This morning I led worship with my home congregation, Blackwood Uniting. Heidi, one of the young adults, had expressed a desire to invite young people to lead in worship, so as I was rostered on for today, I invited her to help me shape the service. Responses suggest those gathered appreciate the space we crafted, and the message we brought. Here are the words from the reflection, which I gave.
Luke 13:10-17
As we reflect on the word of God today, we’ll focus our attention on the call of the prophet Jeremiah.
However, I would like us to keep in mind the story of Jesus who brought healing to this woman. Jesus, too, was called by God early in life. Perhaps when we are in our 30s today we are considered younger than a person in their 30s would have been in Jesus’ time, but nevertheless, he was a young man with a challenging message.
Call narratives are important in the prophetic writings of the Biblical story. Their purpose is to settle the matter of whether we can trust that what the prophet speaks is the word of God. If this is the word of God, with whom we have a covenant relationship, we are obliged to hear it, and to obey. This is the question for all those who have received these texts as sacred scripture through time – can we trust that the word spoken by this human is of God?
Call narratives appear in the stories of many of the prophets – Isaiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Moses, Samuel, Paul and Jesus (though his is narrated a little differently).
This week I’ve been writing worship resources for Seasons of the Spirit’s materials for 2011-12, for the story of Samuel’s call from God. In January 2012 we’ll be invited to hear this story another young boy who hears God calling him. But this story has been interacting with the story of Jeremiah as I reflected on them both this week. I wonder if you know the story of Samuel’s call?
Samuel and Eli have laid down for the night, and Samuel hears a voice calling him – ‘Samuel, Samuel!’. He gets up and goes to Eli, and says, ‘Here I am, you called me?’ Eli replies, no I didn’t call you, go lie down again. This happens two more times, and then Eli discerns that it is God who is calling to Samuel. He instructs Samuel how to respond and sends him to lie down again. When God calls the fourth time, Samuel now knows to recognise this as God’s voice, and is prepared to hear what God will require of him. In the morning, Eli asks Samuel to tell him what God said – is this curiosity, a desire to help Samuel to live out his call? Either way, Eli is interested in Samuel’s experience of God, and is prepared to hear God’s message, and as it turns out, it’s not a message that will be easy for Eli to hear.
So as I reflected on this story of a young person hearing God’s call, I wondered about Blackwood Uniting Church’s relationship with young adults. I understand that for some time various groups have been working together to explore the ways Blackwood might work with young adults to nurture their faith and spirituality. And I wondered, as I prepared prayers and reflections around the story of Samuel and Eli, whether Blackwood Uniting might be Eli to the young adult Samuels in our midst.
How are we like Eli, mentoring our Samuels?
How are we like Eli, helping our Samuels to discern the voice of God, recognise it, and know how to respond?
Importantly in the story for today, Jeremiah’s protest, or at least resistance, to God’s call is recorded.
I am a lousy public speaker.
I am too young for anybody to take me seriously.
Is Blackwood Uniting like the community to whom Jeremiahs might be called to give a message from God? Might there be Jeremiahs who bring a disturbing, uncomfortable, call for us to change our ways for the sake of God’s way of love in the world?
Who are the young adults listening to the call of God in our midst?
Heidi and I would like to share something of our stories at this point, as young adults (Heidi younger than me), who are trying to faithfully listen to the call of God.
[Heidi's reflection]
Sarah's reflection:
On Saturday last week, I was at the ordination service for two deacons and five ministers of the word. 3 of those 7 people were in the 18 – 30 ish young adults age bracket. Of the five possible ordinands that I know of in December, all are in their 30s. Young adults are hearing and following God’s call into ordained ministry in the church. Blackwood has one of those young adults in your midst.
As a younger young adult, I withdrew from the church community for a time. Several people in this community gently invited me back. Steve invited me to lead through drama, in worship and with the Christmas Eve drama and carols service that is such an important part of our relationship with the wider community. peter and nancy invited me to lead at the national Christian youth convention by coordinating the nitelife program. Black wood jazz developed out of that, and I was encouraged and affirmed in many ways through that particular journey. Even earlier, I had been able to volunteer in the office, with pam and meg helping me to develop administrative skills, and through that role I was invited to apply for a job in the synod office, my first paying job.
Now, I am one person, and a person steeped in the uniting church and Christian faith – and yet, I could have left the church and left God behind without these important relationships with older people other than my parents, who encouraged me, included me, valued me as part of this community. you helped me find my way back into Christian community, and helped me to discern God’s call and to answer it.
How are you doing this for the other young adults in your midst?
However, I would like us to keep in mind the story of Jesus who brought healing to this woman. Jesus, too, was called by God early in life. Perhaps when we are in our 30s today we are considered younger than a person in their 30s would have been in Jesus’ time, but nevertheless, he was a young man with a challenging message.
Call narratives are important in the prophetic writings of the Biblical story. Their purpose is to settle the matter of whether we can trust that what the prophet speaks is the word of God. If this is the word of God, with whom we have a covenant relationship, we are obliged to hear it, and to obey. This is the question for all those who have received these texts as sacred scripture through time – can we trust that the word spoken by this human is of God?
Call narratives appear in the stories of many of the prophets – Isaiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Moses, Samuel, Paul and Jesus (though his is narrated a little differently).
This week I’ve been writing worship resources for Seasons of the Spirit’s materials for 2011-12, for the story of Samuel’s call from God. In January 2012 we’ll be invited to hear this story another young boy who hears God calling him. But this story has been interacting with the story of Jeremiah as I reflected on them both this week. I wonder if you know the story of Samuel’s call?
Samuel and Eli have laid down for the night, and Samuel hears a voice calling him – ‘Samuel, Samuel!’. He gets up and goes to Eli, and says, ‘Here I am, you called me?’ Eli replies, no I didn’t call you, go lie down again. This happens two more times, and then Eli discerns that it is God who is calling to Samuel. He instructs Samuel how to respond and sends him to lie down again. When God calls the fourth time, Samuel now knows to recognise this as God’s voice, and is prepared to hear what God will require of him. In the morning, Eli asks Samuel to tell him what God said – is this curiosity, a desire to help Samuel to live out his call? Either way, Eli is interested in Samuel’s experience of God, and is prepared to hear God’s message, and as it turns out, it’s not a message that will be easy for Eli to hear.
So as I reflected on this story of a young person hearing God’s call, I wondered about Blackwood Uniting Church’s relationship with young adults. I understand that for some time various groups have been working together to explore the ways Blackwood might work with young adults to nurture their faith and spirituality. And I wondered, as I prepared prayers and reflections around the story of Samuel and Eli, whether Blackwood Uniting might be Eli to the young adult Samuels in our midst.
How are we like Eli, mentoring our Samuels?
How are we like Eli, helping our Samuels to discern the voice of God, recognise it, and know how to respond?
Importantly in the story for today, Jeremiah’s protest, or at least resistance, to God’s call is recorded.
I am a lousy public speaker.
I am too young for anybody to take me seriously.
Is Blackwood Uniting like the community to whom Jeremiahs might be called to give a message from God? Might there be Jeremiahs who bring a disturbing, uncomfortable, call for us to change our ways for the sake of God’s way of love in the world?
Who are the young adults listening to the call of God in our midst?
Heidi and I would like to share something of our stories at this point, as young adults (Heidi younger than me), who are trying to faithfully listen to the call of God.
[Heidi's reflection]
Sarah's reflection:
On Saturday last week, I was at the ordination service for two deacons and five ministers of the word. 3 of those 7 people were in the 18 – 30 ish young adults age bracket. Of the five possible ordinands that I know of in December, all are in their 30s. Young adults are hearing and following God’s call into ordained ministry in the church. Blackwood has one of those young adults in your midst.
As a younger young adult, I withdrew from the church community for a time. Several people in this community gently invited me back. Steve invited me to lead through drama, in worship and with the Christmas Eve drama and carols service that is such an important part of our relationship with the wider community. peter and nancy invited me to lead at the national Christian youth convention by coordinating the nitelife program. Black wood jazz developed out of that, and I was encouraged and affirmed in many ways through that particular journey. Even earlier, I had been able to volunteer in the office, with pam and meg helping me to develop administrative skills, and through that role I was invited to apply for a job in the synod office, my first paying job.
Now, I am one person, and a person steeped in the uniting church and Christian faith – and yet, I could have left the church and left God behind without these important relationships with older people other than my parents, who encouraged me, included me, valued me as part of this community. you helped me find my way back into Christian community, and helped me to discern God’s call and to answer it.
How are you doing this for the other young adults in your midst?
Returning for a moment to jeremiah’s resistance to God’s call, there are several points worth making.
The resistance from Jeremiah indicates his awareness of the very great burden that is placed on prophets – calling whole communities, powerful authorities, to change their ways is a daunting task. People don’t want to hear that they must let go of what is comfortable, known, easy. People will persecute one who brings such a message. Prophets died.
The resistance also gives a sense of integrity to the prophet, because hearers of this story would think it reasonable of any sensible person to resist a call to such a dangerous mission for God.
It also shows that the task was not sought or desired by the prophet for personal gain or status. We can see that this person is acting on divine compulsion, and can therefore trust what he says.
Even so, sometimes it will be uncomfortable to hear from the younger generations – like the way Padraig Ó Tuama’s prayer ('Maranatha') included coarse language. It will be confronting, it may seem as though they speak a difficult message or a different language.
But when we make the space to hear from young adults their call narratives, and can be certain that they speak because they are compelled to by God – will we listen? Will we help them to answer the call?
The stories we have heard today ask us: are we, the community of Blackwood Uniting Church, prepared to be challenged, to change, to let go, in order for young adults, for us all together as a community of Christ’s followers, to listen, to hear, and to follow, the call of God?
The resistance from Jeremiah indicates his awareness of the very great burden that is placed on prophets – calling whole communities, powerful authorities, to change their ways is a daunting task. People don’t want to hear that they must let go of what is comfortable, known, easy. People will persecute one who brings such a message. Prophets died.
The resistance also gives a sense of integrity to the prophet, because hearers of this story would think it reasonable of any sensible person to resist a call to such a dangerous mission for God.
It also shows that the task was not sought or desired by the prophet for personal gain or status. We can see that this person is acting on divine compulsion, and can therefore trust what he says.
Even so, sometimes it will be uncomfortable to hear from the younger generations – like the way Padraig Ó Tuama’s prayer ('Maranatha') included coarse language. It will be confronting, it may seem as though they speak a difficult message or a different language.
But when we make the space to hear from young adults their call narratives, and can be certain that they speak because they are compelled to by God – will we listen? Will we help them to answer the call?
The stories we have heard today ask us: are we, the community of Blackwood Uniting Church, prepared to be challenged, to change, to let go, in order for young adults, for us all together as a community of Christ’s followers, to listen, to hear, and to follow, the call of God?
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