Journal: Faith and Mission
Volume: FM 05:1 (Fall 1987)
Article: Freedom To Say “Yes” Or “No”— A Theological Reflection
Author: Margaret B. Hess

---

FM 5:1 (Fall 1987) p. 12

Freedom To Say “Yes” Or “No”—
A Theological Reflection

Margaret B. Hess

Pastor of the First Baptist Church,
Mansfield, MA

Sleepless nights in the face of a life-changing decision appear to be a part of the human condition. As Christians we affirm that God provides guidance for making decisions great and small. Yet we are not exempt from the anxiety and doubt that often accompany a vocational move. In her case study, “Is It Time To Move?” the Reverend Paula Clayton Dempsey shares her decision-making process as she considered a move to a new pastorate. Beneath her very thoughtful and prayerful discernment process are the deeper theological issues of the nature and meaning of the call to ministry. As she struggled to choose between options, Paula was essentially re-affirming her original call to ministry. Theological reflection on this case study provides us with an opportunity to re-examine our own call.

Scripture is filled with stories of people who were called by God to carry out a particular task or ministry. More often than not, the acceptance of this call was accompanied by considerable angst of spirit. From Moses to Jeremiah to Isaiah to Paul, we see God’s people straining to understand and accept God’s particular call for their lives. The struggle does not stop within the pages of scripture, but continues in our lives. God also calls us to carry out the work of the kingdom, and each one of us takes up the effort anew of discerning God’s call for our lives. Although this process is unique for each individual, there is a model for us to follow as we wrestle with God’s call. The best model in scripture for clarifying and accepting God’s call is that of Jesus in the wilderness following his baptism.

The doctrine of the Incarnation affirms that Jesus was fully God and fully human. His humanness is most evident as he struggled with temptation in the wilderness. The essential struggle here was to clarify what kind of ministry he would live out. There were clear-cut messianic expectations in his day. Both scripture and tradition assumed that the Messiah would come in military might and power to overthrow the oppressive Roman government. Miraculous displays of power would further confirm that God’s power was with this messiah. Jesus knew what everyone expected from “the messiah,” and yet God was calling Jesus to take a very different path, that of a suffering servant. The internal call that he experienced at his baptism was very different from the external expectations of his religious tradition.

The church affirms that the call to ministry is two-fold, internal and extenal. The individual experiences a unique, personal call to ministry, and then the Church affirms this call with a position o...

visitor : : uid: ()