March 8, 2009

Jeremiah 1: 1-10

1:1 The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, and until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month.

4 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” 7 But the Lord said to me,

“Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’;
for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,
and whatever I command you, you shall speak.
8 Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you,
declares the Lord.”

9 Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me,

“Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.
10 See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to break down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.”

I remember a lot of my childhood in church. My mom went to church every Sunday and Wednesday. In grade school, I memorized my favorite hymns and loved Sunday school. I thought I was related to most of the people in the church, because we were around them all the time. The Holy Spirit was at work. My mom talked about absolute faith and miracles through faithful prayer. I have always believed that the Holy Spirit was just a prayer away. When I was in high school, I would go to my empty church and sit at the altar and pray. I would ask God to give me a sign or angel to tell me my purpose in life. I remember a rainy day the year before I went to college. I sat in my parents’ garage praying for guidance and answers. What was my call? What was God’s plan for me? It never came. I spent most of my college years lost. I couldn’t find a church home where I felt spiritually fulfilled. Professors put works of Western Civilization and Philosophy in front of me that confused me even more. Life took the driver’s seat, and I put spiritual growth on the back burner. A year ago, I found myself asking for God’s direction again. It was then that I realized that perhaps I was listening for the wrong voice. Maybe God had been speaking to me all along through his disciples. When I began to open my ears to the voices around me at Acton United Methodist Church, God was speaking loud and clear. Looking back I realize that God was speaking to me all along, I just wasn’t listening. I have a long way to go to being the kind of disciple that God intends for me to be, but at least I’m on the right path.

Lord, I am broken. I come humbled before you. So often I don’t feel worthy of your Grace because my discipleship often falls short. A third of my life has passed me by, and what have I accomplished? You have given your Son to die on the Cross for my sins. How do I ever repay you? Lord, thank you for the multitude of chances you have blessed me with. Thank you for the family you have given me, and the love you constantly surround me with. I am so much more fortunate than so many others in the world. I have a roof over my head, food at my table, and yet I still fall short. God, I pray for strength to live by your word, patience to step back in confrontation, and the wisdom to walk the path that draws closer to you each day. Thank you for your Grace. Without it I would be lost. Just as you spoke through Jeremiah, I hear your voice through my church. In your Holy name I pray – Amen.

Todd Hall