Old Testament for August 21, 2022

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Jeremiah 1:4-10 
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

The Prophet Jeremiah describes his call to ministry.  This call is not simply because he is a priest of the priestly house of Hilkiah.   He can honestly say that there was almost never a time he wasn’t aware of his call.  The Lord makes clear that he was singled out even before his birth as a distinctive voice for the Lord:

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

The call was always there, and even at an early age Jeremiah became aware of it.  He also confessed his sense of inadequacy:

Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.”  But the Lord said to me,
“Do not say, ‘I am only a boy’;
for you shall go to all to whom I send you,
and you shall speak whatever I command you.”

Jeremiah is given a clear and powerful mandate from God.  He is told not to be afraid.  The Lord promises to be with Jeremiah and to deliver him, and then his lips are prepared to proclaim God’s message:

 Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth.

This is reminiscent of Isaiah’s call in the temple when Isaiah sees the Lord, and Isaiah recognizes that he is “a man of unclean lips, and dwells in the midst of a people of unclean lips.”  Upon this confession of humility and repentance, a seraph takes one of the burning coals from the altar, touches Isaiah’s lips with it, and says,

“Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out” (Isaiah 6:7).

We see a pattern here that is common with the prophets:

• The call comes.
• The prophet protests his inadequacy.
• God “touches” them and strengthens them for their task.

God makes very clear to Jeremiah that his role as a prophet will be of national and international consequence:

“Now I have put my words in your mouth.
See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to pull down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.”

Jeremiah will no doubt draw on the inspiration of this dramatic call many times during his ministry.

From the time he becomes aware of his call in the thirteenth year of King Josiah of Judah (627 B.C.), Jeremiah would witness the reforms of King Josiah, Josiah’s death in battle, five different kings on the throne of Judah, the exile of many of the best and brightest of Jerusalem, and the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 B.C.

Along the way, he would be criticized by the false prophets of Judah, thrown into a well, imprisoned, and discounted by those he was meant to warn.  He would need all of the confidence that God’s call had measured out to him on this occasion!

APPLY:  

What is the tension between God’s plan and our will?  Jeremiah is aware that God has had plans for his life while he was still in the womb.

When God reveals his call to Jeremiah, the young man — who calls himself a mere boy — protests his inability.  But God makes it clear that the words Jeremiah will speak are not his own, but God’s.

Could Jeremiah have refused his call?  Theoretically, yes.  But later in his ministry, when his warnings about the impending disaster and destruction of Jerusalem become extremely unpopular, he tries to keep his silence:

If I say, “I will not mention him,
or speak any more in his name,”
then within me there is something like a burning fire
shut up in my bones;
I am weary with holding it in,
and I cannot (Jeremiah 20:9).

One thing is clear — if a prophet (or pastor) is going to speak the word of God with conviction and confidence, he/she must be as sure as Jeremiah that the Lord has their back!  This is especially true in times like ours, when there is confusion and chaos in the culture and the church.

RESPOND: 

Two things seem to me to be true about the call to ministry — one, that every preacher or servant of God must have a sense of a divine call; and two, that every person who is ever called feels a sense of their own inadequacy.

I can certainly identify with Jeremiah’s hesitation and reluctance.  To be called into ministry is to know that you are required to handle holy things, and to speak on behalf of God!  What audacity that requires!

Answering the call to ministry requires on the one hand a sense of absolute confidence in God, balanced by absolute humility about oneself.  I would mistrust any preacher who didn’t have both of those qualities.

Lord, many times in my ministry I have asked the question, ‘why on earth did you call me?’  I have had to overcome shyness and introversion, and have sometimes had to dig deep to find the courage to say what needed to be said.  But you have never failed me.  And looking back on my call, I am absolutely sure you have been with me every step of the way.  Please, never leave me nor forsake me.  Amen.

PHOTOS:
“Jeremiah 1_6 4×3” by Baptist Union of Great Britain is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Old Testament for June 26, 2022

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

We are witnesses in this passage to a transition from the ministry of Elijah to Elisha.

Elijah has been instructed by God on Mount Horeb to anoint Elisha as his prophetic successor (1 Kings 19:16).  In 1 Kings 19:19, Elijah begins to fulfill this charge when he finds Elisha plowing. Elijah throws his mantle over Elisha’s shoulders.  This was a sign that he was claiming Elisha for God’s mission.

Elisha then slaughters his oxen and offers them as a sacrifice, and begins to follow Elijah as his servant.

Elijah gives Elisha several opportunities to back out of his call.  When Elisha asks permission to say goodbye to his parents after the initial meeting, Elijah seems casual:

 “Go back again; for what have I done to you?” (1 Kings 19:20).

In today’s lectionary passage, Elijah is traveling from place to place — from Gilgal to Bethel to Jericho and then across the Jordan River.  Three times Elijah tries to deter Elisha from following him, telling him stay here.

Each time, Elisha declares his intention not to leave Elijah’s side.  This seems to be a kind of test.  Elijah is giving Elisha the opportunity to renounce this difficult calling to prophecy.  And Elisha passes each test.

Finally, there is the moment of truth.  Elijah rolls up his mantle — the same mantle that he threw over Elisha’s shoulders as a kind of claim on him — and strikes the river Jordan.  Just as the Red Sea had parted before Moses and his staff  (Exodus 14:15-25), and the Jordan had stopped flowing for Joshua and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant (Joshua 3:7-17), Elijah reprises these miracles:

the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground.

Elijah seems to realize that Elisha’s devotion to the Lord and to himself is sincere, and he rewards Elisha:

“Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.” Elisha said, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.”

This seems an audacious request.  Elijah isn’t sure this is possible, but he promises that if Elisha can see the supernatural phenomenon about to take place, it will be granted:

 As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven.  Elisha kept watching and crying out, “Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.

Like the experience of Elijah on Mount Horeb, this is another theophany — a moment when God “shows up.”  Like Ezekiel’s fiery wheels (Ezekiel 1), this chariot is beyond normal human experience.  It is different, however, in that this heavenly chariot becomes a means of conveyance for Elijah.

Elisha’s request has been granted.  Although he tears his garment as a sign of mourning (common in that time), Elisha begins to exercise the authority that Elijah has conferred.  He crosses back over the Jordan River, using Elijah’s discarded mantle:

He took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, saying, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” When he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.

The mantle of authority and prophecy has been passed to Elisha.

APPLY:  

Transitions of authority are an important part of life.  When there has been an especially effective or prominent leader, like Elijah, this would seem difficult to accomplish. Elijah was a tough act to follow.

Transitions are made easier when it is very clear that the successor is up to the job.

Elisha’s appointment to this role is confirmed by two things:

• First, God has clearly set him aside as Elijah’s successor when God tells Elijah to anoint Elisha.
• Second, Elisha is aware that he will need twice the prophetic spirit that Elijah has; and asks for it. It is a wise person who has the humility to know what they need, and ask for it.

In spiritual leadership, the call of God is usually discerned by the individual, but it is also confirmed by the community of faith.  Perhaps that explains the role of the fifty members of the company of prophets  who stand at a distance and watch Elijah and Elisha cross the Jordan.  When Elisha crosses back over the Jordan alone, they acknowledge what has happened in his life:

 When the company of prophets who were at Jericho saw him at a distance, they declared, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.”  (2 Kings 2:15).

Although the call to serve God can be very personal and unique in each individual’s life, recognition of that call by the community of faith is very important.

RESPOND: 

C.S. Lewis makes a statement in his Christian fantasy book, Prince Caspian, about which I am undecided.  Aslan the lion is the Christ figure.  Young Lucy is disappointed that Aslan won’t rescue the children like he had in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.  Aslan explains to her:

“Things never happen the same way twice.”

I think I understand what he means.  God doesn’t get in a rut.  Even though events may resemble previous experiences, each one is unique.

Elijah experienced God’s presence in different ways in his own life — the fire that consumed his sacrifice on Mount Carmel; the sound of sheer silence on Mount Horeb; and now this fiery chariot.

On the one hand, this should remind us to watch for God’s self-disclosure in different ways.  We shouldn’t allow our spiritual discernment to grow stale.

On the other hand, there are patterns and common themes that recur — otherwise, how could we possibly learn to identify the signs that God is near?

The trick is not to turn a burning chariot or a burning bush into an expectation.  God will speak as God chooses to speak.  Our part is to be open and listening.

Lord, choosing to follow you requires every bit of my resources. Ironically though, as Elisha discovered, no matter how much I give, you always give a double-portion in return.  Thank you for the privilege of sharing and serving, and for the blessing that has been received.  Amen.

PHOTOS:
“Ascension of Elijah” by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic license.

Old Testament for January 30, 2022

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Jeremiah 1:4-10 
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

The Prophet Jeremiah describes his call to ministry.  This call is not simply because he is a priest of the priestly house of Hilkiah.   He can honestly say that there was almost never a time he wasn’t aware of his call.  The Lord makes clear that he was singled out even before his birth as a distinctive voice for the Lord:

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

The call was always there, and even at an early age Jeremiah became aware of it.  He also confessed his sense of inadequacy:

Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.”  But the Lord said to me,
“Do not say, ‘I am only a boy’;
for you shall go to all to whom I send you,
and you shall speak whatever I command you.”

Jeremiah is given a clear and powerful mandate from God.  He is told not to be afraid.  The Lord promises to be with Jeremiah and to deliver him, and then his lips are prepared to proclaim God’s message:

 Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth.

This is reminiscent of Isaiah’s call in the temple when Isaiah sees the Lord, and Isaiah recognizes that he is “a man of unclean lips, and dwells in the midst of a people of unclean lips.”  Upon this confession of humility and repentance, a seraph takes one of the burning coals from the altar, touches Isaiah’s lips with it, and says,

“Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out” (Isaiah 6:7).

We see a pattern here that is common with the prophets:

• The call comes.
• The prophet protests his inadequacy.
• God “touches” them and strengthens them for their task.

God makes very clear to Jeremiah that his role as a prophet will be of national and international consequence:

“Now I have put my words in your mouth.
See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to pull down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.”

Jeremiah will no doubt draw on the inspiration of this dramatic call many times during his ministry.

From the time he becomes aware of his call in the thirteenth year of King Josiah of Judah (627 B.C.), Jeremiah would witness the reforms of King Josiah, Josiah’s death in battle, five different kings on the throne of Judah, the exile of many of the best and brightest of Jerusalem, and the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 B.C.

Along the way, he would be criticized by the false prophets of Judah, thrown into a well, imprisoned, and discounted by those he was meant to warn.  He would need all of the confidence that God’s call had measured out to him on this occasion!

APPLY:  

What is the tension between God’s plan and our will?  Jeremiah is aware that God has had plans for his life while he was still in the womb.

When God reveals his call to Jeremiah, the young man — who calls himself a mere boy — protests his inability.  But God makes it clear that the words Jeremiah will speak are not his own, but God’s.

Could Jeremiah have refused his call?  Theoretically, yes.  But later in his ministry, when his warnings about the impending disaster and destruction of Jerusalem become extremely unpopular, he tries to keep his silence:

If I say, “I will not mention him,
or speak any more in his name,”
then within me there is something like a burning fire
shut up in my bones;
I am weary with holding it in,
and I cannot (Jeremiah 20:9).

One thing is clear — if a prophet (or pastor) is going to speak the word of God with conviction and confidence, he/she must be as sure as Jeremiah that the Lord has their back!  This is especially true in times like ours, when there is confusion and chaos in the culture and the church.

RESPOND: 

Two things seem to me to be true about the call to ministry — one, that every preacher or servant of God must have a sense of a divine call; and two, that every person who is ever called feels a sense of their own inadequacy.

I can certainly identify with Jeremiah’s hesitation and reluctance.  To be called into ministry is to know that you are required to handle holy things, and to speak on behalf of God!  What audacity that requires!

Answering the call to ministry requires on the one hand a sense of absolute confidence in God, balanced by absolute humility about oneself.  I would mistrust any preacher who didn’t have both of those qualities.

Lord, many times in my ministry I have asked the question, ‘why on earth did you call me?’  I have had to overcome shyness and introversion, and have sometimes had to dig deep to find the courage to say what needed to be said.  But you have never failed me.  And looking back on my call, I am absolutely sure you have been with me every step of the way.  Please, never leave me nor forsake me.  Amen.

PHOTOS:
“Answer the Call” used this photo:
“Put in an area code” by Philip Howard is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

Old Testament for August 25, 2019

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Jeremiah 1:4-10 
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

The Prophet Jeremiah describes his call to ministry.  This call is not simply because he is a priest of the priestly house of Hilkiah.   He can honestly say that there was almost never a time he wasn’t aware of his call.  The Lord makes clear that he was singled out even before his birth as a distinctive voice for the Lord:

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

The call was always there , and even at an early age Jeremiah became aware of it.  He also confessed his sense of inadequacy:

Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.”  But the Lord said to me,
“Do not say, ‘I am only a boy’;
for you shall go to all to whom I send you,
and you shall speak whatever I command you.”

Jeremiah is given a clear and powerful mandate from God.  He is told not to be afraid.  The Lord promises to be with Jeremiah and to deliver him, and then his lips are prepared to proclaim God’s message:

 Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth.

This is reminiscent of Isaiah’s call in the temple when Isaiah sees the Lord, and Isaiah recognizes that he is “a man of unclean lips, and dwells in the midst of a people of unclean lips.”  Upon this confession of humility and repentance, a seraph takes one of the burning coals from the altar, touches Isaiah’s lips with it,  and says,

“Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out” (Isaiah 6:7).

We see a pattern here that is common with the prophets: the call comes, the prophet protests his inadequacy, and God “touches” them and strengthens them for their task.

God makes very clear to Jeremiah that his role as a prophet will be of national and international consequence:

“Now I have put my words in your mouth.
See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to pull down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.”

Jeremiah will no doubt draw on the inspiration of this dramatic call many times during his ministry.

From the time he becomes aware of his call in the thirteenth year of King Josiah of Judah (627 B.C.) Jeremiah would witness the reforms of King Josiah, Josiah’s death in battle, five different kings on the throne of Judah, the exile of many of the best and brightest of Jerusalem, and the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 B.C.

Along the way, he would be criticized by the false prophets of Judah, thrown into a well, imprisoned, and discounted by those he was meant to warn.  He would need all of the confidence that God’s call had measured out to him on this occasion!

APPLY:  

What is the tension between God’s plan and our will?  Jeremiah is aware that God has had plans for his life while he was still in the womb.

When God reveals his call to Jeremiah, the young man — who calls himself a mere boy — protests his inability.  But God makes it clear that the words Jeremiah will speak are not his own, but God’s.

Could Jeremiah have refused his call?  Theoretically, yes.  But later in his ministry, when his warnings about the impending disaster and destruction of Jerusalem become extremely unpopular, he tries to keep his silence:

If I say, “I will not mention him,
or speak any more in his name,”
then within me there is something like a burning fire
shut up in my bones;
I am weary with holding it in,
and I cannot (Jeremiah 20:9).

One thing is clear — if a prophet (or pastor) is going to speak the word of God with conviction and confidence, he/she must be as sure as Jeremiah that the Lord has their back!  This is especially true in times like ours, when there is confusion and chaos in the culture and the church.

RESPOND: 

Two things seem to me to be true about the call to ministry — one, that every preacher or servant of God must have a sense of a divine call; and two, that every person who is ever called feels a sense of their own inadequacy.

I can certainly identify with Jeremiah’s hesitation and reluctance.  To be called into ministry is to know that you are required to handle holy things, and to speak on behalf of God!  What audacity that requires!

Answering the call to ministry requires on the one hand a sense of absolute confidence in God, balanced by absolute humility about oneself.  I would mistrust any preacher who didn’t have both of those qualities.

Lord, many times in my ministry I have asked the question, ‘why on earth did you call me?’  I have had to overcome shyness and introversion, and have sometimes had to dig deep to find the courage to say what needed to be said.  But you have never failed me.  And looking back on my call, I am absolutely sure you have been with me every step of the way.  Please, never leave me nor forsake me.  Amen.

PHOTOS:
“Answer the Call” used this photo:
“Put in an area code” by Philip Howard is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

Old Testament for June 30, 2019

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

We are witnesses in this passage to a transition from the ministry of Elijah to Elisha.

Elijah has been instructed by God on Mount Horeb to anoint Elisha as his prophetic successor (1 Kings 19:16).  In 1 Kings 19:19, Elijah begins to fulfill this charge when he finds Elisha plowing. Elijah throws his mantle over Elisha’s  shoulders.  This was a sign that he was claiming Elisha for God’s mission.

Elisha then slaughters his oxen and offers them as a sacrifice, and begins to follow Elijah as his servant.

Elijah gives Elisha several opportunities to back out of his call.  When Elisha asks permission to say goodbye to his parents after the initial meeting, Elijah seems casual:

 “Go back again; for what have I done to you?” (1 Kings 19:20).

In today’s lectionary passage, Elijah is traveling from place to place — from Gilgal to Bethel to Jericho and then across the Jordan River.  Three times Elijah tries to deter Elisha from following him,  telling him stay here.

Each time, Elisha declares his intention not to leave Elijah’s side.  This seems to be a kind of test.  Elijah is giving Elisha the opportunity to renounce this difficult calling to prophecy.  And Elisha passes each test.

Finally, there is the moment of truth.  Elijah rolls up his mantle — the same mantle that he threw over Elisha’s shoulders as a kind of claim on him — and strikes the river Jordan.  Just as the Red Sea had parted before Moses and his staff  (Exodus 14:15-25), and the Jordan had stopped flowing for Joshua and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant (Joshua 3:7-17), Elijah reprises these miracles:

the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground.

Elijah seems to realize that Elisha’s devotion to the Lord and to himself is sincere, and he rewards Elisha:

“Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.” Elisha said, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.”

This seems an audacious request.  Elijah isn’t sure this is possible, but he promises that if Elisha can see the supernatural phenomenon about to take place, it will be granted:

 As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven.  Elisha kept watching and crying out, “Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.

Like the experience of Elijah on Mount Horeb, this is another theophany — a moment when God “shows up.”  Like Ezekiel’s fiery wheels (Ezekiel 1), this chariot is beyond normal human experience.  It is different, however, in that this heavenly chariot becomes a means of conveyance for Elijah.

Elisha’s request has been granted.  Although he tears his garment as a sign of mourning (common in that time), Elisha begins to exercise the authority that Elijah has conferred.  He crosses back over the Jordan River, using Elijah’s discarded mantle:

He took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, saying, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” When he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.

The mantle of authority and prophecy has been passed to Elisha.

APPLY:  

Transitions of authority are an important part of life.  When there has been an especially effective or prominent leader, like Elijah, this would seem difficult to accomplish. Elijah was a tough act to follow.

Transitions are made easier when it is very clear that the successor is up to the job.

Elisha’s appointment to this role is confirmed by two things:

• First, God has clearly set him aside as Elijah’s successor when God tells Elijah to anoint Elisha.
• Second, Elisha is aware that he will need twice the prophetic spirit that Elijah has; and asks for it. It is a wise person who has the humility to know what they need, and ask for it.

In spiritual leadership, the call of God is usually discerned by the individual, but it is also confirmed by the community of faith.  Perhaps that explains the role of the fifty members of the company of prophets  who stand at a distance and watch Elijah and Elisha cross the Jordan.  When Elisha crosses back over the Jordan alone, they acknowledge what has happened in his life:

 When the company of prophets who were at Jericho saw him at a distance, they declared, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.”  (2 Kings 2:15).

Although the call to serve God can be very personal and unique in each individual’s life, recognition of that call by the community of faith is very important.

RESPOND: 

C.S. Lewis makes a statement in his Christian fantasy book, Prince Caspian,  about which I am undecided.  Aslan the lion is the Christ figure.  Young Lucy is disappointed that Aslan won’t rescue the children like he had in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.  Aslan explains to her:

“Things never happen the same way twice.”

I think I understand what he means.  God doesn’t get in a rut.  Even though events may resemble previous experiences, each one is unique.

Elijah experienced God’s presence in different ways in his own life — the fire that consumed his sacrifice on Mount Carmel; the sound of sheer silence on Mount Horeb; and now this fiery chariot.

On the one hand, this should remind us to watch for God’s self-disclosure in different ways.  We shouldn’t allow our spiritual discernment to grow stale.

On the other hand, there are patterns and common themes that recur — otherwise, how could we possibly learn to identify the signs that God is near?

The trick is not to turn a burning chariot or a burning bush into an expectation.  God will speak as God chooses to speak.  Our part is to be open and listening.

Lord, choosing to follow you requires every bit of my resources. Ironically though, as Elisha discovered, no matter how much I give, you always give a double-portion in return.  Thank you for the privilege of sharing and serving, and for the blessing that has been received.  Amen.

PHOTOS:
“Ascension of Elijah” by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic license.

Old Testament for February 3, 2019

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Jeremiah 1:4-10 
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

The Prophet Jeremiah describes his call to ministry.  This call is not simply because he is a priest of the priestly house of Hilkiah.   He can honestly say that there was almost never a time he wasn’t aware of his call.  The Lord makes clear that he was singled out even before his birth as a distinctive voice for the Lord:

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

The call was always there , and even at an early age Jeremiah became aware of it.  He also confessed his sense of inadequacy:

Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.”  But the Lord said to me,
“Do not say, ‘I am only a boy’;
for you shall go to all to whom I send you,
and you shall speak whatever I command you.”

Jeremiah is given a clear and powerful mandate from God.  He is told not to be afraid.  The Lord promises to be with Jeremiah and to deliver him, and then his lips are prepared to proclaim God’s message:

 Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth.

This is reminiscent of Isaiah’s call in the temple when Isaiah sees the Lord, and Isaiah recognizes that he is “a man of unclean lips, and dwells in the midst of a people of unclean lips.”  Upon this confession of humility and repentance, a seraph takes one of the burning coals from the altar, touches Isaiah’s lips with it,  and says,

“Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out” (Isaiah 6:7).

We see a pattern here that is common with the prophets: the call comes, the prophet protests his inadequacy, and God “touches” them and strengthens them for their task.

God makes very clear to Jeremiah that his role as a prophet will be of national and international consequence:

“Now I have put my words in your mouth.
See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to pull down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.”

Jeremiah will no doubt draw on the inspiration of this dramatic call many times during his ministry.

From the time he becomes aware of his call in the thirteenth year of King Josiah of Judah (627 B.C.) Jeremiah would witness the reforms of King Josiah, Josiah’s death in battle, five different kings on the throne of Judah, the exile of many of the best and brightest of Jerusalem, and the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 B.C.

Along the way, he would be criticized by the false prophets of Judah, thrown into a well, imprisoned, and discounted by those he was meant to warn.  He would need all of the confidence that God’s call had measured out to him on this occasion!

APPLY:  

What is the tension between God’s plan and our will?  Jeremiah is aware that God has had plans for his life while he was still in the womb.

When God reveals his call to Jeremiah, the young man — who calls himself a mere boy — protests his inability.  But God makes it clear that the words Jeremiah will speak are not his own, but God’s.

Could Jeremiah have refused his call?  Theoretically, yes.  But later in his ministry, when his warnings about the impending disaster and destruction of Jerusalem become extremely unpopular, he tries to keep his silence:

If I say, “I will not mention him,
or speak any more in his name,”
then within me there is something like a burning fire
shut up in my bones;
I am weary with holding it in,
and I cannot (Jeremiah 20:9).

One thing is clear — if a prophet (or pastor) is going to speak the word of God with conviction and confidence, he/she must be as sure as Jeremiah that the Lord has their back!  This is especially true in times like ours, when there is confusion and chaos in the culture and the church.

RESPOND: 

Two things seem to me to be true about the call to ministry — one, that every preacher or servant of God must have a sense of  a divine call; and two, that every person who is ever called feels a sense of their own inadequacy.

I can certainly identify with Jeremiah’s hesitation and reluctance.  To be called into ministry is to know that you are required to handle holy things, and to speak on behalf of God!  What audacity that requires!

Answering the call to ministry requires on the one hand a sense of absolute confidence in God, balanced by absolute humility about oneself.  I would mistrust any preacher who didn’t have both of those qualities.

Lord, many times in my ministry I have asked the question, ‘why on earth did you call me?’  I have had to overcome shyness and introversion, and have sometimes had to dig deep to find the courage to say what needed to be said.  But you have never failed me.  And looking back on my call, I am absolutely sure you have been with me every step of the way.  Please, never leave me nor forsake me.  Amen.

PHOTOS:
“Answer the Call” used this photo:
“Put in an area code” by Philip Howard is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

Old Testament for June 26, 2016

Start with Scripture:

2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14

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OBSERVE:

We are witnesses in this passage to a transition from the ministry of Elijah to Elisha.

Elijah has been instructed by God on Mount Horeb to anoint Elisha as his prophetic successor (1 Kings 19:16).  In 1 Kings 19:19, Elijah begins to fulfill this charge when he finds Elisha plowing. Elijah throws his mantle over Elisha’s  shoulders.  This was a sign that he was claiming Elisha for God’s mission.

Elisha then slaughters his oxen and offers them as a sacrifice, and begins to follow Elijah as his servant.

Elijah gives Elisha several opportunities to back out of his call.  When Elisha asks permission to say goodbye to his parents after the initial meeting, Elijah seems casual:

 “Go back again; for what have I done to you?” (1 Kings 19:20).

In today’s lectionary passage, Elijah is traveling from place to place — from Gilgal to Bethel to Jericho and then across the Jordan River.  Three times Elijah tries to deter Elisha from following him,  telling him stay here.

Each time, Elisha declares his intention not to leave Elijah’s side.  This seems to be a kind of test.  Elijah is giving Elisha the opportunity to renounce this difficult calling to prophecy.  And Elisha passes each test.

Finally, there is the moment of truth.  Elijah rolls up his mantle — the same mantle that he threw over Elisha’s shoulders as a kind of claim on him — and strikes the river Jordan.  Just as the Red Sea had parted before Moses and his staff  (Exodus 14:15-25), and the Jordan had stopped flowing for Joshua and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant (Joshua 3:7-17), Elijah reprises these miracles:

the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground.

Elijah seems to realize that Elisha’s devotion to the Lord and to himself is sincere, and he rewards Elisha:

“Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.” Elisha said, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.”

This seems an audacious request.  Elijah isn’t sure this is possible, but he promises that if Elisha can see the supernatural phenomenon about to take place, it will be granted:

 As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven.  Elisha kept watching and crying out, “Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.

Like the experience of Elijah on Mount Horeb, this is another theophany — a moment when God “shows up.”  Like Ezekiel’s fiery wheels (Ezekiel 1), this chariot is beyond normal human experience.  It is different, however, in that this heavenly chariot becomes a means of conveyance for Elijah.

Elisha’s request has been granted.  Although he tears his garment as a sign of mourning (common in that time), Elisha begins to exercise the authority that Elijah has conferred.  He crosses back over the Jordan River, using Elijah’s discarded mantle:

He took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, saying, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” When he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.

The mantle of authority and prophecy has been passed to Elisha.

APPLY:  

Transitions of authority are an important part of life.  When there has been an especially effective or prominent leader, like Elijah, this would seem difficult to accomplish. Elijah was a tough act to follow.

Transitions are made easier when it is very clear that the successor is up to the job.

Elisha’s appointment to this role is confirmed by two things:

• First, God has clearly set him aside as Elijah’s successor when God tells Elijah to anoint Elisha.
• Second, Elisha is aware that he will need twice the prophetic spirit that Elijah has; and asks for it. It is a wise person who has the humility to know what they need, and ask for it.

In spiritual leadership, the call of God is usually discerned by the individual, but it is also confirmed by the community of faith.  Perhaps that explains the role of the fifty members of the company of prophets  who stand at a distance and watch Elijah and Elisha cross the Jordan.  When Elisha crosses back over the Jordan alone, they acknowledge what has happened in his life:

 When the company of prophets who were at Jericho saw him at a distance, they declared, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.”  (2 Kings 2:15).

Although the call to serve God can be very personal and unique in each individual’s life, recognition of that call by the community of faith is very important.

RESPOND: 

C.S. Lewis makes a statement in his Christian fantasy book, Prince Caspian,  about which I am undecided.  Aslan the lion is the Christ figure.  Young Lucy is disappointed that Aslan won’t rescue the children like he had in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.  Aslan explains to her:

“Things never happen the same way twice.”

I think I understand what he means.  God doesn’t get in a rut.  Even though events may resemble previous experiences, each one is unique.

Elijah experienced God’s presence in different ways in his own life — the fire that consumed his sacrifice on Mount Carmel; the sound of sheer silence on Mount Horeb; and now this fiery chariot.

On the one hand, this should remind us to watch for God’s self-disclosure in different ways.  We shouldn’t allow our spiritual discernment to grow stale.

On the other hand, there are patterns and common themes that recur — otherwise, how could we possibly learn to identify the signs that God is near?

The trick is not to turn a burning chariot or a burning bush into an expectation.  God will speak as God chooses to speak.  Our part is to be open and listening.

Lord, choosing to follow you requires every bit of my resources. Ironically though, as Elisha discovered, no matter how much I give, you always give a double-portion in return.  Thank you for the privilege of sharing and serving, and for the blessing that has been received.  Amen.

PHOTOS:
“Ascension of Elijah” by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic license.