Sermon Fifth Sunday Trinity Luke 5:5-11
Dear fellow believers in Christ,
With the first full day of summer yesterday, I imagine that you and your families—just like ours—are planning for some kind of vacation.
The children especially have high hopes for the places we may go and see. Of course, they know we’ll spend some time at Grandpa and Grandma’s in Nebraska. There they can see their cousins, ride four wheelers and tractors, and perhaps even go out west.
I know they also hope that on the way there or back we’ll make a slight detour and spend some time at a favorite place like the Wisconsin Dells, or St. Louis, Missouri, or Chicago.
But what they fear the most is that Dad will choose—whether it will be in Nebraska or elsewhere—to take them to some historic sight or museum for a day: They much prefer that their vacations be something exciting and fun and not like school. And in that sense I think most would agree.
This morning I want to talk about a different word. It is like vacation but it is definitely different.
It is vocation.
Vocation is from the Latin word meaning calling. Your vocation is your calling in life, meaning what you have been called to do. Now, most people when they think of a vocation think of it mainly in the sense of a job. “What’s your vocation?” they ask—meaning , “What do you do?” “How do you make money?”
But in Christian understanding, we view our vocations as our calling by God. In that sense we have more than one vocation. Not only are our vocations our 9-5 jobs, or work as a “farmer” or “pastor” or “teacher.” But being a father or a mother is a vocation. God has called us to care for and nurture children and bring them up in a God fearing way for his Kingdom and to His glory.
A husband’s vocation is to love his wife and care for her. And wife’s vocation is also to love her husband and submit to him. Children have a vocation to go to school, learn, and especially to honor and respect their parents and obey them.
Being a Christian is a vocation. For the Holy Spirit has called us by the Gospel. It has specific “duties.”
The Apostle Peter shows this in our Epistle Lesson this morning. He describes for us how we should act according to our vocation as Christians in the face of suffering. He writes,
Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.
Too often Christianity is presented as an immediate way to success and happiness. Bible passages are put on coffee cups and note pads, because Christianity is simply a lifestyle to some. No, Christianity is a vocation and more often than not, it is not an easy one.
Notice what happens to the disciples in our gospel Lesson this morning as they are called to be Apostles of Jesus. In the midst of living out their day to day lives their association with Jesus changes things. And if there is one thing we human beings don’t like is especially change in our vocations.
It is not easy—whether you speak of it economically, or job wise, or looking into the future—it is not easy to live in Michigan right now. Every thing seems to be changing. The newspaper headlines tell us of thousands of cuts at GM that have occurred and are occurring. The Big Three seem unable to respond to the gas prices, since so much of production was dependent on gas guzzling large size trucks and SUVs.
This has a trickle down effect into the economy. The banker tells me no one is taking out loans. The insurance man tells me no one is buying insurance. The contractor tells me no one is building. The restaurants seem empty and the stores are much quieter. (Some say the rest of the country is only just now joining us in Michigan in the recession that we’ve been having for quite sometime.) These changes impact us all.
Perhaps it has been the workers connected with the auto industry that carried the day—economically speaking—here at Church for decades. But we also know that many have used their wealth to feed and entertain themselves, while proportionately giving little to the Church. Now that is all fast disappearing.
It just might be that the farmers—who are seeing fantastic prices for crops—are now going to be the “bread winners” of our Church family in the foreseeable future. Will the temptations of increased wealth push them further away from God or will we now make good on the long spoken promises “I would give more, if I only had more!” We each have to look carefully at where God has placed us and what He has given us to do and realize our part.
When Jesus wanted to use the disciples’ boat to preach from, they didn’t grumble and complain that the Lord was cutting into their livelihood. They gladly lent their means of support to the Lord for the preaching and prosperity of the Gospel. And how about when Jesus tells them to fish deep and in the day? They knew that it is close to shore and at night that the fishing is best. Yet even when they were told to do things differently, Peter conceded at the Word of Christ. Only then was the harvest great.
When we wonder at where the promised harvest of souls is among our own people and in our community we need to consider our own willingness to submit to the Word of Christ. Have we sinned against God in our attitudes and actions toward the Gospel? Are we willing to confess our sinfulness and sinful attitudes as the disciple Peter did, saying, “I am a sinful man!” Or do we angrily pout because we can’t have our way and say, “In that case I won’t join in.”
The catch that Jesus gave the disciples that day exceeded the capacity of the nets. Later, Jesus told them that they would be fishing for men. The Christian Church has grown to this day to include as many as 1 billion people. But people aren’t fish, and Jesus only intends to show the abundance of grace and mercy that God has for people and especially for His Church.
Where there is success in the Kingdom, it is up to the Lord. Where there is failure, it is our own sinful fault. Just like fishing, some days see greater numbers than others. But that doesn’t mean that we then go and complain when the catch doesn’t seem to be what we expected and wanted. God blesses every activity begun and carried out in the name of Christ. Sometimes we just can’t and may never see the results. The Lord’s business is, after all, the Lord’s business.
But we know that our Savior has provided us with everything we need to carry out the tasks and even the livelihoods to which he has called us. He gave up all his heavenly wealth and splendor to come to earth and become one of us. He humbled himself and suffered much, even going to the cross and dying. He gave his very life as a ransom, the cost not gold or silver—but His holy precious blood and His innocent suffering and death. That we might be His own and live with Him in His Kingdom, and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence and blessedness.
And how this changes our everyday lives! Where we might otherwise find drudgery and depression we are changed and renewed.
As baptized children of God, we are, as Isaiah says, been called by name: we are His!
And Jeremiah tells us that God has plans for us that are of peace—and not evil. To give us a hope and a future.
And Paul writes in Romans, And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Whatever vocation—or vocations—you find yourself in, be encouraged in knowing that God has put you there. Whatever else might come your way, do not be afraid for God is in control and knows all things. And whenever you are called to give service to Christ, do not be afraid of it because of your sinfulness or anything else, but confidently go forward knowing that it is God who calls you.
Amen.
