ENTER INTO A MYSTERY
We often speak about God calling someone to ministry in an almost casual fashion. When you consider the implications of speaking of God’s call, it is really an awesome mystery. Who is this God who seems unaffected by the normal standards of the world when deciding who to call? Why did God call an elderly couple, Abram and Sarai, to begin the faith community instead of a younger couple? Why did God call Moses, a killer who had run away from authorities to avoid punishment, or a fig picker like Amos, or the violence prone and lust filled David? It doesn’t get better in the Gospels. What qualified the twelve disciples? None of them demonstrated great insight into what Jesus was saying, and they all had deficiencies ranging from temper problems, to greed, to doubts, and more bluster than courage. And why did God call a religious zealot like Saul who was bent on persecuting Christians rather than being attracted by the faith?
AN INVITATION TO EXPLORE A MYSTERY
I want to invite you to use fiction to explore this mystery. Don’t say you don’t have the time or talent to write a story. Allow this mysterious God to work through your unexplored talent of creativity and imagination. Either grab some paper and a pen or your laptop and permit me to guide you through a process of storytelling. Following the precedent already established in the Bible, I want you to write a brief story about God calling a really questionable character to ministry. Don’t be too serious. Don’t overthink what you write. Feel free to exaggerate and be outrageous. Have fun. You’ll be surprised what God can do when you just let it flow.
FIRST STEP: Pick a name not associated with anyone you know. Write a brief bio of this person. What does he or she look like? In no more than one or two short sentences, describe briefly the parents that shaped your person. Identify some good qualities but also several less than admirable qualities and the life experiences that contributed to those characteristics. EG, was there a painful moment in early childhood that caused the person to be insecure, etc.
SECOND STEP: In this brief story, your protagonist is going to interact with another person or no more than two people. Write a brief bio of that person(s). Don’t worry about how that person fits into the story. Just describe this human being’s personality and physical features. Again, make sure they have both good and less admirable qualities.
Resist the temptation to give either of them some hidden “heart of gold” or other romantic quality waiting to be released. Just make them ordinary, complex, human beings.
THIRD STEP: Describe a context for your story that brings your two characters together. Just pick a scene and describe both the location and the circumstances.
In this case, have the context have something, however remotely, to do with the church. Maybe they meet as they come to worship, attend a meeting, during their commute to work, at a sports event, at a bar, a wedding, a funeral, etc. but provide some way that faith can be part of the experience.
FOURTH STEP: Once you have done the above, and not before, assume that God wants to call the first person you described to the ministry. God isn’t working through lightning bolts or deep voices from the sky. Rather, assume that God chooses to work through something that happens in the events that happen between your two characters. Bring them together and through dialogue, behavior, and events cause your lead character to sense God’s call.
LIBERATE YOUR INNER SELF
Set an alarm or notice the time when you begin and try to accomplish all of the above in about an hour. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, most of us can choose to set aside an hour where we might avoid the task if we weren’t sure how long it will take. Second, the pressure of time forces you to not be too careful about what you write. Third, not being able to stop and think about what you are writing lowers your inhibitions and your perfectionist tendencies and releases your inner creativity.
DEPTH IN COMMUNITY
A further step that I would encourage is that you find a friend and share your story with that person. Have that person read the story aloud. You will hear it differently when it strikes your ear. My guess is that it will lead to some enjoyable and valuable conversation.
While this is written primarily for clergy, educators, and church musicians, it is good Reformed theology that we all have been called by God. It can be a fun exercise for anyone who wants to explore the mystery of God’s call. ENJOY.
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