URC Daily Devotion 16 September 2024

Isaiah 6:6-8
Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraph touched my mouth with it and said, “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.”  Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!”

Reflection
A vocation (from the Latin vocatio ‘a call, summons’) is an occupation to which a person is drawn or for which they are suited, trained, or qualified. Though now often used in non-religious contexts, the meanings of the term originated in Christianity.

My “call” or “vocation” has been a very slow process which started in my mid-teens. When I first felt that I should be doing something more than just going to church, ministry came to the fore of my thinking. However, I tucked that away somewhere deep in my mind knowing that God was waiting.   I just got on with life burying that “call” deeper and deeper under the laundry pile we call life.

Then along came my Seraph in the shape of my then minister. No, he did not come flying at me with a hot coal but did see in me the “something” buried at the bottom of my laundry pile, helped me to pull it out, ironed it to remove the creases, and through encouragement set me on the journey I find myself on now.

But which path to take? Age restricted me from stipendiary ministry; my own lack of self-confidence meant Non-Stipendiary Model 4 appealed.  Here I would go back to the churches, communities, and people I know;  a comfort blanket with a familiar journey’s end.  I was almost there when, again through others, my very patient God asked, “will you take a bend in the road?” and that “call” had to be looked at once more and some more creases ironed out.  Now my path is leading me to the rather more uncomfortable non-stipendiary model 1-3 where when ordained I will be deployed by the Synod. I no longer know what faces me at the end, but my journey is more fulfilling, exciting, and challenging.  

Through others, with training and education, I am continuing to discern that “vocation” as God calls, challenges, holds, and loves me.   There are mountains to climb, rivers to cross, but on a journey like this you are never alone!

Prayer
Comforting God,
You set us challenges, lead us on journeys, and ask us to respond.
We ask for the openness of mind to hear you,
and the strength to follow.
Bless those who come on the journey with us,
those who teach, encourage,
and see us the way you do.
You ask “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us.”
Help us, God of love to respond, “Here am I; send me!”
Amen.