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FLASHBACK: A few thousand years ago…God said to Jeremiah…"I appointed you a prophet to the nations: Jeremiah's reply was: "Then I said, 'Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.' But the Lord said to me, 'Do not say, "'I am only a boy:" for you shall go to all to who I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you, Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord." Here we have God's reaction to Jeremiah's response to his call from God. God does not accept Jeremiah's protest of inadequacy and incompetence due to his being only a boy. God tells him: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you…..you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you, Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you….." In present times we do not hear much about being called…even ministry personnel often shun the phrase...but I believe that God is calling all of us. Often times we don't listen or don't recognize what that call is. We need to be more aware of how God calls us…I don't really think God often uses the phone… Let's look briefly at a couple of people who most of us today would recognize as being "called". On [this day], August 26, in 1910 a girl called Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhui was born in Skopje, Macedonia. Her father was a small businessman who traveled a lot and was very interested in politics. When Agnes was nine, her father suddenly died and her mother was left to raise her three children alone. She worked hard to make ends meet yet never sacrificed her children's education or worship, which they did very faithfully. Not only did Agnes' mother provide for her children she helped take care of an alcoholic woman and a widow with six children. Agnes often filled in for her mother helping the widow when her mother wasn't able to make it. Agnes liked going to church where she read, prayed, and sang enthusiastically. When she was twelve, she felt for the first time the desire to serve God, but how could she be sure that this was right for her. She went to a priest and asked: How can I be sure?" He answered: "Through your JOY. If you feel really happy by the idea that God might call you to serve God, God and your neighbor, then this is the evidence that you have as call." And he added: "the deep inner joy that you feel is the compass the indicates your direction in life." The advice that the priest gave Agnes over eighty
years ago is still a vital answer for us today. What makes us joyous…does
it make us happy inside to serve God and our neighbors. We must
stop and reflect on what gives us inner joy and peace…is it
helping those in need...a neighbor who is grieving…a family
who is suffering with illness,...an elderly person who is confined
to their home…a child who is lacking in parents or grandparents,
a church which is without trained leadership which needs caring
and courageous people to fill the void? Would doing these things
give us the inner joy God wants us to have? Maybe God doesn't speak
to us in specific words or phone calls…maybe the message is
transmitted to us by opportunities and it is our responsibility
to recognize and act on those opportunities. Agnes did act on her opportunities. She did respond to her call. Agnes, of course, was better known as Mother Teresa. Her call of twelve years of age, however, was not the most significant call in her life. After various jobs as a sister in India, Sister Teresa is faced with a dilemma. She can no longer turn a blind eye to the suffering occurring in the slums of Calcutta. She hears God's summon clearly to leave the convent and go and live among and help the poor in these slums. This is not easily done. It is a challenge to her vows and to the Catholic Church. It requires much time, prayer, and argument, but finally she was given permission to leave the convent where she had to say goodbye to her sisters and religious Loreta robe and change it to a cheap white and blue sari. She entered nurses training then so she would be better able to help the sick and suffering. The rest, of course, is history. Mother Teresa became an inspiration for the whole world. Her calling, however, was not an easy process. It spawned much controversy, challenge, and prayer. But, as God told Jeremiah, "for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you." God's words take precedence over everything else…fear, inadequacy, church doctrine, custom, popularity, everything. We must set all these diversions aside and listen quietly for God's word to us. Another well-known leader of the twentieth century
was Martin Luther King, Jr. His "calling" was somewhat
different as well. As a teenager, the young King initially planned
to become a lawyer or physician rather than become a minister like
his father. He was profoundly influenced by Morehouse College's
president Benjamin E. Mays. There, he persistently questioned literal
interpretations of biblical texts and criticized traditional Baptist
teachings. But by his senior year at this college he decided to
follow his father's "noble example" into the ministry. On his application form to Crozer Theological Seminary in Philadelphia he was asked to give his personal reasons for the decision to study for the Gospel Ministry .His answer was: "My call to the ministry was quite different from most explanations (sic) I've (sic) heard. This decision (sic) came about in the summer of 1944 when I felt an inescapable urge to serve society. In short, I felt a sense of responsibility which I could not escape." Martin Luther King was an intense man who had intense urges. His intensity helped him become probably the most significant civil rights leader of the twentieth century in America. In fact Time Magazine credits Martin Luther King as being the leader who lead America past the hurdle of segregation in that country. They said that without MLK, the United States would not have differed significantly from the apartheid conditions that survived in South African until quite recent times. Martin Luther King, however, paid the supreme price for his call. In recent years, there have surfaced some negative stories about Martin Luther King's behaviours, but nevertheless there is still no doubt that his calling to help the black society of America and ultimately all of American society by helping to heal the cancer of racial strife is undisputed. What may you ask now do the stories of these two famous religious leaders have to do with you and me in Swan Bowsman, Manitoba in the year 2005? Our accomplishments may not be noticed on such gigantic scales, but I think the callings that God has for us are of no less significance that those he had for Mother Teresa or Martin Luther King. God has created us a unique individuals and our calls then are probably all unique as well. What we need to do is listen for God's call. In this church right now God is calling us for many things. We need preachers, and teachers, and doers, and inspirers. We need singers, and players, and listeners. We need organizers and followers and team players. We need helpers and assistants and fixers and cleaners. We need counters and payers and prayers. God has given us many opportunities to help our church to become the vital force in our Swan Valley society that it can be. And our call doesn't necessarily need to be confined to church activities. God's love transcends all human institutions. We need to listen to God's call. We need to respond to God's call whatever the message may be. Gee, I need to get back to the big guy. Hi God, sorry for keeping you on hold for so long. Did you like music that was playing while you were waiting? Those "old" hymns are really great aren't they…Hey, I bet you really like them don't you…all those great powerful masculine references to you, King, Father, soldier.... sorry I got off topic. Thanks for being so patient with me God…you really are…you've been waiting on me for 57 years haven't you…yes I am a bit of a procrastinator...sorry about that…but you made me that way…or maybe you didn't…maybe it is just slightly my fault...anyway I'm ready to listen now…what do you want me to do…really?. me…well I don't…well, maybe…sure I'll give it a try…you really think I could…gee thanks…OK… I'll do it…Thanks for the call God and call me anytime OK…and by the way…Maybe I'll be calling you a bit more often…Ok Bye now…God Bless!! Oh well why not? And God said to Jeremiah: "Do not say, I am only a boy; for you shall go to all to whom I send you and you shall speak whatever I command you, Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord On April 3, 1968 Martin Luther King summed things up this way: "We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I have been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. Any I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. And I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. "The following day, April 4, 1968 as Dr. King was leaving his motel room in Memphis he was shot and killed. Let us pray: Dear God: Help us to climb the mountain top you have for us. Give us courage to climb onward despite fear and doubt...Give us a clear vision of the promised land God we are silently listening for your call…Amen. |
