This month, the Church of England announced that Sarah Mullally will become the next Archbishop of Canterbury, the first woman ever to hold that role. This is a historic moment within a church tradition that only began ordaining women as bishops a little over a decade ago. I grieve that there will be individuals within the Anglican communion who will refuse to take communion from her. Groups like the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans articulate that she embodies the liberalizing of theology that they fear. I am not naïve to the weight of prejudice that remains against women in ministry leadership across the Christian spectrum. But for this week, I can celebrate one denomination’s courage to overcome injustice rooted in fear.
My experience with the Biblical text and today’s movement of the Spirit attests to God’s persistent call to ALL God’s people to serve in a multitude of ways. Humans create limits, consolidate power, and hold the Holy Spirit captive. God continues calling, even when human systems get in the way. There is rejoicing in heaven when the Spirit of call finds liberation and all God’s children can step into the spaces where God has fitted them to lead.
I should be careful as I throw around the word “call.” Our minds immediately lurch to ordained ministry, to those who stand behind pulpits, administer sacraments, and are set apart for unique roles of service. For some reading this article, the invitation to serve in that capacity is becoming real and you are finding that God’s persistence is undoing your resistance and the barriers placed by the culture around you. I am praying for clarity in your discernment and an awakening to your “Yes.
But the language of calling is far broader, deeper, and more beautiful than limiting it to ordained ministry alone. Leadership, service, and vocation are gifts from God that can take unexpected shapes, sometimes challenging us, often surprising us, and always stretching us beyond what we thought was possible. Each of us is called, some to serve in important capacities within the local church and others to shepherd and bless their homes and workplaces as they bear witness to the way of Jesus in everyday life. Calling is the work of the Spirit, engaging all of us in the Great Commission and in the embodiment of God’s kingdom on earth. And heaven help us if we get in the Spirit’s way.
How is God calling you? Maybe this is the year your faith grows through expanded leadership or by taking a risk. What obstacles are standing in your way, holding you back from following that call? I’m praying that chains be loosed, hearts and minds set free, so that all might embrace the opportunities to which God is beckoning. Young people can see themselves in places of influence within their religious communities. Women can imagine no boundaries to their role in the work of God. And anyone regardless of story and experience can step forward to serve and bear witness to Christ’s love in new ways.
If you sense God nudging you toward something new, or if you’d simply like to talk more about discerning your call, reach out to one of our pastors. We’d love to walk with you in that conversation.
Plainfield UMC Today 