Isaiah 49:1-7; 1 Corinthians 1:1-9; John 1:29-42
Ordinary 2A
God called you. God is faithful. This refrain of God’s initiative and God’s trustworthiness resounds through all three readings this week.
Questions on our part remain. The chosen one in Isaiah expresses deep discouragement and God’s response reassures the doubting, despondent servant that divine will may be delayed but will ultimately be accomplished. The epistle reading reminds a nascent Christian community of Christ’s ongoing work among and within them. Christ not only called them, Christ continues to strengthen them. No spiritual gift is lacking — not now, not ever. John lifts up the utter unexpectedness of a transformative encounter with Jesus. Mere curiosity on the part of John the Baptist’s disciples ends in a new vocation, a new purpose and, in the case of Simon, a new name. God calls us. God, the Alpha and Omega, is faithful throughout the journey no matter what we encounter along the way.
Ministers of Word and Sacrament frequently hear this refrain: Tell us your call story. We get asked when we transition from one role to another: What’s your sense of call to this position? All along the way to ordination we are required to speak or write about our call to ministry. Strangers on airplanes, if we are brave enough to be honest about what we do for a living, ask us about when or how we knew we wanted to be a pastor. I have various responses to this question depending on the day, the context, the audience. There are long and short versions. Versions that go back to childhood and versions that pinpoint a day, an hour, a moment.
The real truth is, of course, I can never fully answer because I will never fully know. I wonder what Andrew or Simon Peter would say? How would the 12 disciples respond? Or Mary and Martha? The woman at the well? Nicodemus or Zacchaeus? Paul tells his call story repeatedly. Many of these biblical folk would seem to have a stark before-and-after-Jesus account, but I suspect, if pressed, they could also point to threads of God at work throughout their entire lives, experiences, skills and relationships that prepared them and strengthened them and enabled them to follow Jesus when that divine call came.
The critical piece for us to remember, no matter the particulars of our call narrative, is the refrain of this Sunday: God called you. God is faithful. You lack nothing needed to respond fully to God.
Despite many years of following Jesus, I need that reassurance. I need the prophet’s and Paul’s encouragement. I need to hear again Jesus’ invitation to “Come and see.” I need time to simply be with Jesus and remember his call, his presence, his claiming and naming and sending. Otherwise, I get paralyzed by discouragement at the state of the world and the state of my mind and heart. Otherwise, I begin to think too much depends on my abilities or perseverance or will or wisdom. Otherwise, I wonder if there are options other than this God-work, ways to go my own way, do my own thing, hide my light and retreat, go back to the kind of fishing I am confident I know how to do and that keeps me in the confines of the familiar for the sake of me and mine.
I suspect all of us gathered in the sanctuary this week – all of us, even the preachers, who could be elsewhere on a Sunday morning – need a word of encouragement and assurance. God called you. God is faithful. You lack nothing needed to respond fully to God. You are enough. You have enough because God in Christ is so much more than enough.
But, I want to protest as I write this, what about the brewing conflict in the Middle East? And what about the fires in Australia and the earthquakes that have left Puerto Rico in darkness yet again? What about the impeachment chaos and the election drama? What about the cancer diagnosis and the lack of job prospects? What about the uncertainty about tomorrow and the fallout from the divorce and the depression that dogs my loved one? Jesus, where are you staying? Where are you going? Where are you?
Come and see. Listen to me. Pay attention. Follow me. God says: “I formed you. I called you. I chose you. I am faithful. You lack nothing. Christ strengthens you.” Come and see. Remain with Jesus for a while. Simply remain. Do not do anything for right now. Fishing for people will resume. You will be a light to the nations. God says so, this is not of our own will or skill. Exercise some holy curiosity and see where it leads. Do not be anxious about measurable results. Do not fear failure or looking foolish. Meander with Jesus for a bit and notice the people and places along the way. Take note of the other disciples who dropped their nets and followed, too. Do not discount the strength and courage and community of the other nascent believers in the pew with you. Remember God calls you. God is faithful. You lack nothing.
What would it be like if we gathered this week and remembered our call stories? All of us. What if we recounted what it means to know and be known by no less than the Son of God? Could we be vulnerable enough to share our doubts and even our despair? If we could come together and see the face of Christ in one another we would be strengthened, I think, for whatever we struggle with this week. The call stories of Andrew and Simon Peter, of Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jesus, and of Paul and Matthew can inspire and guide us, but no more than the experiences of contemporary believers right beside us who honestly share their call stories that point repeatedly to this truth: God called me. God is faithful. We lack nothing. Together we possess every spiritual gift. Let’s remain with Jesus for a while so that we can keep following him and keep fishing.
This week:
- What is your call story? How does God continue to call you?
- When have you exercised holy curiosity? What happened? How might you practice holy curiosity every day?
- When have you been discouraged and questioned God’s call and God’s providence? How did you deal with that doubt? What helped, or helps, you through it?
- John the Baptist always points to Jesus and proclaims Jesus’ identity. How do we do this today?
- When have you felt Christ strengthen you?
- How do you remain with Jesus throughout the journey of this life?
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