Stepping up

At church this morning during the children's talk, Rev Rob was speaking to the children about the flooding in Queensland and asked if any of them had been affected.  Several children responded, then in a loud clear voice my daughter says, "We got a new tv!".  How embarrassing!  Slightly off topic but honest nonetheless. 

So yes we brought a new tv early January and since then we have been revisiting some of our favourite movies.  This past week we have watched The Lord of the Rings trilogy.  One of my favourite scenes is in The Return of the King (part 3 of the trilogy) where Aragorn gives a moving speech to the men at the black gates.  Here's the scene for you :

Right from the beginning of the story in The Fellowship of the Ring (part 1) Aragorn, a ranger from the north, denies his calling as the true king of Gondor, being the heir of Isildur.  Only in the final stages of the story where it appears that Sauron's evil dominion on Middle Earth seems inevitable and the odds are stacked against all free men, does Aragorn accept who he really is and takes up the calling to reclaim his heritage.  In the scene above, Aragon steps up to his role as king and seeks to inspire the men of Gondor to stand against evil and fight for what is good. 

God wants us to step up to the calling he's given us.  What has he called us to do?   He has called us to be his light in the world (Matthew 5:14), to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 26:19), to live lives worthy of the gospel (Philippians 1:27), to put on our new selves (Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10), to put on the full armour of God (Ephesians 6:10).  The list goes on. 

So where are you in this scene?  Are you the Aragorn in The Fellowship of the Ring who vehemently denies his calling to step up and reclaim his kingship; or are you the Aragorn in The Two Towers who continues to resist the call that is getting louder; or are you the Aragorn in The Return of the King who has submitted to the call to be who you are?  And who are you?  You are saints in Christ Jesus.  Redeemed, restored, renewed and forgiven.  Sainthood is not given to you posthumously because of your good deeds or character,  it is a state of being that is given to you when you accept Jesus into your heart as Lord and Saviour of your life.  The Apostle Paul tells us this in 1 Corinthians 1:2 "To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours" (ESV).  We know that the Corinthian church were very immoral and Paul criticised them yet he also addresses them as "sanctifed" and "saints", not because of their conduct but because of their relationship to Christ and what Christ has done on the cross on their behalf. 

So will you step up to who you are in Christ?  Will you heed his call in your life this year?

At the end of CFBS last year I gave each of you a bookmark with the words from the song "Lifesong" by Casting Crowns and left you with two questions to ponder.  What was your lifesong for 2010 and what will be your lifesong for 2011?  For me I have felt God calling me to "step up" in ministry. Over the holidays I was taken by this verse from Isaiah 41:9-10,

"I said, "You are my servant; I have chosen you and have not rejected you.  So do not fear for I am with you, do not be dismayed for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand"."

In the midst of my feelings of inadequacy, fear of failure, fear of becoming time poor, I felt God really  encouraging me for his work.  When I focus on Christ my fears and worries seem less but the trick is to stay focused on him and not myself.  As soon as I rely on myself, the fears creep back in.

God may be calling you to something big in 2011 or to something small.  Whatever it is, the important thing is your response.  What will you do?