EPIPHANY IV

January 28, 2024

“The Unexpected Call”      

Do you ever think about the nature of a “call”?  References to being called, having a calling, and hearing God’s call are found throughout the Bible.  The story of the boy Samuel, whose mother dedicated him to the service of God at a young age, tells of a literal call, as a voice wakes Samuel from his sleep while serving in the temple.  (1 Samuel 3)  The boy thought Eli, his teacher, was calling him, and twice ran to Eli in response.  However, Eli told Samuel that it was God calling to him, and that when he heard the voice again, he should respond, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”  And thus began the long life of teaching, prophesying, and service to the people of Israel by Samuel.     

I loved this story as a Sunday School child — probably because a young boy was a central character.  To think that God would speak to someone close to my own age because he had important plans for him, and had confidence that Samuel could accomplish the tasks set before him.  After all, we had learned about Noah and the ark, surviving the flood; about Moses leading the Hebrew people out of slavery and receiving the Ten Commandments; about David the shepherd boy who became the great King David, and many others, all of whom were adults.  An important part of what I believe I learned was that anyone might be called to do God’s work, all ages and stages of life, and of a wide variety of abilities.       

It’s so easy to think of people who we consider to be called as having had a unique, possibly dramatic awakening.  After all, just last week we focused on the conversion of Saul, who became Paul, and the terrifying “call experience” that changed his life.  And certainly, if people are called, don’t they then go into ordained ministry, become missionaries, or devote their lives to serving in a special capacity in the wider church?       

Actually, no — a calling is not that narrow or limited.  Remember, Martin Luther struggled against the elitism of the priesthood in the church of his day.  As he studied, prayed, and reflected, the equality of all Christians became crystal clear to Luther.  We are not prohibited from directly crying out in pain, sorrow, praise or thanks to God; rather, we are encouraged to have a close, personal relationship with our Father in heaven.  We are his children, loved and cherished, gaining this status through our baptism and the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The categories and divisions are wiped away, and we all stand in God’s loving presence on equal ground.      

The Apostle Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus spoke of living our calls, and is clear and meaningful today as well:     I, therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love . . .  (Ephesians 4:1-2)     

Our calls probably won’t involve sudden lights, voices from heaven, or burning bushes, but a small, quiet voice, or a sense of “I should probably do this” is every bit as real.  We just need to listen. 

Keeping ears and heart open,

Your friend in Christ,

Mary Rogers