Called To What Sermon

WORD FOR ALL

Recent District workshop on Christian discipleship – following Jesus.   What tools do we need for the journey?

Bag – named – we need to know that God wants us and has called us to do something for him – let’s give Jason this bag with his name on now. Note he’s wearing his badge so we know who he is – we’re marked out as belonging here.

Map – we need to know the way  - Jason better have an A-Z of Cambridge

Ruler – to help us keep on the right lines as we plot our course

Pencil/pen – to help us write so that we can take notes on what we’ve heard from others and can act upon them

Seeds from which comes Food – to sustain us on our journey. I happen to know that Jason likes nuts – so we’ll give him some of these to keep him going. These are sunflower seeds. Perhaps once it is warmer, he can plant them outside and watch them grow to their full height, like the initiatives we hope he will help us with at Wesley.

Something in here I can’t give him and that’s the prayers of all of us to help him and his work among us – we’ll be doing that later on in our service. It will be sealed with a handshake of welcome from stewards as we put our shoulders to the plough.

All of us have a call – and we listen for God to speak to us and reveal what that is.

Let’s sing this in the song we have on our insert  - I the Lord of Sea and Sky

 

“He has called me and set me apart”

You know those words from the song “God’s Spirit is in my heart”. And this morning we’re invited to reflect on the nature of our own sense of being disciples of Christ.

Many churches have this week reflected at the end of the Christmas season, the celebration of the Incarnation, of God’s presence with us in the birth of Jesus, which begins in the old Temple in Jerusalem and ends in the new Temple which is Christ’s own body, God-given for the life of the world and to eternity. And we, like Mary and Joseph, are beckoned in, through confession and the forgiveness of sin, through the declaration of our faith in him, to the inner courts of God’s salvation, to give to the Lord that which is most precious to us, our hearts and minds. For, with Christ, we are all first-born, to be dedicated to the God who knows us by name and calls us to be his servants.

Jesus, the first-born, is offered to God. But of course he already belongs to God and is in the place, his Father’s House, where he will come again as he grows in wisdom and stature. He will come in his latter days to face opposition and rejection, the way to the Cross, a sword which will pierce his mother’s heart. And yet this is good news, the good news of God’s salvation, which is, as Simeon saw, for all. “A light to all nations .. and the glory of his people Israel”. This was the gift of God to Simeon, faithful service in the Temple waiting for the day when he would see the light and declare God’s glory in the presence of the one for whom he and all his people had been waiting, the Messiah, the Lord.

We all have gifts – gifts from above – gifts which draw us to God and to each other. Different gifts to serve God in different ways. Some apostles. Some prophets. Some evangelists. Some pastors. Some teachers. A variety of gifts to make complete the body of Christ. Yes, gifts associated with particular ministries in the Church, but not confined to office-holders. They are for all the saints, for each and every one of us who together build up the body of Christ. Discipleship is about discernment – asking God to help us discover what gifts we have. Discipleship is about growth – using the tools God gives us to tend the ground, planting the seeds and watching them carefully as they grow. And it is laid upon us to discern the will of God who is calling us to serve him. What are we called to and for? Maybe God has something in mind for you as you leave this church today. A new task. A new challenge. Someone to minister to. A need to attend to. A job to be done. Faithfulness to the call of discipleship. As Methodists, as Christian people, in places crying out for our care and attention.

So what are the common features of a distinctly Methodist form of the Christian lifestyle we are called to follow? Well, like all disciples, we are called to follow Christ, to become more genuinely human in the fullness of Christ. Christians are called to “have the mind of Christ and walk as He walked” as John Wesley reminded his followers. Jesus is the new Adam. Whoever is called is indeed called to be a genuine human, with love at the centre of all things. Love of God and Love of Neighbour. So the aim of us all, in practising our religion, in developing a Methodist spirituality, is not to become a super-human being but a genuine human being, a Christ-like human being, one who has the mind of Christ and who acts accordingly in works of piety (our inner life, fostered by worship and prayer and regular communion) and mercy (in our relationship with others through pastoral care, in the struggle to achieve peace and justice in local communities and in God’s wider world). It is this blend of personal and social holiness which marks us Methodists out, what John Wesley called a “holiness of heart and life”.  

Jesus is our model. Facing God, he was obedient even to death on the cross, the cup of suffering which he embraces. Facing his fellow human beings, Jesus was compassionate to their desperate cries, even willing to lay down his life for his friends. His whole life was shaped by his uncompromising obedience to God and unconditional compassion for his fellows. A Christ-like person is therefore obedient and compassionate. That then is the yardstick for our discipleship. That is the heart of Methodist and Christian spirituality. To love God with our heart and mind and strength and our neighbour as ourselves.

How does our response to that challenge to examine our gifts and lay them at the feet of God match up? What are we called to be and to do? Just remember the Covenant prayer we shared a few weeks ago at the beginning of what will be a challenging year for us as individuals and as a Church. “Christ has many services to be done; some are easy, others are difficult.” There are tasks to be done, in the Church and in the name of the Church, in our community and neighbours. Preaching and teaching and in Christian education building up the body of Christ, tending the sick and the needy in pastoral care and outreach into our community, developing artistic and creative skills to enhance the worth of all in response to God’s great gifts to us. Nurturing and offering a safe space for children and young people to grow in a place which says “here our faith connects with your needs for growth”.

Maybe we are challenged to do something extra this coming Lent – whether it is in our personal growth and nurture, joining a group for study and reflection, or considering membership of the Methodist Church, or making some sacrifices, of time and money, so that others can benefit from our generosity. Or offering time to Jason or myself when we ask you to help us with your gifts, your God-given gifts,  to make Wesley a powerhouse for transformation of lives, young and old, insider and outsider, in the heart of this city. Will you join us in that task?