Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!”

Isaiah 6:8

Be careful what you wish for! Always a good mantra and even more so when the Holy Spirit is involved! Whether Isaiah was just caught up in the moment, or felt fully enveloped by the spirit, or was just to dumb to say no — he heard God’s call in Isaiah and proceeded to spend the rest of his years condemning the people of Israel for their selfish, stubborn and reckless ways. I am sure it is not the life he had imagined, and yet it was exactly what he was called to.

Many of us who have been called one way or another to service to God and the Church have similar call stories, though hopefully not quite as dramatic as Isaiah’s. But there is nothing wrong with you if they are.

After all, when Martin Luther King, Jr heard the call he did not think it would end on a Memphis Motel balcony, The Rev. Dr Pauli Murray probably did not envision returning to Baltimore to pastor a church when she set out on her career, and many other sinners and saints could tell similar stories.

The one commonality of course - is that at some point you turn your life over to God and acknowledge the Holy Spirit is in charge. It sounds scary, but it can be quite liberating.

Just knowing that from now on the standard by which you will be judged is not of human origin, but heavenly, is extremely liberating. Your life, your worth, is not determined by how much money you make, or how many titles you obtain, how many friends you have, or any other earthly measure - but only and exclusively based on one thing — did you seek to follow the spirit, come what may, and cost what it will?

Friends as we prepare to gather this Trinity Sunday - I hope you might ask where God might be sending you? What kind of service the Holy Spirit might be laying on your heart? And how you might be able to obtain perfect freedom by letting go of the demands of this world and more fully embracing the promises of God’s Kingdom.