Thursday, 24 October, 2002

From the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah



After Jeremiah has been approached and appointed by God here is what follows:



Then I (Jeremiah) said, "Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy. But the Lord said to me,

"Do not say, "I am only a boy'; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you,

Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord."



We do not have to count on what we see in ourselves to be the word of worth about what we can or cannot do. Our God calls us to follow God alone. This story and the stories we live as people within the reign of God are not about us and our abilities. Rather it is about our God and the way our God uses and empowers regular people - people who may think they are too young, too old, too shy, too bold...whatever - to bring the word of the Lord into the regular activity of the day. Not one of the followers of our Lord God are "only" this or that. We are who we are - beloved of God. Any "only" we may feel or think is overruled. You...YOU...are grasped by our God whose faithfulness never diminishes and whose power is available for us as we are called to be a living presence of God's word in the world. Sometimes, we have to face the fear we have about what may happen to us if we speak and we must face the anxiety that squeezes us into silence. Our God faces that fear and anxiety with us by saying fear not I am with you...I will be your rock...I am your strength...I will give you the words and the actions needed to life up the way of God's Reign.



Connection: You are not "only"... You are the Lord's. You are favored by the God who creates all things and makes the day out of nothing at all. No matter what we think our gifts may be, they are still gifts. And our God will use what we have and who we are to lift up the vision of God's reign for all to see. You are the Lord's!!!



How powerful is your command to follow you, O Lord. We give you thanks for the many ways you call us into new life even as we cannot see beyond our limits. Guide us as we take the gifts you have given us and begin to use them to the glory of your Holy name. Amen.