Caught Red Handed

Scripture Lessons: Isaiah 6: 1-8 and Luke 5: 1-11 Sermon Title: Caught Red Handed Preached on February 10, 2019 Today we remember two beautiful and revealing accounts of how two faithful people – two pillars of our faith tradition – started out on their journey to change the world as they knew it. From the book of Isaiah, we read about how this prophet was called – how he responded when he found himself standing in the presence of God, and in our Second Scripture Lesson there’s a similar account. The Gospel of Luke told us the story of how the Apostle Peter, the rock that Christ’s Church would be built upon, reacted when he realized one man aboard his ship was no ordinary man at all. Jesus told Peter, who was then called Simon, to “put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch… When they had done so, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break… They signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them” but when they came and filled both boats with fish, the boats began to sink. How does Peter respond? “He fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”” This is the picture of repentance and humility. It’s a picture of complete vulnerability and confession. His boats are sinking, his livelihood is disappearing before his eyes and yet “he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man.”” Can you imagine? This place that Peter finds himself in is a humbling place to be – to be in the presence of God and feel your sinfulness become fully revealed. Do you know what that’s like? I do. I’m a parent. Most recently it was Lily who made it happen. She’s our nine-year-old daughter, our first born, she was with her basketball team, and because she’s playing in the church league over there at Roswell Street Baptist Church, the coach was admonishing them to memorize their weekly Scripture Verse – Hebrews 11: 1. “Girls,” he says, “I want you to have that verse memorized by next practice.” Lily says, “But we don’t have a Bible at home.” Do you know how the other parents looked at me? I wanted to shield my face, “Go away from me, for I am a sinful man.” And of course, we have a Bible. We have a hundred Bibles, but this moment last Monday reminded me of that place of humility that Peter found himself in. In light of our Scripture Lessons for this morning, that experience made me wonder – what should we faithful people do when we are caught red handed and our sin becomes obvious? This morning we have two good examples of what to do from Scripture. And we can contrast these two examples with what we see on the news and in the paper, for out in the world today we have at least one example of what not to do when we’re caught red handed. I’m talking about one Governor’s yearbook photos this morning of course, but before I name his name let me first make the obvious statement that should anyone have a copy of the 1998 Marietta High School yearbook, I’ll pay top dollar if it never sees the light of day. The thing about yearbooks is that even if you weren’t pictured in yours wearing a racist Halloween costume like the Governor of Virginia was, the person you were then probably doesn’t resemble the person you are now. Whether you were a long haired, rebellious, class clown like me with a distaste for respectable citizens and authority, or a medical student with a lack of empathy for his African-American neighbors like Governor Northam, I am sure there are parts of who you once were that you are now embarrassed of. There are things that you once did that you now regret. There may be photographic evidence that you too are or once were “a sinful man” or woman who would feel ashamed to be in the presence of God, because that’s part of being young and because that’s just part of the human condition. I was reminded of that last weekend. Last weekend I was out of town. I hated to miss Youth Sunday. I watched it last Sunday afternoon and I’m so proud of our youth group. I’m proud of Melissa Gilbert who was given the Jimmy Scarr Award for all the work she’s done to make our youth group so strong. But I missed being here, because I’ve made a commitment to my college roommates. Every year we get together for one weekend in February, and if I miss it then I’ll be the one they talk about. Actually, none of us ever miss it. When we get together it’s as though, for that short time, nothing has changed. Our friendship is timeless. And I was playing horseshoes with my old friend Sam, and I asked him, “Does being together like this make you miss college?” Sam said, “I miss all of us having the freedom to spend so much time together, but I don’t miss being as stupid as we were then.” Neither do I – but I still mistakes. I’m human, and you are too, so maybe we all need to look to Peter and Isaiah to see what it is that we should do when we’re caught red handed. When the person we aspire to be and the decisions we’ve made don’t match up. When the ghosts of the past rise up to haunt us. When the skeletons won’t stay in the closet. When Jesus comes to see us, and we are ashamed to stand in his presence. What should we do? Look to Isaiah. When he was in God’s presence, when the doorways shook, and the house of God filled with smoke, he didn’t dare double down on his lie or make up excuses, but was bold to say, “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips.” And look to Peter. He didn’t deny that he was the man in the hood. He didn’t pretend he didn’t recognize himself in the picture, but fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” Do you know how faithful you have to be to do something like that? Do you know how courageous you have to be to do something like that? In our world today, too many see confession as failure. Too many see needing forgiveness as a weakness. But as imperfect people, how are we ever to stand before God in truth if we deal with being caught by pretending that we aren’t guilty? I think about my grandfather. My grandfather who was bold to tell me how, even way out in the wilderness of the Caw Caw Swamp where he grew up, even there the lines of race were drawn so severely that when a group of men came to work at his family’s farm, the white workers were welcomed into the house to eat in the kitchen while the African American men were served lunch on the back steps of the house. He once told me, “As a young adult, I resented everything that Martin Luther King Jr. said, but he saved us from ourselves, Joe, he saved us from ourselves.” If only we too, can be bold enough to fall at his feet when we’ve been caught red handed, rather than double down on the lie that we’ve been telling. If only we too can be bold enough to confess our sins and name it out loud, rather than pretend that we’re not guilty. If only we too can say it – “I am a sinful man” – rather than say, “The man in the picture, he’s not me.” And I know it’s hard. Of course, it’s hard. It’s seems as though the world doesn’t believe in forgiveness any more. It seems as though the world is running short on grace. Because the world will take your vulnerability and will post it on the headlines for everyone to see – but I tell you this – that’s not so with Jesus. In me, there’s unworthiness, but in him there’s grace. In me, there’s sin, but in him there’s forgiveness. In me, there’s regret, but in him there’s the invitation to live a new life. And that’s what I want. Is that what you want? Of course it is – but it’s not only the thing that we want, it’s the thing that the world needs. So, the Lord took that Peter, and he picked him as one of his disciples, and he said to him and his friends, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” At first that must have sounded funny. Catching people? I don’t know about you, but once I catch a fish, I gut it then I fry it. And that doesn’t sound so good. So, listen to this – imagine instead that what Jesus means here is that we are a people, drowning under water, and he called on Peter to start pulling some people out. A Bible Scholar named Gay L. Byron said that’s what Jesus is really getting after here, and I believe her because I know that Jesus isn’t like the media who is prone capitalize on weakness in order to sell more papers. He’s not interested in that, “for God did not send the son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” Do you know that one? That’s a good one to memorize, but you might not have a Bible at home, so write it down before you leave today. My poor Lily. Ray Fountain posted on Facebook the other day, “It’s dangerous to live with a preacher, because anything you do might be used as a sermon illustration.” That’s true. I’m always looking for sermon illustrations. In fact, I can’t help but see them. Everything that I see in this world is either proving to me that God is at work or is proving to me that something has to change. And today, what I know has to change – is that you and I, sinful men and women who have fallen at the feet of Jesus and found forgiveness must get to work pulling up drowning people. Fishing for people - pulling up those who are drowning in the past – letting them know that a past of racism need not result in a future of it. That a past ignorance, failures, or mistakes – they’re not a Scarlet Letter ensuring condemnation – but the proof that what Christ offers is exactly what we need. We must go fishing. Fishing for people, that all those who are drowning in shame, regret, and fear of condemnation, might come up out of the water to feel the fresh air that the Holy Spirit blows, the warm rays of forgiveness and acceptance that shine forth from the Son of God, the brother and sisterhood of all people regardless of race, creed, nationality, orientation, gender, or language – for every one of us is red handed – but to every one of us he issues this call: Go, and fish for people, letting them know that we’re just a bunch of forgiven sinners, and they can be too. Amen.