Where is God Calling You?

I am very much looking forward to our National Gathering in January where our theme will be CALLED. This theme reminds us that every one of us, even with our limitations and places of weakness, has been invited by God to participate in his purpose and mission in the world. We are not spectators in the story of redemption. We are called into it.

Advent offers a beautiful reminder of this truth. The narrative of Christ’s birth is filled with ordinary, imperfect people who became partners in the extraordinary work of God. In one Advent series I preached years ago, we looked at the range of individuals God used to prepare the way for the arrival of Jesus. Of course, we remember Mary, Joseph, Zechariah and Elizabeth. Yet the story also includes Simeon, the magi, and even an unnamed innkeeper who provided the humble setting where the Savior entered the world.

As Reformed Christians, we affirm that God does not need us in order to accomplish his plans. His sovereignty is complete. Yet Scripture shows again and again that he delights in working through human lives. God invites people who are hesitant, uncertain, afraid, or flawed, and then weaves their obedience into his larger story. The doctrine does not change the wonder. The Creator of the universe chooses to work through people like us.

I know that each of your churches will follow its own Advent theme and teaching series this season. Even so, I want to encourage you in your personal reading and reflection to pay attention to how God integrates various people into his purposes. Notice what God asks of them. Notice how they respond. Notice the surprising ways he moves the story forward through their faith, their questions, and sometimes even their failures.

As you reflect on their experiences, consider what their stories may reveal about your own calling in the season ahead. Where might God be inviting you to participate in his work in ways that you may not yet recognize? How might he be asking you to trust him in places where you feel unprepared or inadequate? Advent reminds us that God often begins his most significant work in quiet or unexpected places, and often through people who never imagined they would have a significant role.

May the Lord richly bless you during this Advent season. May his light shine within you, and may it shine through you in ways that bring hope, encouragement, and the presence of Christ to the world around you.

In Christ,

Dana

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