The Sending...

 

The Sending…

 

Isaiah 6:1-8
6:1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple.

6:2 Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew.

6:3 And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory."

6:4 The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke.

6:5 And I said: "Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!"

6:6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs.

6:7 The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: "Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out."

6:8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I; send me!"

 

 

Isaiah Six begins with one of the Bible’s most famous call stories—that of the prophet, himself. What are call stories? At their broadest definition, they are our personal recollections as to how we wound up doing much of what we “do” in life. They may be stories about how we wound up in the career we are in, to how we “discovered” our partner in life. From a religious perspective, call stories are about how persons discerned a call to “do something” in service to God. This may range from going on a mission trip to entering the ordained ministry. We all have call stories; we just may not think of them in this way.

 

I have a number of personal call stories in my life. The first one that really shook things up happened during my first month at college. I had sailed through high school as a decent student. I could have had a much stronger academic career, but SO enjoyed the other activities such as the various bands I was in, the school plays and shows I was involved in, and even a brief foray into high school sports. Then, along came dating and hanging out with good friends, especially as my high school time was winding down. In the midst of it all, I had decided I would become a journalist, since English and writing were my academic strengths, along with the sciences, and mathematics brought up the rear. Since physics and space science were extreme areas of interest, and my math skills were so pedestrian, I figured I’d be able to “cover” them as a science writer/reporter. I chose a college based on this goal. I distinctly remember getting “oriented” into college life at Point Park College, which was a really good journalism school back in 1972, and settling into my bunk one night, quite pleased with myself and my choices. As I began to say my evening prayers, which I did as a matter of being a “church-raised kid” and the habits I developed from this experience, something quite unusual happened. As I began to say my “rote” prayers to God, I suddenly got an answer back in a “voice” that was so real, I thought it was my roommate speaking. When it became clear that he was fast asleep, I started asking “the voice” questions, and a “conversation” ensued that lasted for the better part of half an hour. During this dialogue, I never doubted that I was “talking” with God, nor did I ever think I had lost my mind. The content of the “rap,” as we might have called it back then, had a few key points:

 

*I had made some important decisions about my life without much consultation with God.

 

*God may have a different plan for my life than I had begun to carve out.

 

*I should start taking my “walk with Christ” much more seriously.

 

*I should stay tuned for further guidance, down the road.

 

Considering this “encounter” had the potential for really charting a different course for my life, I remember thinking I might NEVER get to sleep that night…and then I fell asleep. Waking up the next morning, I felt that some kind of weird “transformation” had occurred in me, and had a compulsion to read the Bible. While I didn’t pack a Bible to bring with me to college, I opened my footlocker and there was a “Good News for Modern Man” New Testament, which I found out later had been packed by my Mom. I was alone in the room, as my roommate had gone off to an early class. The sun shone brightly into the room, as it was a beautiful day outside. I sat down on the edge of the bed, popped open the “Good News,” and began to read where it opened, which just happened to be the Gospel of John. As I started to read, the little hairs on the back of my neck began to stand at attention. The “voice” I was reading—about Jesus, and even OF Jesus—was the very same one I had heard “interrupting” my evening prayer the night before! I will never forget that feeling, and frankly, I STILL hear that voice every time I read the Bible. “The voice” has never gone away, since that encounter. 

 

So, what was my reaction to this first “call story” in my life? 

 

*I began reading my Bible every day, as I had a new hunger to learn about Jesus.

 

*I thought maybe this was some kind of “call” into the ministry, and away from my goal of becoming a journalist.

 

*The transformation that had began with “the voice” continued, and continues to this day.

 

*I hopped a bus for home that next weekend, both to share with my parents what I “thought” was going on, AND to speak with my home pastor, the Rev. Dr. Hugh D. Crocker, who was serving Grace UMC in Oil City, at that time. 

 

My parents were thrilled that I might be called into the Christian ministry, as being good church folk who were raising us “in the church,” this was certainly considered a noble profession. However, after a long session with Rev. Crocker, during which he affirmed that this “could” be a call—and he also affirmed that he felt I would be GOOD at being a pastor—he CAUTIONED me about jumping to this conclusion, given “the voice” had said I should await further instructions. Dr. Crocker explained that a call to the ordained ministry must be affirmed at many levels, and was NOT to be taken lightly. I remember him saying, “If God calls you into the ministry, you DON’T want to ignore it, but until you are SURE, you don’t want to pursue it.” He also said something like, “There are two kinds of miserable people in life: those who GET called into the ministry and who choose to ignore it; and those who GO into the ministry WITHOUT a clear calling.” 

 

This is a really long “call story,” so I’ll cut to the chase: I continued my pursuit of my revitalized faith, began a career in communications, and later got the VERY clear call from “the voice” to pursue seminary education and eventually, ordination. I now write this “retirement sermon” as a retired pastor, having served for 36 years as an itinerant minister in The United Methodist Church. And just a few weeks ago, another “voice” get my attention, but this time it was a District Superintendent over the phone, who asked me to consider being re-deployed—part-time—into parish ministry again. SO, I’m back in the pulpit, come July 14. I should add one additional “take” on this call story. Some have suggested that my “voice” experience that night at Point Park was a “conversion” story, too, but I disagree. I had made a commitment to Jesus Christ as a young person growing up in a gospel-teaching church, and had sincerely reaffirmed this commitment numerous times, at mission festivals at our church. I would have gladly stated that I was “a Christian,” if someone had asked, and understood that my “commitment” was genuine. However, the “fire in my bones” that this college experience lit has never waned. When, years later, I read of John Wesley’s “Aldersgate experience,” I deduced that he and I had shared a similar kind of “fire-starting” encounter with “the voice” that “super-charged” our faith, and changed the direction our lives were headed. 

 

Our friend, Isaiah, is relating exactly the same kind of “meeting up” with “the voice” here in this text. His calling to be a prophet of God launched a whole new “career” for the young man, and the “coal to the lips” via the seraph not only “sealed” the call story, but “ordained” him as a mouthpiece for the Almighty. We preachers all hope our lips are similarly “touched,” especially when we write and deliver a sermon each week. What this meant for Isaiah was that what he had to “speak forth” would not be HIS words, but would be a message from God to God’s people. As a preacher, this is what I have wanted my messages to be, as well. In order to do my part to make sure this would be the case, here are the steps I take each week, before I write a sermon:

 

*I choose a scripture VERY early, on which to preach. As a lectionary preacher, I consult this tool, to do so. When serving a church, I would plan my preaching six months at a time, choosing the scriptures and writing a simple paragraph as to where I saw that week’s sermon “going.” I was always open to changing any message (or scripture), if the Spirit so led, but rarely did that happen, as the Holy Spirit is GREAT at “running on ahead” and helping light a path long before it is “needed.”

 

*I open a file on the computer a few weeks before the message is to be preached, and begin studying each text in advance. This allowed me to “add” items to each sermon, depending on what I was reading, and/or what was “happening” in the world, the culture, or the church. 

 

*I keep each message in prayer, going forward, as well as my “study steps” in forming the message. God is generally a better author than I, so such “consulting” with an expert is most helpful in attempting to write a pertinent message that might both catch the attention of my audience AND meet their spiritual needs!

 

*I always leave “wiggle room” for last minute “updates” by the Holy Spirit. This is why I compile preaching notes from my messages and present them loosely from these notes, keeping me from being locked into a specific text. This method also affords me excellent “eye contact” with my audience.

 

*I never preach “from the barrel.” Every message is new, never repeated. Oh, some illustrations or stories may certainly be used more than once, but it has always been my conviction that each message is an “event” for that time and place. This my personal practice, however, I do realize that the Holy Spirit may use a well-crafted, biblical message more than once, so for those of you who DO repeat your “greatest hits,” that’s not problem! DO what God calls YOU to do!

 

Since I’m going to be back in the pulpit at Faith Community UMC in Rochester, PA, I have been working on my preaching plan, which is now finished through the end of 2024. My practice of planning so far in advance has resulted into a long career of exciting experiences in preaching! I was so often amazed by how a message planned MONTHS before it was to be preached wound up being the PERFECT message at JUST THE RIGHT TIME, when it was time to present it! Again, all the credit and glory goes to God and the Holy Spirit for this, as I obviously would have no idea what might be “going down” in advance. Unlike Isaiah, I am NOT a prophet!

 

I’ll bet that as I recall my “call” experiences, you are revisiting your own—this the “magic” of call stories! And I KNOW that you all have some wonderful ones, as I have heard a great number of them from colleagues, friends, and parishioners, over the years. Call stories are so powerful that I could easily turn this sermon into a veritable “tome” by recounting some that I have heard from yinz! Unfortunately, I also heard a few who, when it came to respond like Isaiah, “Here I am—send me!”, turned and walked away. Their stories were often very hard to hear, and their degree of personal regret was worn like a millstone around the neck. Thankfully, even most of these “I didn’t go” stories have a happier ending, as the Holy Spirit is ALWAYS “running on ahead” to illuminate an alternate path to both service and blessing! Many of the folk who responded in the negative to the initial calling, later were led to wonderful ways to live out a calling in compassion for others and in service to God. Isn’t God GOOD, in this way?

 

“The Sending” can be the hard part of responding to God’s call. A calling to serve God would be so much easier if it could be carried out without leaving places, people, or “stuff” with which we have grown either dependent upon or comfortable with. While some HAVE been able to carry out their “calling” in an existing venue, most of the time God asks us to “be sent” in some way. Why? Partly, I suppose, because the work of God is everywhere God’s people are, and the gifts we possess may be needed elsewhere, or even in numerous locations, over time. When I answered the call to ordained ministry in The United Methodist Church, I knew that this meant vowing to be a part of an “itinerant” ministry. Over the course of 36 years, we served five churches, each in different parts of our Conference. It meant physically moving my family, which always meant my wife losing her job and our children, changing school districts. All this to say that answering God’s call OFTEN involves personal sacrifice and dependence UPON God for God’s provision. I remember hearing “missionary stories” during those mission festivals I mentioned earlier whereby some were called to make the “ultimate sacrifice” in answering God’s call.

 

This coming Monday we Americans are celebrating Memorial Day, when we remember those who were “sent” in service to their country, and who, in many cases, made the ultimate sacrifice. We remember them for their patriotism, citizenship, and service to preserve our freedoms. We are all thankful for their service. 

 

Friends, may we always be listening for “the voice” to rejuvenate our faith, call our gifts into service, and be willing to be “sent” in service to God and others! May we echo the great prophet, Isaiah, with the simple, yet profound words: “Here I am; SEND ME!” Amen!