The Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
Prelude, Welcome, and Information Hymn #413 Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty |
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. And also with you. Psalm: Psalm 138 I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise; I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness; for you have exalted your name and your word above everything. On the day I called, you answered me, you increased my strength of soul. All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord, for they have heard the words of your mouth. They shall sing of the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord. For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly; but the haughty he perceives from far away. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies; you stretch out your hand, and your right hand delivers me. The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands. |
The Lord be with you. And also with you. Let us pray. Most holy God, the earth is filled with your glory, and before you angels and saints stand in awe. Enlarge our vision to see your power at work in the world, and by your grace make us heralds of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. |
Reading: Isaiah 6:1-8 [9-13]
A reading from the prophet Isaiah
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.” The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke.
And I 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!” Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!”
The Word of the Lord
Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
A reading from the first letter to the Corinthians
Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you—unless you have come to believe in vain. For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For 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, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them—though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe.
The Word of the Lord.
Gospel Verse:
Alleluia. Jesus says, Follow me, and I will make you fish for people. Alleluia! (Matt. 4: 19)
Gospel Reading: Luke 5:1-11
A reading from the Gospel of Luke
Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon (added at the end of the document)
Hymn #798 Will You Come and Follow Me
Thanks and Offertory
Prayers of the Church:
We have been called by Jesus to follow him. So as disciples, we offer our prayers for the world, the church, and for all people according to their needs.
[Short pause]
Gracious God, may we always hear your voice when you call, no matter what we might think of ourselves. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Gracious God, hold close our families, loved ones and friends, to keep them safe and healthy. Bless them with your grace and mercy. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Gracious God, our lives are in your hands. Bless us all with the gift of health in our bodies, minds, and spirits. Strengthen those who work daily for all in the community. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Gracious God, help us as disciples of your Son to hand on what we ourselves have received in faith. Help us to show our faith in our actions. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Gracious God, grant peace to Ukraine and all the troubled spots in our world. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Gracious God, be with all who must travel or work out of doors in the weather we are experiencing, especially farmers, plow drivers, utility workers, police constables, fire fighters, and ambulance crews. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Gracious God, look with favor on all who minister in the name of your Son. Bless our neighbours in the Anglican Church of Canada, Trinity Church, Aylmer, their pastor, Bishop Barry Clarke, as well as the Bishop of Huron, Rev. Todd Townshend., in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Gracious God, we trust in your grace and mercy. Hear the prayers we keep in our hearts… * … Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Into your gracious hands we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your promise of mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
{*Erma Reska, Rose Gotzmeister, Gail Mauer, Bill Ungar}
Hymn#574 Here I Am, Lord
The Lord’s Prayer
Finally let us pray for all things as our Lord would have us ask:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power,
and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
Closing prayer & Benediction
O God of justice and love, we give thanks to you that you illumine our way through life with the words of your Son. Give us the light we need, awaken us to the needs of others, and at the end bring all the world to your feast; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory forever. Amen.
Hymn #414 Holy God, We Praise Your Name
Sending
The God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another in accordance with Christ Jesus.
Amen.
The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
The God of all grace X bless you now and forever.
Amen.
Go in peace. Walk humbly with God. Thanks be to God.
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Services for the next few months will be on YouTube and accessible from an email link or our church Facebook page, except for the following:
Feb 13 Saxonia Hall, 11:00am
Feb 27 Church, 11:00am
March 13 Saxonia Hall, 11:00am – service will be followed
by the Annual General Meeting
March 27 Church, 11:00am
April 10 Saxonia Hall (Palm Sunday), 11:00am
April 15 Church (Good Friday), 11:00am
April 17 Church (Easter Sunday), 11:00am
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And I 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!”
· Isaiah is frightened and with good reason. He has seen God in his vision and the common wisdom is that no one sees God and lives. Isaiah has a good idea of who he is (He calls himself a man of unclean lips) and he expects the axe to fall at any second.
· But surprise! God is going to take care of that! one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.” Plenty of symbolism there – a coal from the altar of sacrifice cleanses Isaiah right down to his soul. He didn’t ask for that, but God sent an angel with tongs to do the job. I suppose God could have sent a lawyer with a legal document or a note on Isaiah’s Twitter feed to do the same, but those things would not make sense in light of the setting Isaiah saw himself, namely the throne room of God with smoke and fire and six-winged seraphs. More poetic too.
· The next step is the prophetic mission announced by God and jumped at by Isaiah: “Here am I; send me!” A little thing like personal guilt and self-loathing will not hinder the Word. In fact, that Word will open its own way for the message, even if it takes a burning coal.
· The interaction of Jesus and Peter runs along the same line. Jesus preaches and finds that he needs a place to stand in order to accommodate the crowd on the shore. Peter is willing to supply the boat for Jesus to sit in. Following the time of teaching, Jesus tells Peter to “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Peter knows his business and even though it is not the time for fishing, he’ll do as he is asked. To the amazement of all, the catch is huge, so huge it almost swamps two boats! Peter understands that this is a result of Jesus’ request and he responds with great self-knowledge: “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” Jesus invites him to follow and to fish for a different catch. Peter, James, and John leave their nets to follow Jesus. From our reading of the Gospels, we know that these three have a spotty record for hearing what Jesus has to say, but they remain the core of the disciples, even after Jesus’ ascension.
· It appears that unclean lips, sin, and even failures in faith do not constitute insurmountable obstacles for Jesus’ mission on earth through his disciples. Even Paul acknowledges this: For 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…
· That last sentence might be the most important to us as disciples. By the grace of God we are what we are. Jesus is always willing to work with the material he finds in each of us. Our sinfulness is forgiven and the call is given daily.
“Whom shall I send and who will go for us?”
“Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.”
· Should we ask why, the answer is the same:
But by the grace of God I am what I am…
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