The following is an abridged text of a sermon preached at Sheldon Road Methodist Church Chippenham on 27th May 2018 It draws closely on Isaiah 6: 1 - 8
A point that was drummed in to me when I was training as a local preacher almost 30 years ago now was that there is nothing worse for preachers than making the sermon about them and their testimony. I would add in my defence, it wasn’t drummed in to me because I tended to make sermons about me, it was a point made to the half dozen of us who trained together at that time.
But with the words of the several ministers and local preachers who taught me on the Local Preacher’s course ringing in my ears, I’ll ask your forgiveness if I ignore them for a moment. As I want to start off my sermon by briefly telling you how I came to be here this morning.
Back in 1991, Anne and I were having a long weekend in Ripon in North Yorkshire. On the Sunday morning we thought we’d go to the Cathedral to worship. I couldn’t tell you who the preacher was. I couldn’t tell you what he preached on – though as it was the Sunday after Easter I imagine it was something Easter related!
But during the sermon I had that Wesleyan experience of my heart being strangely warmed. And I knew there and then that God was calling me to be a local preacher. Until that point I don’t think I’d ever thought about this before. I certainly don’t remember anyone suggesting this to me. But on that Sunday morning in Ripon I felt God’s call to preach.
And I deliberately say Felt God’s call. For despite the beautiful and tranquil surroundings of Ripon Cathedral, I can’t say:
I saw the Lord, high and exalted,seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Isaiah 6
There was a distinct lack of
2 … seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.
And the only time I heard “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty” was during the Communion service.
I can also categorically say that no doorposts shook, and the cathedral was not filled with smoke. I just felt called to be a Local Preacher.
On returning home, I contacted the Superintendent minister and got my note to preach and off I went on my Local Preacher training. And on Sunday 23rd October 1994 I became fully accredited.
And that was how things were for the next few years. What did our friend Jo know when she said, “You’d make a wonderful minister”? She’d lived in Brussels for 10 years and had never heard me preach. How could God be speaking to me through her?
And how could a long-retired Methodist Chair of District, now attending a little chapel in Warwickshire, know anything when he said to me “You should really consider training for the ministry”?
With hindsight I had several such encounters over the space of 6 or 7 years. And all the while the person who knows me best, my wife, would say. “When are you going to offer for the ministry then?”
After taking a service at Cirencester Methodist on 23rd December 2001 God decided he’d send yet another messenger to me, this time in the face of a member of the church who I held – and still do - in great respect. I’d preached on the theme “Nothing is impossible with God”. And as if to prove it God sent George to speak to me at the end of the service “You really should consider entering the ministry David” and I found myself saying “Yes.”
I can’t say it was “Here I am Lord send me”. It was more “Oh alright I’ll give it a go”. I wasn’t convinced it would happen. I didn’t think I’d get through all the hoops prospective ministers have to go through – especially when I saw several close friends either be turned down or walk away. People far more gifted than I.
By the way, my wife's reaction was "What took you so long?"
But with reluctance. With doubts. I finally answered God’s call after he had sent several good and faithful servants to speak to me.
So there. I’ve broken the rules by telling you about myself and how I came to be a minister.
Why have I done this? Well, obviously the passage from Isaiah we’ve heard speaking of Isaiah’s call is something to do with it. But there is more than that.
I recently went to a Methodist meeting in Bristol. It is a meeting held around this time every year to explain the process for ministers entering stationing. If you’re not up with Methodist Church procedures, usually a minister is “stationed” in a Methodist Circuit for a five-year period. Towards the end of the fourth year the minister then must decide whether he or she would like to remain where they are or go in to the stationing process. The meeting I went to was about how the process will run this year as I may be entering stationing in September.
The message that came through loud and clear at the meeting was that there is now a chronic shortage of ministers. This means that it is highly likely that some churches needing a replacement minister will have to go without. I was aware of this before going to the meeting. But the meeting reiterated it.
But most of all, as I started to prepare my sermon I just kept hearing those words from Isaiah:
8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” Isaiah 6:8
Then in a book I’ve been reading “When God is silent” by Barbara Brown Taylor, I read the following:
“If God spoke directly to people, then preachers could retire. As it is, God’s reticence is the problem clergy are called to address.”
When God is silent: divine language beyond words by Barbara Brown Taylor 2013 Canterbury Press
I think God wants me to remind you he’s calling:
8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
God spoke those words seeking to call Isaiah to his ministry as a prophet. But God speaks those words to all of us.
8 …. “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
I believe those words aren’t just addressed to those hearing a call to be a local preacher or even a minister. Though if you are, praise the Lord! God calls each one of us to ministry. And ministry takes many forms. As Paul puts it in 1 Corinthians 12
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.1 Corinthians 12: 4 – 6
I truly believe that God has a ministry for each of us. The challenge for each of us is having the courage to accept the call to that ministry.
8 …. “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
Isaiah 6: 1 – 8 sounds very positive. God calls Isaiah to be a prophet. Isaiah thinks he’s unworthy. God blesses him and Isaiah accepts:
8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
But, if we go on further in the chapter, we realise what Isaiah was signing up to. He is being told by God to do a hard job. To tell the people of Israel that God is going to allow the King of Assyria to come and conquer their land and lay it waste.
It’s useful to go on past Isaiah 6:8 because we then learn that, when we respond to God’s call, we’re not promised that everything will be easy.
I, like many, always pause and reflect on the words we hear in the Methodist Covenant service:
Christ has many services to be done:
some are easy, others are difficult;
some bring honour, others bring reproach;
some are suitable to our natural inclinations and material interests,
others are contrary to both;
in some we may please Christ and please ourselves;
in others we cannot please Christ except by denying ourselves.
The words are a useful reminder of what the cost of serving the Lord Jesus can be at times.
We are all aware that a call does not always come at a convenient time in our lives. Think about those annoying sales calls. Three things give away telephone solicitors. First, they call during a meal, or at some other equally inconvenient time. Second, if your name isn't Smith or Jones, they will probably mispronounce it. Third, they don't understand phrases such as, "No, thank you," or "I’ve not had a car crash." Or “No I wasn’t mis-sold PPI.” These callers are persistent and have a prepared counterattack to any excuse we offer for not buying their product.
The national "Telephone Preference Service" has helped that situation somewhat. Maybe the new Data Protection Regulations will too. But God doesn’t comply with GDPR! We can’t opt out of being on God’s mailing list. Yes, we can turn our backs on his call. But he’ll keep calling. He’ll keep using the voices of friends, words in books and even preachers to remind us he’s calling.
Just as God called the prophet Isaiah, God also calls us, and the call can be very persistent. We may try explaining to God that this is not a convenient time for a call. We offer all manner of excuses to God, too. "But God, I like my current job." "I have young children still at home." "I can't afford it." "I simply cannot do that thing." "I don't have the right training, background, experience, education...." The excuses go on and on. But God will keep on calling when he feels the time is right.
Although your call will probably not be recorded the way Isaiah's is, being chosen by God is an awesome responsibility.
Jesus did not call any rabbis or priests to be his disciples. He called laypersons exclusively. God calls disciples from all walks of life to seek justice, love kindness and mercy, and walk humbly with God. The church is called to equip disciples and to send them into the world to accomplish God's work.
Some of you will have found your ministry, while others are searching for a way to use their gifts. Some of you even believe you don't have any gifts God can use but let me assure you that God can use you – sometimes in ways you would never have thought possible.
God empowers and equips us for the work within the church and community. Prayer is important. Take time to pray and take time to listen – especially to what friends are saying. And remember, each one of us is an integral part of the body of Christ – the Church.
Throughout your lifetime, God has always been at work within you. Examine your skills, interests, the needs of the Christian community, and even the needs of the world. Each of you is invited to participate in God's work of reconciling the world to God.
When God comes calling, what will be your response?
God may be calling you right now with a special job that only you can do. Is your spiritual mobile phone turned on? Listen to God's call.
Along with Isaiah, we hear the question, "Whom shall we send, and who will go for us?" Can you say along with Isaiah, "Here am I, Lord. Send me!"?
