“To What Ministry Are We Called”
by Rev. Dr. Lisa W.
Davison
this is the sermon text preached
on 7/25/05 at General Assembly.
Isaiah
61:1-9
It was not at all like they had
imagined it would be. For decades, the exiles in Babylon had dreamed about
finally being allowed to return home to Jerusalem. Prophetic voices had
promised them a glorious return, painting pictures of dry bones coming to life
and a great highway leading them home. But when Cyrus of Persia issued the
edict that freed them from exile, what they found in the city was anything but
glorious. The walls of the city had been destroyed in the attack by the
Babylonian armies. Their homes had been inhabited by others. They had no land
and their jobs were gone. Worst of all, their place of worship, the beloved
Temple built by Solomon, lay in ruins. Instead of a wonderful homecoming
celebration, they were faced with desolation. They were strangers in their own
land. Disappointed and discouraged, some of returnees must have envied their
friends and family who had remained in Babylon, where at least they had a life
and a livelihood. With the remains of the once great city of Jerusalem at their
feet, all they could think about was the work that needed to be done. The
dominant concern was to get the Temple and the city walls rebuilt as soon as
possible, to have at least some sense of security. But where would they get the
resources for the construction? Not only was their city in shambles but so was
the community. There were divisions among them, arguments about how to start
and who would be in charge. It seemed utterly
hopeless.
Out of the laments of
mourning and despair, a voice declared: ruach ‘adonai ‘elohim
‘alay. “The spirit of the LORD God is upon me!” A prophet
stepped out from among the people and proclaimed words of encouragement.
Without denying their pain and disillusionment, this messenger of God was called
to preach release, freedom, healing, and hope. These promises of God, spoken
by the prophet, were indeed good news. After having lost their land and their
dignity, the idea of no longer laboring to benefit others must have been a
powerful dream. But the prophet not only proclaimed restoration of property but
also restoration of responsibility. Like strong trees, this new community would
stand as a testament to the God whom they worshiped and served so that one day,
in the near future, all other nations would look to them and to their future
generations and recognize that they were a people blessed by God, that through
them others would be blessed. This was just the motivation the people needed to
begin the process of rebuilding their city and their lives. But the impact of
these words would not end there. For this mission was not for the prophet
alone. The spirit of God also had anointed the whole community to fulfill this
call to make the messages of release, healing, freedom, and hope a reality. As
with all authentic prophecy, these words from Isa 61 continued to call future
generations to ministry even unto today.
“Tell us about your call to
ministry?” This is the most frequently asked question of seminary
students. I remember all too well the day the question was asked of me during
an ordination interview. Oh how I had wanted to tell some great story of a
burning bush or of hearing a voice saying: “Who will go for us?”
Unfortunately, that would have been a lie; yet somehow my experience of just
feeling “drawn to ministry” did not seem too impressive. The idea
of “call” is an important concept in the church. We read stories in
the bible about people who experienced a divine invitation. God’s call,
though, is experienced not just by those preparing for ordination or by those
being asked to lead slaves out of Egypt. God calls all of us to participate in
ministry in many different ways. Tonight the youth have shared some of their
experiences of hearing God’s call in their lives, and I’m sure each
of you has experiences you can share. So, rather than asking, “are you
called to ministry?”; the more important question that needs to be asked
is: “To what ministry are you called?”
I imagine this question was on the
minds of those from Jesus’ hometown, when he first showed up claiming to
be called by God. Sitting in the synagogue before what was essentially his own
“ordination committee”, Jesus turned to the words of an ancient
prophet, found in Isa 61, to explain the ministry God had called him to do. As
those who proclaim Jesus to be the Christ of our lives and who seek to follow
his example, this text should be the place where we go to answer the question:
“to what ministry are we, the Christian Church (DOC), called by
God?”
Much like the ancient
audience for whom the words of Isa 61 were originally spoken, we, the Christian
Church (Disciples of Christ), are in a familiar but new place. We have
experienced exile, loss, broken hearts and uncertainty about the future. For
quite some time now it has seemed like we have worn the ashes of mourning and
despair. As a denomination, we have lost numbers, and money seems to be an
ever-dwindling resource. Like those who faced rebuilding Jerusalem, many of us
feel that our beloved church has suffered the brunt of attack, and we wonder if
it’s even possible to rebuild it so that this denomination will be around
for more than another generation. One possible response to this situation would
be for us to seek protection by building walls that keep us safe with sure
answers and the confidence that we alone have the truth. Another possibility
would be for us to be like the exiles, who remained in Babylon because it was
comfortable, and try to fade into the religious backdrop, losing our identity to
be just like everyone else.
Or,
we can respond by heeding the prophet’s call in Isa 61 – whose
message was not a call to grasp at security or to embrace uniformity. These
were words of challenge, risk, and service. Is not the message still relevant
for us today? At the 2003 General Assembly, meeting in Charlotte, NC, a
modern-day prophet, the Rev. Dr. Peter Gomes spoke a similar message to the
Christian Church (DOC). As an outsider, Gomes described what he saw as the
uniqueness of the Christian Church (DOC). He talked about how this denomination
had always been a leader, showing the church a new way. But he also warned
that, if we Disciples keep trying to blend into the landscape, then we would
deserve whatever troubles came our way. And we have had our
troubles.
Now is the time to
reclaim our uniqueness and to fulfill our call to ministry, to bring into
reality the ideas described in Isa 61. The gospel writers tell us how Jesus
fulfilled this call to ministry, but what would it look like if we the Christian
Church (Disciples of Christ) were to do so today? Who are the oppressed who
need to hear good news? Where are the broken hearts that are in need of our
binding? Who are the captives that need to be liberated? Where are the ones
who need to be released from the things that keep them imprisoned? Who needs to
hear a word about the LORD’s favor? Is this not the ministry to which we
are called? What would this call to ministry require of us in this time and in
this place of exile?
The Spirit
of the LORD is upon us to preach good news to those who are oppressed! For
those oppressed by unjust economic systems that penalize working single-moms
because the cost of daycare is too high for them to afford on their salary, we
can work to make a living wage a reality, not just a resolution we approve. On
behalf of those oppressed by political systems that protect the rights of the
powerful few while exploiting the powerless masses, we can demand that all votes
are counted in elections. For those oppressed by the high cost of health care
that forces them to choose between food and medicines, their children’s
education and a life-saving operation, we must take the risks of increased taxes
to insure that all of God’s people have health insurance.
The spirit of the LORD God is upon
us to bind up the broken hearts in our world! For hearts broken by dishonesty
in relationships where covenantal trust has been shattered, we can offer the
balm of compassion. To the hearts broken by the diagnoses of loved ones with
terrible diseases that seem to defy treatment much less healing, we can provide
the dignity of hospice care and ensure that all avenues of medical research are
pursued. On behalf of the hearts broken by abuse at the hands of those who were
supposed to protect them from harm, we can provide safe places for them to go
and find security.
The spirit of
the LORD God is upon us to declare liberty for the captives! For those enslaved
by systems that discriminate based on differences in physical abilities,
religion, sex, and race, we can support policies that ensure fair hiring
practices and protect against discrimination of any kind. On behalf of those
enslaved by addictions to power, money, drugs, and anything else that dulls the
pain of feeling unloved, we can work for better educational opportunities,
compassionate treatment centers, and provide them with a sense of self-worth.
For those enslaved by the pandemic of AIDs unable to get the treatment that will
save their lives, we can demand that our government not only give adequate
financial relief but also support the providing of condoms and the education on
how to prevent the spread of this horrible
disease.
The spirit of the LORD God
is upon us to proclaim release to the imprisoned! To those imprisoned by the
fear to be who God created them to be, we can work for laws that enlarge the
definition of hate crimes and for fairness ordinances throughout the country.
For those imprisoned by others who say that they are not created in the image of
God, but are inherently flawed, an abomination because of whom they love, we can
acknowledge such language as spiritual violence and no longer tolerate such
hateful behavior in the name of “Christian
love”.
To respond to this
call to ministry we will have to take off our mourning clothes, tear down our
walls of security, and take the risk of being unique, in order to bring about
this realization of God’s will. We, as individuals and as a church, will
stand strong and tall, like trees planted by God, giving witness to the God whom
we worship and serve. Our future will not be one of foreign occupation or
despair but of hope and promise. Then, all peoples of the world will look at
the Christian Church (DOC) today and in the future, and they will recognize us
to be a church blessed by God.
Indeed, already there are those
who have responded to this call. On June 12th of this year, First
Christian Church in Radford, VA, my home congregation, was the victim of arson
which did over a quarter of a million dollars worth of damage. Within 24 hours,
the church received a check from Week of Compassion. The trustees in charge of
dispersing the funds left from the closing of Hanover Christian Church in
Richmond, VA sent a $1,200 check. The Outreach Committee of Ft. Lewis Christian
Church in Salem, VA donated $1,000 for the restoration of the nursery school
rooms that were destroyed in the fire. The spirit of the LORD is at work
binding up broken hearts in VA.
As
of this assembly, at least 68 Disciples of Christ congregations have taken a
stand for justice by identifying themselves as Open & Affirming. They have
risked condemnation by other churches in order to provide a place where all of
God’s children are truly welcome. These congregations have faced protests
by Fred Phelps and others like him, so that everyone will know that theirs is a
church that celebrates the beautiful diversity of God’s creation. The
spirit of the LORD is at work in these churches proclaiming liberty and release
to the captives.
Instead of going
to the water park or the zoo, 260 youth and adults participated in mission
opportunities around Portland today. Overcoming what is for some a very real
fear of needles and passing out, 120 pints of blood have been collected already
during this assembly. That is 360 lives that can be saved. The spirit of the
LORD is at work here in Portland preaching good news to the
oppressed.
This is only a
beginning. Church, there is so much more to be done in responding to this call
to ministry.
ruach ‘adonai
‘elohim
‘aleynu
“The spirit of
the LORD God is upon us all!” May the words of the prophet Isaiah be
fulfilled in our living!
Filed Sun - July 31, 2005, 03:41 PM in
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