Emily Schaming
A fisherman walked past a game warden with a line of fish over his back. The game warden said, "Great looking fish. Where'd you get them?" The fisherman said, "Come with me, and I'll show you." He took the game warden out in his boat, took out a stick of dynamite, lit it, and threw it in the water. After a big shuddering blast, hundreds of fish came to the surface. The game warden said, "That's the most illegal way I ever saw of catching fish, and you're coming in with me." The fisherman took out another stick of dynamite, lit it, handed it to the game warden, and said, "You gonna talk or you gonna fish?"
Today's
scripture readings are invitations to action. A choice between talking and
fishing. Isaiah's first instinct when he comes into contact with God in the
temple is to talk. He says, "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!" Simon Peter, when he sees the great catch of
fish, says to Jesus, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!"
Their immediate reactions to an encounter with God are ones of fear and
humility. They don't think they are worthy to have this encounter. But God does
not accept self-doubt as an answer. The angel purifies Isaiah's lips and Jesus
tells Peter, "Do not be afraid…" And both Isaiah and the fishermen
are called by God to go into the world and do God's work. Sin, failure and
inadequacy are not obstacles to God's call. We can be perfect messengers even
through our brokenness. Frederick Niedner says, "We don't mend, tend or
haul the net; rather, by God's grace we become the net."
So
how do we put our fear aside and live by God's way? The first thing we must do
is listen to what God is calling us to do.
A story is told that Henry
III of Bavaria grew tired of court life and the pressures of being a monarch. He
made application to the Prior at the local monastery, asking to be accepted as a
contemplative and spend the rest of his life in the monastery. "Your
Majesty," said Prior Richard, "do you understand that the pledge here
is one of obedience? That will be hard because you have been a ruler."
"I understand," said Henry, "The rest of my life I will be
obedient to you, as Christ leads you." "Then I will tell you what to
do," said Prior Richard. "Go back to your throne and serve faithfully
in the place where God has put you."
When
we tire of our roles and responsibilities, or are unsure of what radical changes
God might be asking us to make in our lives, it can help to remember that God
has planted us in a certain place and told us to be a good accountant or teacher
or mother or father. Christ expects us to be faithful where he puts us, to carry
out His work wherever we might find ourselves in life.
Sometimes
we fiercely resist God's call. We are unconvinced that our lives are worthy just
as Isaiah and Peter were unconvinced. Sometimes we immerse ourselves in
something we are good at to the exclusion of everything else, just so that we
feel our lives are more complete. Perhaps it is something worthy, perhaps
something less so. It is easy to become so identified with a particular thing
that it becomes impossible to be free.
When Pope Pelagius II died "the choice of a successor lay with
the clergy and people of Rome, and without any hesitation they elected Gregory,
Abbot of St. Andrew's. In spite of their unanimity Gregory shrank from the
dignity offered him. He knew, no doubt, that its acceptance meant a final
good-bye to the cloister life he loved, and so he not only refused to accede to
the prayers of his fellow citizens but also wrote personally to the Emperor
Maurice, begging him with all earnestness not to confirm the election. Germanus,
prefect of the city, suppressed this letter, however, and sent instead of it the
formal schedule of the election.
At length, after six months of waiting, came the
emperor's confirmation of Gregory's election. Gregory was terrified at the news
and even meditated flight. He was seized, however, carried to the Basilica of
St. Peter, and there consecrated pope on 3 September, 590. He never ceased to
regret his elevation, and his later writings contain numberless expressions of
strong feeling on this point."[1]
We know
that following God's will has something to do with that awful word
"surrender". Giving up the illusion, for once, that we are really in
control of our lives. We know that
we need to give up a certain amount of control over our lives and that is the
only thing that is going to make any real difference.
But, how to trust enough to be able to make that leap – that is the $64
000 question. How do we live by the Way, the Truth and the Light that is our
God?
In the
old classic advice book, How to Win
Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie tells a story about a lesson he
learned as a young man at a banquet he attended for his employer, Sir Ross
Smith. He says,
"…during the dinner, the man sitting next to me told a humorous story that hinged on the quotation, 'There's a divinity that shapes our ends, rough-hew them how we will.' The raconteur mentioned that the quotation was from the Bible. He was wrong. I knew that….There couldn't be the slightest doubt about it. And so…I appointed myself an unsolicited and unwelcome committee of one to correct him. He stuck to his guns. What? From Shakespeare? Impossible!…That quote was from the Bible and he knew it!
…Mr.
Frank Gammond…was seated at my left. Mr. Gammond had devoted years to the
study of Shakespeare. So the story-teller and I agreed to submit the question to
Mr. Gammond. Mr. Gammond listened, kicked me under the table, and then said:
'Dale, you are wrong. It is from the
Bible.'
On
our way home that night I said…,'Frank, you knew that quotation was from
Shakespeare.'
'Yes
of course,' he replied, 'Hamlet, Act V, Scene 2'. But we were guests at a
festive occasion, my dear Dale. Why prove to a man he is wrong? Is that going to
make him like you?…He didn't ask for your opinion. He didn't want it. Why
argue with him?'"
We
all want to be perfect. We all want to be right. We want our opinions heard and
respected. But sometimes we need to step back, to admit that no one is perfect.
That God allows for mistakes and that rather than fighting on every small point
until life is perfect, we can realize that life will always have problems.
Problems that should not hinder us from serving God.
We
can practice hospitality even if we don't have a new couch or perfect matching
dishes.
We
can be kind to others even if we are feeling tired and grouchy.
We
can recycle today, even if we forgot to yesterday.
We
can avoid a trivial argument when the consequence is hard feelings, even if we
are sure we are right!
There
is no limit to our shortcomings but there is no lack of God's love and grace. We
have enough, more than enough, to get started. We are called to step forward,
and instead of saying "No! Woe is me, I am a sinner! I am not worthy!"
Or, "I'm not ready", or "I'm too scared!" We must say,
"Here I am! Send me!"
Saint
Augustine once confessed with equal parts passion and eloquence: "Lord,
what I am for you terrifies me. What I am with you consoles me. For you, I am a
priest. With you, I am a Christian." Our fears and misconceptions, our need
to have everything 'right' and 'together' before we start can paralyze us. What
we are for God can terrify us. But if we forge ahead in doing God's work and
heeding God's call we don't need to be afraid. Jesus called the broken to his
way, and fed them at his table. We can join him there and be made whole.