Scripture: Jeremiah 1:4-10: Luke 4:16-30  (New International Version)

I suppose there are some who would consider it sacrilegious.  Yet, I can’t help but wonder if he knew it all along.  Jesus – did he grow up knowing he was the Messiah?  Or, being human, did he experience the same doubts that we have?  If so, as child, did he ever dream of becoming a doctor, a rabbi, or even a carpenter like his dad?  But if he did know – if being the Messiah was the only calling he ever heard and the only possibility he ever considered then why did it take thirty years to respond?  After all, that was a full eighteen years after he would have been considered an adult with all the rights and responsibilities thereof. 

Let’s face it, if Jesus had doubted he would have been in good company.  When Moses heard the call, for example, he immediately launched into a debate with the Almighty.  Jonah, on the other hand, tried to dismiss it while Jeremiah just denied it!  And who could really blame them?  After all, being a prophet was an impossible job!  No one . . . absolutely no one . . . wanted to hear what they had to say, or follow vision and deep faith. 

Yet, despite their initial misgivings, when the prophets finally answered the call they discovered a great deal about themselves and the God they served.   Jeremiah, for example, did everything in his power to convince God he was not the person for the job.  When he relented, however, God promised Jeremiah he would be provided with the necessary skills, knowledge, and resources to become prophet to the nations. 

While Jeremiah was never told his task would be easy, he was promised that he would  never be left alone.  I am with you, God said.  Do not be afraid of them for I will deliver you.   Because Jeremiah said “yes”, the entire nation of Israel was changed . . . but not at first.

Jeremiah tried to tell them if they didn’t repent and return to the ways of God, they were going to lose what little freedom they had.  He tried to tell them their strength was in their faith, not in their military might or diplomatic relations.  Yet despite his best efforts and most dramatic appeals, everything Jeremiah said seemed to fall on deaf ears.

Then it happened.  The nation of Israel was invaded and the people were carried into exile.  Now some would say the prophet was a failure.  After all, he was unable to convince the people to turn around.  And while he probably suffered guilt over that apparent failure, the truth is his call was not to save the people.  Remember?  He was to be a prophet to the nations – a person of faith and integrity even in the midst of adversity and uncertainty. 

When the people found themselves living in a foreign land far from the hallowed streets of Jerusalem, they didn’t have a clue how to worship God.  They needed someone to show them.  They needed someone to demonstrate how to live out their own callings as God’s chosen ones.  They needed someone who would enable them to live faithfully regardless of where they were.  And because of Jeremiah’s faithfulness, all they had to do was remember his words and follow his actions.

So, what does any of this have to do with you, me, or even Jesus, for that matter?  Well, first it is important to remember that while the world was clamoring against both Jesus and Jeremiah, there were those who were also watching them closely – watching how they reacted, what they did, and who they trusted.  Second, while the world was filled with attractive opportunities and alternatives, once they accepted God’s call and claimed it as their own, there was no turning back or compromising.  They would do the task that was set before them and trust that God would help make sense of it all.  Third, they never allowed the world to define their success.  That was a job for God and God alone!

It’s Your Life

Jeremiah 1:4-10

Luke 4:16-30

Now, that leaves us.  Christians, it is about to get personal because everyone sitting in this room has already been called.  Like Jeremiah, we were created by God for a specific purpose.   Chances are that purpose is something we would never have chosen on our own!  Why?  Because God’s confidence in us tends to be much bigger than our own!  That is why we have excuses while God has reasons.  We have a limited view but God created the view.  Our understanding is finite.  God’s wisdom is infinite. 

So, when God calls, all we really have to do is respond.   After that, everything we need will be provided. for us.  And what we will eventually discover is that it our callings are not as much of a burden as they are a blessing.

I have been called into full-time professional ministry.  And, yes, there are days when, like Jeremiah, I do a whole lot of whining, lamenting, and complaining.  But at night when Michael finally says, so, what would you rather do, the answer is always the same.  This is my calling.  This is where I belong and this is where I’m staying until God tells me different.

So, where is God calling you?  Is it to work with children, youth, or older adults?  Do you yearn for the day when those outside the faith come to know and love our Lord?  Perhaps you are the one who was called to be an accountant who assists in establishing and administering a budget for the one who is called to work with the homeless.  In a world of overscheduled calendars and overcommitted lives, are you the one who has been called to be the mom, the dad, the grandparent, or the neighbor who has time to listen and to care?  Has God gifted you with the talent of a musician or a poet?  While some heal souls, do you heal bodies? 

Christians, it’s your life.  It’s your calling.  What are you doing with them?  According to The Rev. Dr. Kimberleigh Buchanan . . . the answer to that question means nothing less than everything.1

To God be the Glory.  Amen.

1. Buchanan, Kimberleigh, What’s My Life (www. Day 1.org/478-whats_my_life), February 1, 2004