Today’s scripture: Luke 3:15-22 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Vivian Wyatt):
[note color=”#cde9f6″]Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’[/note]
I was excited when I was hired to work at LifeJourney Church, and one of the reasons was that I was going to have the opportunity to be ordained. This meant, according to Merriam-Webster, that I was to be invested officially (as by the laying on of hands) with ministerial or priestly authority. That’s a pretty big deal and I was very pleased to be starting this process.
Well, until I looked at the application. I sighed deeply when I saw that the first step in the ordination process was to “articulate your call.”
I began my essay by writing,
I was asked to articulate my call to ministry, and more specifically my call to an MCC congregation. If by call you mean a flash of light and an audible voice saying this is what I want you to do, then I didn’t have that. Of course I am joking somewhat but I do feel the word “call” carries with it some mysticism. I don’t so much feel called as I feel led or nudged in this direction. I know that it is a matter of semantics, however this distinction means a lot to me.
Then I went on to point out various events and stages in my life where God seemed to be working toward getting me to this point.
They accepted me anyway.
I’ve always cringed when someone asked me about my call. Not that I don’t feel that being a pastor at LifeJourney is what God wants me to do. On the contrary, I feel very much that I am exactly where God wants me to be. However, I never know how to answer “tell me about your call.” That’s not something I can summarize in a tidy paragraph. Wouldn’t it have been nice if I could have written, “I know that I am called to be a minister — and an MCC minister at that — because the Holy Spirit descended upon me in bodily form like a dove. And not only that, a voice came from heaven saying ‘Vivian, you are my beloved; go minister to my people at LifeJourney Church.’”
I admire the mystics, those people who seem to have a special channel to the Holy. They have the bright lights and the audible voice and I spend most of my time. . . walking in faith, trusting and believing that I’m going the same way as God.
Ahhhh, could that be it? If sensing the presence of God or knowing my call came visually and audibly to me, would I have the faith to stand when I don’t hear or don’t see? I seem to walk closer to God when I say “I don’t know, God, it seems as if this is what you want me to do. I’m going to step out in faith, trusting that you’ve got my back.”
Thought for today: Even though we may not sense God with our eyes or ears, we are all still called to serve. Let’s not wait for God to tap us on the shoulder and say “Get busy!” before we move. Instead, let’s trust that God’s hand is upon our life, nudging and guiding us to where we should be, doing what God wants us to do.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.