What’s Your Calling Plan?

John Piper

            The other day I was looking over my cell phone plan including the different calling options available.  Some of the options included are: call-waiting, call-forwarding, conference-calling, call-placing, call-answering, missed-calls, call-timers, and also the ability for call-recording.  Names and numbers can even be saved in a data base for future-calling.  We have so many ways to keep in touch.

             Recently, during Epiphany, the lessons and sermon have focused on God’s call to ministry.  God calls all of His children in many ways and for many purposes.  Too often we feel that God’s call only relates to the ordained ministry, but Luther reminds us that we are “the priesthood of believers.”  Indeed some are called to preach.  But others are called to teach, to absorb the Word, to serve, to be examples, to comfort, to support, to reach out, to maintain, to cook, to clean, to be friends, to share, and countless needs of the Church which we are all called to accept.  None are called to be spectators.  We are all called to participate.  That is why there is no “audience” at worship.  We gather as a worshipping “congregation,” called by our God.

            Of course, in order to accept a call from God, we must be able to receive the call and listen to that call.  Too often we are engaged with the “noisy communications” of our worldly life and miss the voice of God directed to us.  In a way, we are engaging the call-waiting function.  We hear the annoying beep in the background, but decide that our current “call” is more important.  How often has God been trying to reach you in this manner?

            Other times, we miss calls from God by straying from His presence and fail to get back in touch.  This could be compared with being out of range, ignoring your missed-calls list and not checking your voice messages.

            We have the opportunity to use the conference-calling function when two or more of us gather in Christ’s name.  This may be at worship, during Sunday school, engaging in Bible study, or sitting down with a fellow believer and discussing God’s presence in our lives.

            Of course, the two main functions we should discipline ourselves to use regularly are call-placing and call-answering.  Being open to receive God in our lives whenever He calls is essential to our well-being.  It is how we receive direction for life and comfort from the only One who can truly give complete comfort.  But, we also have that call-placing function where we mere mortals can always “get through” to the Author of creation.  But we have to use that prayer function regularly if we want our lives to have peace and direction.

            I have a wonderful devotional guide titled God Calling.  Since that title was used I had to find another title for this article.  Perhaps I could have called it Can You Hear Me Now?  Keep in touch!