The Pastor’s Call
Sermon for 7th Sunday after Pentecost at Epiphany on July 11, 2010
1 Kings 19:14 He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." 15 The LORD said to him, "Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel-- all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him." 19 So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. 20 Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. "Let me kiss my father and mother good-by," he said, "and then I will come with you." "Go back," Elijah replied. "What have I done to you?" 21 So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his attendant.
The Pastor’s Call
An 8th grade boy went with his mother to the area Lutheran high school to meet with his new advisor to pick classes for the next 4 years. The advisor commented that the boy was a smart kid. He could be a doctor or a lawyer – so it would be good for him to take Latin, since so many legal and medical terms are based in Latin. The teenager liked what he heard, so he took the Latin – not realizing until later that he had really signed up for the pastor track, which meant 4 years of Latin, 2 years of German and extra religion classes in place of math and science. (And that’s why to this day he isn’t very good at math.) And that is how the Lord led me into the pastoral ministry.
The only disappointment is that my dad wouldn’t let me put our John Deere tractor on the bonfire or butcher some steers to celebrate my pastor’s call.
God’s timing may not be our timing, but his timing is always perfect. At a time when we are all thinking about the Divine Call I have to Hortonville, God has placed these Bible lessons and hymns before us today so that we can learn together about the pastor’s call as we examine Elisha’s call as the next prophet in Israel.
When Elisha set out to work the field that morning, he surely had no idea what or who was headed his way. Just another workday, it seemed, when out of the blue a man walked up to him and tossed his coat on him. Suddenly his whole life was topsy-turvy. No longer would Elisha be a wealthy farmer, overseeing 12 yoke of oxen for his dad. For this was no ordinary man who walked up – it was Elijah, who had recently come down from Mt. Carmel after slaying the 450 prophets of Baal. This was no ordinary cloak. This was the prophet’s cloak. The same cloak Elijah later threw down from the fiery chariot and Elisha then used to part the waters of the Jordan River.
Placing the cloak upon Elisha passed on the prophetic office from one to another, much the same way pastors lay hands upon the head of a new teacher or pastor. It is conferring the Holy Spirit and the Lord’s blessing upon this new servant in God’s kingdom. The prophet’s cloak is also much like the stole pastors wear to convey the office of the public ministry. Although the stole does not give me the power to perform miracles – it does convey that I have the right to use the miraculous power of the Means of grace – the Gospel in Word and Sacraments.
Elijah went up to Elisha “and threw his cloak around him.” Although Elijah did not speak a single word, Elisha understood immediately what this meant. So now the oxen and plow were no longer needed by Elisha, so they were killed and burned. This was a farewell feast and then he was off to vicar for Elijah. He was saying goodbye to his family and father’s farm, his work and inheritance. He was giving up everything and unconditionally accepting his calling. He was devoting himself entirely to his calling as a prophet.
The pastors and teachers who serve you with God’s Word in our synod’s churches, schools and ministries do give up a lot to serve God’s people. Teachers spend 4 to 5 years in college to receive a bachelor’s of science. Pastors spend 8 years in school to earn a Master’s of Divinity. These are the cream of the crop, often the best students or most gifted young people whom God chooses for His kingdom work. Many of these called workers could be earning huge salaries in the outside world, but instead they have been called to serve inside God’s kingdom.
The WELS called worker may not receive a lot of monetary compensation, yet they are so often satisfied with the intangibles. Standing at the font as a new child is brought into God’s family. Sitting at the bedside ushering a dying soul into heaven. Feeding hungry souls with the manna from heaven in the Lord’s Supper. Rescuing a broken marriage with God’s Word. Consoling the grieving with resurrection comfort. Hearing a new confirmand make her vows of faithfulness to the Lord. Training a child in the way he should go. This is our payment. These are our victories. This is our satisfaction for a job well done. This is why we serve the Lord.
The calling of Elisha is the only recorded instance of an Old Testament prophet being called to his office by another prophet. Usually God called someone into service directly. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Jesus’ 12 apostles or Paul are examples. Today God does not call directly, but indirectly through the members of His Church. A congregation sees a need in its church or school for a pastor or teacher or staff minister and extends a divine call to a person whom they believe can fill that position. God then leads that person to prayerfully consider where he or she can best serve God’s people.
Serving the Savior in pastoral ministry comes not by a person’s own design, not by his own finagling, not by his own efforts to scramble for a better job, but by God’s call through the Church. That is very comforting for both the pastor or teacher and the church or school. For no one can become upset if a called worker comes or goes or stays. It is the Lord’s decision. A called worker has the ultimate assurance of knowing, “I’m not here by my choosing, but I’m serving these souls by God’s call.”
When God used Elijah to call Elisha, He was reminding Elijah that prophets and priests are but instruments in the hands of God. Called workers are but instruments the Lord places at a specific place at a specific time for as long as it pleases Him to do so. God can then move His called workers around in His kingdom. This does not mean the collapse of God’s work; rather, it means that God’s work gets done in a different way or by a different person.
Or God may use a Divine Call to wake people up – to focus a pastor on challenges ahead instead of looking behind at what was lost. The Call may move a teacher to re-examine her teaching style and re-energize her to work harder. A Divine Call may mobilize a congregation to get their butts back into the pews, to open their hearts once again to God’s Word, to give more freely in their offerings to support God’s ministry, to remind them that they don’t pay the pastor to do the work – they pay the pastor to lead and train them in doing the work. Maybe a Call teaches a congregation what they have and what they could be losing. Maybe it teaches a congregation or a school that being good isn’t good enough – that God wants this church, this school, each one of you to be great! To be excellen in Christ!
I’ll be honest with you. My Divine Call to Bethlehem in Hortonville has re-energized and refocused me. If the Lord leads me to accept the call, you are going to have to work hard as a congregation to keep ministries going. But if the Lord leads me to remain here with you in Racine, you’re going to have to work even harder. We will be going from good to great! That will be on you! You will have a permanent seat reserved for you in Bible study. You will be a weekly regular in worship. Not invited, but expected. You will be involved in your church and your school. You will support the ministries at Epiphany, WLS, Shoreland and the WELS with your prayers, offerings, time and abilities. No more sitting on the sidelines. Whomever God has as your leader here, the pastor and congregation will work together as a team.
What does a pastor do with his time? The pastor heals, though without pills or a knife. He is often a social worker, a counselor, a scholar, a bit of a philosopher and entertainer. He visits the sick, marries those in love, buries the dead, consoles the sorrowing, and admonishes the sinful. He plans programs, teaches the gathered, attends meetings, finds the lost, awakens the negligent, leads the faithful, studies, reads, prays, blogs, emails and Facebooks, and still finds time to prepare and preach a sermon for those who decide to show up for church. Then on Monday morning he smiles when someone comments, “What a job – one day a week!”
The pastor’s job is to make you feel the flames of hell licking at your feet. Then he is to lift you up to feel the sweet breeze of heaven on your face. The pastor is to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted. He is to get in your face and point out your sin so then you are ready to see the face of God.
The pastor is your shepherd, leading you into safe pastures to graze on the sweet food and living water of God’s Word. The minister is the Lord’s servant who leads by serving, getting into the trenches with his people in Christian warfare. He is the reverend whom you highly respect for he is the one God has chosen for your congregation. The pastor places the healing salve of God’s love on your wounded soul. He smears the healing medicine of Christ’s blood over your sin-sick heart. He is not preaching his opinion but God’s truth. It is not his message, for he is an ambassador entrusted with his Superior’s message. It is not about pleasing everybody, but pleasing the Lord that counts.
One of the biggest compliments I have been paid is when someone described me to a friend saying, “Oh, you’ll like Pastor Zarling. He’s like a regular guy who just happens to be a pastor.” Another big compliment I’ve received is when a little child sees me in my white alb and whispers to Mom, “Psst. There’s Jesus.” Pretty close.
Not that the pastor is anywhere nearer to being like Jesus than his members, but the pastor does represent Jesus to the people. That little child identifies me with Jesus and that is the whole point of the public ministry. It is not that a pastor is Jesus incarnate, but that the ministry of the pastor is Jesus’ ministry. It is not Pastor Zarling that forgives your sins, but Jesus speaking through the voice of His humble servant. It is not Pastor Zarling’s opinion that you come to hear from the pulpit, but the Word of Christ proclaimed in all its truth and purity. It is not Pastor’s Zarling’s table to set, but Christ’s banquet table upon which He feeds us with His own precious body and blood. It is not Pastor Zarling who brings people into God’s kingdom or grows the church, but the Holy Spirit who works through water, through Word, through your mission work.
It is not about the pastor. It is about Jesus!
Sometimes people don’t know exactly what to say to the pastor while shaking his hand after the service. Here are some things that have been said to pastors. “You always find something to fill up the time.” “I don’t care what everyone else says, I like your sermons.” “If I’d known you were going to be good today I’d have brought a friend.” This week I was playing H-O-R-S-E with one of our WLS kids. He kept shooting left-handed lay-ups and so I said to him, “This is boring.” He answered, “Now you know how I feel during your sermons.”
Can you feel the love?
But whether it is Elijah or Elisha, Peter or Paul, or your teachers or pastor, we are not here for praise or accolades or money. We are here because the Lord has called us into the public ministry. You have called us to be here. You have promised to support our ministry. Sure, we like to please you, but we look for greater praise than yours. For we wish to hear Jesus say to us in heaven, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” Amen.
1 Kings 19:14 He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." 15 The LORD said to him, "Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel-- all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him." 19 So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. 20 Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. "Let me kiss my father and mother good-by," he said, "and then I will come with you." "Go back," Elijah replied. "What have I done to you?" 21 So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his attendant.
The Pastor’s Call
An 8th grade boy went with his mother to the area Lutheran high school to meet with his new advisor to pick classes for the next 4 years. The advisor commented that the boy was a smart kid. He could be a doctor or a lawyer – so it would be good for him to take Latin, since so many legal and medical terms are based in Latin. The teenager liked what he heard, so he took the Latin – not realizing until later that he had really signed up for the pastor track, which meant 4 years of Latin, 2 years of German and extra religion classes in place of math and science. (And that’s why to this day he isn’t very good at math.) And that is how the Lord led me into the pastoral ministry.
The only disappointment is that my dad wouldn’t let me put our John Deere tractor on the bonfire or butcher some steers to celebrate my pastor’s call.
God’s timing may not be our timing, but his timing is always perfect. At a time when we are all thinking about the Divine Call I have to Hortonville, God has placed these Bible lessons and hymns before us today so that we can learn together about the pastor’s call as we examine Elisha’s call as the next prophet in Israel.
When Elisha set out to work the field that morning, he surely had no idea what or who was headed his way. Just another workday, it seemed, when out of the blue a man walked up to him and tossed his coat on him. Suddenly his whole life was topsy-turvy. No longer would Elisha be a wealthy farmer, overseeing 12 yoke of oxen for his dad. For this was no ordinary man who walked up – it was Elijah, who had recently come down from Mt. Carmel after slaying the 450 prophets of Baal. This was no ordinary cloak. This was the prophet’s cloak. The same cloak Elijah later threw down from the fiery chariot and Elisha then used to part the waters of the Jordan River.
Placing the cloak upon Elisha passed on the prophetic office from one to another, much the same way pastors lay hands upon the head of a new teacher or pastor. It is conferring the Holy Spirit and the Lord’s blessing upon this new servant in God’s kingdom. The prophet’s cloak is also much like the stole pastors wear to convey the office of the public ministry. Although the stole does not give me the power to perform miracles – it does convey that I have the right to use the miraculous power of the Means of grace – the Gospel in Word and Sacraments.
Elijah went up to Elisha “and threw his cloak around him.” Although Elijah did not speak a single word, Elisha understood immediately what this meant. So now the oxen and plow were no longer needed by Elisha, so they were killed and burned. This was a farewell feast and then he was off to vicar for Elijah. He was saying goodbye to his family and father’s farm, his work and inheritance. He was giving up everything and unconditionally accepting his calling. He was devoting himself entirely to his calling as a prophet.
The pastors and teachers who serve you with God’s Word in our synod’s churches, schools and ministries do give up a lot to serve God’s people. Teachers spend 4 to 5 years in college to receive a bachelor’s of science. Pastors spend 8 years in school to earn a Master’s of Divinity. These are the cream of the crop, often the best students or most gifted young people whom God chooses for His kingdom work. Many of these called workers could be earning huge salaries in the outside world, but instead they have been called to serve inside God’s kingdom.
The WELS called worker may not receive a lot of monetary compensation, yet they are so often satisfied with the intangibles. Standing at the font as a new child is brought into God’s family. Sitting at the bedside ushering a dying soul into heaven. Feeding hungry souls with the manna from heaven in the Lord’s Supper. Rescuing a broken marriage with God’s Word. Consoling the grieving with resurrection comfort. Hearing a new confirmand make her vows of faithfulness to the Lord. Training a child in the way he should go. This is our payment. These are our victories. This is our satisfaction for a job well done. This is why we serve the Lord.
The calling of Elisha is the only recorded instance of an Old Testament prophet being called to his office by another prophet. Usually God called someone into service directly. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Jesus’ 12 apostles or Paul are examples. Today God does not call directly, but indirectly through the members of His Church. A congregation sees a need in its church or school for a pastor or teacher or staff minister and extends a divine call to a person whom they believe can fill that position. God then leads that person to prayerfully consider where he or she can best serve God’s people.
Serving the Savior in pastoral ministry comes not by a person’s own design, not by his own finagling, not by his own efforts to scramble for a better job, but by God’s call through the Church. That is very comforting for both the pastor or teacher and the church or school. For no one can become upset if a called worker comes or goes or stays. It is the Lord’s decision. A called worker has the ultimate assurance of knowing, “I’m not here by my choosing, but I’m serving these souls by God’s call.”
When God used Elijah to call Elisha, He was reminding Elijah that prophets and priests are but instruments in the hands of God. Called workers are but instruments the Lord places at a specific place at a specific time for as long as it pleases Him to do so. God can then move His called workers around in His kingdom. This does not mean the collapse of God’s work; rather, it means that God’s work gets done in a different way or by a different person.
Or God may use a Divine Call to wake people up – to focus a pastor on challenges ahead instead of looking behind at what was lost. The Call may move a teacher to re-examine her teaching style and re-energize her to work harder. A Divine Call may mobilize a congregation to get their butts back into the pews, to open their hearts once again to God’s Word, to give more freely in their offerings to support God’s ministry, to remind them that they don’t pay the pastor to do the work – they pay the pastor to lead and train them in doing the work. Maybe a Call teaches a congregation what they have and what they could be losing. Maybe it teaches a congregation or a school that being good isn’t good enough – that God wants this church, this school, each one of you to be great! To be excellen in Christ!
I’ll be honest with you. My Divine Call to Bethlehem in Hortonville has re-energized and refocused me. If the Lord leads me to accept the call, you are going to have to work hard as a congregation to keep ministries going. But if the Lord leads me to remain here with you in Racine, you’re going to have to work even harder. We will be going from good to great! That will be on you! You will have a permanent seat reserved for you in Bible study. You will be a weekly regular in worship. Not invited, but expected. You will be involved in your church and your school. You will support the ministries at Epiphany, WLS, Shoreland and the WELS with your prayers, offerings, time and abilities. No more sitting on the sidelines. Whomever God has as your leader here, the pastor and congregation will work together as a team.
What does a pastor do with his time? The pastor heals, though without pills or a knife. He is often a social worker, a counselor, a scholar, a bit of a philosopher and entertainer. He visits the sick, marries those in love, buries the dead, consoles the sorrowing, and admonishes the sinful. He plans programs, teaches the gathered, attends meetings, finds the lost, awakens the negligent, leads the faithful, studies, reads, prays, blogs, emails and Facebooks, and still finds time to prepare and preach a sermon for those who decide to show up for church. Then on Monday morning he smiles when someone comments, “What a job – one day a week!”
The pastor’s job is to make you feel the flames of hell licking at your feet. Then he is to lift you up to feel the sweet breeze of heaven on your face. The pastor is to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted. He is to get in your face and point out your sin so then you are ready to see the face of God.
The pastor is your shepherd, leading you into safe pastures to graze on the sweet food and living water of God’s Word. The minister is the Lord’s servant who leads by serving, getting into the trenches with his people in Christian warfare. He is the reverend whom you highly respect for he is the one God has chosen for your congregation. The pastor places the healing salve of God’s love on your wounded soul. He smears the healing medicine of Christ’s blood over your sin-sick heart. He is not preaching his opinion but God’s truth. It is not his message, for he is an ambassador entrusted with his Superior’s message. It is not about pleasing everybody, but pleasing the Lord that counts.
One of the biggest compliments I have been paid is when someone described me to a friend saying, “Oh, you’ll like Pastor Zarling. He’s like a regular guy who just happens to be a pastor.” Another big compliment I’ve received is when a little child sees me in my white alb and whispers to Mom, “Psst. There’s Jesus.” Pretty close.
Not that the pastor is anywhere nearer to being like Jesus than his members, but the pastor does represent Jesus to the people. That little child identifies me with Jesus and that is the whole point of the public ministry. It is not that a pastor is Jesus incarnate, but that the ministry of the pastor is Jesus’ ministry. It is not Pastor Zarling that forgives your sins, but Jesus speaking through the voice of His humble servant. It is not Pastor Zarling’s opinion that you come to hear from the pulpit, but the Word of Christ proclaimed in all its truth and purity. It is not Pastor’s Zarling’s table to set, but Christ’s banquet table upon which He feeds us with His own precious body and blood. It is not Pastor Zarling who brings people into God’s kingdom or grows the church, but the Holy Spirit who works through water, through Word, through your mission work.
It is not about the pastor. It is about Jesus!
Sometimes people don’t know exactly what to say to the pastor while shaking his hand after the service. Here are some things that have been said to pastors. “You always find something to fill up the time.” “I don’t care what everyone else says, I like your sermons.” “If I’d known you were going to be good today I’d have brought a friend.” This week I was playing H-O-R-S-E with one of our WLS kids. He kept shooting left-handed lay-ups and so I said to him, “This is boring.” He answered, “Now you know how I feel during your sermons.”
Can you feel the love?
But whether it is Elijah or Elisha, Peter or Paul, or your teachers or pastor, we are not here for praise or accolades or money. We are here because the Lord has called us into the public ministry. You have called us to be here. You have promised to support our ministry. Sure, we like to please you, but we look for greater praise than yours. For we wish to hear Jesus say to us in heaven, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” Amen.
The two most important jobs in the world are pastor and farmer. IMHO
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