When God Calls

The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time, saying,  "Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you."  So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days' walk across. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's walk. And he cried out, "Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth.
When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.

Jonah 3: 1-5, 10

1:14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news." As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea--for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, "Follow me and I will make you fish for people." And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.

Mark 1: 14-20

All too often it is thought that if God calls us to do something, it will be easy. If God calls us, everything will fall into place and we won't struggle. If God calls us, we shouldn't question it. If God calls us, everyone will benefit from our work and the world will be a wonderful place. After all, what God would call someone to do something hard, or terrible, or impossible... right? What good can come of all of that?

During the first few months of seminary, the background image on my phone was a quote that a friend sent to me just before I moved to Richmond- "God doesn't call the equipped, God equips the called." I am convinced that this little reminder was one of the reasons I was able to push through my first summer language course and into a full semester of biblical and theological studies. I wasn't called to seminary because I had done all of the prep courses or knew every book of the Bible- I was actually far from that. I remember sitting in classes next to people who knew they would be ministers from the age of 8 years old, could pinpoint any scripture cited, and had taken what seemed like hundreds of religious classes. When I felt ill-prepared and completely out of place, I simply remembered- God called me, and God was going to give me everything I needed in time. This didn't mean that those sitting around were not called because they had more tools than me, but rather it just meant that we were just "ill-equipped" in different ways. Did I like this? Most of the time, no. Most of the time, I wanted the answer right then and to know that it was all going to work out and be wonderful. I didn't want to struggle through my Old Testament notes or study Greek until I fell asleep. But God called me, so it must turn out ok at some point... that is what I kept telling myself.

Remembering my own struggle with God's call, and reflecting on what I have heard from many others as they change jobs, move their families around, stay in a job that they don't necessarily like, or  those who celebrate in all that they do- I love to look to the call stories that we find throughout the Bible. In this morning's reading we find five different people responding to God's call. The call that we are most familiar with is that of the disciples. Here we find Simon, Andrew, James, and John all fishing when Jesus tells them to put down their nets and follow him so that they may become fishers of men. Jesus called, they went. But then we look to the story of Jonah, the call to which I want to direct our focus this morning.

The opening verses of Jonah go like this- "Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai, saying, ²“Go at once to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before me.” ³But Jonah set out to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid his fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord." BUT JONAH SET OUT TO FLEE. This morning's reading gives us the pretty bow on the package, but what is inside is that Jonah FLED. God's call to Jonah was not as simple as "drop your nets and follow me". God's call to Jonah was one that put him in a very uncomfortable position and quite frankly, probably in danger as he spoke out against the city of Nineveh. To say the least, Jonah was not a fan.

But sometimes, that is just how it is. When God calls, a lot of the time we just don't get it. Why are WE being called for THAT? Why not that other person? Why not something that looks a bit better? Why now? God calls us to all sorts of things. God calls us to different times and places numerous times throughout our lives. Sometimes we flee just as Jonah did, sometimes we are able to drop everything and go just as the Disciples did... and I would argue that neither response is better than another.

When God calls, God knows that it isn't easy on us. God sees all that we are currently doing and all that gets left behind, yet God still calls. This isn't a disregard for our lives and our preference, but instead regard for all that our life can be! Looking at this morning's scripture reading, that quote from my friend rings out loud and clear: "God doesn't call the equipped, God equips the called". Jonah did not feel like he was ready to take on the call that God gave, a call to proclaim the overthrow of a great city. God saw something in Jonah though, something that even Jonah probably didn't know was there, and God knew that Jonah was the guy for the job and this morning's reading tells us why.

Despite the fact that JONAH was not ready for God's call, he did end up going to Nineveh which is where we find him today. In five very brief, very direct words Jonah carries out God's call. In five short, direct words Jonah causes the Ninevites to change their actions so drastically that God changes the plan and does not destroy Nineveh. Jonah's call was one that when answered, changed the course of history. It didn't require him to teach in hundreds of towns as the Disciples did. Jonah's call didn't require him leave everything behind and begin a new life. Jonah's call DID require him to trust in God in what was probably a terrifying situation and do as God said even though Jonah had no idea what the outcome would be.

For many of us, our call is not one that sends us down the road to dig into the Greek and Hebrew texts and study the confessions in great detail... and trust me, if that isn't your call you can breathe a deep sigh of relief. However, every single call in this room can and probably does seem just as terrifying and stress-inducing as the way I remember my first few months.... okay, my three years of seminary. Any time we are told to leave our comfort zone, we question it.

I want you to take a moment to think back through your life. Where are the different places God has called you? Having spoken to Brint and a few of you, I can only imagine where you have been called! This past Monday we remembered the incredible actions and leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King- maybe some of you were called to be an active part in the Civil Rights movement. Maybe others of you have been called to tell those stories and so many other rich moments of our countries history in the classroom, teaching today's children about yesterday's children. Some might have been called to what I see as quite possibly the hardest job in all of history- being a parent and opening the world up to your own children, guiding them through your own faith in God and life experience.

The most incredible thing about these calls is that we don't just receive a single call in our life. One of the most influential people whom I met while a student at Union Presbyterian Seminary was a student just a year or two ahead of me, but a student who was 83 years old. This student was a role model for so many of us as she told us stories of her numerous teaching jobs and years as a student. This woman who stood at the steps of Washington to hear Dr. King and in front of college students through the years, was responding to another call in her life. She wasn't necessarily looking to be a "full fledged minister", but she heard God's call to go into deeper theological study and despite the many hurdles thrown her way, she completed her Masters of Divinity and graduated to a standing ovation two years ago.

So, where has God called you in your life? Where is God calling you today?

Jonah didn't know that God was going to call him that day. The disciples had no idea that they wouldn't finish their day of fishing. We have no idea when or where God will call us. All we can do is be ready... and that is definitely easier said than done.

How do we prepare for the unknown? How do we tell ourselves that despite what every questioning thought we have, it will all be ok?  My honest opinion is this... we can't. Many people might argue with me, but hear me out.

We can't prepare for what we don't know. Imagine how hard it is to pack for a trip when you have no idea where you are going.... trying to prepare for God's call is infinitely harder than that! We can't pack our bags and sit at the ready. We can however look to God and trust in God in our everyday lives. We can live our lives so that they continually reflect the teachings of Christ that serve as our ultimate, 24/7, 365 days a year call. When we live our daily lives fully relying on and trusting in God as we respond to that ultimate call to love one another, we are preparing ourselves for when God gives us an additional call. So yes, I guess we do prepare, but not in the sense that so many might want or expect.

Before attending seminary, I was spending every waking moment responding to another call as a musician. I have played trumpet for what seems like all of my life and I majored in music during college. The life of a music major is spent in a small, windowless practice room. Every day, every hour not in the classroom it is expected that the music student is practicing. The idea is something along the lines that as we spent these endless hours practicing, it would inevitably mean that the upcoming recital or concert would be no problem because we would be ready. When I practiced with my accompanist we even stood in the same place that we would months later for the recital. Every breath, every note, every movement was done in such a way that we wouldn't have to think about it when the big day came and our nerves hit. It felt like so much then... too much even. Why did I need to spend that many hours practicing? Why did we have to be so thorough every single time? But then the day came and my nerves made me want to be sick and I regretted so much the times that I didn't practice or take things as seriously as I should have. I made it through but I have always had that thought- what if I had done more?

When God calls, we don't want to think "maybe I should have done more". When God calls, we want to be able to drop everything and go. We don't want to question or wonder "why us". But, we most likely will and I am pretty sure there is no changing that. Some part of us will be afraid or uncertain... and that is OK! When God calls, I expect that the plan is to repeat that call a few times before we really hear it and are ready. Just look at Jonah, the one who was so unsure that he fled, yet God still called and Jonah eventually went... and just look at how it turned out! Simply by letting go of his fear enough to give control to God, Jonah changed the lives of thousands with five words.

What I think is the most incredible part of all of this is that God sees us as the right ones to call, never gives up on us, puts people in our lives to help us hear and respond to the call, and loves us even when we try to fight back. I don't know about how you have felt when hearing God's call, but when I felt called to music I thought that something must be wrong with me to go spend so much time in such a small room... after all, musicians don't make money and there is nothing glamorous about the lifestyle unless you are famous. However, throughout my life and even more so since starting my music studies, my music has brought joy and peace to hundreds as I have played for worship services, funerals, recitals, concerts, and plays. I fully believe THAT is why God called me to music during that time in my life and I am pretty sure I wouldn't have seen that when I needed to if it weren't for my professor and accompanist who helped me to always find God in my music, even on the worst days. When I felt the call to follow another path, putting music on the back burner but never getting rid of it, I thought that God really had gone crazy. Like I said earlier, I didn't have any religion classes on my resume and I definitely couldn't name all the books in the Bible. Sure, I had spent almost every Sunday of my life in Sunday School or youth group but surely that wasn't enough to go be a minister!  Thankfully though, in 2009 I got an email saying that a Rev. Brint Pratt Keyes would be in town talking to college students on behalf of Union PSCE and I set up a meeting with him.  During those few hours sitting at a Chipotle, Brint served as the first and definitely not last person from Union to help me see the purpose in my call. Now, six years later I am still questioning and occasionally fearful, but I am responding to this new and ever changing call from God.

"God doesn't call the equipped, God equips the called." It is very rare that we are ready when God calls but if we live a life that is reflective of that of Christ, we might at least feel 99% caught off guard rather than the full 100%. Rather than giving God a blank canvas with no paints, we might at least be able to provide a few of the primary colors so God can get to work. With that in mind, I have one final question as you reflect on the many places that God has called you in your life- are you living life so that you are ready to be equipped when God calls? 

Out of the Water

Psalm 29

You, divine beings! Give to the Lord—

    give to the Lord glory and power!
² Give to the Lord the glory due his name!
    Bow down to the Lord in holy splendor!

³ The Lord’s voice is over the waters;
    the glorious God thunders;
        the Lord is over the mighty waters.
⁴ The Lord’s voice is strong;
    the Lord’s voice is majestic.
⁵ The Lord’s voice breaks cedar trees—
    yes, the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon.
⁶ He makes Lebanon jump around like a young bull,
    makes Sirion jump around like a young wild ox.
⁷ The Lord’s voice unleashes fiery flames;
⁸     the Lord’s voice shakes the wilderness—
        yes, the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
⁹ The Lord’s voice convulses the oaks,
    strips the forests bare,
        but in his temple everyone shouts, “Glory!”
¹⁰ The Lord sits enthroned over the floodwaters;
    the Lord sits enthroned—king forever!

¹¹ Let the Lord give strength to his people!
    Let the Lord bless his people with peace!

Mark 1: 4-11

John the Baptist was in the wilderness calling for people to be baptized to show that they were changing their hearts and lives and wanted God to forgive their sins. ⁵ Everyone in Judea and all the people of Jerusalem went out to the Jordan River and were being baptized by John as they confessed their sins.⁶ John wore clothes made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He ate locusts and wild honey. ⁷ He announced, “One stronger than I am is coming after me. I’m not even worthy to bend over and loosen the strap of his sandals. ⁸ I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

⁹ About that time, Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River. ¹⁰ While he was coming up out of the water, Jesus saw heaven splitting open and the Spirit, like a dove, coming down on him. ¹¹ And there was a voice from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I dearly love; in you I find happiness.”

I remember my baptism very clearly. I grew up in the Disciples of Christ denomination so I was baptized by immersion at age 8 on a beautiful Easter morning.  I remember walking into the baptistery to stand with my minister. He placed a very comforting arm around my shoulders knowing my fear of being under water, reminded me that he wouldn't let go, placed his second hand over mine as I held my nose shut and he slowly lowered me backwards into the water. After the water washed over me, he lifted me up and after wiping my face off and frantically catching my breath, I looked out into the congregation. I saw my parents, my sisters, my grandparents, my aunts and uncles, my cousins... everyone was there and smiling at me. As I looked into their faces, the fact that I was standing in water up to my chest left my mind and I quickly felt an incredible amount of love surround me.

All too often, I feel that we focus on a single event in its own time and place. We may look at what led up to that event, but we rarely look at what that event causes. I don't know that I would be too far off if I said that we are especially guilty of this when it comes to something like Baptism. A recent song by country singer Carrie Underwood has had me thinking about this for a few weeks now. In the chorus of "Something in the Water", Carrie sings the words- "Now I'm changed and now I'm stronger. There must have been something in the water."

As I came up from the water and looked out into the faces of my family, friends, and teachers I felt stronger. I was excited. I wanted to run out and hug everyone. I didn't quite understand it all then, but as I look back I can't help but imagine that what I felt and saw when I came out of the water was a bit like the dove coming down from the heavens when Jesus was baptized.  In our baptism we leave the wilderness as we confess our sins and praise the majestic God that we read about in Psalm 29. What is so incredible to me though is what happens when we come out of the water.

Baptism is a physical sign of God's love and grace. It is through our own baptism that we become engrafted into the life of Christ as we receive the same Spirit that Christ received and take part in Christ's life, death, and resurrection. When we are baptized, we commit ourselves to this life and we commit to live and walk with all others who have made this same commitment. We begin to change, inside and out. Just as Carrie Underwood said, "Now I'm changed, now I'm stronger."

As I read the text for this morning in my preparation, I drew a picture of what I see happening after baptism. I will spare you my poor artwork, but in short I drew a picture of water and had words coming OUT of the water as if they were fish. These words came from what I read in this morning's text- what I saw as being a result of baptism. The list included change, strength, happiness, peace, forgiveness, and love. This is what scripture sets forth as the effect of baptism... the part that I think we forget all too often... this is what we receive as we come out of the water.

Out of the water, we receive forgiveness. God tells us "Look- I know everything about you, and it is OK!" Before baptism, we confess our sins and leave the wilderness behind. As the water washes over us, we receive that forgiveness that can be given by no other. This forgiveness is the starting point for a whole new life.

Out of the water, we become stronger. This is not be the strength that you might be working for if you are one of the few people that is still following through on New Year's resolutions. This strength is an internal, emotion, FAITH based strength. Strength through baptism comes from knowing that WE ARE NOT ALONE. Not only are we surrounded by all of those who witnessed our baptism, but we are surrounded by the Church at large, and most importantly the teachings of Christ and God! Christ came to us and was baptized just like us so that God could be WITH us and through our participation in baptism, God REMAINS with us giving us a strength that no gym or vitamin supplement can offer.

Out of the water, we receive happiness. This happiness is like no other. This is a happiness that comes from knowing that God is with us and has given us unconditional love and grace despite our own shortcomings. This is a happiness that is always with us, reminding us in the best and the worst of times that WE ARE NOT ALONE. Sometimes we have to dig deep, sometimes we have to look to those who are walking with us, and sometimes we are the ones being looked to for this happiness but it is always there. This happiness is not one sided either- even God said "in YOU I have found happiness" and I am of the belief that this was not just meant for Jesus. Through our baptism, God is reminding us that God has found happiness in US.

Out of the water, we receive peace. This is a peace deeper and stronger than any other. This peace enters our souls, opening our eyes and our hearts to the world around us. When we let this peace settle and take over our souls, we see the world as God sees it. We are able to see God within all whom we meet. We know that God is in control and God is protecting us.

Out of the water, we receive love. An unending, unconditional love that only God can give. This love came to us in the form of Jesus Christ and endures within each one of us for no greater reason than the simple fact that God loves us, no matter what. This love was present before baptism and will remain present, we only need to accept it through our baptism.

Out of the water, we receive Christ. We receive everything that Christ received. We receive all that Christ gave. Out of the water, we receive God in such a way that we can more easily understand all that God is and does. God loves us so much that God gave us everything in Christ and gave us a way to be with Christ, out of the water.

Over the course of the liturgical year, we will travel through scripture learning about who God is and all that Christ did. Out of the water, we are a part of that! So, what do we do with all of this? My approach? Live OUT OF THE WATER!

John called the people from their everyday lives to come to the river to be baptized. Jesus came from his everyday life to be baptized. At the close of the Gospels, in what we now call the "The Great Commission", Jesus calls the Disciples originally and then once again to leave their everyday life to go out into the world to continue baptizing all people. With that in mind, I would argue that the first thing we should do OUT OF THE WATER is to leave our everyday life behind.  This does not mean dropping everything, quitting your job, and going on some crazy journey. This DOES mean leaving our fear, loneliness, hatred, anger... anything that separates us from God, behind. In order to live out of the water, we must open our lives up to all that we have received.

When we open our lives, we share our lives. Former PC(USA) moderator, Bruce Reyes Chow, once told a group of college students "live your life so that people want to ask questions". His goal in telling the students this was to get them thinking about how they are living into their baptism, encouraging them to live in a way so that people ask them WHY they live that way. Living in a way that embraces the forgiveness, strength, happiness, peace, and love that we receive in our baptism can and WILL cause people to want to know why we live that way. It isn't easy though.

In today's world, we are faced with too many temptations. The many different forms of media almost encourage us to be overly critical of one another and how we live our lives. Our overly packed schedules add an element of stress that makes us less patient than ever. The availability to have almost everything outside of food and water available in one small device that fits in our pocket or on our wrist takes us away from what is most important. And then there is the simple fact that we are human and will inevitably find something that will try to get us off track. Take a moment to think about your own life- what is it that steers you away from a focus on God and living in the way that Christ taught? Personally, I have trouble when I am tired after a long day... it seems that even the smallest things can easily frustrate me, and if you ask my husband, it is best to just give me a glass of water and leave me alone for a bit.

My New Testament professor loves to tell the story of two seminary flag football teams playing in a tournament. When things got heated over a bad call, two students from opposite teams ended up yelling at each other until one yelled out "Remember your baptism!". Such a simple thing to do, but we too often forget it. Remember your baptism. When we live out of the water, we must always remember our baptism. Many people may not remember their baptism if they were baptized as an infant, but we can remember the baptisms that we have witnessed. We can remember the baptism that we read about- the one that all baptisms connect to. Our baptism connects us to one another in a way that no blood line can, creating the world's largest family tree (I'm sure ancestry.com would crash if they tried to make all of the connections!). Remembering our baptism and living out of the water means that we live out Christ's teachings, taking part in his life, death, and resurrection.

I can sit here and spend a few hours outlining the thousands of teachings of Christ and all that he did in his life, but I think they are best summed up in a single verse- love God and love your neighbor as yourself. The ultimate thing that we receive out of the water is Love. Love is the cause of all things and love is affected by all things. Because God loves us, God forgave us. Because God forgave us, we are stronger and can love more freely. Because we are stronger, we are happier and can love more freely. Because we are happier, we are at peace and we can love more freely. Baptism is a sign and seal of God's unconditional, infallible love for each one of us and in turn, baptism calls each one of us out of the water to share that love with all whom we encounter.

My question today is how will YOU live out of the water? How will you remember your baptism and the promises you have made during other baptisms? How will you share God's incredible love with all whom you encounter?

As we all continue to think on this question that can't be answered for any person in a matter of seconds, let us start by remembering our baptism as we stand and respond to the questions asked at a baptism:

Trusting in the gracious mercy of God, do you turn from the ways of sin and renounce evil and its power in the world? I do.

Do you turn to Jesus Christ and accept him as your Lord and Savior, trusting in his grace and love? I do.

Will you be Christ's faithful disciple, obeying his Word and showing his love? I will, with God's help.