by Rev. Dr John Evans
Two short verses sum up the momentous change for two individuals and their families, and we might say, changes for the world:
Genesis 12: 4 Abram went, as the Lord had told him . . .
and in
Matthew 9: 9 And Jesus said to Matthew “Follow me”. And he got up and followed him.
Today we have been asked to leave the comforts of Haran and the familiar, the known, possibly the comfortable and pleasant, and venture out to an unknown destination – albeit just here in the front of the church.
What is involved in these call stories? And what might they mean for our lives and this congregation?
There are always two perspectives on the many call stories we have in Scripture. What are they saying about God; and what is happening in the lives of those who are called.
The answers are obvious. God is good; God is trustworthy – consistent – not capricious. God undergirds our very being and life. God is love. And for the person called – well, there comes a moment of address, an ‘Aha!’ moment – such as the personal invitation Matthew received: “Follow me”; or some other moment that can be understood at the time as an address from God. The person receiving the challenge, affirms who God is by their response. This is a way of showing faith and belief in God.
The call narratives we have today have several other features – which are relevant to how we as individuals and as a congregation may be faithful as to God’s leading.
The call of Abram, as he was then known, and the subsequent promise to him and his wife Sarai, Sarah, that they would be the forebears of a mighty nation; even though Sarah was barren and 90 years old – is known as one of the covenants of Hebrew Scriptures. The term covenant here becomes significant and important. It is like a contract or agreement between God and an individual – except God is effectively making the greater promise for doing all of the action under the contract.
So last week we had the Noahic covenant; the covenant with Noah – that never again would the world would be destroyed and as a sign of that covenant was the rainbow. There is then this promise to Abraham that he and Sarah would be forebears of descendants – more numerous than the stars. There then was the covenant with Moses in the giving of the law on the holy mountain, Mount Sinai, and finally the covenant with David about his kingship and his heirs ruling the Hebrew people. Each of these people Noah, Abraham, Moses and David in turn were called to fulfil their role. Their call and the covenant that resulted was actually about God relating to this world through the lives of men and women. God was through these people acting in history – being present in our world.
From this we see that our call is not just about us – my call, my vocation – although obviously it has a personal dimension; it really is about God’s purposes – though possibly our call may not be quite so grand as saving the whole human race, or establishing a new nation, or giving laws to live by or providing strong political leadership, as was the case with Noah, Abraham, Moses and David. In humility we are to seek to do the will of God, rather than hit people over the head with just being concerned with what “my call” or “my vocation” means for me.
Another feature of calls, and the call of Abraham and Matthew exemplify this – is that there is a “drop everything” air about them. We look on Abraham and his family and are in awe about how they seemed to leave their comfortable life in Haran and go – just go. It was not even clear at that stage to where. Only when they were in the land of Canaan did God say to him, “Well, Abraham, this is it. To your offspring I will give this land.” Or what about Matthew, working away as a tax collector for the hated Romans? He just drops everything – following a pattern set by the fishermen disciples of Simon Peter and Andrew and the Zebedee boys, James and John.
In fact, call through these stories seems to be about giving up something. But is it?
You may be familiar with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs – an old social analysis tool, but still quite insightful.
Maslow sees that there are five levels of needs:
1. Physical needs – food shelter, clothing and the like
2. Safety and security - including having work, a job and a lifestyle which that provides
3. There is then the need for love and belonging – usually from a group, a family, a community. A place where one can feel loved and appreciated.
4. There is then the need of self esteem – of having the opportunity to develop our own uniqueness and fulfilling our creative potential; finally there is
5. The need Maslow calls ‘self actualization’. Really knowing who we are and whose we are.
So taking this model, what is happening with Abraham or Matthew? I think we miss the mark if we just see that their move from Haran is about the loss of physical needs and issues around safety and security – such as Matthew having to give up what would have been a lucrative career as a tax official for the Romans. Typically however, this is what we do, and how we think of call. And in doing this we are very much children of our very materialistic culture. We look at call, as upsetting those primary needs for physical things or the need for safety and security. Gee – Abraham and Matthew – they gave up a lot. Or we might say that of people we know who speak of a call or a vocation. It usually is the point of fascination for most people with my own life – you gave up being a lawyer to be a minister!? Gee! And this I think indicates a shallowness, and if I can use an oxymoron, the profound shallowness, of our society today. It is only about our externalities, albeit important externalities, such as a jobs, our wealth, our house, our car, whatever we actually care about or excites us. Rather, if you consider Maslow – Abraham and Matthew have perhaps have not given up anything – they are doing that thing which satisfies them or that which they need to do, say levels 4 or 5 of the hierarchy of needs. Responding to God in the way they have done is about reaching their full understanding of themselves as people and using God’s very own gifts and graces within their lives. A call or challenge from God thus becomes the most obvious and enriching thing a person might do because it deepens an understanding of who God is within their lives.
Another way of saying this is: what gives greater satisfaction – fulfilling one’s own agenda, coloured by the ways of the world; or being engaged in the mission of God in and through the world? In other words, trusting that God indeed is good and loving and does in our life sustain us.
All of this has implications – obviously in our own lives and journey. What indeed is my vocation – a fancy word for call? One of the failures of the church has been to see that vocation, call, is really about drawing people out of the world into the life of the Church; and well be a layperson with the clergy in running the show – like is quoted in the Bulletin about elders! Yes we need that, but we also do need people who have that sense of call being teachers, or plumbers, or public servants, or gardeners or home carers or doctors or whatever. People who see their vocation, as Christians, in the world are really exercising lay ministry.
However, what does all of this mean for this congregation?
In a real sense, God only knows!
There are however, two things which we need to recognise – as we today have reenacted a move from Haran to somewhere in Canaan. The first is that God’s presence within this community of Carlton requires our vibrant presence here as this congregation. God perhaps at the end of the day does have a limited bag of tricks in how this community of Carlton is addressed about issues of ultimate meaning and value. One critical way is through God’s own followers - us. We being open to God’s leading is a critical way in which God may be present here; present here in a meaningful, dynamic and significant way.
The second point is that I do not believe we should, in terms of Maslow’s hierarchy at least, be primarily concerned with just our physical needs, our safety and security when we ponder the question where God is leading us today. Our buildings, our budgets, the way we have always done things or whatever, are not the real issues. What is important is that we as a community feel a depth of faith in God, that God is present with us and guiding and sustaining us – as we might venture into say, new forms of service, or of worship or of witness – the three core elements referred to repeatedly in the Basis of Union. Such new ventures cease to be so daunting if we simply see that doing things differently (or the perhaps the same with renewed passion) is today part of our faith in God, and our belief God is trustworthy and loving – which is what we really are on about.
Of course, unstated in all of this is the question – where is God calling this congregation at this time? As I said – God only knows. Are we open to that discernment?
