What do these three men share in common? They all felt that their lives in the past made them unworthy of being in the divine presence of God. They also share the fact that in spite of their inherent sinfulness, they became powerful voices for God.

What was it that gave these men power? What happened that changed them from bowed down, self deprecating door mats into apostles, ones sent to proclaim the Kingdom of God? They each, in their own way and time, encountered the grace, mercy and power of the living God.

For Isaiah it was an ecstatic vision, complete with red hot pokers and somewhat sadistic angels. For Peter, it was a blinding light and the voice of Jesus that literally knocked off his horse. Peter saw the incredible abundance of God's might and new he was in a holy presence. Each of these men had come face to face with God, in a vision, in a voice and in a presence, and lived.

As Paul said, "by the grace of God, I am what I am". Reminds me of Popeye with his "I yam what I yam and dats all what I yam." I am what I am.

Paul may have been a little touchy about his identity as an apostle. He goes to great links to equate himself with the apostles who actually lived with Jesus. My guess is that there were people from the Jerusalem Church that disputed Paul's claim to apostolic authority. But Paul knew, through his experience of conversion and the fruits of his ministry, that he was sent by God to bring the Good News of God in Christ to the Gentiles. By the Grace of God, I am what I am".

What are you? What am I? Peter was a sinful man. Isaiah was a man of unclean lips. And then they were prophets and apostles.

From their very raw state, God made them something new and exciting, and important, and world changing. He made them beacons of light in the midst of a dark and sinful world.

What am I? A sinful man. A man of unclean lips. Unfit for ministry. God doesn't seem to care. Through the live coal of God's grace I am what I am.

And regardless of what we were, we are, now, apostles - people sent out on a mission. Yes, by the waters of baptism, we are sent out. Matthews Great Commission, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

We are what we are. Messengers. Proclaimers. Prophets. Story tellers. Evangelists. We have different gifts and therefore different ways of all doing the same thing - building up the Body of Christ by strengthening the faith of the faithful and bringing the seekers and the lost to Christ.

"But I can't do that. I'm too old. I'm too young. I have a secret that is so bad even God can't fix it." I've heard them all, thought most of the, too. Paul writes in his letter to the Romans, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

If nothing can keep God from loving us, then there is nothing that can separate us from the mission he has called us to.

I had a friend whose mother had a degenerative neurological disease. From the time my friend was in high school Virginia was on a steady decline. My friend asked her mother once if mom had ever prayed to be cured. Virginia responded with a question, "Don't you think God can use me just the way I am?"

By the Grace of God, I am what I am.

So, again, what are you, what am I? For me, I am a priest. That's what I am and who I am. My ministry is pretty well defined. How about yours? Remember, everyone of us has a ministry. And unless we do the hard work of discernment to identify what God wants us to be, we are not able to live into the full stature of what God has in store for us.

Not everyone is called to every kind of ministry. Not everyone is called to prison ministry, but some are. Not everyone is called to be a reader or a Eucharistic minister. Not everyone is called to be a Sunday School teacher. But some are.

There's a story about Henry Ford II, probably apocryphal. It seems that Ford had hired an efficiency expert to look at his senior staff. As the expert walked by one man's office, he always saw him with his feet on his desk and his eyes closed. The expert went to Mr. Ford and said that there was a man wasting Ford's money by slacking off all day long. Mr. Ford looked at the expert and then at the man in question and said, "last year that man came up with an idea that saved us millions and millions of dollars. And," he continued, " think he was in that very same position when he did."

I can't look out at you and know who is engaged in ministry. Some ministries are really quiet. We'll hear about one such ministry today. The Daughters of the King is a group of women who promise to pray for each other, the church and those with special needs. They pray for you every day. Wonderful ministry that any woman can do.

Serving at the altar. Ushering. Being a part of the new shepherding ministry to help guests and newcomers feel welcome. Doing coffee hour. Calling people whom we may not have seen for a couple of weeks. Volunteering in hospitals and nursing homes. Picking up a parishioner who no longer drives and bringing them to church. Helping with the shrimp boil - coming up this coming Friday. Advocacy for causes important to you.

These are ministries. What are we? Are we people that take from the bounty God has given us or are we people that return those gifts through our time and passion?

We cannot use our perceived unworthiness as a get out of work free card. The Kingdom of God must become a present reality. The Body of Christ needs to be built up and supported. The lost need to be found, the blind see, the lame walk and the poor must have the Gospel preached to them. That is our job, yours and mine.

Yes we live in a world of unclean lip, ours included. Yes we are sinful people. Yes we are not fit to be Apostles. So what? Do we really think that we are so bad that even God can't use us? Folks, that's a perverse sort of pride. Like the thug want-a-bees that make up stories of how bad they are so that they look cool. Folk's, you're not that bad.

God loves you. Nothing you can do or have done, will separate you from the love of God in Christ. Nothing. By the grace of God, we are what we are - forgiven sinners called to bear the Good News of God in Christ to a world that far too often feels lost from the sight of God.

I yam what I yam. By the Grace of God.