EDITOR'S NOTE: In October 2017 I began a new venture as a synodically authorized minister at Faith Lutheran Church in Wolverton, Minn. The ride over the past 2.5 years has been an amazing journey of learning, growing and a deepening of my theological mind. This sermon took place on Feb. 3, 2019.
Here’s a little assignment for you: Think back to the last time that God spoke to you and called you to action. … Now, think about what your response was?
Did it test you? … Did it give you pause? … Did it push you outside your comfort zone?
Because that is exactly the scenario that today’s first reading depicts for us.
Jeremiah in today’s reading is the son of a Jewish priest and likely in his late teens … maybe 20 years old at most ... is standing face to face with God. … And God is telling him, “Jeremiah, before you were even born, I made you a prophet to all nations. Now, it’s time to act.” … Now imagine the weight of that conversation.
Quite understandably, the young Jeremiah says, “Oh no! Wait a minute God. You can’t be talking to me. I’m just a boy! … I can’t possibly be a prophet to all nations!”
I can relate to Jeremiah’s fears. … And I bet you can too.
If I’m honest, there have been many times in my life when the Holy Spirit has nudged me, and my first reaction was: “No way. … Nuh uh. Not this time God.”
Trust me, you can’t be on the path to seminary without experiencing some doubt in God’s call. I suppose it’s only natural. But that fear and trepidation doesn’t do a whole lot to bolster one’s confidence.
Much like in Jeremiah’s call story that is described here in today’s reading, we each have our own call story. … And in that call story there are times when God calls upon us, and we are frightened. We object to our call. ... There are infinite reasons why.
I asked you a little earlier to think of a time when God called you to action, and to think about your reaction. … I will share with you my most recent trial. It was just a few weeks ago, during my most recent Jterm at Luther.
As you may remember, each January, I head off to the Cities for a week of school, a week during which we work through an entire course in just five days. Well, given my connection to my family, it will probably come as no surprise to you that these weeks are tough on me.
Inevitably, every January while I am gone, there are basketball games I miss, and band or orchestra concerts I can’t make. And by about the second night I am at Luther, the parental guilt sets in.
The first couple of nights I’m at Luther, I’m pretty miserable. Homesick, you might say. … And this year was no different.
By night two of my Jterm stay this year, I was at one of the lowest points that I’ve been on during this past three-year journey. I had spoken with my academic advisor that day, and the realization had started to set in that I still have years left on this journey. Possibly, as many as three and a half years of work and study and church and family and more homework. Three and a half years more of missed basketball games, and choir concerts and horse riding lessons and leaning on Shelley to be two parents all in one.
To make matters worse, at three years in, some of the folks I started school with are entering their final stages. They are beginning full-time internships and in a year, they’ll be receiving their diploma. I knew that during this year’s Jterm I would be saying goodbye to some very good friends.
These things occupied my brain by the second night of my January stay, and I hit a low point sitting there alone in my quiet dorm room. In that moment, I was wrestling over this journey with God more than I ever have.
Having an openly tense dialogue with him over what he was asking of me. … God, with all that we have on our plate as a family, how can you continue to ask this of me?
But, the next morning in class, the very first chapter of the very first book we studied that morning was Jeremiah 1. … Jeremiah’s call story. The very same story in our first reading today.
And sitting there, after a miserable and lonely night, feeling sorry for myself, I realized that chapter was there for the taking. … A chapter that spoke directly to my doubt and my fear that I couldn’t serve out my call. That I didn’t have the mettle. That I wasn’t the right one.
In that moment, it became apparent to me that I am not the only one who has ever tried to shirk their calling. … Not by a long shot. ... Turns out the Bible is littered with people who tried to put off God’s call. ... And for any number of excuses.
Maybe most notably, there is Moses. … Yes, our beloved Moses. … The prophet that took his people out of Egypt and led them through the wilderness for 40 years before delivering them to the promised land.
But before Moses did all of that, he had plenty of excuses when God tapped him on the shoulder and said, “Hey, Moses, it’s go time.”
But Moses, as the book of Exodus tells us, wasn’t feeling it. … His objections were numerous. … And listen carefully to see if any of these ring true for you.
First, when the Lord tells Moses that he will be a prophet, Moses responds by telling God that he’s not good enough. … Does that feel familiar to anyone? … I know it does for me. … But unfortunately for Moses … and the rest of us … God just shrugs his shoulders and says, “Doesn’t matter. Regardless of who you are, I’m here with you.”
Strike one. … OK, next objection. … Then Moses tries to defer his calling because he doesn’t have all the answers. … Again, feel familiar to anyone? … But what’s God's response to this objection? ... “It’s not about you. I’ll provide you the answers.” … Strike two.
Next, Moses tries out the old, “but what will people think” excuse. … He asks God, “What happens if they don’t believe?” … After all, no one wants to look like a fool. … And what’s God’s response? ... “I’m bigger than people.”
Strike three. … Poor ol’ Moses. … But, he’s persistent and evidently doesn’t understand the rules of baseball and so he digs in deeper.
Getting desperate, Moses produces a sure-fire objection. … “God, I’m not an eloquent speaker. I never took public speaking in high school, and so I’ll flub up your message to the people.” … Again, God shrugs his shoulders, and says, “Don’t worry. I’ll provide you the words to speak.” … Strike four.
Finally, digging as deep to the bottom of the excuse pile as possible, Moses declares, “God, I do not have the qualifications to be your prophet and to stand up to Pharaoh and to lead your people out of Egypt.” … There, that must be the clincher, Moses is thinking. (Clap and rub your hands.) That’s that. … But, one last time God delivers a stunning set back to Moses’s final objection: “Moses, have no worries. I’ll make up for what you lack.”
And whoosh … there goes all of the air out of Moses’ objections. … And we know the rest of that story.
In today’s reading, God treats Jeremiah no differently. … After God tells Jeremiah to his face that it’s time for him to go forth and prophesy to all nations, Jeremiah shakily replies to God: “Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.”
“Surely,” Jeremiah is thinking, “God can’t dispute that. I’m not old enough to serve out his call!”
But what is God’s response to Jeremiah? … “Do not say, ‘I am only a boy’; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you.”
And that morning, sitting in class at Luther, I’m pretty certain that God told me to buck up too. … “During every low point of the past two and a half years, haven’t I been there in the moment? … During all those times you stood in front of the congregation stark terrified, didn’t I give you courage? … All of those times you were convinced you didn’t have the words to speak, that you weren’t smart enough, or didn’t know enough theology, didn’t I provide the words for you?”
And it is all true. … He has been with me each step of the way during this first half of the journey, and he has given me courage when I’ve needed it, and he has provided the words when I had none.
Today’s reading should be a reminder to all of us, that just like Jeremiah, God imbued each of us with special gifts from the time that we were in our mother’s wombs. ... Long before we were born, or became adults or found a profession. ... Long before any of that, God instilled in each of us gifts to use to witness to all nations. … Whether those gifts were to be a prophet, or to teach, or to heal or to love or to create or to plant or to fix, each of us were given those gifts to be used on behalf of witnessing to others.
But, unfortunately, being human, all too often we fail in our calls. ... We stumble. ... We grow weary. ... We are fearful. ... We want the tough stuff to be over. … We want God to just leave us alone and go on to the next person. Surely, God, there’s a better prophet or disciple or Christian than I.
But that is not his plan. … And that is not our call. … And just like when God calls on Moses, and just like when God calls on Jeremiah, he calls on us.
Now, it’s understandable that our first instinct may be to object. … After all, serving as a living witness to Jesus’ Good News is not easy. And it’s not always a message that is welcomed by others.
But take heart, fellow believers. … Because whatever our objections are, God has the answers. ... We are never too young. … Too plain spoken. … Too awkward. ... Too poor. Too uneducated. … Too anything, to serve out God’s call for us.
Because, after all, it’s not about us. … It’s about what God is doing through us … and that is the Good News for this Sunday. … Amen.
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