We are Called

Readings Isaiah 42:1-9, Acts 10:34-42 and Matthew 3:13 to end.

“May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord.”

In a movie depicting the life of Christ, Jesus stepped out of the crowd and approached John the Baptist to be baptised.  John looked at him and asked, “Why have you come to me to be baptized?  The thongs of your sandals I am not even worthy to untie.”

This was actually a bit of poetic license on the part of the director for John’s statement was actually made to the Pharisees when they questioned John about who he was and he told of one coming after him.

So why did the Son of God come to be baptized?  John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance.  Where was Jesus’ need for repentance?

Was it to sanctify the act of Baptism and make it an outward demonstration of our faith?  That is consistent with Christ’s great commission as stated in Matthew when he said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

That may be the answer, but it is also recorded in John’s Gospel that John the Baptist said when he saw Jesus the next day after his discussion with the Pharisees, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!  This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’  I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”

Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.  I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit’.  I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.”

As Christians we are called.  Called by the Holy Spirit and called to respond to the leadings of that Spirit.  I put to you that what Jesus was doing was being obedient to that calling.  He was responding to His Father’s will. 

His response so pleased His Father that I sometimes imagine that God bellowed from the grandstand in heaven like a father on the side lines of a rugby match after his son scored a try saying, “That a boy son, great move”.  But this was not a game.  What He said was, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Jesus responded to the love of his father.  He responded to his calling and John the Baptist testified to the act. 

We first read about one of these responses to a calling when Jesus was twelve and he stayed behind in Jerusalem in the Temple, where he was asking questions and everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.  His explanation to his parents was that he had to be in his Father’s house. He had to respond to his call.

We also read where his mother Mary informed him at the wedding in Cana of Galilee that they had no more wine.  A calling that Jesus first reacted negatively to by saying that his time had not yet come but never-the-less an ultimate response as seen in our wall painting, of a gracious replenishment of the supply of wine reported to be of the utmost quality.  Don’t you just wish John Paulding could do something like that at our next wine tasting at King Edwards Hall? 

I do not think Mary would have made that request if she had not seen his response in the past to the needs of others, other callings that she had witnessed but alas are not recorded for us to read about. 

As Christians we are called and I believe we are called frequently.  Sometimes the calling is for our own good if we listen.  Sometimes the calling is for the benefit of others.  But I find that too often I miss the calling because I am focused on my own concerns, my own business, my own will.  But when I have responded to a call I have seen others blessed and I and my family have been blessed.

This week I was particularly interested in three news items that came out of the tsunami disaster.  One was that the Sri Lankan authorities had noticed the near absence of animals amongst the dead.  This was accompanied by a comment that in Japan, cats are known to disappear as much as twelve hours before a tsunami, even before the earth quake event occurs.  I am reminded of Christ’s instruction about worry, look at the birds in the air, they do not sow or reap or store away in barns yet their heavenly Father feeds them.  It also reminded me of the time my daughter came home from primary school to tell she had learned in chapel that God was so concerned that we would be afraid of the unknown that in scriptures there are 365 references to “fear not”, one for each day.

In the second item, an anthropologist in India was bemoaning the previous week that an aboriginal people living at the sea shore on an island in the Indian Ocean would have been totally wiped out by the tsunami.  However, this week when an Indian reconnaissance plane flew over they were met with the usual volley of arrows and when the tribe was contacted by the appropriate person, it was determined that all 254 members of the tribe were safe and that they had moved to higher ground well in advance of the tsunami.

The third story is about all of us not directly affected by the Tsunami but who generously responded to the needs of the victims of the tsunami, responded to the call.  This has become the single largest recorded outpouring of generosity.

When I was at University in Atlanta, Georgia I attended a Friends Meeting where before going into the meeting room, we would sing quietly, “In calm and cool and silence once again, we find our own accustomed place.  Amongst our brethren where we yet may hear that still small voice, that still small voice, the voice that reached the prophet’s ear.

That still small voice, here is a simple example that some of you may relate to.  Have you ever gone out the door of your house and had the sense that you needed to go back in and get something, something that was not associated with your planned trip but whether you did or did not go back for it, you found later in the day that you needed that very item.

I received Friday a book mark advertising an art exhibit with a quote from Goethe saying, “A person should hear a little music, read a little poetry and see a fine picture every day in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.

Sense of the beautiful, light of the Spirit, still small voice; many have tried to describe it.  Goethe is simply reminding us to tune in to God. 

Jesus first proclaimed after his baptism, “The time had come.  The kingdom of God is near.  Repent and believe the good news.”

We heard in Isaiah, “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand.  I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles…..new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you.”  These are not the prophesies of an absentee landlord as some have described God.

We just heard Peter’s testimony regarding Jesus to the household of Cornelius, a Centurion of the Italian Regiment, a Gentile.  Remember that Cornelius responded to the angel’s instruction to send men to seek out Peter and Peter responded to the calling of the Spirit to go with the men seeking him.

Thirteen years ago, the company that sent me to Europe two years before directed me to come home.  I was torn as I was developing a project in the UK with others.  In a very anxious prayer I asked what should I do and the thought that came back was to step into the water – I knew the context of the statement from years before and I knew this was a directive for me to stay here,

When John Paulding and others created an appeal to raise £75,000 to refurbish the wall paintings and replace the lighting there was a lot of discussion about whether we could raise it and if we could should we not use the money for other reasons like supporting local charities and other outreach programs.  During a church service I was thinking about this and the answer that came to me was why not both.  Why not?  We worship a gracious and generous God as depicted in the wall painting of the wedding at Cana of Galilee.  Those funds were raised and now as a church we are responding to “The Responsibility is Ours” program that puts this church on a sound financial footing and enables us to do more outreach and support of charities.

A few years ago I had been working on a project in Turkey for over two years when it was cancelled.  One morning after relating this to friends in Men’s Breakfast I came outside and just asked God in a prayer of frustration why had he brought me here?  The almost instantaneous reply was, “to teach you to listen”.  Wow! …. Later the Turkish project was completed but the learning to listen is an ongoing activity.

I cannot explain how aboriginal people and animals avoid a tsunami, but I know we are a called people.  We are called into a relationship with our creator and our saviour.  He is not the absentee landlord.  He is active in my life so I know he is or can be active in yours.

Mike Austell

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For those of you who do not know me, my name is Mike Austell.  My family and I have worshipped in this parish for 15 years.  I work to commercially develop, finance and implement energy and environmental infrastructure projects and have completed 6 such projects in 5 countries during my 15 years in Europe. For the past 4 years I have worked as an independent consultant in this area.  At all Saints, I have been active with the Men’s Breakfast Group, the Choir, a number of Alpha Courses and other group activities and studies.