Call

The life of faith encompasses several events and moments that we journey through multiple times during the course of a lifetime. The devotion below is part of an ongoing series that explores these central themes of Christian doctrine.

The first three Gospels begin with Jesus saying “Follow me,” but the Gospel of John, fascinatingly, ends with this invitation. When my heart is healthy and awake, when I listen into the silence like a child listening into a seashell, I hear God’s voice calling me into adventure and life: “Follow me, imitate me, learn from me, dance with me, work with me, join me.”

– Brian McLaren

God chooses not to work alone. God shares God’s spirit with God’s children, making them co-creators with God and agents of reconciliation, restoration, and sharing the abundance of God’s goodness with all of creation.  The calling that God extends to each of us is an invitation to engage with God on the work of healing that our world so desperately needs.

Jesus lived a life of compassion and care. He forgave others, he healed people not just physically but spiritually and emotionally. Jesus’ death and resurrection were not only cosmic events but they were the capstone of the work he was always doing – putting to death the forces of evil and encouraging individuals to rise to a new way of life. This is the nature of the work that Jesus calls us all into. We are called to foster new life in this world through small and large acts of forgiveness, healing, and love.

Peace,
Pastor Nate Preisinger