When Christ says that he is The Way, and we trust in this, we are responding to his call. When Christ says that he is our source of forgiveness and salvation, and we surrender to him, we are responding to his call. When Christ knocks on the door... and we open it, we are responding to his call, but we're also called to serve him- to live for him as we walk through this life. Christianity is not a spectator sport, nor a way of thinking- it is a way of being... and each one of us has been equipped and called to serve Christ in our own lives. Each one of us has more than enough talent to pray, lead, forgive, empower, heal, teach, preach, listen, visit, serve, or protest... for Christ! We're all being called to do (at least) one of these things for Christ. We're all being called to invest at least one talent for our Lord, and it's important to get hold of what we're being called to do and what talents we've been given for the work. Hearing and responding to Christ's call is what it means to be a Christian. It separates those who are on a Christian journey from those who are just thinking about, or maybe wishing we were- so let me make just a few points about it:
1) God IS calling (period). There are no "if's, and's and but's" about it. God is calling... and we share a common call to make disciples, feed the hungry, make peace, seek righteousness, and more;
2) God IS calling you... in the ordinariness of your life... to use your gifts and talents. Thus, we have a general call and a specific call. Each one of us is equipped and expected to serve Christ with the gifts that we have been given;
3) God is calling us to faithfulness, not greatness. So we shouldn't wait for something great... when we can do small things in a great way. We can't love everyone, but we can love someone;
4) God wants us to be our best for him, and this that we need to understand what talents we've been given... and what talents we have not been given. Serving God with the talents that I've been given... means that I will not being singing solo... and that I won't even go down to the boiler room:
5) However, God can do anything. So, even though we have God-given limitations, we must not limit God. Indeed, following God's call in your life may well mean getting out of your comfort zone and reconsidering what you can do... and become in God's hands;
6) God's call will probably not come from what you do for a living. If you work in personnel, you may be fed up with people problems (and don't need ours) and if you work in food service, you may not be called to kitchen duty. Instead of checking your resume, check your heart and soul. What makes you cry? What breaks your heart? What brings a smile that you can't suppress? What makes you mad? What things just aren't right?
7) Be specific. God's call is specific, and we're well advised to think of specific ways in which we can advance his kingdom in this place. Rather than thinking in terms of being a "better person," listen... to hear if God is calling you to join our Personnel team, or Church Life team, or to a small group, or to meet a specific need for this neighborhood;
8) God's call is challenging. It will call for a sacrifice... and it may require more than a little trust. In fact, it will because God is in the sacrifice and trust business.
9) Finally, God will call you to the place where you will be most fulfilled. Abraham Maslow said that a "musician must play," and a "artist must paint." We is our "calling," and I've always liked Buechner's thought that God calls you to the place "where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet."
God will not allow us to rest, no matter how happy we are, at a place where the world's hunger is not being met, and God will not lead us into a place where we will be miserable and unfulfilled. We can follow God's call boldly then, knowing that it will have a win-win outcome, for the greater world and for us! Amen.
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