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Isaiah 49:1-7
When I was younger and in school – I wanted to please my teachers so bad! You might say I was a teacher’s pet. Anyway, when my teacher would ask for someone to pass out or take up papers, or run an errand to the office – my hand SHOT up, and I waved it in the air. I sat there waving my hand furiously – silently saying – “pick me!, pick me! Pick Me!! For some reason – I was sure that waving my arm would ensure that the teacher picked me. Now if I was picked to do this job – it was an honor, and a job I took seriously. After all the teacher chose me! My teacher trusted me with this important task.
Just like my teacher chose me for a special task – God chose me for a special task. And God has also chosen YOU for a special task. Our Scripture today illustrates that God does indeed choose a special task for each of us.
Isaiah 49:1-7
Listen to me, O coastlands,
pay attention, you peoples from far away!
The Lord called me before I was born,
while I was in my mother’s womb he named me.
2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword,
in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me a polished arrow,
in his quiver he hid me away.
3 And he said to me, ‘You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’
4 But I said, ‘I have labored in vain,
I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;
yet surely my cause is with the Lord,
and my reward with my God.’
5 And now the Lord says,
who formed me in the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him,
and that Israel might be gathered to him,
for I am honored in the sight of the Lord,
and my God has become my strength—
6 he says,
‘It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to restore the survivors of Israel;
I will give you as a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.’
7 Thus says the Lord,
the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One,
to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations,
the slave of rulers,
‘Kings shall see and stand up,
princes, and they shall prostrate themselves,
because of the Lord, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.’
pay attention, you peoples from far away!
The Lord called me before I was born,
while I was in my mother’s womb he named me.
2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword,
in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me a polished arrow,
in his quiver he hid me away.
3 And he said to me, ‘You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’
4 But I said, ‘I have labored in vain,
I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;
yet surely my cause is with the Lord,
and my reward with my God.’
5 And now the Lord says,
who formed me in the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him,
and that Israel might be gathered to him,
for I am honored in the sight of the Lord,
and my God has become my strength—
6 he says,
‘It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to restore the survivors of Israel;
I will give you as a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.’
7 Thus says the Lord,
the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One,
to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations,
the slave of rulers,
‘Kings shall see and stand up,
princes, and they shall prostrate themselves,
because of the Lord, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.’
Isaiah was chosen by God to share the news of God with everyone. The translation of the Bible – the Message paraphrases verse 6 like this: “But that’s not a big enough job for my servant – just to recover the tribes of Jacob, merely to round up the strays of Israel. I’m setting you up as a light for the nations so that my salvation becomes global!” Even before Isaiah was born – we read in verse 2 – that he was called by God to do this task! [[“The Lord called me before I was born, while I was in my mother’s womb he named me.”]] The same can be said of all of us!
Even before I was born – I was called Even before you were born you were called! God created us uniquely, with special gifts.
God created you with extra patience – because God knew you would be a social worker.
God created you with leadership abilities – because God knew you’d need them as CEO.
God gave you innovation – so you could use it as a business owner.
You have logistics skills as a builder to see how things fit together.
God gave you charisma as a salesman
God created you with leadership abilities – because God knew you’d need them as CEO.
God gave you innovation – so you could use it as a business owner.
You have logistics skills as a builder to see how things fit together.
God gave you charisma as a salesman
God created you with the excitement and energy you need to inspire children, youth, and adults as you teach classes.
We were all chosen by God to be ministers of the Good News. We have been called to be a light to the nations. We have all been given special gifts that we can use so that when we work with others – they will see the light of God!
We were all chosen by God to be ministers of the Good News. We have been called to be a light to the nations. We have all been given special gifts that we can use so that when we work with others – they will see the light of God!
So – how are you reflecting the light and grace of God in your life? [1] How have others used their gifts given to them by God – to share the Good News of Jesus Christ?
Several years ago Sara Bazemore started a ministry in my home church called - Cannon’s Cancer Ministry. This ministry has grown. And now the ministry is a model for starting other cancer ministries in churches. God gave Sara the necessary tools to lead a team of volunteers to do great things.
SAME KIND OF DIFFERENT AS ME. This is a true story about the friendship between a homeless man and an art trader. Their collaboration on this book – and the success of the book has allowed both men to use their popularity to further advocate for the homeless. God gave both of these men the skills they needed to collaborate and work together to make a difference to those who are homeless.
I’ve got a friend who is a statistical data analyzer for biological data…and her husband is doing research on genetic diseases. Needless to say they work with scientist and people who are skeptical of the Christian faith all day long! When I asked her how she was able to live out her faith in such an environment she told me that she and her husband saw the their workplace as their mission field. God had given them the knowledge they needed so that they could work in the university environment. But God also gave them the ability to form relationships with the scientists - and to have the opportunity to speak with these logical minds about God and their faith. God called them to this specific task – before they were born!
You see – outside these walls is where the ministry really gets done!
SAME KIND OF DIFFERENT AS ME. This is a true story about the friendship between a homeless man and an art trader. Their collaboration on this book – and the success of the book has allowed both men to use their popularity to further advocate for the homeless. God gave both of these men the skills they needed to collaborate and work together to make a difference to those who are homeless.
I’ve got a friend who is a statistical data analyzer for biological data…and her husband is doing research on genetic diseases. Needless to say they work with scientist and people who are skeptical of the Christian faith all day long! When I asked her how she was able to live out her faith in such an environment she told me that she and her husband saw the their workplace as their mission field. God had given them the knowledge they needed so that they could work in the university environment. But God also gave them the ability to form relationships with the scientists - and to have the opportunity to speak with these logical minds about God and their faith. God called them to this specific task – before they were born!
You see – outside these walls is where the ministry really gets done!
Sharing the good news of Jesus Christ is done through you! Our denomination recognizes the importance of having both lay and ordained pastors. And our denomination also recognizes that it’s the laity who have an important calling. That calling is that they be ministers of the Gospel in whatever context they live, work or volunteer. “Every layperson is called to carry out the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20)…The witness of the laity, their Christ-like examples of every-day living as well as the sharing of their own faith experiences of the Gospel, is the primary evangelistic ministry through which all people will come to know Christ”[2]
The PRIMARY evangelistic means?! This puts a different spin on how ministry is done. Notice it’s not the preaching of the pastor, or the teachings, or the programs a church has, or any amount of pastoral counseling. The most effective and the first means of evangelism is through the way you live! What you do in your every day life is one of the most important ways non-Christians come to know what Christianity is about – and who Christ is. Can you imagine that?
I went to a concert a few months ago. Outside of the arena there were people holding signs and telling us if we didn’t turn from sin we would perish forever. In that moment I didn’t want to be associated with those people who were outside of the arena. To me, these people were showing me a God that was a judgmental and angry god.
The PRIMARY evangelistic means?! This puts a different spin on how ministry is done. Notice it’s not the preaching of the pastor, or the teachings, or the programs a church has, or any amount of pastoral counseling. The most effective and the first means of evangelism is through the way you live! What you do in your every day life is one of the most important ways non-Christians come to know what Christianity is about – and who Christ is. Can you imagine that?
I went to a concert a few months ago. Outside of the arena there were people holding signs and telling us if we didn’t turn from sin we would perish forever. In that moment I didn’t want to be associated with those people who were outside of the arena. To me, these people were showing me a God that was a judgmental and angry god.
In his testimony - UGA coach Mark Richt explains that it was the former FSU Coach, Bobby Bowden, who led him to Christ. “I love Coach Bowden and am eternally grateful to him for giving me my first job in coaching and most importantly leading me to the LORD.”[3] It’s through his words and actions that Coach Bobby Bowden has shared Christ with his players. [4]
“When we offer Christ through our words and our actions, we become a means of grace – that is – we serve as instruments of God’s grace and offer the possibility of salvation, the fullness of life.”[5] What an honor and a privilege to be chosen for such a task.
When I would raise my hand and shake it so furiously and think, “pick me! Pick me!” - I did it because I knew that if my teacher chose me for this special task – it was an honor! God has chosen you for this task! It’s an honor – that God wanted YOU – to share the Good News with those around you. You have been chosen by God to be a light to the nations. God created you to live your life in such a way that whatever you do – people will see God through you.
“When we offer Christ through our words and our actions, we become a means of grace – that is – we serve as instruments of God’s grace and offer the possibility of salvation, the fullness of life.”[5] What an honor and a privilege to be chosen for such a task.
When I would raise my hand and shake it so furiously and think, “pick me! Pick me!” - I did it because I knew that if my teacher chose me for this special task – it was an honor! God has chosen you for this task! It’s an honor – that God wanted YOU – to share the Good News with those around you. You have been chosen by God to be a light to the nations. God created you to live your life in such a way that whatever you do – people will see God through you.
As we close today – I want to show you a video.
The Christian group Casting Crowns produced a song a few years ago that I think explains our calling perfectly. The song “Lifesong” is about living a life that points to God. It's about living your life so that others can see God through you. The insert that was passed out to you before the service has the lyrics to the song if you’d like to read them. The video itself has different scripture verses that help illustrate the importance of living our lives in a way that illuminates God.
During the song – I encourage you to pray or think about how God is calling you to minister to others in this community and world. You can pray in your seats or you’re invited to come down front to pray. If you feel God is guiding you to something specific or want more help in discerning God’s guidance in your life – any of the pastoral staff – Richard, Merry, or myself are willing to talk to you about it.
LIFESONG VIDEO [6]
The Christian group Casting Crowns produced a song a few years ago that I think explains our calling perfectly. The song “Lifesong” is about living a life that points to God. It's about living your life so that others can see God through you. The insert that was passed out to you before the service has the lyrics to the song if you’d like to read them. The video itself has different scripture verses that help illustrate the importance of living our lives in a way that illuminates God.
During the song – I encourage you to pray or think about how God is calling you to minister to others in this community and world. You can pray in your seats or you’re invited to come down front to pray. If you feel God is guiding you to something specific or want more help in discerning God’s guidance in your life – any of the pastoral staff – Richard, Merry, or myself are willing to talk to you about it.
LIFESONG VIDEO [6]
[1] The Wesley Study Bible. Pg 864: “A Light to the Nations” NRSV
[2] 2008 Book of Discipline: ¶ 126
[3] http://www.uga.edu/teamunited/testimonies/mark_richt.htm
[4] http://pages.simonandschuster.com/bobbybowdenbook
[5] The Wesley Study Bible. Pg 1347 “Offering Christ” NRSV
[6] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaia32TsPq0
2 comments:
Nice sermon. I'll bet the video was a good finish.
I so wish I was there to hear this sermon in person. I especially like what you said when you mentioned that "God called them to this specific task – before they were born!" I keep telling my girls that God has chosen them but I keep forgetting to tell myself the same thing. Thank you, cousin Amanda!!
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