Jack Hardaway
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Call stories.
This is one of the great Sundays of the year.
We hear the call stories of Isaiah, and Paul, and Simon Peter, and James, and John.
The psalm is a call story as well, turned back around, the psalmist calls for God.
Isaiah lost in grief for his King, Paul lost in his violence of persecuting the Church, the disciples lost with their empty nets, the psalmist needing strength.
There is a call and response, an encounter with God that humbles, an unworthiness and fear for God to be so close. Isaiah’s lips were unclean. Paul was the least and the unfit. Peter was just simply sinful, and couldn’t stand up wanting Jesus to leave. The psalmist was in need.
God met each one right there where they were and called them and sent them to be witnesses of God touching the world. They were the living encounters of the holy one getting involved with the life of humanity.
Peter’s story loses something in translation, the nets were torn and the boats sank, it was more dramatic than beginning to tear and beginning to sink. His life and his livelihood burst open with God. God became all too real and he collapsed.
God calling the broken, the unqualified and the unfit. They became the evidence of Grace abounding, God calling those who knew they were desperately in need of God.
We all have call stories, of God touching our lives, and our lives becoming a testimony of God’s presence in the world.
I think I have overthought these things for most of my life. Just show up and love others. That’s what God does, and we are touched to do the same. Just show up and love.
I know I’m supposed to talk about my being called into faith and belief, or my calling into the priesthood, or being called into love and marriage with Susan. Profound and amazing things.
But, what I can’t get out of my mind lately is being a child, and hearing the knock on the door, or the ring of the door bell and my friends standing there asking if I could come out and play.
And in turn my going to their houses, knocking on their doors, the door opening and my saying can Steve come out to play? Can Ray come out to play? Can Rob come out to play? A vast crowd of witnesses gathered day after day.
And the whole world would open up as we ran around in the sun and the shade until it grew dark and the street lights came on and we were each called home for supper.
We showed up and we loved each other.
God showing up, knocking on the door, asking us to come out and play.
Show up and love.
So dang simple.