peter to be a fisher of men, so he sends us to make known his love and mercy in all the world. “Go, make disciples in all nations…” he tells us. Go into the world and proclaim his love by our words and by our lives of love and service to our neighbor.

This is our response to his love; this is our worship. That we live lives of obedience and thanksgiving; sharing his love with those around us in our daily lives and vocations.

But as we sin every day, we daily need to repent and confess our sins to God. We once again come into this holy place the next week in fear and humility, to confess our sin and to be put back into a right relationship with God. We fall daily. We need to be put right with God over and over. And this is the cycle of the Christian life. It begins in the presence of God in his house, and it returns us to his house the next week to seek forgiveness and begin again. A circle of life, a rhythm that beats on and on until the day of his return.

On that day we shall see him face to face and those who have faith in Christ will be gathered into his eternal dwelling place. We shall be renewed in the image of God and without sin. Then shall we stand in the presence of God without shame and fear. Then shall we stand in worship and praise forever around his throne without shame or fear. Then shall we join with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven and sing a new hymn; and eternal hymn that shall never cease.

Amen.