Understanding Our Calling: A Journey of Faith
Summary
In our journey through the stories of Genesis and Joshua, we delve into the concept of "calling" as an essential component of a strong and resilient faith. This exploration is part of our Constructing Christianity program, which connects creation, commandment, and now calling. The focus on calling during Lent is intentional, as Lent is a time for self-reflection and examination of our lives and faith. Understanding our calling is crucial to avoid falling into self-righteousness, a prevalent issue in today's society where self-centeredness often leads to arrogance. Lent encourages us to reflect on our purpose and how we express our faith in our relationships and actions.
The notion of calling is often misunderstood as a singular, dramatic event, but it can manifest in various ways throughout our lives. The stories of Jacob and Joshua illustrate different types of calls. Jacob's story in Genesis represents a call to represent and personify the multigenerational dimension of Israel. His wrestling with God is a metaphor for the internal struggle many of us face in understanding our calling. This struggle can lead to a breaking and remaking moment, where we are transformed and strengthened, even if we carry wounds from the experience. This story resonates with those who have faced trauma and hardship, reminding us that our brokenness can lead to resurrection and renewal.
In contrast, Joshua's call is a call to serve, characterized by a formal divine commissioning. Joshua is called to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land, continuing the mission from Moses. This call is public and clear, requiring courage and faith. It represents a mission-driven sense of calling that some people experience, where they feel compelled to pursue a specific path. Both Jacob and Joshua's stories highlight that a true calling is life-changing, urging us to reflect on how our sense of call has transformed our lives.
Key Takeaways:
1. The Importance of Calling: Understanding our calling is essential for self-reflection and avoiding self-righteousness. Lent provides an opportunity to examine our lives and faith, asking how we are called to live with purpose and meaning. This reflection helps counter the societal obsession with self-centeredness. [08:31]
2. Diverse Expressions of Calling: Calling is not a one-size-fits-all experience. It can manifest in various ways throughout our lives, and we may experience multiple callings. This diversity allows us to explore different paths and understand our unique relationship with God. [11:35]
3. Jacob's Transformative Call: Jacob's wrestling with God symbolizes the internal struggle many face in understanding their calling. This struggle can lead to a breaking and remaking moment, where we are transformed and strengthened, even if we carry wounds from the experience. [14:57]
4. Joshua's Call to Serve: Joshua's call is characterized by a formal divine commissioning, requiring courage and faith. It represents a mission-driven sense of calling, where individuals feel compelled to pursue a specific path, continuing God's mission. [14:57]
5. Life-Changing Nature of Calling: Both Jacob and Joshua's stories highlight that a true calling is life-changing. We are urged to reflect on how our sense of call has transformed our lives, ensuring that our faith journey is dynamic and impactful. [14:57]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [02:00] - Introduction to Calling
- [04:30] - Lent and Self-Reflection
- [06:45] - Misunderstandings of Calling
- [08:31] - Jacob's Story: Wrestling with God
- [11:35] - Breaking and Remaking Moments
- [14:57] - Joshua's Call to Serve
- [17:20] - Public vs. Private Calls
- [19:45] - Life-Changing Experiences
- [22:00] - Conclusion and Reflection
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
1. Genesis 32:22-32 (Jacob Wrestles with God)
2. Joshua 1:1-9 (God Commissions Joshua)
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Observation Questions:
1. In the story of Jacob wrestling with God, what significant change occurs in Jacob's life as a result of this encounter? [11:35]
2. How does the commissioning of Joshua differ from Jacob's experience with God? What are the key elements of Joshua's call? [14:57]
3. According to the sermon, what is the relationship between Lent and the concept of calling? [08:31]
4. How does the sermon describe the societal issue of self-righteousness, and how is it connected to the lack of understanding one's calling? [08:31]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. What does Jacob's wrestling with God teach about the nature of personal struggles in understanding one's calling? How might this relate to the concept of being "broken and remade"? [11:35]
2. In what ways does Joshua's call to leadership demonstrate the importance of courage and faith in fulfilling one's calling? How does this compare to Jacob's experience? [14:57]
3. How does the sermon suggest that a true calling should impact one's life? What are the indicators of a life-changing calling according to the sermon? [14:57]
4. How does the sermon propose that self-reflection during Lent can help counteract self-righteousness and lead to a deeper understanding of one's calling? [08:31]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a time when you felt a sense of calling in your life. How did it change you, and what steps did you take to pursue it? [14:57]
2. During this season of Lent, how can you engage in self-reflection to better understand your calling? What specific practices can you incorporate into your daily routine? [08:31]
3. Consider the societal obsession with self-centeredness mentioned in the sermon. How can you actively work against this trend in your personal life and relationships? [08:31]
4. If you have experienced a "breaking and remaking" moment in your life, how did it shape your faith journey? How can you use that experience to support others who may be going through similar struggles? [11:35]
5. Joshua's call required him to be strong and courageous. Identify a situation in your life where you need to exhibit these qualities. What steps can you take to prepare yourself for this challenge? [14:57]
6. How can you ensure that your sense of calling remains dynamic and impactful, rather than becoming stagnant or self-righteous? What regular practices or reflections can help maintain this vitality? [14:57]
7. Identify one area in your life where you feel God might be calling you to serve or lead. What is one practical step you can take this week to explore or pursue this calling? [14:57]
Devotional
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Quotes
"So in exploring stories from Genesis and Joshua, we're stepping into a new essential sea of a strong and resilient faith, part of our, as I say, part of our Constructing Christianity program, linking beautifully with creation, commandment, and now we're looking at calling, calling as the next sort of essential sea in our in our deliberations." [00:03:36] (26 seconds)
"My goal at the end of, well I guess this Sunday and then the the next four Sundays of Lent, taking us right to Palm Sunday, this focus on calling is I hope at the end of it you're in a better place of mind in terms of asking and answering the question, what is my sense of call?" [00:04:20] (19 seconds)
"And I deliberately sort of set it up so that calling would be the focus during Lent. Well why? What's the connection between Lent and calling and being called? Well, I submit to you that having a sense of being called by God is really essential if you have any capacity for self -reflection, kind of self -examination." [00:04:48] (31 seconds)
"And I submit to you without a sense of call to, a sense of call from God into a higher sense of purpose and meaning in your life, it's very easy for self -reflection to become self -righteousness, self -righteousness. And I think in many ways, self -righteousness, this sense of this obsession with the self and always being, you know, this mantra in our society today about being your best self is so easy to slip into a kind of arrogance about self, the self that turns into an overbearing sense of righteousness." [00:05:45] (44 seconds)
"Now, the sense of call, I think there's a lot of misunderstanding or almost a kind of mythologizing about this sense of call, because there's this assumption that there's only one way to do this, that God only has, you know, and if you can't respond to it, you're not doing it right." [00:07:40] (23 seconds)
"There isn't a single sense of call that you should experience in your life. You may, in fact, experience multiple senses of call in your life. And that's where the self -reflection comes in. Is it authentic? Is it real? Is it where I'm actually at in my life?" [00:08:20] (21 seconds)
"And he comes to sort of represent, personify. And what is at the heart of this this very transformative encounter, this wrestling match? Well, it's who's Jacob wrestling? The text tells us initially it's it's a man. But by the end of the text, we see, no, it's really more angelic. It's it's more a spiritual. It's God that Jacob is wrestling with." [00:09:50] (26 seconds)
"I consider this this Genesis story to be about a a breaking and remaking moment. A breaking and remaking moment. Why do I say that? Well, because the story is this this this wrestling match. There's a kind of a sense of the verb there about this action, this struggle." [00:12:22] (24 seconds)
"This is one of the more powerful ones. And I did use this fairly often in in counseling with soldiers in my military chaplaincy who were traumatized by experiences from operational theater, operational theater experiences. And and this notion of acknowledging that that brokenness, not trying to pretend it away, not trying to think you can just erase that from your memory bank." [00:13:12] (30 seconds)
"Joshua represents a call to serve. There is a formality about this call. It really takes the shape of a kind of divine commissioning. And it's it's very clear what God is asking Joshua to do to to pick up the mantle from Moses, to step into into leadership and to lead his people into the promised land." [00:14:57] (27 seconds)
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