1
Samuel 3:1-10 and Matthew 4:18-22
Peace
Presbyterian Church
March
23, 2014 – Call Sermon
“He’s Calling!”
God’s been calling
us since the beginning of time. God
said, “Let us make humankind in our image.”
God speaks the words and man and woman are created. Adam and Eve ….. you and me…. exist because
God called us into being. And God said it
was very good.
God calls Abram to
be the father of all nations. God tells Abram
and Sara that even though they are biologically too old – they will have many
descendents. They laugh! It seems impossible. Sarah is 99 years old! But
God calls and overlooking a few “I’ll help God” escapades, Abraham and Sarah
trust God and follow his call.
God calls Moses to
lead his people out of slavery in Egypt.
Moses protests – I’m not a good speaker, He tells God. But God calls Moses anyway. And fighting and kicking all the way…. Moses
responds to God’s call.
Each of these
people, God calls personally - by name. I
could continue to list folks that God calls by name… Ruth, Rehab, David, Isaiah,
Jeremiah. And Samuel.
I like Samuel; I
guess because I can relate to Samuel’s response when God calls him. Even though Samuel was in the temple when God
calls, he doesn’t recognize God’s voice because he isn’t expecting to hear from
God. So the first time God calls Samuel,
he figures it was the priest - Eli. No. It wasn’t Eli.
The second time God
calls, Samuel still doesn’t think its God. He doesn’t even consider it could be
God calling him. In fact, God doesn’t
even enter into the equation. It has to
be Eli. Samuel goes into Eli’s house again - only to be told that ‘No, I’m not
calling you, Samuel.’ This happens a
third time and this time Eli, who is very wise says, ‘Aha. Samuel, its God
calling you, not me! Go back and
listen.’ Wise advice. Go back and listen.
So, when God calls
Samuel a fourth time, Samuel knows it’s God – thanks to Eli of course! After four tries, Samuel recognizes God’s
voice. God calls Samuel and Samuel
responds.
You see, I get
this. It’s a little bit like when God
first called me to ministry. Back in
1999, successful in my career, I felt like I needed to be doing something
different. It was odd actually. I felt like I needed to do something where my
faith was a part of all of me – not just a Sunday compartment. Hmmm - God was calling but I wasn’t expecting
to hear his voice – so I didn’t.
I was restless. I didn’t understand why suddenly all my
goals; a career I loved, no longer satisfied me. I took a bunch of personality & career
tests to try to figure out what I wanted to do. Three out of three tests – 100% - said I belonged
in ministry, counseling, or teaching. I
remember going home and telling my girls about these tests. My oldest daughter, Jessica, was about 12
years old at the time. I remember her
looking at me and saying, “Mom. I want
to support you in this, but I just can’t be the daughter of a minister!” My response was just as adamant. “Oh, don’t worry. I’m not going to be a minister!” God was calling me again, but I didn’t
recognize his voice.
Flash forward a few
years – it’s 2003. I have this deep desire
to go to seminary. I didn’t know why but
it was overwhelming. So I applied to
seminary and to my shock I was accepted!
Of course I knew I was NOT going to be a pastor. After a semester of classes, I met with my
advisor and he asked me why I wasn’t working toward a Master of Divinity. “Oh,” I said, “because, God is not calling me
to be a pastor. I don’t really know why
I’m here. I just want to learn more
theology.” “Well,” he said. “I would like to ask you to pray about
that. Because we think you are called to
pastoral ministry.”
Did you recognize it? The third time God called me? Well I didn’t. God used my advisor, a battery of personality
tests, a yearning in my own heart to call me…. but I wasn’t expecting to hear
God’s voice so I didn’t. It took me
another year to hear God’s voice; to hear God calling me. I thought I was in charge of my future. I thought I was making the
decisions. It never dawned on me that
God would call someone like me. After
all, I was too broken, too full of sin for God to call me.
But God doesn’t call
the people we might expect him to call.
Just look at who Jesus calls as his disciples. Not the leaders of the community. Not the folks we would consider qualified –
those that are well-educated and well-spoken and well-respected. God doesn’t call the perfect people. Jesus calls a bunch of ordinary folks – people
like you and me to follow him.
Jesus’ ministry
begins in Galilee – a fishing village, where much of his ministry takes place. Galilee wasn’t a metropolitan business
center. It wasn’t an academic center or
a cultural center or a political center.
It was an ordinary fishing village.
It was a town of hardworking, regular folks. And it was among these regular, hard-working people
that Jesus’ chose his disciples. Twelve
men that would travel with Jesus for three years, learn from him, become his
friends, and eventually be responsible for continuing his ministry; responsible
for starting a world religion.
Like God, Jesus’
calls his disciples by name. “Simon…Andrew.” he calls. “Come
follow me.” “James and John. Come follow
me. Matthew, come follow me!” One by one, Jesus calls his disciples – very
personally – by name. When Jesus calls
Simon, and Andrew and James and John and the other disciples, it changes their
lives. It’s radical. “Come follow
me” he says. When He calls them, things
will never be the same. Their lives belong to Christ.
Jesus calls each of
us as well. Like His call to His first
disciples, he calls us by name. “Lynn, come follow me. Brad, come follow me. Jane, come follow me.” (pause)
Do you believe that Jesus calls you?
Have you heard Jesus call you by name?
Don’t worry. He doesn’t call everyone to go to seminary
and become an ordained pastor, but don’t be mistaken… he calls every one of us.
And when he does, our life is never the same again. We belong to Christ. Jesus knows your heart. He knows who you are. And he calls YOU by name. He says, “Come
follow me.” I guarantee he’s calling
you! Why do you think you are sitting here
today? Why aren’t you sleeping in or
watching T.V.? Why are you sitting in
this church on this morning in March?
Because Jesus called your name, He put a yearning in your heart,
and He brought you here. I believe
that each of us is here today – sitting in this church in this community in
this worship service because Jesus’ called us to this church.
Over the last couple
of years you’ve done some soul searching about this church as you’ve gone
through a transition in leadership. You’ve
had to think about who Peace Presbyterian Church is and what Peace Presbyterian
Church is all about. I hope that you
discovered that this church is not the building. If these buildings burned down
this afternoon, Peace Presbyterian Church would still exist. I hope you came to understand that this
church is not the pastor. Pastors come
and go but the church remains. The
church is not even the programs of the church.
The church isn’t any of the things we sometimes think it is. The church is the Body of Christ. It is God’s people. It is each of us journeying together on this
path called faith – a journey following Christ.
A journey that takes
a life time.
Although Jesus calls
each one of his disciples personally; each one of us individually, he calls us
into community. He calls us individually to take this journey together. The disciples follow Jesus as a group as he
travels in his ministry. He teaches them
in community and he sends them out to do ministry in community. The disciples are called to be a new
community which ultimately becomes the foundation of his church – the
foundation of the Body of Christ – the People of God.
And in the same way,
God has called each of us individually, He has also called us to be in
community; to walk this journey of faith together. To love one another. To learn from one another. To support one another. To hold one another accountable. To comfort one another. To challenge one another. To grow together. To wrestle together with what it means to
follow Jesus. To become Christ-like
together. Our call to discipleship is
both individual and communal. God’s call
is personal but we need one another to live successfully into His call.
And here’s the
kicker. God doesn’t just call us
once. He continues to call us throughout
our lifetime. You may have first heard
him call your name when you were very young and you decided to follow Jesus. You may be a lifelong member of Peace. Perhaps you were married here. Your children grew up here. Or maybe you are a new follower. A newer member or friend of Peace. It doesn’t matter how recent or how long ago
God called you. He calls again and
again. His call on your life doesn’t
end. God always has plans for you. There is always a place for you in God’s
Kingdom ministry. Do you hear His voice?
Do you hear Him calling?
So here we are – you
and me – called to this church in this place in this time
because God has plans for us and plans for His ministry here in this part of
Eugene. We are here because God called
us HERE. He called you…. and you… and
you… and I believe he is calling me here; to Peace. We are the Body of Christ, the people of God
here in this neighborhood. He’s calling
us to reach out to our neighbors, he’s calling to us to be His body and spread
His good news in this particular community.
He’s calling us to be about His kingdom right here, right now.
I don’t believe that
we just “GO” to church like its’ some event or social outing. The church isn’t a destination. We ARE the church. And the call Jesus places on our lives is to
BE the people of God. It’s as much or more
about being as it is about doing. We are
called to be the people of God wherever we are – at church, at work, at home, or
at the grocery store. It’s not a
Sunday-only label. It’s who we
are. It’s WHOSE we are.
God calls us here –
into this church building, individually to worship Him as a community. And then God calls us out – out into the
world to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Maybe he’s calling you to reach out to
your neighbor. To a neighbor you don’t
know yet; to visit a shut-in. Maybe God
is calling you to say some words of encouragement to the clerk at the grocery
store who is overworked and underpaid.
Or maybe God is calling you to reconcile a relationship. Is God
nudging your heart?
Maybe God is calling
you to something new; to be involved in a new way. Is he calling you to take a risk – to step
out of your comfort zone? Maybe he’s calling
you to commit to a deeper level of prayer for the church, the community, the
kids in this neighborhood. Maybe he’s
calling you to invite a neighbor or a friend to church. Are you listening? Do you hear his voice?
What is God calling Peace
Presbyterian to be in this next season? Is
he calling us to be more prayerful? Is
he calling us to study his Word together and wrestle with what it means for our
everyday lives? Is God calling us to
reach out to our neighbors in new ways?
To meet a specific need in the community?
I don’t know the
answers but I’m excited to discover them together. The only thing I’m certain of is that He is
calling. God has called you here – here
to this church because this is where you belong. He calls you by name. He loves you.
He wants you. He invites you
in. “Come
follow me,” he says.
When God calls, our
lives are never the same again. How will you respond? Listen. Do you hear his voice?
Let us pray:
Lord, thank you
for wanting us so much that you call us by name. Thank you for the blessing of being your
beloved children. Help us to live into
your call both personally and as your community of faith here in this church,
in this neighborhood, in this time. Help
us to follow where and when you call, trusting that your plans are good. Help us to have the courage and strength and
faith to respond to your call with a resounding “yes!” In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment