During the final days of seminary, one faculty member said to my class: “Each of you is called. What were you called from?” I had some time to think about the question before it was my turn to speak. I remember the word coming to mind...and realizing it was the right word. I was called from complacency.
This week, I wondered how Saint Paul would answer that question. Clearly Christ called him to a new vocation. But what would Paul say he was called from?
In the Philippians text, he gave us a partial answer. He was called from his rightful place in the line of Benjamin, from a life of righteousness under the law, from persecuting followers of Jesus. He was called from everything that was admired in his culture. They were the very things that brought him privilege, status, and power.
Yet, these same gifts created a blind spot for him. He could not see the Holy Spirit moving through the early church. And so, Paul used his gifts to slow the spread of Christianity.
One day, on the road to Damascus, Paul encountered the Risen Christ.
He experienced physical blindness, restoration of sight, forgiveness, redemption, and Grace.
He was changed.
True North was no longer measured in material wealth, influence, privilege. True North was life in Christ. Period.
The conversion was costly.
Walking toward Christ meant walking away from everything Paul had valued. All of it, now, was rubbish—an impediment to this new way of being. He wrote today’s letter while imprisoned for preaching the Gospel and spreading the good news. It was not the first or the last time he would be in prison for the sake of the church.
Even from a prison cell, Paul pressed on—with the work he was called to do and with his own deepening relationship in Christ.
In the 1960s, I can remember my neighbors putting their cars on cinder blocks, starting the engine, shifting the car into reverse, and then letting the car idle in reverse all weekend. They were intentionally running the odometer backwards.
This week, as I watched my retirement account balance, I felt like someone had put my 401K on cinder blocks, started the engine, shifted the gear into reverse, and then floored the accelerator.
Volatile markets are one more sign that we are in the midst of a disorienting shift in culture. The shift is not just local or just national…it is global. It is disorienting, in part, because we don’t know how this story will end. Will it be a Hallmark ending? Or will it be something else?
In a way, we are imprisoned by our changing culture…because we cannot “opt out” from what is happening. Like Paul, we must stand firm and press on with the calling each of us has received from Christ.
How do we do that?
Our Saturday Lenten reflection was titled, “Anchored in Hope”. It read, “Even in the midst of uncertainty, hope holds us steady. Not because we know what’s next—but because we know Who holds it.”
Our neighbors are hungry for that kind of Hope. But, it takes work to remain anchored in Hope in anxious times.
We need Spiritual Workout Programs …activities like reading, praying, exercising, gardening, sending thoughtful cards, delivering meals on wheels, and on an on. Those are all spiritual disciplines that strengthen our faith, and our capacity to be with others who are suffering.
Last week, I visited with Joe, who’s been cutting my grass for several years. I asked how things were going for his family and his business. He had lost two workers because they feared cutting grass along neighborhood streets. He had gone to purchase a new lawnmower for Spring. In the past that was a $300 outlay. This year, the same equipment was nearly $600. He couldn’t afford to buy it. His daughter is studying to be a doctor. His son is in college. And he’s wondering if he can continue to support their education. When we shook hands, he said, “Thank you for caring”.
On Friday, I got my hair cut. Before Richard began cutting my hair, he asked if I would pray for his co-worker. She was upset because her mom is very ill. It’s not unusual for someone to ask if we’ll pray for their friend or a loved one. But it was first for me to have my stylist say, “She’s in the kitchen, this way…”.
As we walked he gathered more co-workers. And then I was in the staff kitchen, leading a prayer circle with people I did not know…holding hands and praying.
So much for complacency.
Our community needs us-- to be present, to listen empathetically, to hold space for others’ anxiety, to be anchored in Hope.
In the middle of Paul’s ministry, he was able to look back across time and articulate what he was called from. His calling demonstrates the human capacity to hear God’s call, to move through extraordinary change, and to press on in adverse conditions.
Like Paul, all of us are called. What are you called from?
