God Calls

This Sunday was the day when our church ordained and installed officers. It was a blessed occasion. In my sermon I talked about the idea that God has always called persons to serve God's people. I believe that no matter how we come to the position, if we take this call seriously, God works through us to do His work.

I began with Moses and Aaron, toured through David and the prophets, and ended up in the New Testament as I reviewed ways that God had called persons that we read about in the Bible. Moses received a dramatic call with a burning bush and a big voice. Others, like Aaron, seemed to be just along for the ride, and yet the call of Aaron was also evident as he helped his brother lead the people of God. David was chosen in a quiet way, through Samuel, on a visit to the home of David's father. David took courage from the certainty that he had received God's call to be king and won his battle with Goliath, and then his battle with Saul, and became the King of Israel.

Prophets were called and priests were equally called. Prophets received dramatic calls from God, priests were priests because their fathers were. There was a call on both. Jesus called his disciples, who became the Apostles of the church. Acts 6 tells of the rather ordinary choosing of 7 men to be Deacons, and Acts 9 tells of the dramatic choosing of Paul who became an Apostle. As the church moved beyond New Testament times leaders continued to be chosen in mundane and dramatic ways. God calls leaders for His chuch. God's call is upon all of us who serve His people and His creation. God is working through us. Never forget that wonder.

This weekend Jeanne and I saw the movie "Milk." This is the story of Harvey Milk who was the first gay person, in 1977 to be elected to public office in California by being elected to the Board of Supervisors in San Francisco. History buffs will remember that he was assassinated along with Mayor Moscone by former Supervisor Dan White. Even though we know that this killing takes place at the end, it is the journey to it that has such power. Sean Penn's performance as Harvey Milk is spectacular. This movie presents an interesting slice of history that took place in California in a way that helps us to understand it from what may be for many viewers a new viewpoint. The movie is not for children at all, but is worth seeing as a witness to how life has developed here in California over the past 40 years.

Harvey Milk worked to achieve freedom for people who were systematically abused by the legal system in San Francisco and California. He worked to defeat Proposition 6 in 1978 which would have caused the firing of any teacher in California who was gay or who supported the rights of gays. Though he was not one who claimed a call from God, Harvey Milk's work produced greater freedom. Producing freedom is, I believe, work in which God is leading. Milk would not have known it, but I believe that he was doing God's work as he advocated for the people he represented. Is it possible that God uses (calls?) persons who do not even know that they are doing God's work.