Do What You Do (I Got You) • Luke 5:1-11

"I Got You" ©Jen Matthews

This sermon was originally preached at on February 9, 2025 (Fifth Sunday after Epiphany) at Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Hopkins, MN.

The service may be viewed in full here. The sermon may be viewed below.

LECTIONARY READINGS:
Gospel: Luke 5:1-11
First Reading: Isaiah 6:1-8
Psalm: Psalm 138
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11.

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Good morning, Beloved of God. Because today is all about how and when and to whom the Call of God comes, I want to start with the plain truth, that this week has been one of the longest years of my life. I have been overwhelmed by all that’s happening in the world and in this nation. Paralyzed by the enormity and rapidity of changes being made. I am deeply concerned for the safety and well-being of myself and my disabled family members, for my Black, Indigenous, Asian, and immigrant neighbors, trans and Queer friends and family, and so many colleagues for whom the growing litany of executive orders are indeed threatening to undo them. I am afraid -- afraid of speaking too boldly for fear of causing offense, and also ashamed of my own cowardice to speak Truth in a moment that demands clarity of vision, purpose, and direction for the sake of the most vulnerable. I don’t always know what to say, what to do, or how to do it all in love. And I am just as scared as a lot of you are. 

None of this bodes well when you’re trying to write a sermon about the three call stories of the three radical church answers today’s lectionary texts.

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