Another month
winds down and wraps up. So does the
Calling Sermon Series. This coming
Sunday in worship we will honor our Saints.
There is a great line in the hymn, I Sing a Song of the Saints of God,
that goes, “And one was a doctor, and one was a queen, and one was a
shepherdess on the green; they were all of them saints of God, and I mean, God
help me to be one too.”
That is what our
calling is all about. Letting and
lending our light to this world. Opening
our whole-created-in-God’s image self. Finding
our voice (remember vocation comes from the world voice) and
sharing/singing/participating in the world today.
Look back with me
at where we have been. God’s call to
Abraham and Sarah to leave behind the familiar; Moses to go back to the place
he fled from; Jeremiah to preach to people who were hurting; Jonah to go to his
sworn enemies. Hannah praying her
heartfelt prayer – we heard Isaiah doing that this week. Samuel is befuddled by his call and Mary
bravely, bolding embodying her call. Taken
together, God’s calling will disrupt any carefully constructed life we
had. God’s calling will upend, send us
in new directions. And…and
God’s calling will draw out the Divine image, the Eternal energy
within each of us to get caught up in God’s liberating love for the sake of the
world God so loves.
I hope you re-read
that last sentence many times. Responding
to your calling is not all chocolate rivers and good times. Rather, God’s calling will cause our hearts
to sing in new ways we cannot rationally explain to others. I believe your calling; my calling does
change. I believe your calling; my
calling is never finished.
As long as we have the breath of God, God is moving us to be God’s presence
in this moment. I do believe your
calling can go through seasons of growth and times of feeling dormant. The calling persists and insists in a vast
variety of ways. Your calling may not
meet expectations or be exactly what we want.
But, when we, like Isaiah can respond, “Here I am, send me,” God can
work through that and through us. When
we say, “Here I am, send me,” we are inviting God to be the collaborator and
co-author of our life. I believe deep in
my heart we need people to courageously, curiously, and faithfully say, “Here I
am, send me,” now more than ever. So may
your calling find new ways of expression.
May your calling have moments of thriving and resting. May your calling be willing to explore and
experience new expressions. May your
calling follow the holy manna bread crumbs of God. And may you find JOY…abiding joy… in living
your calling in these days. Amen.
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