A double yes
God has called us to bring about good in the world in partnership with him. He does not want to force us to do this. It is therefore all the more important that we have a double yes to this partnership of our own free will. A yes to giving our lives to God and a yes to loving him and giving our hearts to him.
I grew up as a Christian. When I was 13, I made a very conscious decision for God at a camp. I say very consciously, because it was clear to me beforehand that I wanted to walk my path in life with God, but it was at that camp that I decided to follow God wholeheartedly. My whole life should belong to Him. With this clear decision in mind, I prayed again and again over the following months for a great, world-shaking calling. I was determined to radically commit my life to God. And after weeks and months of God not sending an angel my way and not hearing his voice like thunder, I almost became depressed. And so one evening I prayed to God again, desperate and so longing. I asked him to give me a vocation like that of Mary, as the mother of Jesus. Something really tough, no matter how difficult it would be. Believe it or not, the very next day God answered my prayer, so to speak. Our Kigo leader called me to ask if I would play the role of Mary in our church’s upcoming nativity play. Ok, it wasn’t exactly what I had in mind. But there were some really good things about it. It was a great opportunity to invite school friends to church. But what was even more incredibly valuable for me was that God heard my prayer! There was no doubt about it, I knew he had heard me.
The partnership
In the meantime, my view of vocation has changed. Through Bible stories like those of Moses, David and Mary, we have been told that God has a plan for our lives that is just as ingenious as it was for these people. That’s right, God has a plan for your life, but for the vast majority of us, this plan is not nearly as spectacular as it was for the great biblical figures. For many, like me, this sometimes triggers a crisis. We want to give everything for God, but the great calling does not materialise. God does not meet everyone in a thorn bush, in his dreams or through his angels. Nevertheless, I am convinced that even if your and my calling is less spectacular, it is no less wonderful and significant! To be honest, I think we sometimes forget how important our calling as followers of Jesus is. Do you realise that discipleship has little to do with simply following Jesus? In Genesis 1:26 we read «And God said, «Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth!» (Genesis 1:26 ELB). God created man and first called him to rule over the earth. God did not create man as a servant or slave. He created man as a partner. As a team in a close partnership, it was his plan to bring forth good things together. Together as a team, God and man were to rule over heaven and earth. However, the fall into sin occurs and the partnership breaks down. As a result, God first makes a covenant with Noah, then Abraham, Israel and King David. Each time it is God’s attempt to renew this partnership with mankind. However, a partnership always involves two parties who both play a part in achieving a common goal. In each of these partnerships, it is the human side that fails and leads to a rupture. Only in Jesus does the final restoration follow. When Jesus calls us to follow him, he calls us back into this partnership. It is about pursuing a goal together with him. I find this perspective so powerful. God is not just a teacher, shepherd or father to us. He meets us at eye level as a partner. Of course, God is above us, is holy and just and cannot be compared with us little people. It is all the more powerful that this God wants to bring forth good things with us as a team. Ultimately, I find this calling no less important than that of the great heroes of the Bible. For me, that is discipleship. Using two biblical stories, I would like to show you how everything depends on a double yes from us to this partnership.
Yes, Lord, let it be done to me according to your word
The first person I would like to talk about is Maria. Her role is undeniably essential. She is the mother of the long-awaited saviour. Through her son, the covenant of peace between God and humanity is restored. This probably makes her the most extraordinary woman in human history. However, what moves me even more about her life than what comes through the birth of her son Jesus is how this story begins. Mary is a young woman, probably still a teenager. Many people know this story only too well as the beginning of the Christmas story. An angel appears to Mary and tells her that she will have a son. He will reign for eternity and he will be called the Son of the Most High. The Holy Spirit would come upon Mary and so she would become pregnant with the Holy Son of God. The angel could end at this point. However, he does not. He goes on to tell Mary that her relative Elizabeth is also already six months pregnant, although she was considered barren. It may seem like a small detail, but I don’t think it is. It reflects how lovingly God treats us and how much he desires to accomplish his work together with us. If you put yourself in Mary’s shoes, it is a relief to hear that you have someone by your side in a different but similar situation. It gave confidence that at least someone would take her seriously and understand her. It was also visible proof that what the angel said was true. We can see how important this was for Mary in her behaviour. When the angel had gone, she went to Elizabeth and stayed with her for three months. The key moment in the scene, the moment that permanently changed Mary’s life and still significantly changes our lives today, is Mary’s reaction to the angel’s words. We read about this in Luke 1:38: «But Mary said, «Behold, ⟨I am⟩ The handmaid of the Lord; be it done unto me according to thy word! And the angel departed from her.» (Luke 1:38 ELB). Sometimes we think their answer is not that important. But I am convinced that it is enormously important. She has a clear yes to God’s plan for her life. We can’t know how things would have turned out if she hadn’t said yes. However, I personally believe in a God who does not see us as his pawns. Rather, I believe in a God who longs for us to say yes to him of our own free will. This yes seems so trivial, but I hope you know that it can cost you everything. It can cost you your plans, your dreams and ideas for your life. But the gain is enormous. You are entering into a partnership with God! I am convinced that God wants to achieve great things together with you, but what he needs first is your unconditional yes. This also means being at peace with the challenges and difficulties that God allows in your life. That is not easy! It often also means reminding yourself that you once had a yes to God and holding on to it. Can you honestly say, Yes, Lord, my life belongs to you?
Yes, Lord, I love you with all my heart
More important than this yes, God may rule over my life, is the second yes to God. I bring you a story that we have already heard about this year. It is about the dialogue between Jesus and Peter. Jesus asks Peter three times whether he loves him. Three times Peter replies that he loves him. There is so much in this story and you could easily preach a whole series of sermons about it. I would just like to pick up on a few aspects here. What we can see is that the narrator’s perspective in the passage addresses Simon Peter first and foremost as Peter. This is the name that Jesus gave him and expresses the calling on Peter’s life. He is to be the rock on which Jesus» church is built. Jesus addresses him three times, but all three times he does not use the name Peter. He addresses him as Simon. Ironically, the name Simon means «God has heard». In this scene, however, it doesn’t feel very much like Peter has been heard by his God. We can assume that it is no coincidence that the Bible tells us that Jesus chose the name Simon to address Peter. For one thing, the name tells us that Peter did not have to express his love for Jesus three times because Jesus did not hear or understand. Rather, he was to speak it three times for himself in order to restore what had been broken in him by the threefold denial and to remind himself that his heart belongs to Jesus. Secondly, it shows how Jesus brings Peter back to their first encounter. He reminds him of this initial enthusiasm, this unconditional devotion and the first yes that Simon had for Jesus. Jesus takes him back to this moment of first love. Peter’s promise of this love is followed three times by the confirmation of Jesus» calling. But on all three occasions, the calling is only the consequence of Simon’s promise of love. « «And Jesus asked a third time: «Simon, son of John, do you really love me? Now Peter became sad because Jesus was asking him this question for the third time. So he replied: «Lord, you know everything. You also know how much I love you!» Then Jesus said: «Then take care of my sheep!» (John 21:17 Hfa). Jesus» first priority is to win your love. Everything else comes after that. The first heart that Jesus wants to conquer through you is your own. It is the most important yes you can say to God: Yes, Lord, I love you. My heart belongs to you. This is the foundation of the partnership between God and you. If this is true, God can bring about great things in this world through you and, above all, together with you. As humans, we have so little under our control. So little we can really influence. We only have a limited say in how our lives turn out. Nor can we determine how and when God answers our prayers. But there is something we can influence and control. We can orientate our hearts towards God and do everything we can to increase our love for Jesus day by day. He has said yes to us since the beginning of time and he longs for you to return this yes.
Yes, God longs together with you to bring forth good in this world. He longs to work as a team with you and me to change this world. In partnership with us, he wants to establish his kingdom here on earth. What is needed for this is a double yes from you. A yes that God can take control of your life. A yes to giving him what you have and being willing for him to change this world together with you, with your life and your being. Much, much more important is your heartfelt yes to God. Yes, Lord, I love you. My whole heart belongs to you.
Possible questions for the small group
- What do you understand by vocation? What do you see as your calling as a follower of Jesus?
- Are there moments when discipleship costs you something? How do you deal with them?
- In what areas do you find it difficult to trust God with your life? Are there hurts from your past that are preventing you from putting all your trust in Him? Pray together for God to heal these wounds.
- How can you express your love to God? How can you express that your heart belongs to him?
