Loading...Years ago, I used to joke that things would be so much easier if I just had a Red Phone to God. You know, a direct line, and I could just ring up God to ask questions,
or if God had something to say to me, God would just call me.
Kind of like if I had a special ring tone on my iPhone just for God.....
Then God and I could talk about things that were confusing or troubling
AND I’D GET AN ANSWER!
Or, God could clearly tell me just WHAT God had in mind for me to do.
Especially in churches, we use the word “call” in a very particular kind of way.
and usually just mean for pastors.
For example, when a church is in transition,
the congregation puts together a “call committee”
and you go through this process of “calling” a pastor.
You most definitely do not hire a pastor!!
That really does give the practice of “calling” a somewhat ...
“rarified” air.
As though only pastors get to be called.
All people, though, are called by God.
Jesus calls you
invites you, if that makes more sense to you,
to follow him,
to walk in his way,
to learn from him and
to be changed by him.
For us Gen Xers who remember Michael Jordan in his heyday with the Chicago Bulls,
we are invited to “be like Jesus”.
~~~~~~~~~
And for good reason.
Not really so that we can morally good.
That’s nice and all,
But the real reason that God calls us
and Jesus invites us to follow him
is because, as my friend Delmer puts it:
“People all over the world look and seek and scramble for that which will bring meaning to their lives.”
You know this, you’ve seen this, you may have even experienced it yourself —
The truth is, many of us are restless.
We go through life restless and impatient and antsy.
We look here, there, and everywhere,
looking for the thing that will fill the hole in our heart
and not knowing that the thing we seek ...
is also actively seeking us.
It has been said that there is a hole in humanity
which only God can fill.
To find and to be found,
we all need a “John the Baptist” who points to the Lamb of God
we need an Andrew who says, “come and see”
we need a friend, a brother or sister, a teacher,
maybe even a preacher
or, all of the above and more —
to point us in the right direction
to keep us on the trail, or
to point out what is right in front of us:
God who loves you fully, completely, and transformatively.
You will never be the same after being found!
We will be changed, transformed, and even renamed
in recognition of the fact that our true nature has been revealed
not only to us but to the world:
Our true nature as people who belong, are loved and are loving, who share and show compassion.
But, don’t stop there!
If YOU have found and been found,
If you have been called and are following Jesus,
How might this congregation also point to Jesus the Lamb of God upon whom the Spirit alighted and rested?
How might you invite others to come and see the One in whom you have found rest and rejuvenation and revitalization?
How might you help others find that which fills the hole in their hearts — Jesus, our brother?
How might you help others make connections,
and be in relationship with God and with God’s people.
Especially in a world that is increasingly isolated and isolating?
How might you be a community
for those who are lonely or cut of from family or friends?
How might you serve others in the midst of a culture that’s all about “ME”?
How might you offer hope and courage when headlines inspire fear and despair?
Of course, you don’t have to do all of those things!
But, you can start with something.
You can, in your own individual conversations and interactions,
and as a whole,
“be like Andrew” or Peter and invite others
to Come and See.
You can be the one who extends a call to one who is restless and lost
to find their rest in the One who loves us all.
Amen
