“Awesome Grace” 

Isaiah 6:1-8

Luke 5:1-11

1 Corinthians 15:1-11 

When we first arrived in Utah, Super Dell Schanze bombarded us with ads for his “Totally Awesome Computers.”  I was not impressed by Super Dell's antics nor as an awesome salesman.  When I discovered that I could buy the same parts, without his quantity discount, and build the computer for a few hundred dollars less, I decided that his computers weren't very awesome. 

Before we came to Utah, we lived in Orlando.  The highest point in that part of Florida is Disney's Space Mountain, the second highest is the interstate overpass leading to Disney World.  Having seen the majesty of real mountains, it was hard to get excited about Space Mountain -  human replicas just aren't as awesome as the real thing. 

The Seraphim had a sense of how awesome God is.  They had six wings.  Even though they lived in God's presence, they hid their faces with two of their wings.  God is so awesome that they did not want to look upon his face.  They praised God continuously, calling out how incredibly Holy, or separate, God is.  They proclaimed that God is exalted, worthy of our complete devotion, perfect in goodness and righteousness.  The Seraphim had a sense of awe before God that neither Awesome Computers nor Space Mountain seem to generate. 
 

Not everyone thinks that there is such a gulf, such a fundamental difference, between us and God, that God is so awesome and unique.  The Corinthians, who believed in the resurrection of Christ but not of their own physical bodies, thought that they had attained the goal of salvation.  They seemed to think that they had already reached a point of heavenly living, a spiritual existence that did not require further change.  They had no need to anticipate some new future that God might have in store for them - they had already arrived. 

Have we arrived or do we seek an awesome and loving God?  

Each of our Scripture readings talks of an awesome God; a loving God preparing people to serve. 

Isaiah, like the seraphim, had a sense of awe before God.  He realized how 'other' God is compared to mankind; how much greater God is than we are.  Isaiah did not feel worthy to be God's messenger.  While the difference, the gulf, between us and God is very large from our perspective, it is as nothing from God's perspective.  God reached across and purified Isaiah's lips, God prepared Isaiah for service. 

Paul thought that he knew an awesome God.  As a Pharisee, he believed that God was awesome; awesome to the point of terrifying.  If one did not follow all of the rules, if one did not lead a proper life, just so, one was doomed before this awesome God.  

Paul met an even more awesome God on the road to Damascus.  This awesome God claimed Paul, transformed Paul, into his messenger.  Paul had done horrible things to the early Christians.  Yet God's love and forgiving grace was greater than anything that Paul had done.  This was not only an awesome God, but also a loving God that called Paul to service. 

Peter was at work fishing.  Jesus came along and borrowed a boat so that he could teach those on shore.  Afterwards, Jesus told Peter where to fish.  Peter obeyed and caught more fish than two boats could hold - after fishing all night without success.  Peter sensed that there was a gulf between himself, a human, sinful by nature, and this Jesus.  Peter felt unworthy to be in his presence, perhaps like the seraphim, and begged Jesus to go away.  Instead, Jesus called this sinful man to service.  Peter did not really understand, but he obeyed. 

So it is when we confront this awesome God.  Regardless of how great we may think God is, or isn't, God's love and grace is sufficient to change us.  When God confronts us, whether a budding prophet as Isaiah or a persecutor of the church, it is not to condemn us or terrify us.  God confronts us to transform us, to purify us, and call us to service. 

God does not start with perfect people; God starts with us, wherever we are, whatever we have done.  It does not matter whether we see ourselves as the most sinful person or just a little less than perfect.  We do not even have to believe in Jesus before God's grace starts to transform us. 

How much grace do you need?  Perhaps you only have a few parking tickets on your guilt list or maybe cheating on your taxes.  Do you need more grace?  Perhaps there have been unkind, even hateful, words spoken for which you have never sought forgiveness.  Maybe there is something even more troubling in your past that requires even more awesome grace.  I doubt if any of us need as much grace as Paul, grace sufficient to forgive his killing of Christians, his attempt to destroy the early church.  God's awesome grace is sufficient for Paul, it is sufficient for all of us.   

In each of these lessons, the first result of the transformation by grace was that they could hear, their ears were open to the Good News that God loved them. In each case, their guilt departed them and their sin was blotted out by the love of God.  No more guilt lists.  For Isaiah, the cleansing power of fire, a symbol of justice and compassion, allowed him to hear the voice of God asking whom he should send.  For Paul it was the grace of God shown to him that let him hear and believe.  For Peter, it was the simple sign of the fish that opened his ears to hear Jesus call to him, saying 'Follow Me'. 

Only after we hear, after we sense how awesome God's grace is, do we speak.  After being cleansed, our ears opened, then our mouths are opened to speak God's words.  What do we speak?  There are many stories to be told, many acts of love to recount: The Good News of Christ.  We also speak through transformed lives, new lives lived surrounded by God's love.  I 

Are you hearing God?  If not, are you, we, open to God's grace?  There is nothing that we can do that can separate us from the love of God.  Accept God's loving forgiveness, your life will be changed, your hearing will improve.  

This morning we have the privilege to ordain and install new deacons and elders.  I would like to caution you that these are not perfect people; in case you haven't realized it, I'm not perfect either.  Yet these are people who have heard the call of grace, have opened their ears to God, and have answered the call to serve God by serving this congregation.  We ordain and install them as God's messengers to us.  They will speak, through word and action, to us of the transforming love of God.  Let us rejoice in their faithful response to God in obeying those simple words of Jesus: “Follow Me!”

Will the new elders and deacons please come forward, both those who are to be ordained and those who have previously been ordained and are to be installed.  Elders are those who have been called to share their gift of leadership in governing this congregation by serving on the session.  Deacons have the gift of caring and sharing and comforting and are called to serve not only the congregation at large but each is charged with the care of a parish, a subset of the congregation. 
 
 

February 4, 2007

Rev. Al Hammond

First Presbyterian Church

Logan, Utah