Advent is the period when Christians prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus. The first person to do Advent preparation was Mary of Nazareth. Remember, it was she who was told by the angel Gabriel that God had called her to be the mother of Jesus. After a moment’s understandable shock (“How can this be? I am a virgin”), she replied, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let everything you’ve said happen to me” (Luke 1). And then she began preparing to respond to God’s call.
But Mary was not alone in having been called by God. Centuries earlier, Exodus 3 gives us a peek at what happened when God called Moses to work for God’s kingdom. While tending a flock of sheep, Moses saw a burning bush in the distance and went to check it out. Imagine Moses’ surprise when God called out, “Moses! Moses!” and then said, “Go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” You can bet Moses probably thought, “Whoa there! You want me to go to Pharaoh and tell him to let the Israelites leave Egypt? You are kidding, right?”
Judges 6-8 describes the call of Gideon (you know, the trumpet guy). God’s angel appeared to Gideon and said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” Then the angel tasked Gideon with leading a battle against the Midianites, who had been wreaking havoc on the Israelites. Gideon probably thought to himself, “How can I be sure that what I am hearing is actually a message from God and, if so, that God will be with me and give us victory?” Gideon got his answer with some dew and a bit of sheep fleece.
The Bible also records others who responded to God’s call:
- The prophet Isaiah replied, “Here am I. Send me!” when God called (Isaiah 6).
- The boy Samuel said, “Speak, Jehovah, for your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3).
- Amos from Judah had no credentials as a prophet but who, nonetheless, prophesied in Israel. When the priest Amaziah told him in so many words to go back to Judah where he belonged, Amos replied, “God called me” to preach here (Amos 7).
- The 12 disciples dropped everything and walked away from their day jobs to follow Jesus (Matthew 4).
- Joseph of Arimathea, the secret follower of Jesus, was gutsy enough to approach Pontius Pilate (yes, the governor of Judea!) to ask to be given Jesus’ crucified body so he could bury him properly (John 19).
But there were others who were more hesitant to respond to God’s call:
- Jonah of big fish and “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach….” fame (Jonah 1).
- Barak the military commander hesitated to follow God’s call to attack the Canaanite commander Sisera unless Deborah, the prophetess and judge of Israel, went along with him for moral support (Judges 4).
- The prophet Jeremiah hesitated to answer God’s call because he thought himself too young (Jeremiah 1).
- The women of Easter were afraid to follow the angel’s instructions to “Go, tell [the] disciples and Peter” that Jesus has risen (Mark 16).
- Ananias, who was reluctant to restore the Apostle Paul’s eyesight, given Paul’s history of persecuting the followers of Jesus (Acts 9).
How do you respond when God calls? Are you in the “Here am I. Send me!” camp or are you in the “Huh, me?” camp? Before you answer, ponder this: God already knows your capabilities and limitations. After all, God created you. And if the creator of the universe thinks you are the perfect person for a particular call, it is probably best to respond as Mary did.
So, how can you discern if God is calling you? A good place to start is on your knees, asking God to make it clear whether you are being called to a particular work for God’s kingdom. You can also re-read some of the “calling” stories from Scripture. And you can seek pastoral guidance.
Rather than ignoring or running away from God’s call, we should be honored that the creator of the universe has specifically singled us out for a particular purpose. During this Advent season, as we prepare to celebrate Jesus’ birth, we should respond to God’s call by saying as Mary did, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let everything you’ve said happen to me.”
Questions for further reflection:
- Do you think God’s call made sense to Mary?
- How should you respond when God’s call does not seem to make sense to you?
- Is it better to wait for an unmistakable burning bush call from God, or should you be actively trying to discern God’s call in your life?
- Is it OK to ask God for confirmation of your call, as Gideon did with the dew-on-the-fleece request?
- How can we use this Advent season to prepare for God’s call
