3rd Sunday after the Epiphany

Today we continue on our journey of exploring God’s call to His people. Last week we looked at the story of Samuel where he receives a call from God “in his dreams.” It took awhile for Samuel, and Eli, to realize that it was the Lord but God kept coming to him. We also learned that the calling from the Lord to each of us is about trust; trust that God will lead us where He is calling us.

Today we see the calling of Jesus to His disciples in the first chapter of Mark. “Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.’” (Mark 1:16-17, ESV) [1] Jesus calling to His disciples is the same call for us today. He says to us, “Follow me,” and “I will make you fishers of men.” How does this apply to our lives as we heed the calling of God?

Follow me or follow Jesus. This is a crucial step in recognizing and accepting the Lord’s call to us. Just as we said trust is an important part of the call, following is the action of trusting. We follow Jesus because we trust in Him. But what does it mean to follow Jesus? To put it simply it means to always be a learner. A follower is someone who sits at the feet of Jesus and soaks up all he or she can from His teaching. It means to be in God’s Word regularly and to constantly think of one’s self as a student of the Lord.

When we are labeled Christian it often has a connotation of the end of our growth. We know and act “good.” We know it all and have become teachers. While it is true we are to proclaim to the world the truth about Jesus, we should always view ourselves as students or disciples of Jesus. We are followers and have a lifetime of learning.

The cycle of learning goes like this: We hear or listen to God’s Word. We then explore what God is saying through the text. As we explore the text we begin to connect it to our own lives (what is God telling me?). Then we obey God’s Word as we apply it to our individual lives. This cycle is something we continue, as we are constantly students of the Lord, followers of Jesus.

This idea of being a follower of Jesus as part of our calling has been confirmed to me through several visits I have had with individuals who are nearing the end of their lives. In the midst of the pain and suffering and grief they are facing a reality becomes very clear, the only thing that matters is following Jesus. All other actions or duties in life pale in comparison to following or trust in God and His Son, Jesus or Savior. Following Jesus is part of our calling. God has sought us, called us out of the darkness of our sin and brought us into the light of His Son. We follow and trust in Him.

But there is action to our calling. It is not just an internal, personal calling, but also one that calls us to action. Jesus said, “I will make you fishers of men.” In essence what He is calling us to be is witnesses to His love and truth to the world. Our mission statement is “God has called us to reach out, care for, and build people toward maturity in Christ.” That is our focus in this place at this time. This is how all our ministries view their calling by God to the world.

And each of us has our own unique ways to be involved in that mission. God has created us each with abilities that work together to build up the body of Christ. Not all of us are evangelist or teachers or preachers, but all of us are called to “tell the love of Jesus,” as the hymn we just sang, Hark the Voice of Jesus Calling, exclaims.

But how can you know where God is calling you? How can you know what He wants you to do and how you fit into the ministry of the church? There are a couple of steps you can take to find your calling by God. The first is what we just talked about - follow Jesus. As we daily follow Jesus and learn about Him in His Word, we can have a sense of our calling. The closer we draw to Jesus the more the Holy Spirit will enlighten our hearts and mind. Follow Jesus and he will guide you.

But often God doesn’t throw a huge sign in front of us that says, “You be a Pastor.” Or “You be a Sunday School Teacher.” So how can we know what to do? I have found this quote to be quite helpful, “The place God calls you is where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” (Fredrick Buechner) Or think about it in an equation – your Passion + the Needs of the world = God’s Calling. What do you like to do, what are you passionate about? Where is there a need in the world? How can these two things come together? Answer those questions and you can find where God is calling you.

Let me give you an example. In a spiritual gifts class I attended I heard this story. A man had worked all his life on the railroad. He loved trains and the railroad and even had several model train sets at home. During a spiritual gifts discover class he took he discovered that he had the gift of mercy or compassion for those less fortunate. But he didn’t know how these two things could go together. He thought back on his life in the railroad and remembered seeing people who were homeless. They would use the train cars for shelter and transportation illegally. He always felt sorry for them. Then he realized that this could be his calling – to care for the homeless around the railroad. His passion and a need in the world met and a ministry was born. The man now had a calling, a calling from God to care for the homeless and he felt energized to get it done.

Each and every one of you has a passion, something you enjoy and take delight in. How can that meet a need in the world and allow the Gospel to be proclaimed. Be creative with what God has given you. Who ever thought a railroad passion could become a ministry? And yet it did. Discover, as you follow Jesus, what is drawing you out into the world to fulfill a need and be a witness for Christ.

Then the question comes up, “But what if this is not were God has called me?” Testing your call can be important too. These two questions I think can help you “test” you calling. “Is my calling and ministry others focused or self-focus?” And “Do I praise God with my calling?”

The first question is probably the most important - “Is my calling and ministry others focused or self-focus?” God’s calling is always to reach out into the world. Scripture says we are the body of Christ working together for the common good. A spiritual gift or calling is never self-focused. It may benefit you greatly, but it is always others focused.

And the second is, “Does it praise God?” Now this one may be harder to define because in a broad sense anything can praise God. But you can ask, does this calling bring attention to God or to me? Does it plant a seed, water, or cultivate God’s Word in other people? Does it flow out of my desire to please God? By looking at our motives and what our ministry or calling “produces” then we can test and see if it is a calling from God.

There is a danger to pigeonhole God and His calling. Often we say if we are not reciting Bible passages or following an established ministry then we must not be doing God’s work. But really the sky is the limit when it comes to God’s calling and our action. Ministry can happen anywhere in many ways. God created each of us unique and our calling and ministry can be just as unique.

Another phrase that is good is “Grow (or bloom) where you are planted.” Where has God placed you? What can you do where you are to share the love of Jesus? Remember growing takes time. It is a process. Let God speak to you as you follow him and find your calling to be a “fisher of men”

Amen

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[1] The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (electronic ed.). Wheaton: Good News Publishers.

To What Am I Being Called Part II

3rd Sunday after the Epiphany