January 13, 2008 Sermon

I’m posting my January 13th sermon, but I’m not sure that the written word will be a very effective means to share the intent of the sermon. Part way through I work through the Isaiah passage by identifying different people who were sitting in church that morning and suggesting that means of service is their’s to embrace. I also suggested different ways to understand that service. I did not write any text for that part of the sermon, but I include the balance and pray that it might encourage your faith journey. Another aspect of this sermon included referencing the “It’s Your Call” Sunday which we were promoting to encourage parishioners to be open to a call to rostered ministry. As well, parishioners are encouraged to reach out to members to suggest they consider rostered ministry.
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January 13, 2008 Sermon – Isaiah 42:1-9 and Matthew 3:13-17

“I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness,
I have taken you by the hand and kept you;” (Is 42:6)

Beloved of God …. with whom God is well pleased …. I’m here today to tell you that you have a calling. In the righteousness of God Almighty … you are called to serve.

Do you think you can bear one more call from God, or anyone else, to do good work for the Kingdom or congregation? Does the thought of being called feel like one more burden to bear … to sense that God might be nudging you to encourage someone else to serve? Does your cup already overflow with service to others and now I’m suggesting ….. maybe you’ve got a bit more to give for God’s glory?

I’ve watched over these past four months all the many ways you serve in this congregation, community and beyond. You’ve continued to serve as you carry your own personal burdens.

Today, ….. I’m not calling you to action. ….. As God’s servant, I am calling you to rest. Trust that God is holding you. …….

Our Old Testament reading is called “The Servant Song” and it is a model of faithful and obedient service which can comfort and guide us in our serving. It reflects the beauty of our Ultimate Servant – Jesus. And our Gospel for today celebrates the baptism of Jesus. Into Jesus we are baptized by the Holy Spirit so that we may rest on the assurance of Jesus ministry, death and resurrection. ……..We are saved. …………Rest and be restored in the confidence that the Lord has called you in righteousness … and that God had taken you,…. personally….., by the hand and has kept you.

I’d like to take some time to read through the lessons again ……………………………………………………………

…………………… In my own life I have been very involved in community activities and church ministries … and I felt called to serve……….. and I’ve sat on Church Council, too …… I have even voted against the pastor’s proposal …….those were tough meetings. I felt God’s call to speak a voice of dissent. I know this congregation understand what it means to serve with a voice of dissent … and yet rest in the knowledge of being God’s beloved. Isaiah calls us to seek justice and to be the liberating voice for those who have lost their voice.

I’ve told you about my pastor planting the seed of going to seminary, and how I kept telling God to ……“Please send somebody else!”…… In preparation to attend seminary, I heard God telling me to let my ministries go. Gradually each year I obediently would let one go. ……….. But then I filled my time with something else …. a more demanding career and spending more time studying. I didn’t grasp what God really wanted for me. …….. I didn’t take the time to rest.

……. Have you ever ‘burned out’? ………….. I have. You have two options. You either learn from it or you don’t. Thank God … I learned from it. …… and you know what ……. God still is calling me to action, but I know now that God isn’t calling me to do everything. …… God only asks me to put God first and then we’ll sort the rest out after. …… I still have a hard time resisting my desire to organize God.

………………….And what about you? ……….. Did the Isaiah passage call to service make you feel inadequate with what you are doing? …… No, no. ………… It’s true that there is much work that needs to be done, ….. but we all have a hand in serving….that’s the critical point. Some of us are called to be in more obvious leadership roles …….our obedience comes in encouraging others in their service ……supporting the call to justice in Christ’s name.

………….And is following God’s call to serve sometimes tedious, plodding work? Yes. Do you have to work with people who are resistant to new ideas? Yes. Do you have to work with people who have no appreciation for tradition? Yes. Will you be exhausted at times – mentally, physically and spiritually? Yes.

But here’s the word that jumped out at me …… go to the Gospel reading ….. at the end of verse 16 …. the Holy Spirit descends and “alights” on Jesus. It “rests” on Jesus. The Holy Spirit rests gently on each one of us.

So ….. “It is Your Call” ………… Yes! Indeed God is asking you ……and God isn’t going to send someone else in your place ………….God is going to keep asking you …………..and you’ll be mightily surprised at who God picks to use. When God directly or indirectly speaks to you…………..remember … it is our privilege to be obedient. Just as it was Jesus’ privilege to be obedient.

Someone thinks you are worthy to be a leader……..which means being a servant. Don’t think that they are “just trying to fill a spot.” …… Do you ever want to think that your pastor went to seminary because the national church “was trying to fill vacancies?” …….. Then we shouldn’t think this way about any other role God calls us to.

Be obedient in the reflecting upon the ministries where you can bring your humble faith to shine ….whether it is social justice or coaching a ball team. ………………

Be obedient if God is telling you to rest.

Beloved of God …. God is well pleased with you …. I’m here today to tell you that the Lord, your God, has called you in righteousness to serve…….and the Lord takes you by your hand …. leading and guiding …. and keeps you safe. You are God’s chosen. Rest in that promise.

Amen