“God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’”

16 Pentecost

Proper 17, RCL, Year A

Exodus 3:1-15
Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45c
Romans 12:9-21
Matthew 16:21-28

How many times do we come to church and hear stories of call? Hear stories of great men and women of the Bible who were called by God to act as leaders, as prophets, as care-givers, as companions. When we stand in the cloud of witnesses that is offered to us in scripture we learn the stories of those who are called to act and whose actions have led to their story being shared with the forthcoming generations. We hear these stories to teach us about call and to learn about what it means to follow.

Moses was called. Moses was given a pathway to ministry that would be long and hard, but would ultimately serve the purpose of release for the captives and delivery of the Israelites from their oppressors into the Promised Land. There were times in Moses’ story when the people grumbled and disagreed and even fell away from their faith and tested Moses and tested God, but ultimately Moses answered the call to be their leader – and followed God through the wilderness and ultimately delivered on God’s promise to those who followed him.

Moses was lucky, though. He was given a lot of very clear, very specific directions. Spend a little time perusing “The Book Exodus, and you’ll see what I mean. Moses was given the floor plans, the building specs, the costume and set designs, and a lot of cubits to keep track of. He was also given sign after sign to show the people that he truly was called by God to be their leader. He answered that call from God with “here I am.” And the rest is history.

Many of the call stories that we have from the Hebrew Bible are like this – we hear tell of a conversation with God, or an angel’s pronouncement that “you – yes you – are being called – being sent to do God’s work.” And we oft times learn of those persons’ initial reaction: fear (Fear not!), incredulity (this can’t really be happening, can it?), reluctance (not me Lord, you must have meant someone else), and ultimately acceptance (Here I am).

For me the story of Jonah often comes to mind – he was one of those who required a little more convincing than most that it was really him that God was looking towards to do some work! And I’d say that DESPITE the fact that he ended up in the belly of a very large fish in order to get him started on his path to ministry, Jonah did what he was called to do, and did it well. “Here I am Lord, covered in whale spit; I hope they listen to me - now that I’m here…” And of course, they did.

(At this point I shared a bit of my own story, speaking to the fact that as I arrived at seminary I felt a lot like Jonah in the belly of the whale. I was surrounded by barriers that I wasn’t ready to let go of, keeping me from truly arriving in the new community. It took time and patience with myself and with God before I was willing to step out of that whale that had gotten me to seminary, and to walk on my own two feet on solid ground, allowing myself to truly arrive, and really do what I was there to do.)


In our readings from Matthew these past several weeks we’ve had the chance to get to know Simon Peter, one who answered Jesus’ call to follow, to be a companion, to be a disciple.


In Peter, unlike Moses or Jonah, we see a more intimate picture of the combination of great faith, and of human frailty. It was Peter who stepped out on the water and attempted to greet the Lord – but fear overcame him, and he began to sink. And Peter, along with the other disciples who knew their resources were limited, was amazed to carry baskets of leftovers when Jesus fed the masses. It was Peter, whose proclamation of Jesus as Messiah, leading Jesus to proclaim that Peter would be the rock on which his church was to be built. And today we hear the story of Peter rebuking Jesus, and Peter, that “rock,” is called a stumbling block, for his response to hearing the hard words of Jesus’ impending trials. And for those of you who know the story well, you will remember that it is Peter who, on the night of Jesus trial denies knowing him, denies the one in whom he had so much faith.

Peter’s story is an important one, because it is a story of call, but also the struggle to follow that call. It is a story of great faith, and speaks the truth that great faith can sometimes falter. Peter was a good disciple – he was present, he was willing, he was constantly learning, and he didn’t always get it right, or live up to the kind of disciple he wanted to be. But he knew he was called, and he did all that was in his power to follow that call. After each challenge, each disappointment, each doubt, Peter persevered in his call to follow Jesus. He took up his cross and followed him.

We too are called. We too are a generation of Christ followers who gather here to hear the stories of our ancestors passed down to us, so that we might be led and hear our own call to follow.

“If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”

Follow me. (Here I am.)

Moses had directions. Jonah had a whale. (I had a discernment committee.) Peter had Jesus. And we have the cloud of witnesses, a community of faith that has passed on these stories of call through centuries. We have many examples to learn from, and we have our own call to listen for. There is much work to be done here – and in this time of extremely fast communication and opportunity, there is great possibility of God’s good work being accomplished.

When have you, like Moses, said, "I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up."

When have you, like Jonah heard a call and tried to refuse it’s powerful effects on your life, only to learn that you really weren’t as in control of your destiny as you thought.

And when have you, like Peter, realized that you’ve made mistakes along the way – that you’ve tried to be faithful, but your own fear, your own frailty, your own need has separated you from the will of God?

To be a follower of Christ is not always easy – because it means sacrifice. It means being willing to give something up, in order to allow something new to take place. Take up your cross does mean being willing to die to something – but the promise of being a Christ follower is that where there is death, there is also resurrection. Where there is sacrifice a new thing will be given in return.

Listen for the call. Listen for the invitation to let go of things that keep you from following in the footsteps of the cloud of witnesses that have gone before you. And have faith that all that you need, and all that you are being called to be and to do will reward you in ways you never imagined. Here we are. Amen.

Delivered by The Rev. Mary Catherine Enockson

Sunday, August 31, 2008, The Episcopal Church of Our Saviour, Rock Hill, SC.