How many voice mails, texts, or phone messages or Facebook messages do you get in a day? Are you excited when your phone beeps or rings or sings or you notice that you have a message from a friend on Facebook? Can you hardly wait to get the message or messages? Or are you filled with dread when you come home and the answering machine is beeping, letting you know that someone left you a message or two while you were out?
Some folks like to get messages and others don’t. That’s just the different ways we’re all made. Now, have you ever received a call or a message from the Big Guy? What did you think?
Today’s readings from the Scriptures all remind us that God calls people. Whenever I read about God calling people I almost always wonder what it was like for them. And when did they realize it was God who was calling?
Not everyone is like Moses or Elijah or Job. Not many of us get to see burning bushes or hear that still small voice. Yet I still believe that God calls us, all of us.
I’ve said it before and I’m going to say it again this morning, you are all here because God called you. In the way only God can do it he called you to be here in this place at this time. Why, only God knows but I’m sure you will find out soon enough.
The thing to think about today is what do we do when God calls? Do we try to ignore the call or do we do like Andrew and follow when he says, “Come and see.”
John, the Baptizer, got the whole thing started with his baptizing in the desert. Jesus showed up at the river asking to be baptized and then, as he’s walking by, John says to his disciples, “There goes the Lamb of God.”
And so they begin to follow along behind him. They weren’t trying to hide the fact that they were there. So, Jesus stopped and asked them, “What are you after?” They just wanted to know what kind of a person he was; what made him tick. So he invited them to “Come and see.”
I believe that Jesus is still doing that today. He invites people to “Come and see.” Come and see what my gospel is. Come and see what God is like. Come and see what God has done for you. Come and see.
Andrew and his friend accepted the invitation to come and see. They followed him to where he was staying and they hung out there the rest of the day. Apparently Andrew was impressed by what he heard and saw. So much so that he went to Peter, his brother, and told him he had found the Anointed One, the Messiah.
Peter was curious enough, and he must have trusted his brother, to go with him to see Jesus. He went and saw. Jesus knew he was the one he would use to build his kingdom upon. He was the Rock.
So, God calls people. And sometimes they hear and come and see. When they do sometimes they’re changed by what they see, maybe every time they come they’re changed.
So, have you ever followed anybody? Why? Where did they go? What did you learn? Were they bothered that you were following them? Did you stay with them?
Are you, today, following anyone? Are you following Jesus? What are you or have you been learning as you follow them? Would you call yourself a disciple?
My friends, God is calling us. He is calling us to join him in fellowship. He is calling us into discipleship, to learn his ways. He is calling us to join him in mission. God is calling us.
If God is calling do we really have a choice whether we answer or not? I don’t think we do. Oh, we might delay and drag our feet for a while but I believe that when God calls he really wants us and we will answer. Some of us may feel like the Prophets who didn’t think they were qualified to do what God was calling them to do but that doesn’t make any difference to God.
God made us and he knows what we are capable of doing for the kingdom. So, it’s futile for us to resist. When God calls we have to answer.
Friends, God is calling today. Do you hear him calling? How long are you going to keep him hanging? Answer the call. Go and see where he is staying today.
Friends, God loves you. Thanks be to God for his wonderful grace. Amen.
