Call to Follow

My father’s voice rang out in the warm afternoon air calling, “Daniel! Daniel!” It was time for lunch, and my food was getting cold. But I wasn’t playing in the yard, as I had told my parents I would be. I had gone to our neighbor’s house. She was a wonderful old lady, and we were playing Uno, while I spoiled my lunch by stuffing my face with delicious homemade chocolate chip cookies. I didn’t realize I was missing the call of my father. I was caught up in living my best life, playing games, and devouring sweets.

It’s a natural thing to get caught up in trying to live our best lives. We have desires. We have dreams. We have things that we want to accomplish, and things that our parents, families, and friends expect us to accomplish. We have questions that need answering, like: Am I satisfied in my career? How many kids do we want? What will it take for me to comfortably retire? We’re excited to pursue answers. Some of these questions freak us out. Some of them we’re not ready for.

So, as we try to answer these questions of life, and as we deal with our day-to-day struggles, we look for opportunities to relax. We find ways to chill, to procrastinate. We look for opportunities to visit our neighbor, play some Uno, and devour some still-warm chocolate chip cookies. Now this can be a good thing. It’s not bad to take a break occasionally. It can be healthy to just take a breath. It can be wise to hold off on making some decisions until we’re ready. But as we sit on the couch juggling decisions and stuffing our faces, are we so distracted by living our best lives that we miss the call of our Father?

It can be hard to even understand what is meant by the “call of God.” We might think of pastors and elders as being “called,” but what does that have to do with the rest of us? Does God call us too?

Of course he does. God is continually calling us into deeper relationship with him, and into mission. Mission could mean having to learn another language and move across the world, but it often doesn’t. While some of us will receive that call from God, the rest of us are called to follow God into his mission right where he already has us. At your job. At the coffee shop. At the baseball game. Sitting around the living room with friends. Picking your kids up from school. God has called you, wherever you are, for the purposes of his mission. For some of us it’s across the ocean. For some it’s across the country. For some it’s across the coffee table.
God calls us to follow him in his mission in our daily lives. He calls us to repent of the sin that we commit, and he faithfully forgives us. He calls us to be in his Word, the Bible. He calls us to trust in him, to have faith in him. He calls us to love our neighbor, yes, even the smelly one. He calls us to serve those around us. He calls us into faith and into mission.

So how are we doing with that? How are we doing in responding to God’s call to follow? Even as a pastor, I struggle to follow God’s call. Sometimes it’s just comfortable on the couch. The games are fun, and the cookies are tasty. As I sat there with the neighbor lady, that day all those years ago, I remember beginning to hear my father’s voice faintly. It was distant, but I knew that voice. I got up, wiped the crumbs from my mouth, and responded to the call of my dad. By the time I got home, my mother was worried sick. Lunch was over and put away. They didn’t know where I had been. They were concerned about me. I had to ask forgiveness for the pain I had brought them.

My failure to hear dad’s call didn’t stop me from being part of the family. And my lack of response did not stop my father from calling. So it is with us. Just because we don’t hear the call the first time doesn’t mean that we have run out of time to respond. For God will never stop calling. God will never give up on you. In fact, he can’t wait to cover you in the fruits of forgiveness. He is continually calling you and me into repentance, into discipleship, into a deeper faith, and into mission. Will you follow the call?

Rev. Daniel Stenberg is Pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Bergenfield, New Jersey.