Called and Equipped Jeremiah 1:4-10

Called and EquippedJeremiah 1:4-10 Imagine for just one minute that you wanted to start a restaurant.  You could start a fine dining restaurant with fantastic food, an elaborate menu, and beautiful space.  Or you could start a fast food restaurant with speedy service, simple but consistent food and low maintenance/highly efficient space. These are really your two main options. Say you want to start a fine dining restaurant.  Who is the first person you hire?  The chef.   And if you want to start a fast food restaurant?  You hire the manager. Before you make any decisions or take any actions regarding how to get your restaurant started, you must know what your desired outcome is.  You must have a vision. I had a vision.  I was working for the General Church in our national offices in Indianapolis.  I was helping start new churches all over the country.  But I had a niggling sensation that kept nudging me toward starting a new church.  But that is as vague as starting a restaurant.  I give thanks that God has so many ways to reach God’s people – but what was my way?  I felt called to start a new church – but I didn’t have the vision yet.  I didn’t know the hoped for outcome.   But when the time was right, it came.  I was at a new church event here on the west coast and I ended up talking with an old friend of mine, Ben Bohren.  Now, Ben had just been called as transitional Regional Minister to this Region.  So, not only did I have family out here.  Not only did I love living here while I was in seminary.  Not only did I like this Region already – but I knew the Regional Minister.  So I asked him.  I said “Ben, do you need to start any new churches in Northern California?”  He responded “Uh – YES!  Do you know anyone who wants to plant one?” So I said, “well – maybe.  I’ve been thinking about it myself.”  And those of you who know Ben can imagine how animated he got when he started to tell me about this really fast growing suburb of Sacramento and how Disciples had never had a church in this town and how he thought there was this piece that might work out and this other piece that might come together and maybe some money would be available from over here. Anyhow… I went to sleep that night kind or excited about the possibilities.  Thinking about my conversation with Ben. Thinking about the book I had been reading on new styles of worship.  Thinking about the new church event I was attending. I woke up at 3am thinking:The growing suburbs of Sacramento are deeply affected by a very secular, over-programmed, “busy” life where family time is consumed by commutes, postmodern worldview is the norm and true community is hard to find.  Table of Grace Christian Church seeks to be a haven from the chaos of the world where all sorts of families can explore their Christian spirituality and grow in their faith in a way that is in harmony with their postmodern and intellectually engaged worldview. OK. Maybe I wasn’t thinking exactly that – but pretty much!  I had my VISION. Everything I have done – from moving across the country, to which house we live in, to how I get involved in the community, to what I include in my printed materials, to how I communicate with people, to the programs we offer, to the time we have worship, to the space we use for worship, to the things we do in worship, to who gets paid first (childcare!!!), to… well, EVERYTHING… is done to support this vision. We know who God is calling us to be and that carries us through the ups and the downs.  The disappointments.  The unexpected surprises.  The decision making process.  We know the outcome we are working toward. We are working to create something.  To live into the unique witness that God has for us to share with our unique context.  This is not to say that the work is in any way easy – but there is a purpose, a destination, a Vision shaping our decisions and leading us on our way. It is a little different in an existing church.  I’ve read that an existing church needs to reevaluate their Vision every seven years or so.  The way I look at it is that God’s vision is like a circle that God can see all the way around.  But we are like a tangent – a straight line that intersects the circle in one point.  We can see a little ways – we can see the horizon, but there is all this other stuff that we cannot see yet!  As we move through time, we need to look and see what God’s next plans are for us so we can be working toward those! So the question is – what is God’s vision for ministry through First Christian Church in Modesto, CA in the next few years – or even the next decade. Before we get too scared by that question, let’s look at this scripture again.  This is a scripture where Jeremiah is first told by God that God has work for him to do.   This is what God said:  5“Before I shaped you in the womb,
   I knew all about you.
Before you saw the light of day,
   I had holy plans for you:
A prophet to the nations—
   that’s what I had in mind for you.”  6But I said, “Hold it, Master God! Look at me.
   I don’t know anything. I’m only a boy!”  7-8God told me, “Don’t say, ‘I’m only a boy.’
   I’ll tell you where to go and you’ll go there.
I’ll tell you what to say and you’ll say it.
   Don’t be afraid of a soul.
I’ll be right there, looking after you.”
   God’s Decree.  9-10God reached out, touched my mouth, and said,
   ”Look! I’ve just put my words in your mouth—hand-delivered!
See what I’ve done? I’ve given you a job to do
   among nations and governments—a red-letter day!
Your job is to pull up and tear down,
   take apart and demolish,
And then start over,
   building and planting.” Sometimes we can begin to imagine that we have to do all the figuring out – that we have to somehow create this Vision from the ground up.  But God says that we are known from before we are born.  We often interpret this to mean that God knows us as individuals – but isn’t the church the “body of Christ” and isn’t the “body of Christ” God’s incarnation or human representation on earth?  If that is so – this promise of being known relates even more to the church.  Of course, God has known the church – even this congregation – from before we were started in 1866.  God knows what could come from this ministry.  God knows the Vision. Do you notice Jeremiah’s reaction when God says that there is a purpose for Jeremiah’s life?  He says – but I can’t do that!  I’m not old enough.  I don’t have the skills for that.  I don’t know how! How sure we so often are that we cannot do it.  You know the story of the Little Engine that Could?  All these fancy engines come by and tell the toys they can’t help out.  But this little blue engine that has never even tried to climb the mountain sees the need and is willing to try.  I think I can I think I can.  She chants.  Higher and higher and faster and faster.  I think I can.  I think I can.  She makes it to the top of the mountain and as she makes her descent into the valley she says, almost in disbelief, I thought I could.  I thought I could. We really have to participate.  God doesn’t just say ‘here you go!  Now you’re there”.  God says – here is the mountain and I believe you can climb it.  You may not think that you have the time or courage or persistence or grace or energy or whatever to do it – but I’m telling you – you can do it.  Now do it.” We are listening for God’s call to us.  We are praying.  And talking with each other.  And studying scripture.  And looking at ourselves and at our community.  We are beginning to have some ideas and insights into who we are and who we’d like to become.  We are watching and listening for God’s call.  Knowing that we will also be equipped to see it through.  If only we are willing to step beyond our own self-doubt and criticism and work hard to climb the mountain – we will be blessed when we reach the other side.