Called - Devotions for the Wisconsin Annual Conference
"Then I heard the Lord’s voice saying, 'Whom should I send, and who will go for us?' I said, 'I’m here; send me (Isaiah 6:8).'”
I was about five years old when my Granny Carlson took me to the attic of her farmhouse on the plains of North Dakota. I remember climbing up the ladder outside of that little farmhouse. I remember entering through the attic door. We walked across the attic to a chest, located underneath the window.
My grandmother opened the chest, reached in and pulled out a Bible. She handed it to me and said, “This was your father’s Bible and now it is your Bible.”
I felt like it was a holy moment. I couldn’t even read yet. She looked at me and said, “Scott, God is calling you to ministry.”
I couldn’t believe it. My Granny told me that was God calling me into ministry. It must be so, because she said it!
As I look back on my life, I realize that this was the first of many times when I felt called into ministry. The gift of remembering that I have been called has helped me through challenging times in my life. Challenges so big, that I was almost ready to walk away from ministry. Challenges so big, that I had a hard time seeing into the future.
When those moments have come, I am learning to take a breath and remember. God has called me (and you) for this time. When you find yourself challenged beyond measure. When you have a hard time even seeing into the future. Please remember that you are loved by a God who created you. You are called by God to serve where you are planted. You are companioned by God on this journey.
Prayer: Loving God, it is such a gift to remember. And I am so prone to forget, when life’s challenges overwhelm, when I can’t see the future. Help me to remember your call in my life. Help me to be aware of your journeying with me. Help me to see how I can make a difference for you, right where I am planted. In the hope Jesus offers us, Amen.
May this devotion provide you with a moment of faithful reflection and care. You are involved in ministries of justice and witness, in ministries of standing up and standing with people working to create better systems and communities, in ministries of learning and searching and researching to become more aware and awakened, more technologically savvy and proficient, more virtually and personally present in your churches and communities and world. Each of us who serve as members of your Wisconsin Cabinet write these devotions in grateful prayer for you – for sustenance and buoyancy, for strength and courage, for safety and just actions, and for faith and love to be full and fulfilled in your daily lives. God’s grace and blessings, God’s challenge and healthy discomfort, God’s Spirit and energy be with you, in the hope Christ offers us all.