The Calling Is Irrevocable

Below is the text of my message at the Oahe Manor Communion service on August 11, 2011.  The scripture was Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32.

            I want to focus on one line of that reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans.  Here it is:  “for the calling of God is irrevocable.”

            Think about what that means.  We know that each one of us is called by God to do something to serve God.  What this says is that this calling never go away.  It’s always with us, no matter where we are and no matter what stage of life we’re in.

            Now, the way we’re called by God may change as we get older.  There was a time when God was calling me to be a lawyer, rather than to be a pastor.  There was a time when God was calling me to live in Wessington Springs, rather than in Gettysburg.  Obviously, those calls changed.  They may change again:  I don’t know whether, ten years from now, God will still be calling me to live in Gettysburg, or whether God will even still be calling me to be a pastor.  I certainly hope so—I have no current plans to make changes—but then, ten years ago, I had no idea I’d be here doing this, either.  We never know when God may ask us to do something different from what we’re doing now.

            I’m sure that some of you, in your lives, had things happen to you that you did not expect.  You’ve had times when you thought you knew what you were going to be doing the rest of your life, only to see God change those plans.  It can happen to any of us, at any time.

            At this point, though, some of you are probably thinking it cannot happen any more.  In fact, some of you may be thinking that God no longer has any particular plan for your life.  After all, none of you are young people any more.  You’re living here in a nursing home.  Don’t get me wrong—it’s a nice nursing home, and the staff here do a terrific job.  Still, though, it is what it is.  Some of you may be thinking that there’s no way your life can have any real purpose or meaning any longer.  You may feel like God is not calling you to do anything any more.

            Paul says that’s wrong.  He says the calling of God is irrevocable.  God is always calling us to do something, at every stage of our life.  God never allows us to retire from being Christians.  God never allows us to retire from serving God. 

Again, the way we do that can change as we get older.  I’m not suggesting that you can do all the things you did thirty years ago.  However, each of you can do something.  There is not and never has been a person whom God created who does not have a purpose for being here.  There is not and never has been a person who cannot serve God in some way.

It’s up to each of us to find that way.  We find it in a few ways.  First, we find it by praying.  We find it by asking God what our purpose is, what our calling is.  If we truly believe we have a purpose, and we truly want to find it, God will answer our prayer.  God will let us know what that purpose is.

Here’s the thing, though:  we need to keep our eyes open.  God will answer our prayers, but most of the time we probably won’t hear a voice or see a big sign that says, “This is God, and here’s what I want you to do.”  We might—God obviously could address us that way if God so chose—but most of the time it does not work that way.

Most of the time, God answers that prayer through other people.  It may be through someone telling us that we have a talent or a gift for something and suggesting we apply it in a certain way.  It may be through the feeling we get inside when we do certain things.  It may be through looking around, seeing a need, and figuring out a way we can help.  There are lots of ways God lets us know what our calling is.  We just need to look around and find them. 

It does not necessarily require any physical strength.  In fact, it does not necessarily require much of anything.  It may be as simple as a kind word.  It may be as simple as a listening ear.  It may be as simple as a smile and a cheerful attitude.  None of those things take any great talent or physical ability.  Each of them, though, can help someone get through the day.  They may even turn someone's whole life around. 

There is no person on this earth who is here for no reason.  The calling of God is irrevocable.  Each of us, no matter who we are, no matter where we are, no matter how old we are, no matter what our health is like, has some reason for being here and is called by God to do something.  It’s up to us to stay close enough to God to find out what that reason and that calling are.