Who's listening to the sermon?

 

Reflection Sunday 30^th May 2021

 

How does God call us to his service? How does God call us to vocation?

Our reading from Isaiah this morning tells of an extremely dramatic way in which Isaiah was called to become a prophet. The first eight verses of Isaiah chapter 6 describe one of the best known of Isaiah’s visions. Summoned to God’s throne and surrounded by awe and terror, Isaiah is struck by his own unworthiness and the unworthiness of his people. Isaiah knows he is not worthy to stand before God, Isaiah knows he is unworthy to serve God yet here he is:

⁵ ‘Woe to me!’ I cried. ‘I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.’ Isaiah 6:5 NIV

Despite his unworthiness, Isaiah is cleansed

⁶ Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, … ⁷ With it he touched my mouth and said, ‘See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.’ Isaiah 6: 7 – 8 NIV

What other option does he have? When you are stood at the foot of God’s throne it is not the time to say “No” to God. What else can Isaiah do but respond to God’s calling?

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!’ Isaiah 6:8

Isaiah responded following worship. Isaiah responded following a word from God. ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’

In an article called "The Secret Revolution" for The New Yorker magazine 11 April 1994, Allister Sparks recounted the following story

Someone heard a sermon on September 20, 1989. The place was in the city of Pretoria, in South Africa. On that September day, F. W. de Klerk was inaugurated as President of South Africa. Unlike leaders of many other nations at that time, de Klerk regularly went to church. No one in South Africa was surprised that, on the day of his inauguration, he invited his favourite pastor, a white man named Pieter Bingle, to lead worship at a service in Pretoria.

Everybody gathered. The people sang some familiar hymns. They prayed well-polished prayers. Then Pastor Bingle stood up in the pulpit to speak. He based his sermon that day on the 23rd chapter of Jeremiah. As Bingle spoke, he said, "Mr. de Klerk, as our new President, you are standing in the council chamber of God. God is calling you to do his will. Today God calls you to serve as the President of South Africa. His commission is not to serve as the President of some of the people of South Africa, but as the President of all the people of South Africa."

By the benediction, de Klerk was weeping. He called his family and friends together and said, "Pray for me. God has told me what I must do. And if I do it, I will be rejected by my own people. Pray for me, that I might do the will of God." Soon thereafter, de Klerk took steps to release Nelson Mandela. Then he began to negotiate with the African National Congress. Then he worked to dismantle the system of apartheid. The rest, as they say, is history.

It happened because somebody listened to a sermon.

On 7^th April 1991, my wife and I were enjoying a long weekend in Ripon North Yorkshire. On that Sunday morning we went to a service in Ripon Cathedral. We’d intended to go to the Methodist Church but during a visit to the cathedral on Saturday afternoon we’d spoken to one of the clergy who’d invited us to join on Sunday. “I’m afraid you’ll have to put up with me preaching”. To this day I can’t recall what he preached, but I had my John Wesley moment, my heart was warmed, and I knew God was calling me to be local preacher.

It happened because somebody listened to a sermon.

On Sunday 23^rd December 2001 I was preaching at Cirencester Methodist Church. I used as a text Luke 1:37 ³⁷ For nothing will be impossible with God.’ NRSV.

After the service, a friend called Derek said to me “David, I feel you should offer for the ministry”. Long story short, here I am

It happened because somebody listened to a sermon.

When I looked at the Bible readings for today, I knew straight away that I had to preach on this passage from Isaiah. I don’t know why but those words in verse 8 ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’ jumped out at me.

Maybe I’m meant to nudge someone who is hearing this or reading this? I don’t know. Or maybe I’m just supposed to help you realise when God is speaking. I don’t know what I’m nudging you to do – if that is what I’m supposed to be doing. But I know I have to share this word today.

As I’ve shown with three example – two of my own and one with F W de Klerk – that God can speak through the words of a sermon and / or through an act of worship. But God speaks in many other ways too. In my experience through words of friends. (A friend of ours called Alison Jarvis said to me 5 years before Derek spoke to me in 2001 that she felt I was called to be a minister.) And I’m sure God can speak in dramatic ways too as we know of course from Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus and from the passage in Isaiah we’re thinking about today.

I’m just pleased that God spoke to me through the vicar at Ripon Cathedral and through my friend Derek. I’m not sure I’d cope too well with six winged seraphs!

It happened because somebody listened to a sermon. Is anybody listening?