5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” -Isaiah 6:5-8

Two years ago, I remember anxiously wandering around the narthex, sanctuary, and basement of the chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. In just a few short hours I would be lining up with men that I’d spent the past four years of my life with, and in the blink of an eye we would one by one discover the church, city, and state that we would call home.

Until then, I went about my business. You see, I had the distinct honor of cleaning and buffing the chapel’s floors before the big service! I spent time slowly navigating the giant, bulky floor machine over every inch of tile in that place. It was a special moment for me that I’ll never forget. Cleaning the floors that would soon bear the scuffs of black shoes, polished by nervous hands of men whose lives and families would soon be changed forever. Mine included. So I took my time. Considered how far God had brought me, and how this was only he beginning of the great adventure to come.

A call is a funny thing. It’s something you regard with such awesome wonder and inspiration when it comes to others- and at the same time, you panic, back-peddle, and question when it comes to you. Isaiah sure didn’t seem ready when God’s call came his way. He felt lost. Not worthy. Ruined.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not questioning God’s leading me to serve with you here in Decatur. 🙂 But I can honestly tell you that nothing in the world could have prepared me for that moment when I found out I was coming to you. And I think that’s part of what makes a call, a call. Nothing should prepare us. We should feel hesitant, vulnerable, and weak in the knees. Jesus called His disciples to go out two by two and gave them virtually nothing and little instruction. I think Jesus knew what He was doing, and what He was teaching in that.

Because the power is not in the sent one, but in the Sender. The power comes from the One who burns away sin and all hesitancy by the power of His Word and gospel promise. To be called is to be so frightened and nervous that by the time everything is over you know God had to be in it, because it was something you could never have predicted or prepared for. That’s a call. And these moments happen in all our lives, at varying times and places- not just in a Seminary chapel once a year.

Mark and Jennifer Gearig just finished walking through such a moment as this. And now they are sent to do life and ministry with us here at St. Paul’s. I guarantee you they are experiencing all kinds of feelings and emotions.

It’s our job, on the other side of this call, to let them know that they don’t stand alone. It’s our job to pray for them. To welcome them to this church that God continues to bless with vision and leadership. It’s our job to be sent with them, into the fields, to watch God do amazing things with His church.

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”

Enjoying the Journey,

Pastor Doug