GOD’S CALL TO JEREMIAH …
Jeremiah 1: 4-10
The late Scottish Preacher Peter Marshall, who I mentioned
last week, had his life story told by his wife Catherine in her book A Man Called Peter. In it she says
“Peter Marshall did not grow up wanting to be a minister. That was God’s
idea—not his. In fact, it took quite a lot of divine persuasion to get him to
accept that plan.” His first love in life was ships, his second love was God.
As he grew older, the order changed to God, then Catherine Marshall, and then
ships. Catherine quoted this passage
from Genesis 12 regarding Peter’s call: “Now the Lord has said … get thee out
of the country, and from thy kindred …unto a land that I will shew thee … and I
will bless thee … and thou shalt be a blessing.” No other passage fit her
husband better: he left
The call of God is not always like the one when God called
Moses from out of a bush; or when God called Abraham to move to another land;
or when God called a youth named Jeremiah, or when God called an extraordinary
young woman to be the mother of Jesus. No; calls from God can come from a
kitchen table conversation about doughnuts, or from a youth retreat. Seeds for
my own call were planted while sitting with the head janitor of my home church
where I worked as a janitor during my high school days. (Yes, I was one of two
janitors who took care of our large church facility!) “You know, you ought to
be a preacher!” the big, tall, head janitor told me one day. “Naw,” I said back. “I plan to go into business like my
dad.” And God just smiled. Later at college one rainy Saturday morning, my
girlfriend Mary Ann, and her Campus Crusade for Christ sorority sister and I
converged on our small college chapel for morning prayers and songs for just
the three of us. It was just us. We entered the chapel in the darkness of heavy
rain; twenty minutes later, we exited the chapel to be greeted head on by the
most brilliant looking rainbow I had seen. The sun had come out, and through
the mist, God beamed at three believers leaving the dry warmth of indoors as
the student body slept in, and we praised God.
Today we find out that Jeremiah is not the first or the last
to try to give excuses for not stepping up the plate when asked to do so. Moses
also was reluctant, and later Jesus tells a parable about a King who invites
people to come celebrate the marriage feast for his son, but everyone actually
declines that invitation from the king, giving excuses as to why they cannot
come. The king was not pleased; the
king insisted that his table be filled for his banquet to begin. We all know
people who, when a job needs to be done, say “When do you need it done, you can
count on me.” We also know people who, when a job needs to be done, play “duck
and cover.” God knows some even here
today who have been called to a particular ministry, often expressed by a
Nominating Committee of a church or by a Pastor Nominating Committee. Many here
accepted the call of God for education, the care of others, care of property,
preaching, music, mission, and the list goes on. There are many who are called, the Bible says. In fact if you have a heart
for Christ, it is likely that God has already called you, even in secular work,
to particular tasks and attitudes that point to Christ. God may already have
called you to be a good mediator at meetings, or to be a great mentoring
grandparent, or to let your children know your faith. It is the rare child who
gains faith greater than his or her parents when he or she is young, so parents
may be called to mentor. There is no
doubt the work to which you and I are called has its difficult days. Even
Jeremiah was tested with such calamity, such resistance, and such anguish that
he was called “the weeping prophet.” But because he did not deny God’s call
when he was young, he stood firm amidst all the anguish he faced. You and I are
called to do the same, lest the great sorrows, needs, and conflict of our world
overwhelm us. Instead, remember what God said to Jeremiah, but insert your own
name in that monologue to confirm your own calling. At some point has God
called you? Did God call your name and say, “_______________, before I formed
you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you.” I
think for those who love the Lord, it is highly likely that God has already
tried to plant that holy message in your soul. Search your soul; is it there?
Does the call resound off the walls of your soul? Today is soul searching day
for you. Jeremiah’s reluctance suggests that many more are called than choose
to answer: “Here I am Lord, I have heard you calling. I will go Lord, if you
lead me.” Those words prepared us for worship.
In spite of some who have busy calendars, the King still
invites you, the called ones, to his banquet and to work for his purpose. We
change our calendars for other unexpected needs, can you change your calendar
to say to God, “Okay Lord, what shall I do for your glory?” This past week was
the twenty-third anniversary of the Challenger disaster. As a new pastor here,
I remember what a thrill it was to walk out of the church office doors on a
cold January day and see our nation’s shuttle take off with my own eyes. And
then there was the sickening feeling we all got as a giant cloud of smoke
appeared, and people all around our nation changed their schedules. They
listened to radios and were glued to televisions. President Reagan’s State of
the Union Address changed from a celebration of our first teacher in space to a
eulogy for a crew of brave astronauts. We change our schedules for disasters.
Can we make adjustments to be open to the call of, and service to, the one who formed us in our mother’s wombs; to the one who knew us
even before we were born; to the Savior who called the twelve, and even more,
to spread the gospel?
The story is told about Jesus after he had ascended into
heaven. An angel of the Lord said to him “You were taking a very big risk
putting all your faith in the twelve and the others you called to spread the
gospel around the whole world! What if they didn’t do it?” the angel asked our
Savior. “What was your back up plan?” To which the Lord replied: “I have no other plan.”
Jesus calls you, and me, and others into service according to
his plan, and our gifts, and the will of his Father. There are plenty of people
who, like with the king and the banquet, look away. But there are some, and you
may be among them, who say: Here am I Lord, send me.” If you are ready to
rededicate yourself to God, then let us ask God in
song to take our lives once again, or for the first time, and let them be
consecrated, that is, set apart from common purposes, for God’s good
pleasure.
Jeffrey A. Sumner