An Ear to Hear

A friend shared some thought provoking and heart searching questions with me recently: (the author is unknown)

• What if God decided to stop leading us tomorrow because we didn’t follow Him today?
• What if God couldn’t take the time to bless us today because we couldn’t take the time to thank Him yesterday?
• What if we never saw another flower bloom because we grumbled when God sent the Rain?
• What if God didn’t walk with us today because we failed to recognize it as His day?
• What if God took away the Bible tomorrow because we would not read it today?
• What if God took away His message because we failed to listen to the messenger?
• What if God didn’t send His only begotten Son because He wanted us to be prepared to pay the price for sin?
• What if the door of the church was closed because we did not open the door of our heart?
• What if God stopped loving and caring for us because we failed to love and care for others?
• What if God would not hear us today because we would not listen to Him?
• What if God answered our prayers the way we answer His call to service?
• What if God met our needs the way we give Him our lives???

These questions seem to give us a great sense of urgency in our Christian lives, don’t they? I’m reminded of the incident of a sweet little girl, dressed in her best Sunday clothes, who was running as fast as she could, trying not to be late for Sunday School. As she ran she prayed, “Dear Lord, please don’t let me be late! Dear Lord, please don’t let me be late!” While she was running—and praying—she tripped on a curb and fell, getting her clothes dirty… tearing her dress. She got up, brushed herself off, and started running again! As she ran, she once again began to pray, “Dear Lord, please don’t let me be late… But please don’t shove me either!”

I found myself inadvertently in the middle of a situation recently when I got a text message on my cell-phone from a number I did not recognize. The message was simply “hey!” I responded with a text message, “hello?” wondering who this was and how they got my number. I was not prepared for what came next: “I’m gonna die.”
“Excuse me?” “I’m gonna die, alone.” The blunt exchange went back and forth, with some other descriptive, extremely negative, words included and a few expletives, by this person I did not know, and I found myself gently leading into the message of a God that loves this person so much that He is with Him through anything. Anything. No matter what.

And then, a rather strange thing happened. The message came up on my phone to call the number the texts had come from. So not without a little apprehension, I did. A girl’s voice came on the phone. “Leave my friend alone or I’ll call the police.” When I tried to explain I was simply answering a message, she proceeded to hang up on me. . Another message came up, to call the number once again. So I did again… The apparently young man I was talking to started to open up a little and share a little. As I tried to explore the “dying” possibility, I could tell he was changing, for he was becoming nicer and more approachable in his speech. The rough words I had heard in the beginning left. I had an opportunity to once again reaffirm the God of love that was trying to reach him—and would never leave him. A female voice came on again and said, “We worship the devil here…” and hung the phone up. I got another message to call the number. The girl answered and said, “Why are you bothering us?” and I tried to explain what happened—that I got this message again. I hadn’t even realized it was the same number, because all I had to do was press a button to respond. I said “God can find you anywhere” when she gave the young man the phone once again. He said “Who are you?” and I replied, “A pastor. Would you like to meet with me?” His answer, “I can’t; I’m in school.” That told me more than I knew…

I shared that even in the depths of his problems, whatever they were, God was with him, that God could always reach him and nothing he would do could change God’s love for him. I explained that I did not know why his number came up on my phone, but maybe that was something he should think about… The rough speaking language changed to a gentle and good discussion. He had to go to class and I said “I will pray for you.” He said, “Thank you.” I did continue to pray for him and even sent him a couple text messages at short intervals later on that said, simply, “I’m praying for you…” “I’m still praying for you…”

You may think that whole thing was a little strange—and it was—but the Lord often works in mysterious ways, and as a called and ordained pastor, I simply could not let it go in a different direction… as a committed Christian, I could not let it go differently. I still pray for the young man, whoever he is. I just don’t know what plans God has for him.

What plans does God have for you? Have you explored all the possibilities for your life? Have you discovered all the wonderful gifts with which God has endowed you? Do you understand the love that God has for you with which you can do unimaginable things if you believe in it, learn it and grow in it? Have you even glimpsed the power of God’s grace in your life? What is God calling you to do?

Long before the time Jesus came to earth to teach us and save us, God spoke to the prophet Jeremiah, as you heard in the scripture reading today. God called Jeremiah to be a prophet to the nations—all nations. God sent Jeremiah to speak without fear, and gave him the words to speak, words that would destroy and words that would build up, we’re told. He was only a boy when he was called and yet his first task was to uproot and break down, to destroy and overthrow, all with the powerful, divine word. And the Babylonian exile ensued. Unlikely Jeremiah was chosen by God and called to lead and that he did.

Moses, earlier, was called by God. He also had followed God’s will for him. Abraham had the same experience and so did Samuel, as a few examples of those who we know responded to God’s call in biblical history, some of the most unlikely people, yet people who listened and heard God’s call in their lives. We’re not saying there wasn’t resistance at first; there was—but God broke through the barriers.

And eventually along came Jesus, whom God had sent and the prophets had seen coming, the ultimate unlikely person who God used to uproot and to break down, to build up and to plant. Notice how there’s a reversal there? Jesus, the ultimate person called to fulfill God’s purpose on this earth, Jesus who fulfilled God’s call like no other could. Jesus, whose own life was uprooted and broken down as he gave his life on the cross, only to go on to be built up once again in the resurrection and the life of the Holy Spirit that follows…

You see God’s purpose overall was a new construction, a new creation, a new Israel with a new heart and a new covenant. This is the “theology of the divine call,” and it is used today to define the process by which persons in the United Methodist Church are brought into the ministry, the process by which individuals become the set apart order known as clergy. God does the calling. We are all “unacceptable.” Yet God wants us. We need eyes to see and ears to hear.

Let’s hear more about this call and the way in which it is lived out in the lives of individual people. You may know that we are blessed to have a group of retired United Methodist clergy in this church family. I’ve asked them to briefly share the stories of their call to the ministry. {Their stories are included on the audio version of the sermon}.

As each of these shared, did you hear, could you discern, how God has worked in each of their lives? You heard how each of them discerned that calling from God, and then how the church responded to that call.

Our prayer today is that each person here may listen carefully, be observant, open your eyes and your ears, that you might discern the way in which God is calling you. As you have heard each person here today, you can know that God has called you for some divine purpose. You, too, are a wonderful gift from God on this earth, with unique skills and talents, many yet to be discovered, perhaps, but one who in your own way is called to be a part of the kingdom-creators with our God.

While our calls may come in many ways, if your call is to ordained ministry, I’ve included an insert in your Order of Worship that tells you the steps you must go through for the church to affirm your call. It’s a two-way process. God calls; the church responds and discerns.

Many have done it before you, and if you have questions, I know we all would be glad to assist. Consider what your call is.

We are all called and we are all ministers. Some are set aside for ordained ministry while others will serve as lay ministers. Together we will build the kingdom as God would have us. As Jesus called his disciples, we say “Come, follow me.”

When we respond to God’s call, however it may come, we are responding to our role in the whole biblical story. We join the ranks of Abraham and Moses, Jeremiah and Matthew, taking the hand of Jesus in our place on this earth. We can be expected to change, as did the early disciples, to lead and to follow, but most of all, to serve, growing in love and knowing love. To God be the glory.

Benediction:
May we become so caught up in our faith that God has our total attention, May the gift of God that defines our purpose in life break through all the obstacles that have been in our way. May we go out to serve and love ever more fully, as God would have us. Amen

Sermon delived by Rev. Carol Mumford on May 25, 2008.