I see your pain and want to banish it
with the wave of a star,
but have no star.

I see your tears and want to dry them
with the hem of an angel's gown,
but have no angel.

I see your heart fallen to the ground and want to return it
wrapped in cloths woven of rainbow,
but have no rainbow.

God is the One
who has stars, and angels and rainbows,
and I am the one
God sends to sit beside you
until the stars come out
and the angels dry your tears
and your heart is back in place,
rainbow blessed.

~Ann Weems

I passed a good looking car this morning on my way into the office. I was curious that I didn’t instantly see the checkered-circle or almost-a-peace-sign. When I looked closer to see what it really was, imagine my surprise when I saw it was a Kia. A Kia! I’m no car connoisseur, but it seemed disjointed to me that such a sharp looking car would be such a, well from my impressions, wannabe kind of a brand.

How do you market something like that? I wondered. People that can afford the kind of car it looks like just buy those kinds of cars. People that can’t, well—do they know they’re buying a wannabe? My brain kept racing—maybe the target audience could be those kind of people looking for a “simpler” life, something where they are limiting their debt or in fact actually paying cash for things so they aren’t looking for the most expensive item, people concerned with stewardship, Christians perhaps looking to live more simply that they could give more to those in need. “Maybe that could be their market niche,” briefly floats through my mind.

Whatever. That would cover like, what, .01% of the population? Living within our means, paying cash for things, simplifying life… these don’t seem to be American ideals.

I’m no saint at this either, but even on a good day, I really do question how most U.S. citizens prioritize our spending, myself included. For instance, for all my work at buying only necessary things, I’ve already come up with three boxes of stuff for the church yard sale. How do I accumulate so much? I remember when Tom and I moved into our house, we had empty closets everywhere. Now almost every closet is over half way full, if not full.

I’m not sure what would convict me that we abuse our finances if I weren’t a follower of Christ. But being a Christian, I am really appalled at how much we think we need that we could easily do without. “How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?” (I John 3:17)

Philip Yancy writes in Christianity Today of an account he read of someone’s stay in a monastery: “’I hope your stay is a blessed one,’ said the monk who showed the visitor to his cell. ‘If you need anything, let us know, and we’ll teach you how to live without it.’”

To filling our lives with love and not stuff,
Jess

Called. Tricky business being “called,” (in the spiritual sense that is—as in, a call from God.) I’m pretty specific when I refer to being called as God’s call for me as oppose to my call to ministry. For theological reasons but also ‘cause I one-upped Moses for making up reasons why I shouldn’t be a person God called into ministerial leadership. (My call for my life would look a lot different than how God has led me through this process!) I very distinctly understood God to be directing me to seminary and reluctantly agreed.

The other night at our monthly Session meeting we heard from Megan and Eric, two of our young adults who will both begin seminary this coming fall. It was a blessed mix of joy, holiness, laughter, community, and spiritual growth. It was quite clear both Eric and Megan were called to ministry through the work of the Holy Spirit.

So yesterday in a meeting I got my whole sense of how God calls us to ministry dumped upside-down. The opening devotion was a reflection on Isaiah 6:8—“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!’” The devotion was from Oswald Chambers’ My Utmost for His Highest:

It is not a question of God singling out a [person] and saying, "Now, you go." God did not lay a strong compulsion on Isaiah; Isaiah was in the presence of God and he overheard the call, and realized that there was nothing else for him but to say, in conscious freedom, "Here am I, send me." Get out of your mind the idea of expecting God to come with compulsions and pleadings. When our Lord called His disciples there was no irresistible compulsion from outside. The quiet passionate insistence of His "Follow Me" was spoken to [people] with every power wide awake. (January 14th)

Good reminder. Yes, there are clear calls from the Holy Spirit—those indescribable communications that make known what it is we are to do. But we also must be wide awake to hear the call that is constantly being communicated by Jesus—feed my sheep, do unto others, share, pray, love…. ‘Here I am; send me!’

In Christ,
Jess