Finding Our Calling (Oct 12, 08)

Sermon Notes Work M5

Title: Finding Our Calling

Texts: Eph. 2: 10; 1 Cor. 12:7

The movie Simon Birch is a story of a 12-year-old boy named Simon, who despite his miniature size and abnormally small heart, senses that God has a plan for him.

Show clip:

The small-town’s tired minister doubts that God could have a plan for small Simon Birch. In a conversation between Simon, the 12-year-old boy, and his minister, Simon asks, “Does God have a plan for us?” The minister hesitantly replies, “I like to think he does.” Simon Birch says enthusiastically, “Me, too! I think I am made the way I am for a reason.” The minister coolly states, “I am glad that your faith helps you deal with your, you know, your condition.” “That’s not what I mean,” Simon states. “I think I am God’s instrument. He is going to use me to carry out his plan.” The minister says, “It is wonderful to have faith, son, but let’s not overdo it.”

Could God have a plan for someone who was born in a miniature body like Simon Birch? Could God have a plan and a call for ordinary people like us who do not fill the pages of Scripture?

Throughout the scriptures we see that God calls people to himself… and then calls them to do a work for him. We see this dramatically in the lives of people like Abraham and Sarah, Moses, Elijah, Esther, Mary, and Paul. We see this throughout the pages of Scripture.

But could God have a plan for someone like Simon Birch? Could God have a plan and a call for ordinary people like us?

Today we’re going to look at how each of has a call (or series of calls) from God and how we discover that call.

Paul, in Ephesians 2: 10, tells us that we are God’s handiwork:

¹⁰ For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Before we were born, Scripture tells us, God had planned good works for us to do.

Our call to do those good works, will typically involve the use of certain gifts God has given us, certain passions, and meeting certain needs in our world.

If we give our lives over to God, we are also given certain spiritual gifts by God.

Paul says in 1 Cor. 12: 7 Now to each one the manifestation (or a gift) of the Spirit is given for the common good.

Some of the gifts that Paul lists include: service, teaching, encouraging, giving, leadership, mercy (Romans 12). Wisdom, discernment, and knowledge are listed (1 Cor 12). Other gifts are also mentioned in Ephesians 4. All the lists are samplings of gifts, none of them are exhaustive.

The calling God has for us will be determined, in part, by the gifts God has given us, Part of our call will also be determined by our passion, what we desire, love to do. Paul, in Philippians 2: 13, says for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Calling will also relate to the needs around us—as gifts are given as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:7, for the common good.

Frederick Buechner, the pastor and writer, has said, The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet. So, vocation, which comes from the root word “vocal,” which is related to the word “call,” relates to our gifts, but also to our passion, our desire to meet certain needs. Calling is not simply about the exercise of gifts and passions, but it is also about the meeting of needs in the world.

In a world that is affected by the sin virus, none of us will have a perfect landscape in which to exercise all of our gifts and our passions.

In the movie version of Babette’s Feast there are two beautiful sisters in a small poor Danish village near the Sea during the 18^th century. One of the sisters has an angelic singing voice, but has no opportunity to develop it. A famous opera singer from Paris who meets her when he happens to be passing through their small village says “In Paradise… you will forever be the great artist God intended you to be.” In this world though we may not have the perfect context to use all of our gifts, our calling will involve us using our gifts in the context that God places us.

Not only does sin compromise our capacity to use our gifts because we will never have the perfect “landscape” in which to use them, but sin compromises our interior landscape and causes us to pursue pseudo-callings, or false callings, that don’t reflect God’s design for us. Sometimes in “vocational” decisions we are overly influenced by money, or the prospect of power, or approval, the expectations of our family or society, and we choose a life path that will bring us one or more of these things, rather than pursuing what God has created us to be and do….

At this time I am going to invite David Bentall, who with his wife Alison, worships with us in our 3^rd service, to come and share part of his journey in discovering his call. Many of you would know who he is. His family is well-known and respected here in the Vancouver area and beyond for his leadership in construction business. You’ve seen the Bentall Towers downtown. When David was president of Dominion Construction, GM Place was built and he was also part of the team that helped create a successful Olympic bid. David is also as you’ll see a person of deep faith in Jesus Christ. Some of you would know his daughters Jennifer, Christy or Stephanie who worship here too.

At this time I am going to invite David to come and share part of his story with us.