Listening to God

By Pastor Sunny

I was shocked. Maryan had the same look on her face.

I had just finished preaching and was preparing to go home when one of the elders came out and told us, “They are voting right now.”

Westminster Presbyterian Church in Duluth had been embroiled in a conflict and was having difficulty finding a pastor. The Presbytery Executive of the area asked me to meet with the church leadership and help understand what kind of pastor they should be looking for.

Since I was coming anyway, the church also asked me to preach.

And now they were preparing to vote. What I didn’t know was that the church was calling me to become their next pastor. The Presbytery Executive forgot to tell the church that I had already turned down the job offer.

At the time, I was serving as an Interim Associate Pastor at the largest church in another part of Minnesota. I was preparing myself for a call as the senior pastor of large congregations. Going to a smaller church in northern Minnesota was not part of my plan.

So, in the middle of our shock, Maryan and I looked at each other with the same question written all over our faces: “What do we do now?”

When we finally found our words, we asked a different question: “Is God calling us here?”

We decided that if the vote was unanimous, we would take it as God speaking to us.

Almost as soon as we said that, the elder came back out. “The vote was unanimous.”

I accepted the call, and that decision began a career of helping churches navigate seasons of transition.

In this Sunday’s Scripture, we encounter Moses whose life was turned upside down by God's unexpected call.

In anger, he had killed an Egyptian who was abusing an Israelite. Then, fearing for his life, he fled to Midian. There he had settled into a life as a shepherd. He had left Egypt behind. He had made a new life for himself. He had no intention of going back.

And then God appeared to him in the burning bush.

God called Moses to return to Egypt and lead God’s people to freedom. Moses was not ready. He had every reason to believe that he was the wrong person for the job. He offered excuse after excuse. He did not feel capable, worthy, or prepared.

But God had another plan.

I think about Moses whenever I look back on that day in Duluth. Maryan and I had our own plans. However, when we are open to God, we may discover that God’s call does not always lead us where we expected to go. Sometimes God interrupts our plans and asks us to step into something we never imagined.

Moses was not looking for a new call. Neither was I. But God was.

Looking back over forty years of ministry, I am grateful that we listened carefully that day. Because of that unexpected call, I have had the privilege of helping a number of churches let go of the past, heal from difficult seasons, and move toward a new future.

Sometimes God’s call will turn our lives upside down. Sometimes it will take us somewhere we never intended to go. But if we are willing to listen, we may discover that God has a better plan.

Pastor Sunny