Honouring Your Call - Part 3
/As the Advent journey begins and as I reflect on calling, I can’t help but think of Mary and Elizabeth, Joseph and Zechariah. Each of them played a major role in Jesus’ arrival on earth. Elizabeth and Zechariah parented John the Baptist in their old age, preparing him to be Jesus’ fore-runner in ministry, and also supported teen-aged Mary as she prepared to give birth to the Messiah. Joseph, Mary’s fiance, stood by her even though he wasn’t Jesus’ biological father and faced shunning by his community. He accepted the role of earthly step-parent to a holy child.
Calling isn’t always glamorous or glitzy. Calling is sometimes behind the scenes and involving a lot of sacrifice. And yet, I would bet that all four of these Advent game changers wouldn’t change a thing. Despite the pain and struggle and the reactions of their neighbours, they rose to the occasion. They trusted in God to be with them through what seemed impossible circumstances. They trusted that what they were doing was going to fulfill God’s purposes, benefit God’s people and change the world.
Advent offers the opportunity to re-frame, to look at the world and our living differently. Advent challenges us to clear away whatever hinders our view of God and the coming Messiah. Advent asks us to slow down, to be ready to repent, and to give time and focus to preparing our hearts to receive our King. The candles of the Advent wreath bring more and more light into the world week by week. We similarly shine brighter and brighter as we place our focus on God’s gentle presence in our lives and our calling to reflect the hope, peace, joy and love of Christ.
Advent invites us to re-read and consider Jesus’ miraculous story and impact - the centuries previous promises of His coming. the people not willing to give up on hope, the people obedient to serving as God called them to serve. Our calling is to not lose hope and to be obedient to what God asks of us in order to bring the light of Christ into the world. Whatever our calling might be and however it may shift over time, the bottom line is the same. We are privileged to be asked to play a part in God’s kingdom coming more and more into the world. We have been gifted for such a time as this to bring light into darkness. We are asked to wait for the right timing and contexts to be best used for God’s purposes.
I would imagine that all four of the group - Elizabeth, Zechariah, Mary and Joseph - would say that being obedient to God’s calling turned their lives upside down. Whatever plans they had or how they envisioned their lives turning out was thrown out the window by God’s plans. Being obedient to God may not be as dramatic for us, but it still means being willing to let go of control and a detailed picture of what we expect our lives to be like in order to make more room for God’s leading.
Perhaps for us, the best way to honour God’s call is to remain attentive, never assuming we’ve got it all figured out but listening for when the next thing is on the horizon. The call of Elizabeth, Zechariah, Mary and Joseph would shift throughout their lives as John and Jesus grew and had different roles to play. What serving God meant would also shift because of changing needs and realities. It is no different for us.
As Advent continues, find time to pray and reflect about how God is asking you to help to bring Christ more into the world. Rather than this being a passive time of waiting to receive God’s blessings of hope, peace, joy and love, think about recognizing how these gifts are already present in your life and how you can share them with others. Rather than waiting for God to act, ask how you can act in response to what God has done for you. Pray about how God wants you to use your unique gifts and personality, abilities and calling to make this Christmas a more meaningful one for others.
As we seek to honour the One who came to be God with us, may we offer ourselves to fulfill the Almighty’s calling to us. Advent blessings in abundance to you!