"The Lord Needs You"
The Rev. Susumu Ando—January 31, 2010
A worker who works at a Bible translation organization had a distressing experience in the small Africa country, Togo when a local translator accidentally translated the sermon. The preacher asked the congregation, "Who knows?" The translator asked, "Whose nose?" The preacher declared, "Nobody knows." the translator echoed, "Nobody's nose." The preacher answered, "Only God knows." The translator confidently said, "Only God's nose."
The congregation must have left church that day wondering what lesson they were supposed to learn from all this talk about noses. But that worker left with a great lesson: why careful translation is so important.
Like Bible translation, the interpretation of the Word of God is important as well. A misinterpretation sometimes happened in history. For example, this Scripture, "Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as you obey Christ." (Ephesians 6:5 NRVS), was interpreted without the context, and was misused by Christians to support slavery for many centuries. That is the reason why Bible study is important for us to correct misinterpretations.
Like the misinterpretation of the Scripture, don't we sometimes misunderstand God's calling? Actually we balk at God's calling. In this morning's Old Testament Lesson from Jeremiah, the young man, Jeremiah balked at God's calling. The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations." (Jeremiah 1:4–5 NRSV) Did you know you have been known by God before you were formed in your mother's womb? Did you know you were consecrated by God before you were born? Do you see yourself as how God sees you? If you do, it doesn't matter that your parents accidentally had you or you were adopted or you were born from your single mother. It's not your responsibility at all. God's purpose in you is beyond human affairs. You were consecrated by God before you were born. Therefore, you are holy.
Did Jeremiah see himself as what God said about him? No. He said, "Ah, Lord GOD! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy." (Jeremiah 1:6 NRSV) He was not the first person who balked at God's calling. When Moses was called by God, he said, "O Lord, I'm just not a good speaker. I never have been, and I'm not now, even after you have spoken to me. I'm clumsy with words." (Exodus 4:10 NLT). Then, Moses begged God to send someone else. The Bible doesn't tell us whether Jeremiah was familiar with what Moses said to God in the Torah or not. But he was like Moses. He became a new Moses.
Isaiah, too. "There is no hope for me! I am doomed because every word that passes my lips is sinful, and I live among a people whose every word is sinful." (Isaiah 6:5 TEV). He was overwhelmed by his unworthiness to respond to God's calling. Elijah, too. He was manic-depressive at times, almost immobilized. Peter, too. He was fearful and impetuous.
See, the Bible tells us that God chooses the weak and unlikely people of this world to do God's work. Aren't you encouraged by those Bible figures? Yes, I am. Their stories are our stories, too. We balk. We question. We wrestle. We fear. We need clarification.
How did Jeremiah overcome a sense of his own personal inadequacy? Let us read today's Scripture. "But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD. Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "Now, I have put my words in your mouth." (Jeremiah 1:7–9 NIV) This Scripture says, "Do not be afraid." "I am with you." Can you see God's assurance? Jeremiah was transformed to look beyond his own resources and he was given a promise; not the promise of an easy path or of instant success, but the promise of God's continuing and dependable presence. Jeremiah was not alone wherever he went, whatever happened to him, however hard his tasks were. God was with him.
What was true for Jeremiah and other Bible figures is also true today. God calls you and me. God needs you and me. Does God need us? In one sense, of course, God doesn't need anything. God is God, period. But, God has chosen to work in certain ways that make you and me absolutely critical. Someone said, "Without God, we can't. Without us, God won't."
My friends, do you feel a sense of urgency: "Without us, God won't."? Nothing ever gets done without a sense of urgency. The people who make a difference in this world always share a sense of urgency. Many of us have a sense of urgency now because of the Haiti earthquake. But, a natural or human made disaster like the Haiti earthquake occurs slowly and quietly not only in the third world, but also this rich nation and our community everyday. We just don't see it often through news media. Do you have a sense of urgency about those disaster areas and the victims? In order to keep a sense of urgency, we need to know deep inside us that we were consecrated before we were born, and are appointed to serve the Lord through one of the least of those who are members of God's family. That is God's purpose in our lives. That's the reason why we were born. I know it's not easy to keep a sense of urgency. You constantly renew your commitment to the Lord, and discern God's will from noises in this world.
This morning, we will have a healing service. You know your own tendency to make excuses to God like Jeremiah did such as worthlessness, fearfulness, laziness, and shyness. Whatever it is, God wants you to overcome it and respond to God's calling. Our healing team and I will touch you, and ask God to heal you and guide you to serve. Come if you feel the Holy Spirit urges you to do so. The Lord needs you and me now in such a time as this.
Let us pray.
O gracious God, thank you for having known us before You formed us in the womb. You are calling us, saying "Do not be afraid for I am with you." O Lord, put out Your hands and touch us to send us for Your work. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.