IS GOD CALLING YOU?

      In the year that King Uzziah died, Isaiah saw the Lord... and when God asked, "Whom shall I send?" he raised his hand and cried, "Here I am, Lord, send me!" God called Moses as he inspected a bush that wouldn't quit burning and Jesus called the sons of Zebedee as they were mending their nets. The Bible is filled with stories of people who were called by God to do things both great and ordinary. But God is still calling us to feed the poor, clothe the naked, patch up the broken, lift up the fallen, teach his word, pray for others, sing songs of praise, visit the lonely, heal the sick, and do all we can to make things just in our world. We may be called to do these things in ways big and small... but we are all called to serve and bless others in God's name. We are all called to use our God-given gifts for God's purpose and with that in mind, I would like to list a few of the ways in which God May be Calling You,

9) IN VISIONS. In days of old, God often called people in visions, but we no longer trust them. We are suspicious of things that can't be measured or explained. We have given our hearts to science and I doubt if many of us are given to visions. However... people still have visions. They envision a just world at peace, a world of opportunity, a safe world, a world at peace... and they spend their lives trying to fulfill their visions. You may be one of them;

8) THROUGH PERSISTENT EMPTINESS. Before I embraced God's call in my life, I had a deep and persistent sense of emptiness... which never really went away. Promotions, job changes, new communities- I experienced each of them more than once. I was running hard, but I was running in circles. I was climbing a ladder, but it wasn't going anywhere. I had a constant "is-this-all-there-is" feeling, and I would still have that empty feeling if I hadn't done business with God's call. Augustine noted that our hearts will never rest until they rest in God, and God may be speaking to you through your emptiness;

7) THROUGH THE ISSUES OF OUR TIME. We are all lodged in a specific time and place, and therefore, God often calls us through the issues of our own time. In the 19th century that issue would likely have been slavery and restoration; through much of the 20th century, that issue might have been women's rights; and today, our set of issues includes the full inclusion of gay people in our churches and civil affairs, gun violence, climate, vanishing jobs, abortion rights, and more. God might be calling you to get involved in issues that are on your plate. What is bothering you? What needs to be changed?

6) THROUGH THE TALENTS WE POSSESS. I've heard it said that you can't teach a pig to sing because it doesn't work and it annoys the pig. Well, although God can do anything, God often calls us through the talents we have already been given... which explains why I've never been called to sing... or be a basketball player. I don't have the talents required for these things and I shouldn't put God to the test by insisting that I do. If people often tell you that you have the talents to be a good- let's say, teacher or greeter, they may be speaking for God;

5) THROUGH A NAGGING DESIRE. Let's be clear: many of our desires are not from God, especially if they are self-serving and harmful to oneself or others. Over the course of my life there have been many things that I wanted... which God did not want me to want. However, if you can't shake a desire to do or be something that fulfills you and meets one of the world's needs, your nagging desire may from God on the line. T.S. Eliot called God the "hound of heaven" because God just wouldn't let him rest;

4) THROUGH OUR LIFE EXPERIENCES. When my wife was in the hospital, one of her nurses was a man named John... who had been a combat marine in Iraq. John was shot in the stomach on the battlefield and because a couple of nurses gave him great care, he decided to become a nurse himself. Several of the people I met in the treatment center went on to be addiction counselors themselves. Many people give their hearts and their lives to that one thing that "saved" them... and you may be one of them.

3) THROUGH YOUR TEARS. Since God's calls always engage the heart, we can often "hear" God's voice in our tears and our passions. What makes you cry? When you read the news, ponder life, or experience an event that shakes us (and our family) to the core, what stirs our emotions? Quite frequently, our call is wrapped in a broken heart and/or an outrage.

2) IN PRAYER. Prayer is essentially "God-talk," but I'm actually talking about LISTENING. If we don't listen, won't hear a word, but if we do listen... to the thoughts that cross our mind and stir our heart when we're centered in prayer, or sometimes just to our own words... God will answer. If we approach God sincerely and let go of our own agendas, God will talk to us. Listen to the silence and God will lead you on;

1) IN SCRIPTURE. If you read the Bible, God will speak to you. Indeed, virtually every page of the Bible includes a discovery, an encounter, direction for life, maybe a challenge, and/or affirmation! God voice is most clearly heard in Scripture... so open your Bibles! Attend a class, join a small group, buy a devotional, come to church. Invest in God's word and it will change your life!

      Unfortunately, it may happen that God's plans for us and our plans won't be the same. It may happen that God's call will cost us something as small as inconvenience or something much bigger, like a way of life. We may simply choose to "let the phone ring" when God calls. We may modify God's call to fit us better or we may say "yes," when we mean "no." We may, of course, embrace God's call and experience the joy of being God's. It's hard to say, but one thing is for sure- God is calling!

I AM BAPTIZED

      On both of our trips to Israel, I was blessed to baptize some of the men and women who were traveling with us. We put on our baptism robes and walked into the Jordan River together. We stood in water about chest-deep, faced our cohorts on the shore, said the words that we say for any baptism, and then I dunked each one into the water three times. I baptize you in the name of the Father (dunk), and the Son (dunk), and the Holy Ghost (dunk). Each of them was visibly moved when they came up from the water, many of them to tears. Their tears mingled with the water on their faces and the joy in their hearts because God's presence was palpable. They were sure, I think, that God was present, just as much as any one of us was present, and that He was cheering them on! I think they believed that they were in God's hands and that they would be okay, no matter what happened in the future. 
      It was a powerful moment and it reminded me of a country song called "Baptism," which goes like this in part:
"The summer breeze, made ripples on the pond/Rattled through the reeds and the willow trees beyond/ Daddy in his good hat, mama in her Sunday dress/ Watched with pride, as I stood there in the water up to my chest/As the preacher spoke about the cleansing blood/I sank my toes into that East Tennessee mud/And it was down with the old man, up with the new/Raised to walk in the way of light and truth/I didn't see no angels, just a few saints on the shore/But I felt like a new born baby, cradled up in the arms of the Lord." 
     No doubt, being cradled in the arms of the Lord is a big part of any baptism, but it's also true that baptism is just the beginning of our journey with God. I'm sure that those who were baptized in the Jordan experienced God's love, but they were also claimed as a child of God and empowered to go forth in confidence. Some of them may have heard God saying, "This is my child, with whom I'm well pleased," but they also heard God's call to "Go on, into the wilderness, knowing that you're mine and that I'll never let you go." Baptism is a sacrament of grace, but baptism is also about empowerment and identity because all baptized Christians are kin to one another. Trusting that God is with us, we are on a journey together, following Christ, as he leads us into places where people need him, and where we can be of use. 
      There are many things that we could talk about concerning baptism- dunking/sprinkling, infant/adult, the reason why Christ was baptized by John, and more... but at the moment, I simply want to urge you to celebrate and lean on your own baptism as you go through life. Don't let it go. Claim your identity as a child of God as often as you need to! I want to encourage you to keep your baptism alive so that it will strengthen you and remind you of who and whose you are. Whenever Martin Luther was tempted or threatened, he would repeat these words again and again: Baptimatus Sum. Baptimatus Sum. It became his mantra. I am baptized. I am God's! Baptimatus Sum. 
      I don't watch a lot of movies, but I recall a movie in which Cher was being pursued by a man who wanted to have an affair with her. He was persistent, but she was resistant. Finally he asked her why, and she said, "Because I know who I am." Knowing who we are is an important and empowering thing. Knowing what we believe, what we'll do and what we won't do, and whom we belong to guides us, protects us, and reassures us. Knowing that we are God's- baptimus sum- is more than enough for our journey! I will close with a baptism song that means a lot to me. It's called "A Borning Song," and it goes like this: 

"I was there to hear your borning cry/ I'll be there when you are old/I rejoiced the day you were baptized, to see your life unfold/I was there when you were but a child, with a faith to suit you well/In a blaze of light you wandered off/to find where demons dwell/When you heard the wonder of the Word/I was there to cheer you on/You were raised to praise the living Lord, to whom you now belong/If you find someone to share your time/and you join your hearts as one/I'll be there to make your verses rhyme/from dusk 'till rising sun/ In the middle ages of your life/not too old, no longer young/I'll be there to guide you through the night/complete what I've begun/When the evening gently closes in/and you shut your weary eyes/I'll be there as I have always been...with just one more surprise.” Amen.
    

         

           

ON PROSTITUTES AND BUMS

      I woke up this morning with prostitutes on my mind. I recalled the time when Sherry and I were showing her cousin where I attended seminary. We stopped at a restaurant in Hyde Park and her cousin asked me if I knew how much prostitutes charged in the area. His wife wondered why he would ask such a question and my wife noted that I "better not know the answer." I still laugh about that moment from time to time, but recently I came across a fictional dialogue that wasn't humorous at all. According to the story, a man and a women were walking along when they saw a old woman lying in the snow. There she was and the man asked his partner, "Is she drunk, or is she just a bum?" "Just a bum," his cohort replied, "Been a bum for years." "And before that? What was she before that?" "A whore in Alaska. Just a whore in Alaska." "And before that? She couldn't have been a whore all of her life. What was she before that?" "I don't know. Somebody's kid I guess." "Somebody's kid," the man noted, "now that's something. It's not a bum. It's not a whore. Somebody's kid is something. Let's take her in."
      We are more that what we do or what becomes of us. But it's the third story that speaks of God's presence in the most unlikely of places. I read it in one of Philip Yancey's books, but it's a story about Tony Campolo, who couldn't get to sleep one night after he had arrived in Hawaii. So he ventured out in search of an early breakfast and found a dingy diner. He ordered a coffee and sat down, when "eight or nine prostitutes" entered the diner. They had just gotten off work, but their demeanor made Tony nervous. He was about to leave when he heard a woman named "Agnes" tell her friend that the next day would be her birthday. "You know," she said, "Tomorrow's my birthday." And her friend said something to the effect of "So what? You want me to sing Happy Birthday to you or get you a cake?" Agnes replied, "I don't want anything from you? I've never had a birthday cake in my life and I don't expect to get one now." With that they left the diner... and it was then that Campolo and the owner of the diner, a man named "Harry," agreed to throw a surprise party for Agnes the following night. By 2:00am on the following day, the diner was set for Agnes' party. There was a sign that read, "Happy Birthday, Agnes," and a beautiful cake. There were decorations too and the diner was filled with "street people" who had received the word. Then, at exactly 2:30am, Agnes walked in... and everyone shouted, "Happy Birthday, Agnes!" Agnes was shocked... but when she saw the cake she began to sob. "Cut the cake," the people shouted, but Agnes didn't want to, not then. She said she wanted to take it home and look at it for awhile. She said she lived just a couple of doors down the street and would be right back. And then she left. While she was gone, Tony led the crowd in prayer for Agnes, and that prompted Harry to confront him. "You didn't tell me," Harry said, "that you're some kind of a preacher. What kind of church do you belong to?" "I belong to the kind of church that would throw a birthday party in the middle of the night for a prostitute," Campolo replied. "No, no, you don't," Harry said, "There ain't no church like that! If there was a church like that, I would join it. Yep, I would join a church like that!"
      In the 25th chapter of Matthew, we're invited to gather around Christ's throne when He reveals "who's in and who's out." According to Matthew, Christ will  welcome those who are congregated on the right into the kingdom of heaven. "Come on in," he will say. "Come on in and claim the inheritance that has been prepared for you...because you fed me when I was hungry and when I was thirsty, you gave me a drink. When I was naked and in need of clothing, you clothed me, and when I was lonely, you took the time to visit me. When I had fallen by the roadside, you patched me up, and when I was a stranger, you invited me in. When I stood in the graveyard, you stood with me and you cried too! You ministered to me in all of these ways because I appeared to you as one of the "least among you." O Lord, may we see Christ is every person we meet. May we have eyes that see Jesus when we see an old woman lying in the snow, or an old man lying by our gate. May we have eyes that see Christ in the wheelchair parades that go in and out of the dining rooms in our nursing centers. May we see Christ in our unemployment lines, and in our food lines. May we see Christ sitting next to us in church, across the table from us at home, serving us at the diner, begging on the corner. May we be wise enough to see Christ in his manger, in his carpentry shop, in the empty faces of those who have lost hope, and on Calvary's Hill, where they are too blind to see who he really is and what he is doing for them.
      Some people call them "aha" moments, others call them "God things," or "holy coincidences," but  most of us know what it is to experience God's grace, or God's call, and God's presence in the most unexpected places. I pray that with eyes of faith I will see Christ in a regular way, as he comes to me in unexpected people and places. And I pray that, once in awhile, now and then, in some flickering but real way, I will also see the Image of God when I look in the mirror. Amen!