United Methodist Church Hyde Park, NY

 
WHO ME?
Jeremiah 1:4-10
 
A husband and wife arose Sunday morning and the wife dressed for church. It was just about time for the service when she noticed that her husband hadn’t even begun to dress. Perplexed, she asked: “Why aren’t you getting dressed for church?”
 
He answered: “Because I don’t want to go.”
 
She asked: “Do you have any reasons?” 
 
He said, “Yes, I have three good reasons. First, the congregation is cold. Second, no one likes me. And third, I just don’t want to go.”
 
The wife replied: “Well, honey, I have three reasons why you should go. First, the congregation is warm. Second, there are a few people who like you. And third, you’re the pastor! So get dressed!”
 
From the earliest days of recorded history right up to the present, people have been coming up with reasons for not doing what God wants them to do.
 
As Moses was tending sheep, God spoke to him from a burning bush. When God called him to lead his people out of bondage in Egypt, Moses was a study in excuses. “Who – me? Who am I that I should go to pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt? What if they ask who sent me? I don’t even know your name. But suppose they don’t believe me or listen to me? I have a speech impediment. Come on now, be sensible – not me! O my Lord, please send someone else. I’d really rather not do this.”
 
Some centuries later, the angel of the Lord came to Gideon as he beat out wheat. The angel said to him, “Deliver Israel from the hand of Midian; I hereby commission you.” Gideon responded:  “Who – me? But, sir, how can I deliver Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family. Come on now, be sensible – not me!”
 
In the year that King Uzziah died, God appeared to Isaiah in an awesome vision. God sat high on a throne and the hem of God’s robe filled the temple. Flaming, six-winged creatures flew above, calling out: “Holy, holy, holy! The Lord Almighty is holy! His glory fills the world.” When Isaiah saw all this, before any request was made of him, before even a word was spoken to him, he began to give reasons why God shouldn’t have come to him. “Who – me? Surely you can’t mean me. “Every word that passes my lips is sinful, and I live among a people whose every word is sinful. Come on now, be sensible – not me!”
 
In the days of King Josiah, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, “I chose you before I gave you life, and before you were born I selected you to be a prophet to the nations.” When Jeremiah heard this, he protested: “Who – me? You can’t mean me. Lord God! Truly I don’t know how to speak; I am too young. Come on, be sensible – not me!”
Are you seeing a pattern here? When God called, Moses, Gideon, Isaiah, and Jeremiah all reacted the same way. Each one sought to avoid the call by offering what must have seemed very good reasons why he was not the right one for the task. And God’s answer was to give them even better reasons why they should – and could – do as directed.
 
To Moses God said, “I will be with you. I will help you to do miraculous things, signs that will convince everyone who sees them. I’ll use your brother to help with the speaking. Yes, I want you to do this. Who better?” And so Moses led God’s people from Egypt to the promised land.
 
To Gideon God said, “I will be with you, and you shall strike down the Midianites, every one of them. Yes, I want you to do this. Who better?” And so Gideon freed God’s people from the oppression of Midian.
 
To Isaiah God sent down a seraph, who touched his lips with a burning coal in a cleansing act of forgiveness. And, of course, that was God’s way of saying, “Yes, I want you. Who better?” So then when God asked, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Isaiah answered: “Here am I; send me!” And for the rest of his life, Isaiah went wherever God sent him, and in every place, he spoke the Word of God.
 
To Jeremiah God said, “Do not be afraid . . . for I am with you to deliver you.” Then God reached out and touched Jeremiah’s lips, saying, “Now I have put my words in your mouth.” So Jeremiah began to prophesy; and he served the longest of all the recorded prophets of Israel.
 
Recalling the stories of Moses, Gideon, Isaiah and Jeremiah enables us to understand that God calls each of us to ministry in God’s name, and shows one common reaction and God’s answer to that reaction. Initially they all sought to avoid the call, giving various reasons why they were unfit for the task God was assigning to them. God answered them all with the same assurance: I will be with you and I will give you all that you need to do what I ask.
 
We, too, tend to make excuses when we hear God calling us. We have all kinds of reasons why God shouldn’t be asking us. Who me? Who am I to do this thing you ask? Come on, be sensible – not me! I’m nobody special. I’m only a laborer. I’m the least important person in my office. I’m just a student. I’m too young, too old, too uneducated, too untalented, too unskilled, too small, too weak, too slow, too insignificant, too scared. Shouldn’t you call on someone else, God? Surely there’s someone better able to serve you than I.
 
There are many reasons why God shouldn’t have called you. But don’t worry. You’re in good company – people like Moses, Gideon, Isaiah and Jeremiah. Their calling, initial resistance, and powerful witness for God all serve as reminders of what God is doing among us today. God is inexplicably calling us to ministry, and God is giving to us the very same assurances given to them and countless others throughout history: “Yes, I want you to do this for me. Yes, I want you. Who better? Don’t worry and don’t be afraid. I will be with you. I will put my words in your mouth. I will empower you with my strength. I will give you all that you need.”
God is calling us to carry God’s word and ways to a world in need of love and in short supply of hope. And God is still providing the presence and power to do what is required. That is, of course, the very best reason to stop objecting and just say yes when we hear God’s call. So don’t even try to offer reasons for not being able to do whatever God asks of you.
 
And just in case you’re still not convinced, here’s a little story that tells why such reasoning is futile.
 
A farmer asked his neighbor if he might borrow a rope.
 
“Sorry,” said the neighbor, “I’m using the rope to tie up my milk.”
 
“Milk?” exclaimed the first farmer. “Rope can’t tie up milk.”
 
“I know,” replied the neighbor, “but when someone doesn’t want to do something, one reason is as good as another.”
 
Not with God. None of our reasons for saying no is ever good enough, because God’s promise of presence and power, is the best and only reason to answer “yes.”