|
SERMON
NOTES Sunday, November 16, 2003
By Ruth Holmes, who is solely
responsible for the content and interpretation!
“It
is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Heb. 10:31)
Father
John was called to the priesthood at a young age. He left the active ministry and took a job in the
secular world. When God called
him back into active parish ministry, he wrestled with the change. He had a nice job, a nice salary, a
nice home and a nice life. He
wasn’t sure that he wanted to go where God was leading.
After
his decision to follow God and return to active parish ministry, Fr. John
had a recurring dream. He was
hanging on to a rope, over a deep abyss, with only his bare hands (no
climbing gear). The abyss was
so deep that he could see nothing but darkness. In this setting God was speaking to him, saying, “Let
go.” His (very natural)
reaction was fear; “If I let go, I am going to be harmed.”
Fr.
John wrestled with God’s call and his own fear of the uncertainty of the future
for a number of years. During
those years, the dream recurred.
Finally, Fr. John was able to come to a point of “letting go” and
whole-heartedly accepting God’s call.
When this happened, he had the dream again. Only this time, he let go of the rope. When he let go, he fell and landed
on something soft and comfortable, like a soft mattress or down comforter.
God
is calling us to let go; to let go of the things to which we are clinging
tightly. It may be our
personal comfort. It may be
our reputation. It may be “the
way we have always done things.”
It may be our security.
It
is fear that keeps us clinging to those things that keep us from God. As Mother Teresa said, “You’ll
never know that Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you’ve got.” Make a decision to let go, so you
can move to the next step God has for you!
BACK TO SERMONS
|
