Lent Day 4
Lent Day 4
Hymn “Here I am Lord” UMH 593
Favorite Line “Here I am Lord. Is it I Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.”
The person who picked this line powerfully explains “This one always sucker punches me in the gut. A reminder that it is just me, not a stronger, richer, more pretty me. Just the me that he calls as his child to go out and serve.” Man, is that a good reason to love a line from a hymn. I am not sure how much more I can add to that; its already a wonderful sermon. It’s so true, though. God calls each and every one of us as we are. God doesn’t wait until we are perfect. God doesn’t wait until we have every spiritual gift. God doesn’t wait until we have life figured out and have all the pieces put together in the right places. No, God calls us right now, however we are. Perceived flaws and all, God is still calling us into ministry with him.
It makes me think of the calling of the prophet Jeremiah and, I guess, the calling of every prophet. They all come up with excuses. Jeremiah says that he is too young, and he has no idea what he is going to say. To which God responds basically, I don’t care. God tells Jeremiah that he will give him the words to say. And this becomes a reminder for us of the fact that when God calls us into something God is prepared to give us what we need to be successful. Jeremiah says he doesn’t have the words, and God provides them. God didn’t wait until Jeremiah was ready to call him to be a prophet. No, he gave him the skills to be a prophet. The same is true for us. God is continually calling us as we are right now. And yes, that calling will change over time. But God never stops calling. So, my advice to you is if God is calling, don’t make up an excuse and just answer the call.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Lee