St. Luke 5:1-11
Dearly beloved,
If you want to understand your worship as Christians, then you have to
pay close attention to the posture of the people in the Holy Scriptures.
People often wonder why we confessional Lutherans worship the way we do.
Why do we kneel? Why do we bow? Why do we solemnly confess our sins and
humbly confess our faith? People may say that they don't see that in the New
Testament church. Where, they say, do you see this sort of posture in the
New Testament?
Well, my friends, it is there. It is right in our gospel, as a matter
of fact. The account is a familiar one. A couple fishermen had been
fishing all night with a large net. They were unsuccessful in catching
fish. But Jesus tells the fishermen to go back out and cast the net for a
catch. Here is the thing with fishing with a net. Either the fish are in
the area and at the right depths to get caught in the net or they are simply
not there. The fishermen, having had an unsuccessful night, knew that the
fish weren't around.
But the fishermen do as Jesus said and behold they caught so many fish
in the net that the net was breaking. Much can be said about this gospel,
but let us look at Simon Peter. He is so often the man to watch for in the
gospels. He is either boldly confessing or he is sinning boldly. When
Simon Peter sees this miraculous catch of fish, he falls down on his knees
and says, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, o Lord." Simon Peter's
posture tells you a lot about worship.
Simon Peter, by falling on his knees, is telling us something about his
understanding of the situation. Peter realizes that Jesus is God.
Realizing that Jesus is God prompts another thought for Peter. Sinners
should not be in the presence of God or they will die. Peter knows that he
is unworthy of being before the Lord. Here is the reason. Sin is an
imperfection. Sin is like a cancerous mass. God is perfect and holy.
Because God is holy and without any blemish and because he is perfection,
then anything that is imperfect cannot be in God's presence without the
imperfection being destroyed and literally imploding on itself and being
burnt up into nothing.
The people of the Bible understood this. Moses, for example, asks to
see God's glory. Moses had much communication with the Lord and he grew
curious. So Moses asked, "Please show me your glory." It seems like a
reasonable request. Moses was God's right hand man and he wanted to see God
as God really is. What was God's response to Moses' request? God said to
Moses, "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the
name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious,
and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."
But God said, "You cannot see my face; for no man shall see me, and
live." That which is imperfect cannot come before the holy Lord and exist
without being completely destroyed by the holy presence of God. There are
other similar accounts like this one in the Old Testament. It gives us some
information as to why Simon Peter reacts the way that he does. Peter knows
that he should not be allowed to be in God's presence and live.
This gets to the question that many of you may have from time to time.
You want to know why Jesus doesn't come down and reveal himself to you. You
ask yourself what you should do in a given situation in your life. You
struggle with some problem in your life. You need some guidance. Which way
do you go? Which direction should you take? You want to know and so you ask
God, but He seems to be silent. You desire His presence. You want Jesus to
come to you to impart to you some wisdom and make things clear for you. But
He doesn't. Why?
Why doesn't Jesus just make a cameo appearance in our Divine Service on
Sunday mornings and tell us what He wants us to know? When Jesus resurrected
and was ascended, He returned to His glorious throne in heaven. If He were
to come to us now, while we have sin attached to us, we would not be able to
see His glorious face and presence and live. But, Jesus has done something
else so that He still comes to us. Think about Jesus' coming into the world
to die for the sins of the world. If Jesus had come in His glorious
presence, His ministry would not have been all that easy.
People would run from His glorious presence and would die. So, Jesus
takes on flesh and hides His glorious presence. This way, Jesus teaches,
heals, helps, comforts, forgives and dies on the cross. You are no
different than the people of Biblical times. You have sins. You have parts
of you that are hurting. You struggle with things in this world, whether
they be relational issues, sin issues, issues of faith, conscience and the
like. You, just like all those people at the time of Jesus, need help. You
need spiritual counsel. You need holy absolution. You need refreshment for
your souls from the things that weigh you down. Jesus loves you just as He
loved those people who would crowd around with various problems.
Do not think for a minute that Jesus means to forget you. It is just
the opposite. Jesus means to help you and bless you. But, Jesus is on the
right hand of glory since His ascension. So, Jesus isn't going to make a
personal, bodily appearance in the Divine Service. But He does something
else. Why do you think Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper just before His
arrest? Perhaps He had you in mind. Why did Jesus give the office of the
keys to the apostles before He was crucified? Perhaps He wanted your sins
forgiven.
Today, Jesus comes to you in the Divine Service. Jesus does make a
special appearance, coming to you in the mouth of the pastor. The pastor
proclaims holy absolution, forgiving your sins. Jesus comes to you in the
Lord's Supper. Jesus is really present under the bread and wine. Jesus
comes to you but He is veiled by the bread and wine. Just as His flesh
covered His glory, so the bread and wine covers His glory as you eat and
drink His body and blood. This is meant to be for forgiveness, spiritual
strength, and the Lord is shaping you and refining you in the Christian
faith.
It is because of these gifts that Jesus has placed in our midst in the
Divine Service, that our worship posture is the way that it is. We should
kneel in the Divine Service. We should bow, we should bend the knee in
reverence to God. This is why we call our church service the "Divine
Service." Something of a divine nature really takes place as Jesus comes to
you in order to help you with the things that hurt, the sin, the struggles
you encounter in this world. Jesus, being the merciful one that He is,
leaves you a blessing, just as He did Peter.
Rather than frightening Peter, Jesus brings comfort. Jesus simply says,
"Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men." Jesus gives holy
absolution along with an invitation to come closer to Jesus. This is the
Lord's way with you and your sins. Jesus looks to you and says, "Do not be
afraid." "Come closer to me." "Your sins are forgiven, let us continue
onward." So we gather on our knees, around this altar each week to have
Jesus Christ, God, come to us with a blessing and an invitation to walk with
Him forevermore. Amen.
--
Rev. Chad Kendall
Trinity Lutheran Church
Lowell, Indiana
www.trinitylowell.org
