In this Sunday’s reading we find in Isaiah the story told by the prophet of an encounter with God in a vision of great glory. (Isaiah 6.1-8) The response of Isaiah is to feel unworthy in the presence of the divine, and yet he is not met with judgement but with the assurance that his sins are blotted out. There are many things interesting about this account, not least the words of Isaiah which have been uttered as a commitment to God down the ages, “Here am I, send me!”
What is fascinating is that the experience of being accepted by God brings with it a sense of commitment and calling. Once we are secure in God’s forgiveness, we can get on with the work of being ourselves – the self we were created to be as a gift to the world. As suggested in the Zulu notion of Ubuntu, this is something we can only do together;
I need you to be you, so that I can be me
When groups meet discerning a calling to the priesthood, there are three questions asked;
Who am I?
What is my ministry?
How can I make it better?
Far from relating solely to the ordained life, these are questions for us all.
Once we accept that we are accepted, the next move is to respond to these questions as they arise in our lives, remembering that our answers will be very different at different stages of our life.
Have you noticed questions like these surfacing? How might you respond?
Peace,
Sue+