Who put these lessons together? Was it one of you?

I mean, really! Whoever did it has made my job a whole lot harder. And not just mine. Yours, too! You see, if we hadn't read today's first lesson--the one from Isaiah--and just read the Gospel text, we could have said something like, "When we are faithful--when we are listening and doing what God wants us to do--then we are successful. Phenomenal success," we could have said, "comes from faithfulness to God. Phenomenal success!"

But we didn't do that, did we? Somebody--and I'd like to know who--insisted on first reading that lesson from Isaiah. And now our jobs--both mine and yours--are a whole lot harder. Instead of glibly saying, "faithfulness leads to success!" we're forced to say--as today's message will say--"Being faithful may (not) mean being successful."

Let's start with the Gospel. It's the more familiar story and the more comfortable one. Jesus is teaching along the shore of Lake Galilee when the crowd builds and builds until Jesus is in danger of being pushed into the water.

He improvises. Nearby are two commercial fishing boats, recently returned from a night of work. Jesus gets into one of the boats--Simon Peter's boat, as it turns out--and asks to be pulled out just enough so that he can sit and teach the people from the boat.

This is a good idea, by the way. I know from our family vacations on a lake in Wisconsin that sound carries far better over water than it does on land. Jesus' voice would be much easier to hear from a boat than it would on crowded land.

When Jesus finished teaching, he told Peter (whom he had just met) to row out into the deep water and let down his nets for a catch of fish. Now, the whole reason why Jesus was able to be in the boat was because Peter and his co-workers were done fishing for the day. They had fished all night and caught nothing.

I don't know about you, but, if it had been me, I might said, “Look, sir, who's the expert here? You know about God but I know about fishing. We're done for the day. We've caught nothing. And, besides, daytime is the worst time to catch fish in these waters.”

Peter is not me, however, and Peter does what Jesus suggests.

The catch is so great that, when it is hauled in, two boats are needed. And both boats nearly sink!

And that's my point. Wouldn't it be great if that were the only lesson today? Wouldn't it be great if that were the only source from which to draw insight into God today?

You see, if it were, we could confidently say something like this. “Hello friends. Are you tired and frustrated from a night of fruitless--I mean fishless--toil? Are you working hard but coming up empty? Boy, do I have a solution for you! Try Jesus! Just listen to Jesus' helpful, handy tips and success--including financial success--will be yours!”

What’s sad is that there are churches who proudly pitch Jesus (and “pitch” is the operative word) in just this way! It may not make our jobs any easier but we, at least, have the advantage of having this lesson paired with the call of Isaiah, our first reading today.

Let me suggest you turn to it in your bulletin.

When I was a kid I used to love the legends of Paul Bunyan and Babe, his blue ox. Paul Bunyan and Babe were so big and so strong that, one day when they were walking, Paul Bunyan absent-mindedly dragged his axe behind him. And thus, the Grand Canyon was dug!

That’s the sort of scale we should have in mind when we read today’s first lesson. Isaiah is in the Temple in Jerusalem, one of the seven wonders of the world. The LORD God of heaven and earth, the creator of the cosmos, is there, sitting on his throne in the Temple.

Do you have any idea how big God is? The hem of his robe--just the hem--completely fills the Temple! Flaming angels--not the cute and cuddly kind--are ablaze around God, providing strong defense.

Isaiah is terrified. Of course he’s terrified! Not only is he scared to death, he’s afraid of being caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. “I am doomed because every word that passes my lips is sinful, and I live among a people whose every word is sinful.”

The solution is as grave as the problem. One of the flaming angels brings a red-hot coal and sears Isaiah’s lips. (That has got to hurt!) But, now that he’s purified, when Isaiah hears God saying, “Whom shall I send? Who will be our messenger?” Isaiah is bold to declare, “Here am I! Send me!”

This part of the story is captured in the song, “Here I am, Lord! Is it I, Lord ...” As lovely and as stirring as that song is, I need you to look at what comes next.

Look on page 3 of your bulletin. Look at the fourth paragraph. We see God’s question--Whom shall I send?--and Isaiah’s stirring answer--"Here am I. Send me!”

Keep going. “So,” Isaiah says, God “told me to go and give the people this message: ‘No matter how much you listen, you will not understand. No matter how much you look, you will not know what is happening.” Then he said to me, ‘Make the minds of these people dull, their ears deaf, and their eyes blind, so that they cannot see or hear or understand. If they did, they might turn to me and be healed.’”

If you’re wondering if that passage in the Bible means what it says it means, it does! God’s call to Isaiah is for Isaiah to be unsuccessful in his mission. People will not understand or accept what God tells him to say! “Give the people this message: ‘No matter how much you listen, you will not understand. No matter how much you look, you will not know what is happening.’”

Isaiah was faithful to his call. And, as a result, Isaiah did God’s will. He was successful at being unsuccessful. And that’s the truth!

I sincerely think this is an important message for each and every person here today. We assume that God rewards faithfulness with success. We assume success is a sign of faithfulness. If I am faithful to God, I will prosper; I will succeed; things will go well for me.

Is that what happened to Jesus? How does Good Friday and his death on the cross fit into this equation? Faithfulness may not lead to success, or to measurable success.

Yes, Peter faithfully did what Jesus told him to do--"let down your nets for a catch”--and two boats nearly sank under the load. But Isaiah also was faithful and, like many of the prophets--and like Jesus himself--his faithfulness was met with rejection, disinterest, or hostility.

For reasons not easy to grasp, this was how God wanted it to be. This was how God needed it to be! And, precisely because of Isaiah’s faithfulness, that’s precisely how it was. Isaiah spoke in God’s name and was ignored, rejected, and despised.

Why does this matter? Why is this important for each and everyone of us here today? Because, no matter who we are, God calls us--and God does call each and every one of us--not to success, but to faithfulness.

We’re called to be faithful to God. We’re called to be faithful to who we are. We’re called to be faithful to our stations in life, meaning, if we’re married, we’re called to be faithful in marriage. If we’re employed, we’re called to be faithful at work. We’re called to be faithful students; faithful citizens and community members.

Maybe we’ll be successful; maybe we won’t. Or, maybe this! Maybe faithfulness is its own success! Maybe faithfulness is what matters.

If it was good enough for Jesus and good enough for Isaiah, I think it’s good enough for us. In Jesus’ name. Amen!