When I first began my journey toward becoming a pastor, I was asked to share my call story frequently. I remember my first meeting with my District Superintendent, now Bishop Linda Lee. As we sat in her office, she invited me to share how I heard the Lord asking me to serve. Over the next couple of years, whenever I met with the District Committee on Ministry or my mentor, I continued to share the way God changed my life.
I also remember when my call story was affirmed on the first night of one of my Seminary classes. Classmates shared how we all arrived in the same place and parts of their echoed my own. Most of us admitted that we didn’t answer when we were first called. We were reluctant, fearful, and even doubtful that the Lord was asking us to be preachers, counselors, and servants.
After I appeared before the Board of Ordained Ministry to become a Provisional Elder, very few people asked me about my call story anymore. It seems odd that such a treasured moment in our lives is stored away with other items from our past. Pastors who preach from the Lectionary may share the call of the first disciples as recounted in the Gospels of John (1:43-51), Matthew (4: 18-22), and Luke (5: 1-11). Sometimes as I reflect on how the disciples were invited to journey with Jesus, giving up the life and the work they had known, I also relive my own call story again.
I honestly have to admit that it’s been a while since I thought about how the Lord spoke with me and invited me on this particular journey. Like Peter, Andrew, James, John, and others, I was practicing my craft, working as an Audiologist. Growing up, that was what I wanted to be. But I was restless. Somehow, I knew that there was another path I was created to follow.
God has spoken with me for as long as I can remember. Through song and prayer, He touched my life and lifted my spirit when I felt lost and alone. He was and is my rock and my salvation, my life’s cornerstone, and the foundation of my faith. The Lord has been with me in the peaks and valleys, the joys and sorrows of my life.
From time to time, the Lord affirms that we are continuing this journey, together. In a myriad of ways, God still speaks with me. One of the things I miss during this time of social distancing and mask-wearing is music. Especially the songs that remind me of my call story. Among my favorites are Here I Am, Lord, and The Summons. I haven’t heard them or sung them with others since the pandemic changed how we gather. I am looking forward to lifting up these hymns very soon, to celebrate how our Lord is preparing us for the next part of the journey. I invite you to reflect on another hymn that affirms God’s call upon our lives. Let us sing it together in spirit. May we answer God’s call with excitement and joy in the days to come. And Amen. https://youtu.be/CDljPsRIryo