Will You Answer The Call?

 

This is the manuscript of my sermon from November 13, 2016. The lesson was Isaiah 6:1-8. Also included is my Small Talk (Children's Message) which precedes the reading of the lesson.

EDIT: Right after I posted this, I saw a link to the following article come across my Twitter feed. Please read this article from the Southern Poverty Law Center on Responding to Everyday Bigotry.

May grace and peace be yours in abundance. AMEN.

It is a time of chaos. In the midst of a transfer of power and authority, lines are drawn. Controversy ensues. People are angry. Other nations weigh in. There is unrest and controversy.

I’m of course talking about the setting for our lesson from Isaiah. The nation of Israel has split into two, the Northern Kingdom, Israel or Ephraim) and Judea, the Southern Kingdom. Israel has joined into an alliance with Syria to fight the Assyrian Empire (the capital city of which is Nineveh, where Jonah went in last week’s lesson.) Judea refuses to join the alliance, and so Syria and Israel attack Judea. The Israelites even try to put a new king on the throne of the Southern kingdom, but Uzziah maintains his leadership. When Uzziah dies, his son, Ahaz, the new king of Judea reaches out to Assyria to help; they do. Assyria conquers Israel, and it’s capital, Samaria, and disperses it’s population, which leads to the Lost Tribes of Israel.

During this time of chaos, God calls a prophet to speak to the people of Judea and its capital, Jerusalem. In my small talk, I described the vision Isaiah saw. He knows he is in trouble. “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!”

Isaiah knows that not only is he not worthy of being in God’s presence; he knows that his country has fallen short of how they are called to act. He is made clean by having a live coal placed on his lips. I much prefer our baptisms.

Then God asks: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” This is a typical question asked of those whom will be called to be prophets, not only who will be sent, but will they go?

That is the challenge to the faithful, not just prophets, not just apostles, but to all of us in the Body of Christ. God may send us, but will we actually go? And if we go, will we do anything?

All of us, as members of the body of Christ are called. It isn’t just pastors. Personally, I think we use the word call too much in terms of pastors. It lets the rest of you off of the hook.

You too are called by God to do God’s will, share God’s love, proclaim God’s Word. But how do you do that?

So I ask you – seriously, I’m expecting answers. You have been made clean, by baptism and not with a burning coal. So what are you called to do?

 I paused here at all 3 congregations to take answers on what we are called to do as baptized members of the Body of Christ.

As part of the promises made on our behalf in baptism, and that we affirm when we confirm our faith, we accept our call to: proclaim Christ through word and deed, care for others and the world God made, and work for justice and peace.

In response to God’s call, Isaiah said, “Here am I; send me!” 

The message God gives to Isaiah in the remainder of this chapter is basically, “It’s too late for you.” “Keep listening, but do not comprehend; keep looking, but do not understand.” Isaiah asks how long will this be? He is told, “Until cities lie waste without inhabitant, and houses without people, and the land is utterly desolate.” Judea will be destroyed, only a stump will remain to be a holy seed.

Isaiah proclaims God’s Word to a people who are conquered and oppressed, then who are taken captive, but who will ultimately be restored. It condemns, but also promises future hope. It’s not the message Isaiah would have wanted to give, but it was what he was called to do.

It is a time of chaos. In the midst of a transfer of power and authority, lines are drawn. Controversy ensues. People are angry. Other nations weigh in. There is unrest and controversy.

Now I’m talking about us, now.

Tuesday culminated the most divisive political campaign in modern history. Emotions were highly charged. After a winner was named, emotions remain highly charged. A civil rights group has detailed 201* events of hate-based intimidation, harassment and violence between Wednesday and Friday. They include:

• Spray painting swastikas on schools.
• Muslim women wearing a hijab have been assaulted and one was threatened to be burned if she didn’t take it off.
• At lunch at a middle school in Michigan, white students taunted their Latino classmates with “Build that wall.”
• In MN, a high school bathroom was marked “Whites Only.”
• In Georgia, a Muslim teacher was given a note telling her to use her hijab to hang herself.
• A gay pastor found a note on his windshield saying “Now, he will be taken care of.”
• After an car accident, a man was beaten because people said he voted for Trump.
• Last night during a protest march in Portland, a car drove into the marchers, and after an altercation, one of the passengers in the car shot at least one protester.

No matter who you voted for, hate and violence have no place in our society. As Christians, we are called to share the love of God with those we agree with, and with those who we don’t agree with. As the Body of Christ, we are called to help the least, the last, the lost, the little ones and those who are alone.

We cannot allow people to bully, denigrate, insult, intimidate or harm others. When you hear something, say something. When someone is being intimidated and harassed, stand up. We live in troubled times. God needs people to live out our baptismal promises. God is calling, what is your answer?

My answer is in next hymn. Our Hymn is Here I Am, Lord.

SMALL TALK
In our lesson that we will hear in just a moment, the prophet Isaiah saw a vision of God sitting on a throne in the temple in heaven.
God was SO BIG that the hem of God’s robe, just the hem of the robe, filled the entire Temple.
There were seraphs (that’s a type of angel) in the temple and the seraphs had 6 wings. With two of their wings they covered their faces (no one should look at the face of God) and with two wings they covered their feet. They flew with the other 2 wings.
They sang “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.” That is where we get the song we sing during Communion, “Holy, Holy, Holy” And because the angels in heaven cover their faces when singing that song, that’s why when we sing that song, I bow and close my eyes.
I stand up when we sing “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.”

How can we act respectfully to God and God’s creation?

1. We can take care of the environment and don’t pollute and pick up after ourselves.
2. We can treat the creatures God made with respect.
3. We can treat each other with love, and the way we want to be treated.

In the next week, can we be respectful to God and all of the people and things that God has made?

Below are links to some of the news articles about the incidents I referred to:

• http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/200-reports-hateful-harassment-intimidation-post-election-splc/story?id=43491050
• http://www.ajc.com/news/local/muslim-gwinnett-teacher-told-hang-yourself-with-her-headscarf/XVrOecQFQRbKc7SuggJMtI/
• http://mashable.com/2016/11/10/shaun-king-twitter-feed/?utm_content=buffer1e215and utm_medium=socialand utm_source=twitter.comand utm_campaign=buffer#MQoCxXcyFkqx