Sermon 8.24.25 Only YOU

Sermon Begins @ 21:43

Today as we begin to say goodbye to our Discernment Intern, Ceilia, and celebrate her time with us, I’m moved to preach to you about God’s call.

If you’re like me and you have been watching over the past 6 months, our Ceilia (and, yes, I think you’ll all agree that we now claim her as one of our own… no matter where your ministry takes you, Ceilia, you are a St. Andrew’s Saint for life)

You have seen how Ceilia has developed in her call to the diaconate.

We celebrate this. We are delighted to have been a part of this journey.

You are certainly, uniquely called by God, and I know that we can all see it so clearly.

I also want to say to all of you, St. Andrew’s, that… as important as ordained ministry is in the church, never forget that – as a lay person - you are also called.

My message for you today is:

There is only one YOU and only you are uniquely qualified for the CALL of God on your life.

All of our scriptures this morning touch on the idea of God’s call to us.

And there are three main things that we can learn about this call from God from these scriptures: 1. God’s call can be loud and obvious, 2. God’s call can be subtle, 3. God’s call is often doubted by the one who is called.

The passage from the Letter to the Hebrews is the first type; the loud and obvious call, so clear – in fact – that everyone can hear it.

Referencing the call of God to the Hebrew people at Mt. Sinai in the Book of Exodus, the writer of this letter is echoing the rabbinic conversation of his time about how loud God’s voice was and who heard the revelation at Sinai.

In the ancient Midrash (or book of interpretation) Tanchuma Shemot, the rabbis who lived just after the time of Jesus debated about what nations heard God’s call on Sinai.

The argument hinges on this moment of revelation that the author of Hebrews points to; the trembling and the shaking, the darkness and gloom, the trumpet sound, the lightning and the thunder.

The rabbis suggest that every nation heard this divine moment of revelation, but only the Hebrew people submitted themselves to the covenant.

For the rabbis, this cements Israel’s place as the chosen people, even if their neglect of the law caused them to lose their temple and kingdom, they are ever God’s chosen people and the inheritors of the covenant.

The author of Hebrews picks up this same idea of the magnitude of God’s voice and call, but then turns it toward the idea of its physical effect; the shaking it causes.

(This is very midrashic).

His point is that rather than thinking about the promised land in physical terms like the rabbis of old, the kingdom that was promised was not a physical kingdom that could be shaken or destroyed. 

Our hope in God’s call to us is that God’s kingdom is not destructible the way that Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in 70CE or the Babylonians in 597BCE.

His point echoes that of 1 Corinthians 15:19: “if we have believed in Christ only for this life, then we of all people are most to be pitied.”

What we see in Hebrews is the loud booming voice of God that shakes all of creation, a voice that cannot be ignored.

And our individual calls may look like this sometimes; Clear, obvious, angel’s choirs, lightning bolt moments of epiphany.

But calls can also be subtle; the still small voice of God. This is the second type of call from our scriptures.

In Jesus’ rebuke of the religious authorities and their overly legalistic idea of the Sabbath, Jesus is asking his hearers to listen more closely to the call of God.

He says you’re too focused on the legal formula and not on God’s actual purpose for Sabbath rest; it’s about being healed from what happens on the other six days of labor, not about rule following.

But so many people find comfort in having a prescribed thing to observe that they miss the small voice of God’s call to the deeper truth.

Funny story about the Sabbath;

Two years ago, when we were getting ready for our first Bengals tailgate party with the Church of the Redeemer in Hyde Park,

One of my tasks to help with the set up was to get a couple of bluetooth speakers to hook up to our brand new television.

Much like the rabbinic midrash on whether everyone could hear God on Sinai, the goal of the tailgate party was for everyone to be able to hear the sound of the game no matter which part of the fellowship hall they were sitting in.

Apparently, when people are present at a thing, they want to be able to hear the call… of the announcers as they do their play-by-play.

So, I went to Walmart on Red Bank Road on a Saturday.

(It may actually be the last time that I was in a Walmart)

There I was, in Walmart, looking at the different speaker options, when a man (probably in his mid to late 30s) walked up to me and said, “excuse me.”

(I was not in clericals)

I looked at him, he smiled, and then he said, “do you mind if I ask you a question?”

Now, I’m not the type of sarcastic person to say, “you just did,” and then turn away…

I said, “sure.”

And I knew what was coming.

“Do you know Jesus?” (ingratiating and slightly patronizing smile*)

Listen, I don’t know how you feel when someone comes up to you and asks this type of question; maybe “Oh Lord!” or “Now what?” or “how long before I can politely walk away?” or “shoot! I am not ready to talk about Jesus in Walmart right now.”

Maybe you feel a slight bit of apprehension as I did the first time this kind of question was asked of me.

I used to feel that way, but having been a priest for more than 10 years and also being in the middle of writing a doctoral disseration on biblical interpretation, I thought, “Oh, brother, you have no idea what you just walked into, bring it on.” (rubbing hands together in anticipation)

Now, I just want to be clear.  I told him who I was, I didn’t just sneak attack.  That would have been unfair.

Just to be clear, I answered “YES, I would love to talk about Jesus right now while I’m shopping for bluetooth speakers for a church event.”

Now, I’m not going to go into the whole conversation, that’s not the point of this little story, but I will share the funniest part, because this morning I think we need a little laughter.

When I told him all of my credentials for having this conversation about Jesus, instead of being intimidated, he said, “great! Then you’ll know….”

(just a side note, when someone casually says in conversation, “then you’ll know…” they assume that whatever nonsense they say you’re going to agree with and ratify without a second thought)

“then you’ll know how important the Sabbath is.”

And this was like Christmas because I was like, “OOHHHH hoh hoh hoh… let’s do this…”

So he tells me about his new bible study group and how they’ve been talking about the Sabbath.

I asked him if he was Seventh Day Adventist, he didn’t know what that was.  I told him to continue.

Then he talks for about 5 minutes uninterrupted about the importance of the Sabbath in Hebrew and Christian Scripture.

He finally concluded, “don’t you agree, that we don’t take the Sabbath seriously enough?”

Now what he wanted me to say, as a biblical scholar, was “you’re so right, I never thought about that, we should be at church on Saturday instead of on Sunday.  1900 years of Christians have had it wrong the whole time. You’ve changed my life, I’m going to renounce my priestly vows and start coming to you bible study, so that I can learn the truth.”

Instead what I said was, “how did you get to Walmart this morning?”

He said, “huh?”

“How did you get to Walmart this morning?”

“I drove my car.”

“what day is today?”

“Saturday.” (knowing look)

And then I went on to explain what it meant – legalistically - to “keep the Sabbath holy in Hebrew Scripture.”

This man wanted the comfort of the legal code, of the prescribed thing to do, the strict enforcement.

But actually, only his idea of the Sabbath, his legal code, his prescribed thing to do.

Jesus wants to point out to us today that God’s call is not always the big booming voice of the mountain top.

It’s not always the legal code, written on stone; obvious for everyone to hear.

Sometimes in listening for God’s call, we have to ready to hear the thing behind the thing.

We have to be ready for the person who has needed healing for 18 years to come with the small tremulous voice and to be attentive to where healing is needed.

The final part of God’s call that I want to come to today is the ONLY YOU part.

Number three: Often, God’s call is doubted by the one who is called.

Our Jeremiah passage shows us this aspect of call.

Jeremiah the prophet was called to his role as a young man, maybe a even a child. (the Hebrew word and the poetic nature of Jeremiah’s response in this passage makes it difficult to decide if “boy” is literal or figurative)

In either case, I want you to pay special attention to just three words in this passage; “I’m only a…”

When faced with God’s call, even Jeremiah, one of the greatest prophets of ancient Israel has doubts.

How often do we, as a group or as individuals say to God, “I’m only a…”?

Or “who am I to do…?”I can tell you myself, I’m sure Ceilia can tell you for herself, how much doubt plays a role in discernment for ordination.

For me, it probably took me about six years to really commit to God’s call to become a priest.

I just wasn’t sure that it was what I wanted, what God was calling me to, what I would be able to do.

And nearly every ordained person I know has a similar story of doubt in God’s call.

(and parenthetically, many of the ordained people that I know, who never had a doubt… Watch out…)

Doubt is normal (and you know I don’t just throw that word “normal” around a lot)

We all have moments in our lives as Christian people, where we say to ourselves and to God, “I’m only a…”

What I want to say to you today is that we all, no matter who we are, need to have a spiritual imagination.

If we want to be fully who God is calling us to be, then we have to let God move us past our, “I’m only a…”

As a church, if we say that we’re only a small church, then we will continue to be a small church.

As individuals, if we say that we’re only a lay person, or only a deacon, or only a chalice bearer, or reader, or only a person who sits in the pews to get my peace,

Then we will continue to be what we always have been.

Transformation happens when we listen to and hear God’s call pushing us past our, “I’m only a…” or “we’re only a…”

In the midrash that I introduced earlier – Midrash Tanhuma – besides the great booming voice of God, the rabbis understood that each person hears God in a personal way.

God speaks to you directly in a way that you can hear.

Whether it’s a big thunderous call, or a small almost imperceptible voice, God is calling you;

Calling you past your doubt.

You tell God, “I’m only a…” and God pronounces back, “only you.”

Hear God’s call on your life today St. Andrew’s family, Thus says the Lord, “I have a particular call only for you, you are the only one who can do it, because you have been set aside for this purpose. All of your talents, all of your shortcomings, your experiences. Only you. Only you are uniquely you, and I call YOU.”

There is only one you, and you are particularly and wonderfully called.  Only you can respond to your call, you’re the only one who stop your call from happening.

Your call is like a love song that God is singing to only you, seeking your transformation. And your acceptance of that call is your love song, sung back to God,

“only you can make this change in me (oh God).

So, which will it be St. Andrew’s;  “I’m only a…” or “Only you”?

(Play “Only You” by the Platters)