“We are called”
God summons people.
The nature of that summons can be very quiet and intimate; or it can be awe inspiring and terrible.
It depends.
The Bible begins with a summons.
It is a simple summons. Addressed to Adam and Eve.
“Where are you?”
He summoned Noah. And gave him an overwhelming task and seemingly crazy one at that!
He summoned Abraham and called him to a land far from his home (Gen 11-12).
Later, He summoned Abraham to a mountain (Gen 22).
Not just any mountain. It was a dark place and God summoned Abraham to take his son – actually He said “Take your son, your only son…whom you love” and sacrifice him.
(The rhythm of that summons is John 3:16 in its infancy! “…gave His only Son…”)
Then there is Jacob and Esau. Twins.
Esau is summoned by his dieing father Isaac.
But Jacob fronts instead and receives the blessing from his ailing and blind father.
This does help domestic harmony.
It summed up the way Jacob went about life but he eventually is summoned by God and wrestles with Him all night.
…and Jacob is never the same again.
Then we turn the story of Joseph.
Joseph is somewhat conceited in his early days and was fashion-conscious.
He was also the favourite of his father and so the rest of the family arranged an OE of sorts.
Long story short he later becomes the PM of Egypt and his family (not recognising him) come to buy food during a severe famine.
Joseph recognises them and summons them back. It is complicated and fraught – but behind it all there is God working.
Reuniting and reconciling a family which had been fractured.
And in the process a nation is created.
Then we come to Exodus and God summons again.
This time he summons a man, Moses, in order to summon a nation, Israel, that they might worship God on His holy mountain.
Israel was actually utterly enslaved at the time.
The Israelites actually believed God didn’t notice that small detail.
Moses didn’t think God noticed that small detail either when He summoned him and told him to go and bring the Israelites back to worship on the mountain.
God had noticed though.
The people had prayed for deliverance. They received that and more. A summons.
And divine summons are compelling and utterly life-changing.
Once in the wilderness Moses received further summons and presented Himself before God.
And so it goes on.
Sometimes members of the community in Israel were summoned because they had sinned grievously.
And the judgement was terrible. Like Achan (Josh 7) and Korah (Num 16).
Others were summoned over the years and generations.
People like the prophet Samuel.
Kings like David.
And other prophets like Elijah – summoned to the mountain of God and discovered God was not in the fire, wind or earthquake but in the quiet (1 Kings 19).
Isaiah was summoned (Isa 6); and Jeremiah (Jer 1).
Along with Jonah (Jonah 1-4) who did what he could to avoid it.
Even the stars are summoned. They are named and numbered by the One Who created them (Isa 42).
Then a new summons was heard.
There had been nothing for 450 years.
In our Bibles it is just one page. The page between the last book of the Old Testament (Malachi) and the first one of the New Testament (Matthew).
It is referred to as the “Silent Years”.
And then the new summons.
It was difficult to really grasp if you were the one who received it because – well – it was just too much to really comprehend.
Shepherds were among the very first to receive it.
Late at night. In the cold.
They were summoned to Bethlehem to a baby.
As were aristocracy from the East. Regal men. Powerful and influential men.
Summoned to worship the King of the Jews.
And then when He grew, He summoned people to Him.
People like Peter, Andrew, James and John (John 1; Matt 4).
Men who left their occupations and responded to the summons.
People like Matthew a tax collector (Matt 9).
And Mary Magdalene.
And people like Zaccheaus (Lk 19).
In fact – if you read the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7) you will see that Jesus goes up on a mountain and sits and summoned His disciples – both then and now.
Both them and you.
God summons you.
Today.
We could say that our coming to worship each week is in response to a summons by God.
Each week we take our turn to respond to His summons – each week we take our place in the long line of those who have been summoned by God.
From Adam and Eve to today.
This summons – in terms of worship – demands something of us.
Actually – it is a curious demand.
When God speaks of it He puts it in terms of a Divine need.
Now let’s be clear – God is utterly complete and has no need of anything. He would not be God otherwise.
Yet in order for us to “get it” – He puts it in terms that makes it seem like He has a need.
In fact – it is almost like the currency God works with and without which He is somewhat bankrupt or bereft.
As we read the particular passage I wonder if you can spot it.
[Read Psa 50]
First note the summons.
God summons the whole earth and calls creation as witnesses.
Specifically – He has a word for His people.
His consecrated ones.
The setting is worship and there are two types of worshippers present.
Those who have kept God’s covenant and those who haven’t.
God addresses both groups.
To those who have kept His covenant - God makes it clear; He is not rejecting their sacrifices and offerings.
Although He makes the point that if He was the kind of God who needed to be fed – it’s not like He has any need of the animals which are provided in sacrifices.
He owns it all in any case.
But there is one “lack” that He has.
One thing they need to offer.
He then addresses the second group.
Those who have broken the covenant and still front up and think that God does not see or mind what they do.
He calls them to account and – here’s the intriguing part – demands of them the same thing He requires of those who have kept the covenant.
The same “lack” that God wants to receive.
To offer this to God is the way of worship and salvation.
It is “thanksgiving” (vv 14-15, 22-23).
It is the missing part of life.
God in and of Himself does not need to receive thanksgiving so that He can keep on living.
We need to offer thanksgiving so that we can keep on living!!
We are summoned to worship God.
The spirit with which we come must rest on a spirit of thanksgiving.
In Jewish piety – there were three expressions:
• Rejoicing in the Lord
• Prayer
• Thanksgiving
When you read the letters written by Paul in the New Testament – his spirituality has just this shape.
Gordon Fee identifies it in his commentary on Philippians (NICNT):
“Thanksgiving and prayer, filled with joy”.
Fee goes onto to say – “For Paul these three are the work of the Spirit in the believer and in the church”.
You are here in response to a summons.
You are summoned by a God Who is loving, merciful, grace-filled and mighty, awesome and wields terrible power.
You are summoned by a God Who has no need of anything – yet speaks to us in terms as if He does.
And He says – “I have need of your thanksgiving”.
Knowing that as we honour our covenant with Him by offering thanksgiving – we grow.
And live.
And believe.
And begin to once again know our place in His universe.
Some of the last words in Hebrews puts this summons in this way:
[Read Heb 12:18-29]
Presented By: Rev. Geoff New