We Are Called

Pentecost + 3

Year C

29 June 2025

1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21

Psalm 16

Galatians 5:1, 13-25

Luke 9:51-62

God, you set us free in Jesus Christ.

Grant that we may live gracefully in this freedom

without selfishness or arrogance,

becoming servants through love

to the freedom of the gospel

for the sake of your reign.  Amen. 

________________________________________

When we look at today’s readings, we see that they’re all centred around the idea of being called by God to serve.

And at this collective revelation, we often find ourselves looking at our cuticles, and wondering who amongst us is being called to the role of pastor or of deacon?

Now, to this, I will admit that both of these senses of a Call to serve are honoured ways to serve God and to serve God’s people.

But, at the same time, they’re not the only way or ways for use as God’s people to serve throughout Creation.

In today’s gospel we see those to whom Jesus reaches out, and we see that for the most part, they all have something to clear off their ‘to do lists’ before they’re able to wholeheartedly follow where and how God leads.

The gospel tells us: ““Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

⁵⁹ He said to another man, “Follow me.”

But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

⁶⁰ Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

⁶¹ Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”” (Lk 9:58b-61)

So, today I want to ponder how we, how each one of us, are called to serve God outside these walls, and out into the world.

At the same time, I’d like to assert that we are all called, we are all commissioned to continue the work of God, of Jesus, with the aid and direction of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

I once had the opportunity to sit on the outskirts of a workshop whose aim was to help people build their resume skills. But in doing so, they also looked at how those skills and talents, in general, are able to be applied to different occupations or jobs.

One of the greatest examples used in this workshop was to point out that the Easter Bunny could fill in for Santa Claus, and vice versa. This is possible because both visit every home around the world on a single night and both deliver items to those homes.

So, if we restrict our view of a Call only to those of us who are called to Word and Sacrament, or Word and Service, in the most formal sense, then we are missing out on all of the ways that we, the children of God, the body of Christ are called to serve God, throughout the world around us.

“¹⁵ The Lord said to [Elijah], “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. ¹⁶ Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet.” (1 Ki 19:15-16)

In fact, this means that the emphasis of those of us called to the roles of clergy need to include ‘cheerleader’ and ‘motivator’ to our list of skills, as I’m sure Elijah, in his going about and anointing various people would need to encourage them to be open to the ways God urges us to step up and fill the roles prepared for them, for each one of us.

Paul tells us: “5 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

¹³ You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” (Gal 5:1, 13)

Paul’s emphasis is to encourage us in ways that are positive and focused on encouraging the world to keep God at the centre of all that we do, rather than focusing solely on the self.

Paul reminds us that “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control.” (Gal 5:22-23a)

So, in each of our lives, whether we are called to office jobs, or trades, or to teaching, or to roles centred around administration we are able to keep God, Christ, at the centre of all that we do.

And trust me, when we do that, when we work with God as our centre, then, at some point, people tend to notice.

People will notice because with God as an active participant in our lives, we are so much more than our occupations, our job’s, especially when we allow the Holy Spirit to be our guide.

For those of us called to roles involving ordination, we already know that God is a most subtle guide.

In my own life, I rejected God’s call the first time it came to me, and as a result, I struck out on my own. I chose my own path and followed the advice of those whom I encountered along the way.

To be honest, it didn’t go well, and the path back to the road God wished me to traverse felt like I was climbing a steep path, however, along the way, I found love, and I found support.

I learned new skills and I honed old ones, as well, but it wasn’t obvious that I was following where God led until I started to give back.

If we look at the passage from 1 Kings, today, it follows after Elijah flees from Jezebel and Ahab’s attempt to wipe out all of God’s prophets and to subvert God’s people into other concepts of worship.

In that text, we found Elijah completely defeated and willing to give up in the absolute sense of the thought. But at the same time, we see what God does with Elijah’s heartfelt plea: “Take my life!” (1 Ki 19:4b)

Today, God gives Elijah not only direction and tasks but a way to give back to God, and to the world as well.

“¹⁵ The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. ¹⁶ Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet.” (1 Ki 19:15-16)

God’s sole prophet is encouraged to find and to anoint the one who will succeed him as prophet, and to anoint those upon whom God’s hope and blessing will sit for the guidance and the governance of God’s people.

And as I said at the beginning, when we hear these passages, we automatically come to the idea that some in our midst are being called to become clergy, and although this isn’t untrue, at the same time, it’s no the whole of what it means to be called.

As I work, I will play a movie in the background. Something I’ve seen before so that my attention is on the work at hand. It’s a habit that’s served me well since my days at university, and sometimes a line a thought a phrase leaps out to coincide with the building of the sermon.

So, this week, the Star Wars based tale of Ahsoka follows as a side story to the movies that have captured our hearts and attentions since 1977.

In the story, Ahsoka, someone with Jedi training, takes on an apprentice, a learner who doesn’t have an easy connection to ‘The Force’. When this is commented on, Ahsoka responds: “I don’t need her to be a Jedi, I need her to be herself.” (S1:E3 14:10-15)

Meanwhile, as this conversation is happening, the apprentice is striving to understand and to connect with ‘The Force’, and repeats to herself “The Force is in all of us.”

And coming back to today’s readings, to today’s thoughts of what it means to be called, to serve, if we change out ‘the force’ for the Holy Spirit, then I’m sure we’re able to agree, but not just with the fact that we are all blessed with the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, but also the fact that we are at our most successful when we are fully ourselves.

In the Star Wars tales, at this point, the Jedi Order is no more, and it’s before Luke attempts to revive the Jedi technique.

But that doesn’t mean that those who are sensitive to the force are gone. It doesn’t mean that skills learned in one trade or walk of life aren’t able to be applied to another.

After all, the Easter Bunny can perform Santa’s job, and Santa can perform the Easter Bunny’s tasks.

No matter who we are, where we find ourselves, we are able to work toward the realization of God’s Kingdom in this world even, and especially when we work in the world.

Paul reminds us “¹⁴ For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”” (Gal 5:14)

And again, Paul focuses our efforts: “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Gal 5:22-23)

The passage from 1 Kings reminds us: “¹⁹ So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. ²⁰ Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,” he said, “and then I will come with you.”

“Go back,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?” (1 Ki 19:19-20)

Today’s texts remind us that no matter who we are, we are all called.

We are all called not just to specific tasks and occupations, not just to follow but, more, we’re called to lead the way for those who are needing to be reminded that God lives in their hearts and lives as well as ours.

So, today I will encourage each one of us that to be called is a vocation that we are all urged to fulfill in every action of life, when we follow where God continues to lead, every day.

Amen.