The 'Call' of God

9.30am Sunday 20 January 2008

Readings: Isaiah 49:1-7; John 1:29-42; 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Ten days ago Sir Edmund Hillary, one of our nation's heroes, died. As a humble bee keeper with a love for climbing in 1953 he, along with Tenzing Norgay of Nepal, became the first persons to stand on top of the highest mountain in the world. Many had tried to scale the summit of Mount Everest before, but had had to turn back short of their goal, or lost their lives in the attempt. Succeeding where others had failed was for Hillary and Tenzing a moment of glory captured by this photo taken at the top. However, what he and Tensing achieved, they could never have done on their own. That feat was due in very large part to teamwork. They were part of a large group of people all working towards a common goal. Experience and skill are vital when mountaineering, as it is not without its dangers. This was borne out in the documentary on his life screened on the evening of the day he died. In that Sir Edmund shared how on one of their earlier trips to establish bases up the mountain he had jumped on an icefall that straddled a crevasse and how when his weight landed on it, it gave way and plunged to the bottom. It was Tenzing's quick thinking that averted a tragedy. Realising what had happened he quickly plunged his axe into the ice, wound the rope round it in time to halt Hillary's fall. Hillary owed his life to Tensing, which again highlights the importance of working together. Later when they conquered Everest, it was a tremendous achievement by the whole team in setting up and manning the base camps for those who would make the assault. That Hillary and Tensing happened to be the ones who made it to the top, was of the fact that they were the best equipped at the time to be the second assault team. When the first team failed it was Hillary and Tenzing's turn. Nothing can detract from the fact that what they did was a tremendous achievement, and that Sir Edmund was a fellow New Zealander has made his achievement one in which all New Zealanders can take pride. He demonstrated that with sufficient will even things that are seemingly impossible are well within the grasp of those for whom failure is not an option. It was an event that profoundly affected both of Hillary's and Tenzing's lives from that point onwards. Hillary immediately received a knighthood and was thrust into the public spotlight under which he had had to live his life since that time. It was through climbing in the Himalayas that Hillary met the sherpa people in Nepal for whom he has worked tirelessly to improve the quality of life for them and their children. His life was not without its share of tragedy, in that his wife and two of their children were killed in a plane crash while working in Nepal. It took several years before Hillary was able to regain his sense of purpose in life and put his full energy back into his work. (Blank screen)

For Sir Edmund Hillary, climbing Mt Everest was the beginning of a life of service to others. You could say it was his 'calling,' for it brought significance, purpose and meaning to his life. He also used his fame to enlist the services of others to make a difference in peoples' lives. The search for meaning and purpose in life is a universal one. Life needs to have a reason for being to make it worthwhile and worth living. When people lose that, it is like being set adrift on a turbulent sea with no anchor to hold one fast and no bearings to steer by. This raises the question, what gives a person significance? What makes you and I and every other person on earth special? What makes us people of worth and value? So often in the consumer culture in which we live a person's worth is assessed by what they consume, or what they produce. What is it about yourself as a human being that sets you apart from everything else in God's created order? It is to discover that for which we were born, God's call to us in Christ to serve one another. When we discover that, we are beginning to discover the will of God revealed in Jesus, who came not "to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."[1]

Our readings this morning bring out this truth. The passage from Isaiah can be understood in two ways. Part of its fulfilment is seen in the 'calling' of Israel as a nation to be the means through which God would display his splendour to the nations of the world. This was very clear when he led his people out of Egypt and into the Promised Land.

But there is also the sense in which Jesus is the fulfilment of this word given to Isaiah. He was "despised and abhorred by the nation," the proof of which is seen in his crucifixion. But God, who can always bring good out of evil, took what happened on the cross and used it to serve his purpose of bringing salvation to all, Jew and Gentile alike. We see this in the words Simeon said to Mary and Joseph when they brought Jesus to the temple to be dedicated: "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may dismiss your servant in peace, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations; a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel."[2] Simeon's words are similar to those of Isaiah who said, "I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach the ends of the earth."[3] God's saving work in Christ Jesus was always intended to be universal in its scope. You and I here today are beneficiaries of this salvation, and as such are 'called' to be lights that point people to the Saviour. This is so whether we serve God overseas or here in New Zealand.

The thought in the last verse of our reading from Isaiah - "Kings will see you and stand up, princes will see and bow down, because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you."[4] - is echoed in what Paul writes to the Corinthians. Paul in this letter is encouraging the Christians in Corinth to remain true to the 'calling' they have received in Christ Jesus. He will keep them strong until the day of his return, because "God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."[5] This 'call' of God and its implications for us as a church is what we want to focus on this morning.

1.      WHO has 'called?' This is very important. We receive literally thousands of calls through out our lives, although these days it could just as likely be a text than something we hear. We mostly welcome calls from our family and friends. Sometimes we do receive calls from people of importance, and it makes us feel special when such calls arrive. But nothing can compare with the significance of receiving a call from God - the God who created you in his own image and likeness; the God who is altogether pure and holy and wants you to be holy, too; the God who has revealed his character and being in the person of his Son, Jesus Christ, and wants you to become like his Son; the God who is absolutely faithful, who only wills your total good, who loves you with an everlasting love, a love that never gives up on you, never lets you go, that sees in you so much more that what you have ever seen in yourself. To know that among all he has created that he is interested in you, personally, is almost beyond comprehension. But it is true. Our readings also tells us something about the character of the One who calls us, namely, that he is "faithful." He is completely trustworthy. He does not change his mind or forget. When he makes a promise he always keeps it. In Christ all his promises are 'Yes.'

2.      WHEN did he call? (Read vs 9) Note that it is past tense. God's call comes to us through his Son, Jesus Christ. Paul shares his experience of this in Corinthians when he wrote, "Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God..."[6] Paul shows that this call was not his idea. It was due entirely to "the will of God." Prior to Jesus appearing to him on the road to Damascus, Paul had wanted nothing to do with either Jesus or his followers and was determined to do all within his powers to stamp out this heretical sect in Israel. But God had other plans in mind for Paul, plans that would channel his fervour and energy for the cause of his kingdom, not against it. Paul's 'call' radically changed the direction and focus of his life. Instead of fighting the church, he was its most ardent protagonist, and was sent out on a mission of church-planting that saw the Christian faith reach the highest courts of the Roman world. God's call comes to us in Jesus Christ, the call to follow him with the cross being a constant reminder of what that discipleship may cost; the call to put the concerns of his kingdom uppermost in our lives, and to work tirelessly to see God's reign and rule come on earth as it is in heaven; the call to run with perseverance the race set before us, even when it means suffering as good soldiers of Jesus Christ, taking whatever is thrown at us with the same courage and joy as he did.[7]

3.      To WHAT are we called? Several things are mentioned in our readings this morning that help answer this question.

a)      To SALVATION. You and I are called to enter into a new life through the saving work of Christ. This is God's will for he "wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."[8] As the song The Reason Why says, God has come to set all people free, and that can only happen through knowing the truth revealed in Jesus Christ. Truth enables you to see things as they really are, the hopelessness of your situation outside of Christ and what he has done on your behalf; the truth about God, his absolute holiness, his infinite love, and his constant faithfulness. Because "he is faithful," the saving work he begins in you he will complete when Jesus returns.[9] He is the one "who is able to keep you from falling and ... present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy..."[10] You are to focus on God's faithfulness, not people's fickleness.

b)      To be HOLY. This speaks of the character that God wants to reproduce in you through his Spirit. God wants you to be like him. You were created in his image and likeness, but that has been marred by sin. Only through the regenerating work of his God's Spirit in your life can that likeness can be restored. The Message version of the Bible expresses it very well when it says, Jesus' death on the cross "was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people."[11] God created you like himself so that you would reflect something of the glory of his own being. That glory was revealed in Jesus,[12] and he wants that glory to once again be seen in you, and that happens the more you become like Jesus.

c)      Into FELLOWSHIP with his Son. (i) That is to live and enjoy being in the presence of our Lord. This was what Jesus invited Andrew and Philip to do when they first came to Jesus. John tells us "they spent the day with him."[13] That short time was enough to convince Andrew that Jesus really was the Messiah, and so he immediately fetches his brother, Simon, and brings him to Jesus. The image Jesus uses that best describes the fellowship you are to have with him is that of the vine and the branches. This fellowship is both life-giving and life-changing. It is constant, and as his life flows into and through you, you are enabled to bring forth fruit that lasts.[14] (ii) But being in fellowship with Jesus means also being in fellowship with his people, the church. The two cannot be separated. Scripture nowhere envisages Christians apart from a local church, and God is constantly at work perfecting his people corporately as he is individually. This reminds us that we are to work together as a team. There are no 'lone rangers' in God's service. We are to work together. This is what being called "into fellowship with his Son" means. "Better Together" is the key. Just as teamwork was necessary for Hillary and Tenzing to achieve what they did, so God wants his church to operate in teams, with everyone fulfilling their particular part as they are best equipped to do.

d)      Into SERVICE. You may not receive a unique/specific call like the apostle Paul, or find through circumstances a call thrust on you as happened with Sir Edmund Hillary. You are called nevertheless to discover the spiritual gift(s) God has given you as that will determine where best to serve him. Our primary calling is to act in faithful obedience to God and service to his people with what we have already been given. Like as when God said to Moses when he called him from the burning bush - "What is that in your hand?"[15] - so God has already given us what we need to fulfil our calling. He may add to that as we mature, but every Christian has at least one spiritual gift, and that is what we are called upon to exercise for God's glory and the building up of his body, the Church.

4.      To WHOM is the call addressed? It is addressed to "you." "God is faithful, who has called you..." God's call is never general but personal. Sometimes he calls by name as he did Moses and Saul. Even if he does not voice your name, the call will be unmistakable. You know when he is calling you. God has called and continues to call people.