God is faithful; by him you were called

The New Testament lectionary appointed for today comes from the beginning of Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth.  I paraphrase the NRSV only slightly:

“Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,

“To the church of God that is in Corinth [and in Cave City], to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

“I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind— just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you— so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Brothers and Sisters, God has called you, has called each one of us, out of our own Egypts and Babylons, away from our everyday occupations, idolatries, and consumer habits, and to this place this morning, to the First United Methodist Church of Cave City, to be gathered and enriched in our Lord Jesus.  

God is faithful in this calling, and those of us in this place lack, as St. Paul says, no spiritual gift for living out these days and for witnessing to the work of Christ among us.  

God has strengthened us specifically for life in Cave City as part of God’s kingdom that has come and is still yet to come.  

You are called to this place, in this hour, on this day, and with all these folks around you.  And you lack nothing to respond to this call, to be this Church, and to proclaim the good news of the kingdom here in Cave City and in all creation.

Let us celebrate this calling and our lives in this kingdom as we worship God and lift up the name of Jesus this morning.