What Has God Called Us to Be?

There are some wonderful stories of God’s call throughout the scriptures.  There is the call to Mary (Luke 1:26-38); The call of Moses (Exodus 3:1-4:20); the call to Isaiah (Isaiah 6:1-8); the call to Peter (5:1-11)  and many other account where God’s calls truly ordinary folks to do extraordinary things.   The Biblical precedent for call has four very distinct elements:

• The call comes from God. 
• resistance to God’s call. 
• reassurance of God’s call
• an obedient response to God’s call

This Biblical precedent for call proves out in almost all the call stories in the Bible.  I am sure it applies to all of us who listen for God’s call in our lives.  More importantly I believe that God calls churches as well.  It is clear to me that Grace has been called to a very important task in ministry as it is reflected in our Mission Statement:

“By the Grace of God in Christ Jesus, the Spirit is among us, to magnify the name of the Lord, make disciples and meet human need.”

If you worship at the 8:50 AM, the words should be familiar to you.  Former Pastor Thomas Allen put this statement to music and it has become our regular benediction, reminding us of God’s call as a community of faith.  This broad and simple statement defines the perimeters in which we engage in ministry.

But God’s call is not static.  God’s call is fluid and constantly shifting as we grow in faith and discover new avenues of ministry while affirming standing ministry in our midst.  So the question arises, “what has God called Grace Presbyterian Church to be in 2012?  This is an important spiritual question.  How do we respond?

In order for us to discern God’s call as the body of Christ, we need to address this question.  With a new pastor, it is essential that we discern this call.  To this end, the session has approved a format for a congregation wide Mission/Self Study so that we can together listen for God’s call and a new vision for ministry in the coming years.  There are no plans to do away with the “old ways,” or to push some new agenda onto the congregation.  This Mission study will help us to define direction for the coming years so we can faithfully live into God’s call as the Grace Presbyterian church.

A task committee is being formed to handle the logistics of this discernment process.  There will be a congregational survey, large and small group meetings with hopefully all the members of the church giving their input into this process.  The more people who respond the bigger picture we can get of where God is leading us, and most important what God is calling us to do and to be.

I want to encourage you to take some time and read through some of the call stories listed above.  Look at the biblical precedent and begin to pray for the church and the process that is to come.  This is an exciting time, for I have no doubt that God has something wonderful in store for us in the coming years.

I’ll  See You in Church,

Thom
Rev. Thom Lamb