The often neglected truth about a call, be it a phone call, a shout down the street or a call for help, is twofold. When making a call we expect to reach someone and we expect a response. When we fail to achieve the desired outcome the more tenacious of us often call, call again.
Thus, a call may be described as something that allows us to connect with another with the intention of moving the other to a response.
God has used the idea of calling, in form of burning bushes, dreams, or outright words, for millennia.
The call in the Old Testament:
Exodus 3:1-4:17 (Moses and the burning bush): a call, an argument, an action
Jeremiah 1:4-2:2: a call, an argument, an action
The call in the Gospel:
John 1:43: “Follow me.”
The idea of invitation or summons to salvation is a common one in rabbinic writings. An ordinary word thus acquires special significance through the fact God is the subject and that salvation is the goal (Kittel, 1985).
The call in the Epistles:
1 Corinthians 1:1-9: Paul, called to be an apostle (gr: sent one) to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints….
-for in every way you have been enriched by him, in speech and knowledge of every kind
-testimony has been strengthened among you, not lacking in any spiritual gift
The two-fold nature of the call: personal response (pick up the phone!!!) and global outlook (action taken).
January 16, 2011. The Way Christian Fellowship, Vista, CA. The Rev. Dcn. Kirsten Gardner.