I’d like to show you a few things today and see if you recognize them. These are pretty common items, but to know what they are you would have to be involved in the activity that they are used in. First, let me show you this [show the divot tool]. Can anybody here tell me what this gadget is for? [pause for responses] This is a divot tool. It’s used in golf. When a golf ball lands on the green from a long distance it can leave a pretty good indentation on the green – not a good thing for those trying to putt. So you use this tool to work the indentation out of the green. This divot tool hasn’t been used very much. You see, to work out a divot on the green, first you’ve got to hit the green – and that’s a rare thing for this guy.
Let me show you another tool. [show the bladed cork remover] Now this item is a bit of an oddity. It performs a very common function. Does anybody recognize this item? What it is for? Yep! It is used to remove the cork from wine bottles, vinegar bottles, olive oil bottles or any other bottle with a cork in it.
How about this item? [show the SD memory card] Does anybody recognize this little gizmo? What is it for? It’s actually a very sophisticated electronic device. You can put it into a digital camera or into a little portable computer like this one and add 128 million memory locations to store pictures or information.
Each and every one of these items was designed for a very specific purpose. The designer and builder planned carefully what they were doing as they selected the materials, the shape and size of each of these things. They were clearly made do accomplish a very specific purpose and they might be able to do other things, but not as well as what they were made to do. If I tried to pull a cork out of a bottle with the divot tool – I’d have a mess! If I tried to put the cork remover into a digital camera or into my little computer here – I’m sure that it would cause some serious electrical shorts or maybe worse. And can you imagine using this little SD memory card to repair a divot? Preposterous! These things serve best when doing what their designer and builder made them to do!
Now let me show you something else. [ask Jane and Steven to come forward] Here we have a couple of people from our congregation. They are here to actually represent us. Standing here are Jane and Steve – but it could be any one of us standing here at the front. I’m going to ask you the same question as I did before – but I want you to remember that it could be you up here as you think of the answer: What are Jane and Steven for? What did the Creator make them to be or to do? As you contemplate the question, think about the your own life. Are you satisfied that you know why you were born? Are you certain that you know why you’ve been given the 80 or so years of life that you’ve been given? These are tough questions, and we’re going to try to deal with them today. [thank Jane and Steven and ask them to be seated]
Today is the first of a two Sunday series whose intention is to lead us to consider how we can serve in God’s Kingdom. In your bulletins today you will find an envelope that contains three documents. One is a description of the various leadership roles, committees, and service groups that our church needs to keep functioning. Another of the documents allows you to be able to volunteer to assume one of these roles. And finally, there is a card on which you may pledge the monetary contribution that you believe the Lord is leading to offer to the church next year. This is a vital bit of information as the officers of the church plan the budget for this ministry next year. We will be considering the same Biblical texts during the next two Sundays. Let’s read the text we will be using today. [read Isaiah 6:6-8 in the First Lesson today]
Isaiah’s call into God’s service was a nerve wracking experience for him. He was convinced that he was inadequate for the call that God gave to him. When the Lord showed Isaiah a vision of heaven – Isaiah became even more distraught. He knew that in no way could he serve the Lord because of his sinfulness. And so the Lord gives him a vision of an angel taking a hot coal from the Lord’s altar and touching it to Isaiah’s lips. God told Isaiah that he had purified him. And so God issues the call: “Who will go and serve? Whom shall I send?” And so Isaiah, now prepared for Kingdom service answered, “Here am I, send me, send me.”
It is a bit premature to enter in the whole realm of spiritual gifts right now. Because you see, the first thing we need to sort out is whether we are prepared to answer the call of God for Kingdom service. And to do this, the first thing we need to consider is that God created each of us and gifted us uniquely. You were created for a purpose. God has something in mind for you. Listen to what the Apostle Paul writes: “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10) Can anything be more clear? From the beginning of time, God foreordained that you would have a role in the Kingdom of God. As we talk about how you might serve the Church, recognize that God created you uniquely to serve the Kingdom with the skills and the talents that he has gifted you with.
There are few things more pitiful than a person who is obligated to do a job that they hate. Have you had the terrible misfortune of having to work with a person who would rather not be there? The simplest things become such a chore! Well, I’d like to tell you that a person who doesn’t recognize the role that God has called them to serve in the Kingdom will never find fulfillment. They will seek to find contentment in their jobs; in material things; in money; in vacations; in homes – but none of these things will work right. There will always seem to be something missing. It’ll seem as if we really aren’t filling the purpose or role for which we were created. Things just don’t seem to come together. It’ll be like trying to remove a cork with divot tool or use a cork remover to expand the memory on a camera.
You were made by God to serve a role. The writer of the Proverbs says, “The LORD has made everything for his own purpose.” (Proverbs 16:4a) There is a profound truth in this. We aren’t here to serve ourselves. We aren’t here for our own ends. But we are here for God. God knows exactly why you can sing or can’t sing; why you can dance or can’t dance; why you are good with numbers or not; why you are warm and caring or logical and calculating. But the question is, do we?
There is only one way we can truly determine what God has gifted us to do. And that is to be in a relationship with Him. But that is only possible through the shed blood and Cross of Jesus Christ. God has purposed to make all things new again through his Son Jesus Christ. It is through Christ that we begin to understand the plans that God has for us. Listen to these words that Paul gives to the Colossian believers: “God has rescued us from the power of darkness and has brought us into the kingdom of his Son, whom he loves. His Son paid the price to free us, which means that our sins are forgiven. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. He created all things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. Whether they are kings or lords, rulers or powers - everything has been created through him and for him.” (Colossians 1:14-16)
You have been gifted, beloved, for purposes that you can only learn through a relationship with Jesus Christ. God has a plan and a purpose for your life. God told the people of Jeremiah’s time: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11) The same is true today. Knowing your purpose is important.
There’s a story of a rich man who was determined to give his mother a unique and special birthday present. He wanted it to outshine all other gifts she had received. He read of a bird that had a vocabulary of 4000 words. The bird could speak in numerous languages and sing 3 operatic arias. He immediately bought the bird for $50,000 and had it delivered to his mother. The next day he phoned to see if she had received the bird. “What did you think of the bird?” he asked. She replied, “It was delicious.” (adapted from sermonillustrations.com)
Beloved, don’t eat the gift the Lord has given you. Seek God’s purpose in Christ so that when He asks, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for me?” Be ready to say, “Here am I, Lord. Send me! Send me!” We’ll talk more about this topic next week. In the mean time, pray, look over the documents in the bulletin, and find out if the Lord is calling you.
In Jesus name. Amen!
