Hearing the Call

Being Called

“The Lord came and stood there, calling as at other times, ‘Samuel! Samuel!

Then Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’”

                          1 Samuel 3:10

“You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.”

                          Psalm 139:5

“Jesus answered, ‘I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.’”

                          John 1:43

         Today’s Lectionary readings are all about the call; first of Samuel, then of David, then of Nathanial. If you read the Bible, you will find God calling all sorts of people—from Noah, to Moses, to Jesus, to Paul. It seems to be the way God gets people to do God’s work in the human world. We modern folks tend to think ‘that was then and this is now’; God doesn’t operate that way any more. Think again. Some of us may hear God’s call directly in childhood, as Samuel did, and some may realize it later in life, as David did, and some of us have to be slammed to the ground and blinded by the light, as Paul was. No one is off the hook on this one, because we are all called to bring our skills, gifts and talents into the world in the way that only we can bring them. They are God given, and God expects us to use them.

          Yesterday, in the meditation class, I was pondering the future of my church. I’m one of those slackers who were very active for years, but as I aged and my kids grew up, I divested myself of duties. I sit on no Council or Board and don’t volunteer for much beyond Fellowship. But my church is at a crossroads, as are most churches in mainstream Christianity. We are losing members as people decide the church is not relevant to their lives. I, myself, have considered throwing in the towel. But yesterday, in my meditation, I was told to teach a Bible Study. I balked, of course, as everyone does. ‘Bible Study! I quit doing that a long time ago!’ But the instruction came again, ‘Teach it in a new way. Make it relevant to people’s lives today.’ Me: ‘Oh, Lord, can’t I just bow out? Let the younger generation do this work.’ Answer: ‘Teach it during Lent.’ The Lord has little tolerance for fools or slackers.

         God hasn’t stopped calling, we have simply stopped listening. What are you called to do today? What are the gifts you have been given to lighten the world? Don’t make God put God’s hands on you!

                                  In the spirit,

                                  Jane