26 August 2007

Jeremiah 1:4-10

Jeremiah, that old crusty prophet, was a boy once. Of course, every crusty old guy was a boy at some point. And today, we find crusty, old Jeremiah as a boy, receiving his call. It’s quite a moment for sure. We usually think of Jeremiah in his later years. Pictures of him throughout the centuries abound—he is old and has a beard. And that’s how we likely think of him. But there in chapter one that we heard this morning, he’s a boy. And that’s how the picture on the front of your bulletin depicts him; as a boy in wonder at all that’s happening to him.

He’s somewhat timid about this call thing. He protests immediately once God called him to the prophecy biz. And I can’t blame him. Being a prophet is no easy task. And here’s Jeremiah, boy Jeremiah, being told he has to point out the wrongs of nations to those very nations and their leaders. Yikes. I would have likely run in the other direction. But Jeremiah sticks around long enough to complain. And that’s when God gets him.

Jeremiah stays and puts up useless argument after useless argument only to have God touch him on the lips and say, “There; now you have my words to speak.” Once that was done, it was no use complaining. There was no getting out of it. Jeremiah was God’s for sure.


It’s funny who God calls and to what God calls them. Jeremiah: the boy who can’t speak is turned into one of the greatest prophets humanity has ever seen or heard. It’s a simple matter really: God calls and someone responds. How often is the response like Jeremiah’s though? How often does God call and the response God hears is filled with excuses and reasons the callee shouldn’t be called? It’s no different today than it was in the last quarter of the 7th century bce when Jeremiah received his call, all those centuries ago.

We tend to think of pastors and those who lead a professional religious life (such as nuns and monks) as being called. But clearly God calls beyond those who aren’t clergy. God calls everyone into ministry. Yes, each of us here today is called; not just Jeremiah, not just me.

There are a couple ways that you might feel called. You might be called to a profession, or vocation. You may feel God’s hand to have led you into that work you do on a daily basis. Certainly this is a valid call from God. Thanks heavens God doesn’t call everyone to be a clergyperson. What a mess this world would be if God did! But there are faithfilled vocations outside the clergy to which God calls.

What difference does it make if you perform your work as if you were called to it? Well, hopefully a large difference. Those called to their vocation will do their work intentionally, as if God were leading them throughout the workday. Now this doesn’t mean that those who claim and recognize that God has called them to their vocation always do their work cheerfully and with a contented smile on their face. No, indeed not. There are bad days and rough times; even for those who see their work as their call.

But there’s an intentionality about the called person’s work. Those who prayerfully listen for God’s call and follow it as closely as they can, find some degree of satisfaction and fulfillment that those who don’t feel called to their work feel.

Several years ago, when we were in New York City, before I was ordained, I was in a position from which I took no joy and felt no satisfaction. As I was talking about this to the mentor of a friend of mine, she simply said, “Well, you aren’t called to it.” I suddenly felt a realization about this job that I had never been able to define. I soon left that job and moved on to other places where I felt my gifts and talents more closely fit with my call.

But there is another way to be called that I want to mention today: that of being called to an avocation; called outside your vocation to work that needs to be done. Many of us are called this way. Our avocations are those things we do outside of our everyday work, beyond our so-called professions. Many of us answer those calls through church.

Tutoring at Homework Central may be one such call. Serving on the church board or as an officer may be yet another call. (I say this with some trepidation, since the nominating committee met just yesterday and some may respond now to our requests for leadership with “I don’t feel called.”) But God clearly calls us to labor outside of our vocations to work that furthers God’s realm here on earth.

We are an active congregation, there’s no doubt about that. And if we examine ourselves, we may find that this activity comes out of a sense of call from God; both individually and corporately. We need people in this world to feel called to do the ministry of work beyond our walls so that as a congregation we can still respond to God’s call to us.

How do you tell if your call is real? Well one indication is that your gifts and talents will align with the need that is part of the call. And each call that God issues involves a need. There is much need in our world today. God knows it and recognizes it but only has us to do the work; us and other faithful people throughout the world. We know our call is real when we see the need that is out there and realize that we can do something to change it. We know our call is real when the abilities we have been given match up with some need. We know our call is real when God provides us with what we need to get the work done.

You may not be called to be a prophet like Jeremiah. You may not be called to speak out against the powers and principalities. But then again you might. You just might find yourself using gifts you never knew you had. But God calls you. There is no doubt of that. Because God calls each one of us since there is such a great need in our world.

Prayerfully examine where God is calling you. And don’t think that if you’re retired you’re exempt from being called. God calls at all ages and expects a response. Let God touch your lips as God touched Jeremiah’s lips all those years ago. Let God touch your life and reach in and pull out the best in you. Follow your call, wherever it might lead you. God will go with you.