January 18, 2009 "Being Called to?"

I Samuel 3: 1-20
John 1:43-51

Last evening, watching as the train passed through Delaware and Baltimore, symbolically bringing the President-elect to Union Station in Washington, DC, a woman was interviewed, who said a strange thing. With tears in her voice, running down her cheeks, she said, “I am so proud to be an American.” It has been a long time since that was said publicly. With acts of terrorism against our Nation, economic crises, scandals, wars and political embarrassments, being proud to be an American seem like words we have not heard in 50 years, except in commercials to buy a car. For very different reasons, the last time so many people came to Washington, was to march from Mobile, with Dr. Martin Luther King, when he preached from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, of a dream. But that dream was not simply of electing a person of color as President, but of Justice, of cashing a check for Equal Rights for All, a future day when all God's children, black, brown, yellow, red and white, Jew and Gentile, Catholic and Protestant would play together and sing together “Free at Last, Free At Last, Thank God Almighty, We are Free At Last.”

The problem with the passages we read this morning, is our familiarity with the ways we have always heard them, and continually interpreted. We have heard this passage from Samuel, and in a stage whisper we want to say, “Go back to bed Samuel, If you do you will find out it's God Calling You”, believing we know all about being Called. Next Sunday is our Annual Meeting and we will elect Deacons and Elders, and approve Terms of Call, we have read this passage year after year and know all about “The Call”. But to grasp this passage, we need to remember the opening verses, that not only was The Call was exceedingly rare in those days, ANY Word from God, any Vision of Hope was not frequent. And Samuel, this little orphaned child, who cleaned up around the Temple, neither Eli nor his sons ever expected much of him. And what child among us would stand up to installed entrenched leaders to declare the Call he received, the end of the era of Eli and his sons, letting go of the past, in order to embrace a new and different future? It is hard enough for adults to be whistle blowers, to confess and own family secrets, imagine a child challenging power. Imagine this little child, not lying awake in his bed waiting for the Call of God, but hearing that Call and all the rest of the night being afraid of what it means to carry it out.

When I was first ordained, I was asked a question, I have struggled with for 25 years.
In the Presbyterian Church, after you have earned a Bachelors and Masters degrees, after you have sat for the Ordination exams (the Church's version of the Bar Exam or Medical Boards), you write a statement of what you believe, and then you are presented to the Presbytery, for all the Elders and Ministers to quiz. In my case, this went on for two hours, at which point a man stood up and said “Sir, what is your Call to?” I directed him back to the Written Statement of Faith, and he said “No I do not want to know who God is, who Jesus Christ is, what you want to do in ministry. What are you called to?”

The point is not Being Called. How many of us this morning have been elected, ordained and installed at some point as Elders, Deacons or Ministers? Please stand up.
But you were called to what? Not to Usher. Not to serve Communion.
Not to teach or to sing in the choir, as much as we need each of these.
Not to be a Board of Directors making administrative decisions for the institution of the Church.
For some it was to a time of challenging the way things have been.
For some it has been to transform the church from a decaying structure hidden behind trees to a community resource.
For some it has been to lead the church to pray, as warriors in a fight against Cancer.
For some it has been to serve as Missionaries, going where no one like you had ever gone before, building hospitals and ministering the the sick in the name of Jesus Christ.
For some the call has been to inspire, to ask questions and wonder.
For some, the Call has been to innocently challenge, what else.
For Samuel the Call was “to transform the People of Israel from the Nomadic period of Judges, to a Monarchy,” personally ordaining Saul and later David as Kings.
For our Nation today, it is not simply to take the Oath of Office, to fulfill the responsibilities of being Commander in Chief, but to restore pride and trust, and hope in this nation. To end wars in Iraq and the Holy Lands, to resolve fears with Al Quedda and N. Korea, before they become World Wars. To find a solution to our dependence on oil, and the crises of unemployment and credit, and the stock market, Poverty and Social Security and Health Care. All while representing the hopes and fears of a nation about the color of a person's skin and the cultural values of their family.

We have been so effected by the Disciples' Call stories in Matthew, Mark and Luke, we anticipate Jesus saying “You have been fishermen, follow me and I will make you Fishers of Men.” But John's Gospel is different, the evangelist's point is different. Matthew's emphasis is that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament Law and Prophets. Mark's witness is that the Suffering on the Cross, dying for all the world, Atoned for all Human Sin, and this changes everything. Luke's concern is that Christ came, and both before and after death he commissioned Disciples, Apostles to be the Church to carry on the ministry to all the world. John's intent is to make known that Jesus is the Christ, but that to every person that means something different. In this very first Chapter, Jesus is named as being: The Incarnate Word of God, the Son of God, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, the Messiah, the Christ, the Rabbi, One who as much as you love me ranks before me, One whom I did not know but was the reason for my faith and life, the King of Israel, the Son of Man, Heaven Opened and angels of God ascending and descending on Jacob's Ladder.

We anticipate nearly all of these, except the last one, Jacob's Ladder. The fresh revelation of John is that throughout the Old Testament, and these early days, there were Priests who served as intermediaries, who carried the sacrifices of people to the altar and atoned for them, then carried the forgiveness of God and blessings of God back to the people waiting outside. Rabbis and Scribes who were schooled to be able to read the Scriptures and interpret them. By Jesus being one with us, we no longer need a separate intermediary, we each have direct access to God. He is the ladder for us with God.

The question is the one already being asked in many circles. Our new President is one man, he cannot change the world by himself. The White House often does pretty well with a singular issue. But eight are overwhelming, unless we all make changes, in the way we relate to others, in the ways we live. This is not a time for New Year's Resolutions, but for commitment. Where is your passion? What are you called to?