What does it mean to be called by God? Called to do what? To whom?
As Christians we are called to live the radical gospel of Christ. Sometimes that call is scary. It can come in the form of a thought we can’t shake, an idea that seems crazy but won’t go away.
Here’s a story from a whole different culture from our own. It comes to us from the Suquamish people of Washington State. Their young people were getting caught up in the culture of drugs and alcohol. So the elders started sending them every year along with young people from many other tribes on the traditional Tribal Canoe Journey, a drug and alcohol-free event where Tribes gather and share their cultures.
The canoe journey represents adaptability and reliability, traits necessary inside and outside the canoe, especially with the many Native youth who struggle with substance abuse. The journey is difficult for the youth and the adults who have spent much time planning the journey and counseling and encouraging the young people.
That’s love in action both for the young people and the health of their tribe and culture. (For more information see Yes Magazine, Winter 2016, pp. 46-47.) What a beautiful example of many of the facets of love that Paul so eloquently described in the second reading today!
Many of us remember that reading from 1st Corinthians from our own wedding, and or from many we have participated in or witnessed. By the way, Paul spoke those words not as a fluffy pat on the back but as a strong rebuke. The Corinthians were fighting with one another. Everything he said love is they were not.
God’s call to Jeremiah was relentless and inevitable. Jeremiah kept telling God he wasn’t up to the job, but God wore him down saying that God would put words in his mouth and deliver him from harm.
I suggest you continue reading from Jeremiah. That truth-telling message which the prophet gave from Yahweh shows the depth of God’s love for Israel as a spouse.
We are sometimes called, as Jesus was, to take an unpopular but loving stand. It’s usually easier to speak an unpleasant truth among people we don’t know, but among our friends and family, it’s much more difficult. We are sometimes called from somewhere deep within to invite those close to us to participate with us in unfolding new stories, creating a new story for people on the margins of society and the church, one of hope and justice.
Jesus led the way, reminding his listeners that during the time of Elisha, only a foreigner from Syria was cured. He was sending the message to his family and friends that their God loves all people, not just them. Jesus had just returned from a Retreat in the desert and was ready to face people’s resistance to his message. Luke is warning us, his readers, that in Jesus life he would be experience increasing resistance.
Maybe that’s a clue for us to expect resistance and to take some time away, in the spirit of Lent, to listen to God’s message for us. The Holy Spirit will be with us, giving us the ability to lead others to greater love, for both those near us and those on the margins.
Question: What does it mean to you to be called by God? Called to do what? To whom? Do you feel alone, or do you have help and support?
For further reflection: How does that translate to our St. Mary of Magdala Community? If you haven’t put your ideas on the chart of dreams for the future of our community, you can do it on your way out today.
As we celebrate the Eucharist together we share in the Spirit of Jesus and move forward in love.
Rev. Maria Thornton McClain
As Christians we are called to live the radical gospel of Christ. Sometimes that call is scary. It can come in the form of a thought we can’t shake, an idea that seems crazy but won’t go away.
Here’s a story from a whole different culture from our own. It comes to us from the Suquamish people of Washington State. Their young people were getting caught up in the culture of drugs and alcohol. So the elders started sending them every year along with young people from many other tribes on the traditional Tribal Canoe Journey, a drug and alcohol-free event where Tribes gather and share their cultures.
The canoe journey represents adaptability and reliability, traits necessary inside and outside the canoe, especially with the many Native youth who struggle with substance abuse. The journey is difficult for the youth and the adults who have spent much time planning the journey and counseling and encouraging the young people.
That’s love in action both for the young people and the health of their tribe and culture. (For more information see Yes Magazine, Winter 2016, pp. 46-47.) What a beautiful example of many of the facets of love that Paul so eloquently described in the second reading today!
Many of us remember that reading from 1st Corinthians from our own wedding, and or from many we have participated in or witnessed. By the way, Paul spoke those words not as a fluffy pat on the back but as a strong rebuke. The Corinthians were fighting with one another. Everything he said love is they were not.
God’s call to Jeremiah was relentless and inevitable. Jeremiah kept telling God he wasn’t up to the job, but God wore him down saying that God would put words in his mouth and deliver him from harm.
I suggest you continue reading from Jeremiah. That truth-telling message which the prophet gave from Yahweh shows the depth of God’s love for Israel as a spouse.
We are sometimes called, as Jesus was, to take an unpopular but loving stand. It’s usually easier to speak an unpleasant truth among people we don’t know, but among our friends and family, it’s much more difficult. We are sometimes called from somewhere deep within to invite those close to us to participate with us in unfolding new stories, creating a new story for people on the margins of society and the church, one of hope and justice.
Jesus led the way, reminding his listeners that during the time of Elisha, only a foreigner from Syria was cured. He was sending the message to his family and friends that their God loves all people, not just them. Jesus had just returned from a Retreat in the desert and was ready to face people’s resistance to his message. Luke is warning us, his readers, that in Jesus life he would be experience increasing resistance.
Maybe that’s a clue for us to expect resistance and to take some time away, in the spirit of Lent, to listen to God’s message for us. The Holy Spirit will be with us, giving us the ability to lead others to greater love, for both those near us and those on the margins.
Question: What does it mean to you to be called by God? Called to do what? To whom? Do you feel alone, or do you have help and support?
For further reflection: How does that translate to our St. Mary of Magdala Community? If you haven’t put your ideas on the chart of dreams for the future of our community, you can do it on your way out today.
As we celebrate the Eucharist together we share in the Spirit of Jesus and move forward in love.
Rev. Maria Thornton McClain
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