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Divine Callings: AaronExodus 4:10-16Rev. Nancy S. LynnSeptember 7, 2014The year was 1956 – before my time, though I certainly know some very fine people who were born that year. I’m told that it was the height of poodle skirts and leather jackets. Elvis Presley recorded “Blue Suede Shoes.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s home was bombed. The Dow closed over 500 for the first time, and the most expensive film made up until that time was released on November 8 that year. Does anyone know what it was?“The Ten Commandments” – a 3 hour and 39 minute telling of the life of Moses. How many of you know who had the starring role? Charlton Heston. And now, the real trivia – without looking at your phone, who played Aaron? Does anyone know? It was a character actor by the name of John Carradine.A couple of weeks ago, Doug started a sermon series entitled “The Bible You May Not Know”. He has been sharing the stories of some of the more obscure people and events in scripture just for the fun of seeing what we might learn from them about faith and about the Bible itself. The person I chose for my sermon in the series is not someone who is necessarily obscure. If you’ve read through Exodus, you might remember Aaron, you might even remember that he was Moses’ older brother. But, you might not really remember what he did. He’s not the star of the story – that is, of course, Moses - but without him, Moses would never have accomplished all he did and the exodus of God’s people from Egypt could never have happened.Here’s a little of the back story. As you may remember, God called to Moses from a burning bush and told him that he was to lead the people of Israel out of captivity and slavery to a new land, a place where they could live in peace and thrive for generations to come. Moses was less than thrilled. He knew that to get the people out of Egypt, he would have to do two things – confront the Pharaoh and convince the Israelis that he was chosen by God to do this. And both of those were going to take a lot of good talking. And, as we heard in the scripture passage a few moments ago, Moses didn’t like to talk. He wasn’t eloquent or articulate. He didn’t see himself as persuasive, so he couldn’t imagine how he, of all people, could possibly achieve the mission God had given him.So, God called on Aaron. Aaron was known for his speaking ability, so God called Aaron to speak for Moses. It was Aaron who announced to Pharaoh that God would free the people from Pharaoh’s enslavement. It was Aaron who convinced the people of Israel that God had a plan to save them.It seems as though in every generation of God’s people, there are those who are called, like Moses, to be great spiritual leaders – Dr. King, Desmond Tutu, and Mahatma Gandhi. Compared to these greats, we may feel as though there is not much that we can offer. Yet, Aaron stands as a reminder that all of us are called to ministry, and while we may not be famous years later, all of us have gifts God can use toward God’s good purposes.When I say we are all called to ministry, I don’t necessarily mean to ordained ministry. We have in the Christian faith a doctrine we call the priesthood of all believers. And it actually has its roots with Aaron. You see, after the people of Israel escaped from Egypt, they built a tabernacle – a home for God’s spirit. And Aaron became the first high priest. It was his function to be the go-between between God and the people, to offer sacrifices, to move between the realms of the holy and the ordinary.Jesus, too, had this role of reconciling God and humanity to each other. Rather than in a tabernacle, God’s spirit dwelled in him. And then after his death, God’s spirit came to dwell in us, the church, making all of us people who create a bridge between God and humans, between the sacred and the ordinary. We are all, as the church, called to be ministers to the world.We have a covenant with God. God loves us, forgives us and works within us to transform us as we offer ourselves, our gifts, our lives to serve God in the world. It is the covenant we renewed with our opening prayer and the covenant we celebrate in the bread and cup in Holy Communion.So, here we are – it’s the end of the first week of September. In an academic community like Ann Arbor, each year this week is a week of new beginnings. For many people, that’s much more true of this week than, say, the week of January 1st. This is a time of excitement and anticipation, new possibilities and new challenges, new hopes and new aspirations.I think even those of us who aren’t in school or teaching school still strongly associate the beginning of September with starting something new. So, maybe this is a good time, as we settle into new activities and new resolutions, to consider what new things God might be calling us to in our spiritual lives, as well. Today is kick-off Sunday in the ministries of this church. What work has God for you to do that you, like Aaron, might be of use in the church and in the world?Our church and our world have all sorts of needs, and we are a congregation that seeks to meet them. Like Aaron, you may already have a gift or skill that can be put to use right away. For example, Jordan Komoto is an HR professional in his work life and he serves as the chair of our Staff-Parish Relations Committee, the HR committee here at church. Ted Brokaw is a banker and serves on our finance committee. The church has several administrative committees, and it is the responsibility of the Committee on Lay Leadership to find people to sit on them.However, God may be calling you to minister in one or our program areas instead. Perhaps you have a passion about an issue or topic that you would like to share with others. Consider teaching an adult education class. Or maybe you would like to work with kids and help out in the youth or children’s departments. Or, you may be a musician or singer – in which case, we need to connect you with Ann Marie, our music director.Of course, if you like to cook, we can use your help with JOY luncheons or preparing meals for the Alpha House homeless shelter. If you’re good with a hammer, you might like to go to Appalachia on a mission trip or work on a Habitat House right here in Washtenaw County.All of these are areas where you, like Aaron, may already have a gift to offer to the church or the world. But, there is something else I’d like to point out about Aaron’s story. Although God first called him to use his gift of speaking to help Moses, it wasn’t long before he was also doing things he’d never done before. He started as a great speaker – he became a high priest.So, perhaps you are feeling called to do something you’ve never done before. Maybe you feel so passionately about a group of people in need or about a social problem that you are ready to act – even if you don’t know exactly how to. I’ve often heard Gary McClusky say that he never expected to spend the early years of his retirement organizing mission work in Kenya, yet that is where God called him. Kristen Moore became so concerned about gun violence that she helped to start a local chapter of Moms Demand Action to lobby for gun laws.The point, of course, is that throughout our lives, no matter what age we are, God is calling us to be in ministry, to do something to further God’s kingdom. The question is what ministry is that for you right now, this year, at this stage in your life – and how will you figure that out? In Methodism, we have always understood that there is a relationship between spiritual practice and service. Each feeds the other. Our spiritual practice prepares us for ministry and our ministry deepens our spiritual practice. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, believed that in order to grow and have a balanced spiritual life, Christians should perform acts of mercy but also acts of piety. To serve God well, we need to know God better and to understand what Jesus taught. We need to spend time learning and studying. We need to reflect on our world and its needs, to pray for its healing, to discern what God is calling us to do. We cannot hear God’s call if we don’t stop to listen.In United Methodism today, we speak of this as the United Methodist General Rule of Discipleship, and the image on your bulletin represents it. As disciples, we “witness to Jesus Christ in the world, and follow his teachings through acts of compassion, justice, worship, and devotion.” These four acts reflect that our journey of faith is personal as well as social, private as well as public, inward as well as outward. And to grow and be healthy, we need balance between them.This fall, this season of new beginnings, is a great time to look at those four areas – compassion, justice, worship and devotion - and ask yourself, where is God calling me right now? How will I seek to grow in faith this year? How will I use the gifts that God has given me to serve God’s world? In a few moments, we will celebrate Holy Communion. We will remember the covenant we have with God – God’s love for us and our promise to serve God’s vision of a whole, healthy, and just world. May the bread and the cup nourish you. May this be a time of re-commitment for you. May you stop for a few moments to listen to God’s call on your life and respond, “Here I am”.Amen. ................
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