Transcript
Our pastor has started a sermon series on the Holy Spirit and capturing where you see the Holy Spirit showing up in our lectionary readings for the week.
But today, I’d like to change that a bit and share with you the role of the Holy Spirit’s Call to ministry in my life.
This is not a sermon today….but rather, MY STORY.
Perhaps in hearing my story…it may lead you to examine your own life and how God is leading you.
First of all….Let me say that We are all called to ministry. Some are led by the Holy Spirit to be pastors and ministers in the church….Many of you were called to other vocations that have led you to be the light of Christ right where you are.
When you are called. You will know it. You will not be able to rest the energy from the Holy Spirit in Jesus.
So if you will, let me share a little of my story, and the call of the Holy Spirit in my life to be a minister in the church.
(intro) I’ve been in church my whole life from the cradle role on… My mom made sure from a very young age that in our church community called Immanuel Baptist Church in Florence, SC. That I was loved., cared for, and felt secure.
Some of my favorite memories in church were
- Vacation Bible school. And by the way. Our vacation Bible school lasted for two weeks, full days….not one week. I’m sure for all the workers, it was an exhausting time for them. But we loved it.!
- Another favorite memory for me. Was being a part of the girl’s auxiliary in our church or GA’s as we called it and later Acteens.. From a young age, We learned about missionaries. And in High school we took part in what we called. An Acteen Pageant. You earned your way by passing steps.in the process. From:
Maiden, Lady in waiting, Princess, Queen, Queen with a Septer, ,all the way to Queen Regent.
- Sunday School and amazing teachers who took a vital interest in my life.
- A special man named David Eagerton who was a lay leader in my church but had the special gift of encouragement and calling.
So all of these memories woven together created a space in my heart to possibly open myself up to the Calling of God in my life.
Parker Palmer in his book, “Let your life speak…says that “Before you can tell your life what you intend to do with it, listen for what it intends to do with you.”
“Before you tell your life what truths and values you have decided to live up to, let your life tell you what truths you embody and what values you represent.”
The values that we have learned from Jesus.
“ love and forgiveness, faith, compassion,humility, integrity ,generosity, and justice…and kindness.”
There was much discussion after High school about what I was going to do with my life.
You need to understand that back in the 1970s, When I was getting ready to graduate from high school. The only opportunities for women seemed to be a school teacher, a nurse. or some type of clerical job. I was seeking a vocation….. Oh…I had heard about missionaries on the field….but most of them were married and single missionaries were discouraged.
I had never seen a woman in any kind of role in my church or any church I had been in in SC.
So the likelihood that I would ever hear a call from the Holy Spirit Leading me in any way to a calling in the local church was very slim.
Today I understand that calling is not something to be achieved, but rather a gift to be received.
Parker palmer describes it as “a voice “within” calling me to be the person I was born to be” to fulfill the original selfhood given to me at birth by God.”
Who were you born to be?
When asked that question as child, I used to say, I want to be a “horse trainer”….never ridden a horse,
But that’s what I said I was born to be!
Who were you born to be?
Biblical faith calls it the image of God in which we are all created. Thomas Merton calls it true self. Quakers call it the Inner Light. Or that of God in every person.
No matter what you call it, is a gift of the Lord.
We read in Psalm 51:
” Create in me a clean heart O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from thy presence Lord, and TAKE NOT Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the JOY of they salvation; and up hold me with THY FREE SPIRIT”
One summer I became a youth Director in a local church and help plan activities for youth for the summer.
Back then you were not called A youth minister, only a Youth director.
But even then I began to see this was a possible open door for me that I never had before.
I went on to college. And majored in early childhood education. And took my first job at a school in Florence, SC teaching preschool. I stayed in that job for two years and then had a job offer to move to Charleston, SC. to teach in a preschool there.
So I moved. To Charleston, and as a young adult, met some of my closest friends to this day. I joined a church in Charleston and immediately found myself getting involved with teenagers in this church.
As a school teacher, I always had the summers off.
And that opened me to serve in various camps and places where teenagers were involved.
One of those places was in Columbia, SC at White Oak Baptist Center… Leading Youth for 10 weeks.
It was there.at the end of that 10 weeks. Where a group of us were seated around a huge ottoman in the center of the room, sharing about our plans after camp. And that’s where the Holy Spirit touched my heart.
It was as if the Holy Spirit was sitting on my shoulder and saying.”Lynn This is what you should be doing all the time”
Now keep in mind. That I had signed the contract to be back in Charleston, SC. To begin a new year of school. But at that moment. I was drawn. By the Holy Spirit to say yes! This had God’s call in my life.
So I did something that. I should not have done. “I said, OK God, if this is your call in my life….. Then open up a door where I can go and be a youth minister.” “Who Does that?? “
I like Gideon in the Bible was not good at setting fleeces before almighty God!
A week later I get a phone call. From a minister in Bamberg, SC. Saying they were looking for a youth minister. And would I be willing to come and interview for that position. Now, I don’t know about you. But that was fast!
I don’t know who they got my name, but I felt like I had no option other than to go. “Obviously, this was the Holy Spirit telling me this is what he wanted me to do”…right?
So I got in my car and I about 70 miles up Highway 301 North to Bamberg, SC a city of about 3,000….there was one traffic light, a Hardees and First Baptist church.
And that was pretty much it! And I must say that it ran through my mind,,,,what is a young girl in her 20’s going to do this city?
The interview with the search committee went very well. And they said they would be back in touch with me.
So the next week I got a call from the pastor saying that they would like for me to come in view of a call.
Now keep in mind. That I still had a contract with the school district in Charleston, SC. I told him I would have to be in touch with the principal of the school. And I would call him.
I met with the principal. And he blessed me to move forward. “Kind of unheard of.”
So I called the pastor back in Bamberg. And told him that. I would be in prayer about the decision to come to Bamberg SC.
And told me they wanted to vote on me the following Sunday morning.
So this is where my faith and my trust in God was challenged the most.
You see, I had said yes to God that day at camp White Oak.” God if this is your call in my life, then I’m trusting YOU to find me a place where I can serve you.
Now let me tell you that God had been showing me all along that he had gifted me particularly in this area of connecting and reaching teenagers.
And I felt strongly that this is something that I not only could do, But desired to do.
I believe that God had opened that door for me…. And blindly I was walking through that door. It was on the night that I was to be voted on by the church the next day that I couldn’t sleep. I didn’t understand. Why I was so nervous and anxious about this decision?
I prayed all night long! I waited until 6:00 in the morning. And I called the pastor at Bamberg, and I said to him, “Pastor. I cannot be voted on by your church today.”
And he said. Lynn Why? And I said because the Holy Spirit spoke to me last night and told me that if this was my true calling, Then I needed seminary training to learn how to be the best minister I could be!
There is so much more to the rest of that story, but the pastor blessed me in that decision and understood.
I then knew that my next step was to drive to Florence SC and share this with my mom and Dad.
When I got home….my mom was in the kitchen as she always was, and I walked in and said, “Mom, before Dad gets here….there is something I need to tell you.”
“I feel God has called me to go to seminary and study to be a minister”
Her response was. “Honey…..What has taken you so long? I’ve been waiting for you to come home and share that with me”!
Such Affirmation!!
My Dad on the other hand did not understand,…..
“You’ve got two degrees in Education and Counseling, a good job, …..why in the world would you leave to and go across the county to a strange place and
Start school all over again….??? Good questions!
I knew that he would not understand, “The Holy Spirit told me to!”
“It wasn’t until later when my Mom and Dad attended my ordination service in this place…….that my Dad finally understood I think….. you see…he had never had a a woman minister either. He sat on the front row with my mom and cried through the whole ceremony…..
So back to my story…..
So I rented a uhaul trailor and hooked it to my car, mapped out my adventure for driving from SC to Texas, finding places where I did not have to back a trailor up anywhere!!
I remember writing in my journal…” I have never been so uncertain of what I am doing, but SO certain of You God”
The Holy Spirit had called……..that was 38 years ago!
And God has been active in my life ever since. Some of you heard my story about ending up here in 1988 and I will not share that now……but again…it was the Holy Spirit.“Speaking to my heart in so many ways!
The call in my life early on was to serve as a Youth Minister….and 20 years later after Dr. Flamming left…..Dr. Somerville asked me to transition to Senior Associate minister and pastor of Christian community. A job I have loved!
You need to know that The Holy Spirit is the most mysterious part of the Trinity for me.
I don’t know how she moves or why she visits when she does. But I know when I’m feeling inspired, that’s the Holy Spirit. And I say “she”…..because I loved how she was portrayed in the movie the “SHACK’…
a story about a man who lost his daughter…….The Holy Spirit was a woman in that movie….. and it opened my eyes once again to how God works.
It’s how I describe the feelings within me. The Holy Spirit was promised to us by Jesus. And that promise Was fulfilled at Pentecost. Jesus sent the Spirit. To his disciples…It was the people., always the people, not churches and buildings where the church was born.
Church, we’re a part of something bigger than we ever knew.
When we add our own gifts to a wider vision that only God can see, when you are inspired by the Holy Spirit., when you glimpse that something bigger can be created, And you add your own voice to the community…… God can create as we follow the nudges of the Spirit.
This happens when ministers sense that call….as a divine initiator, and an empowering force behind the call.
This is what happens within the body of Christ……when you and I believe that God is calling us forward to ministry and service through the church…..
Ultimately, the Spirit empowers ministers and lay leaders to fulfill the God-given roles and to serve the church effectively.
We do this together as ONE Body…….I believe that with all my heart!
What do you think the Spirit is calling and asking you to do?
- There are some of you here today that as you have heard me share my story, might be thinking, you know Lynn, I believe that God just might be calling me to some type of Christian ministry…maybe I’ve just ignored it…..but
Id like to come and share that with you this morning and maybe talk to one of our ministers who will meet you here at the front.
- There may be some of you here who feels called to serve as a lay leader in this great church.
- There may be some of you who are ready to take that next step and say I want to be a part of this community!
Can I just say…that coming forward is difficult sometimes, but when you” hear the Spirit”….you like me can’t help but say YES!
I invite you to come forward on this last hymn and share that great news with this your church body….
Let us pray:
Lord….we are open to your spirit right now…. Spirit of God….Call us out and Breathe on us we pray. Amen.’
