Taking It Seriously

I’d like you to stop reading this in a minute and pause to think.

Can you recall that first moment, or event, when you felt the nudge, or call of God? Pop your notebook down for a moment and have a think. I’ll wait.

Do you remember what it felt like? Was it blessing, or excitement; was it forgiveness, or a blast of laughter; was it silent amazement?

And now, while you’re still thinking, did you imagine you’d be where you are now? Is this what you imagined Jesus was inviting you into?

When I think about those first experiences of God and then the call into more formal ministry, I imagined things quite differently. The blessings of ministry – relationships, worship, pastoring, exploring gifts and mission in a rapidly changing world – are much different to what I expected.

At the same time, the demands of the Church had not even entered the picture – administration, meetings (!), regulation, compliance, for example – and they have less resonance with those first calls of Jesus.

I think both the joy of shared ministry and the aggravation of administrative requirements reflect an ongoing call from Jesus. The call is not a moment – it is a life of following Jesus.

This is true for all of us. The wonder of that first call is not youthful passion alone, but the urgent grace of God, which continues as the grace which forgives and blesses and challenges and reminds and discomforts us.

The call does not dissipate. Perhaps our auditory capacity takes a beating on occasions, or disappointment has us tuning our ear elsewhere, but there is no lapse in the hope of Jesus’ invitation.

God takes us seriously and our response that we offered and continue to offer. So, let us take God seriously in this.

Shall I expect God to not change me? Or is the only change I look for one that complies with my worldview?

Shall I demand that my discipleship exists only in the ambit of that part of my life which I define? Shall I live as though discipleship is comfort and not rigour; reasonable and not extraordinary; dovetailed and not rough-edged?

I ask this question because in these last few weeks, this sense of call has been an itch I cannot satisfy. I don’t want to be satisfied with having done everything expected of me by the church. I want to be consistently discovering afresh what my call looks like – in worship, down the street and despite the dissatisfaction of meetings which cloak inertia in the language of the church.

Does this sound echo in any way that first and ongoing call you had? Is there a different sense of call for you? Let’s begin to share some of these with each other, in worship, outside worship, in our homes.

What might happen in our lives if we pray this prayer? What might happen if we keep believing God is always acting in a new way, as the Gospel proclaims?

Jesus calls us because he loves us, and invites us to new life, not a new lifestyle.

Shall we pray?

I am no longer my own, but yours.
Put me to what you will,
rank me with whom you will;
put me to doing, put me to suffering;
let me be employed for you or laid aside for you;
exalted for you or brought low for you;
let me be full, let me be empty;
let me have all things, let me have nothing …