By Rev Prince Devanandan ~ Isaiah 6:1-8 1Corinthians 15:1-11 Luke 5:1-11
An event may turn out to be a life changing to anyone anywhere. We often think of an accident triggering physical disability or a diagnosis of a terminal illness as life changing. Our scripture readings today point us to God initiating life changing events.
Old Testament reading is about an event that changed life for Isaiah. During a religious service in the temple, Isaiah encounters a theophany. In a vision Isaiah was in the presence of God’s holiness. He saw God’s power and splendour. He was terrified. He said: “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!”
The belief was that a person will not live after seeing God. That was Isaiah’s immediate thought. The seraph holding a live coal that was taken from the altar with a pair of tongs touched his mouth and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.”
The words of the Seraph show how sinful Isaiah was cleansed. Then Isaiah hears the voice, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And Isaiah said, “Here am I; send me!”
The whole encounter prompts Isaiah for a larger mission. Isaiah’s inadequacies did not deter God’s action through him.
We see a similar incident with Jesus calling the disciples. Jesus meets some fishermen who were unsuccessful all night, not able to catch any fish. Jesus instructs them to cast their nets one more time. Simon answered, “we have worked all night but caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” The result was they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break.
Simon Peter suddenly realises that he was a sinful man and does not deserve it. He begged Jesus to go away from him. But Jesus had other plans. Jesus called them to catch people instead of fish.
The epistle is about Paul. He was against the movement that followed risen Jesus Christ. He was zealous about his tradition in Judaism. He was all out to destroy the movement that was ruining Paul’s tradition. Yet God initiated an event on his way to Damascus that changed Paul’s life totally. The persecutor becomes the Apostle to proclaim the risen Jesus Christ amidst his unworthiness. He testified to the Corinthians: “I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God, I am what I am.” [1Corinthians 15:9—10]
John Newton’s life-changing story revolves around a dramatic conversion experience at sea during a violent storm. On March 10, 1748, Newton was steering his ship through a fierce thunderstorm when he cried out to God for mercy. When he made it through the storm, he attributed his safety to the grace of God. It was this event that started his conversion. Despite previously living a life of rebellion and involvement in the slave trade, the experience through the storm led him eventually to become an Anglican clergyman in 1764. His life changing experience is associated with the hymn “Amazing Grace” which he penned based on his own transformation.
I can relate many of my own experience. In 1989, I was assistant curate at All Saints Church, Galle when the rebellion against the then government happened over three years. The government paramilitaries were searching and killing the insurgents. One day a young insurgent came to my house and asked my help to surrender to the authorities. I asked for two days to find out how safely I can take him to the temporary camp set up for refuge and rehabilitation. I contacted my friends and found out how I could help him out. When I took him to the camp there was another task.
The police constable guarding the camp said, these people have no tea or coffee, toothpaste, or toothbrush, only get one meal a day. Can you help?
There were about 45 young insurgents already surrendered. I contacted the Archdeacon, found some money and was able to support the surrendered young men until they left the camp to rehabilitation centres. Four years later Ramani and I went back to my former parish All Saints Church in Galle for the anniversary of the church. The police constable who asked for help at the camp was worshipping in the church. I knew him as a Buddhist. My immediate question to him was what he was doing in the church. He said he had become a Christian. My next question was why. And he shared how our support to the surrendered Buddhist insurgents helped him to find a meaningful religion. I never expected it.
God initiates God’s mission through ordinary day to day events in the lives of people.
God is not willing to accept our inadequacies. God does not look for the qualified and well resourced for God’s work, but calls the willing people and qualifies them to fulfil God’s mission. If people kept their focus on their own inabilities and shortcomings, the work of God would never be accomplished
God’s mission is never dependent upon the worthiness of the person, but upon God’s grace.