Ani Weinman

Dear Friends,

I am called to use my voice, show up as my full self, and live out of who God says I am.

I am called to love God, love all human beings, love myself, and love non-human creation.

I am called to help in any way I can to assist in the unbreaking of the world. 

These callings are not unique to me but are meant for all human beings. As Christians, the call into a life with Christ comes in many forms: individual, communal, and cosmic.

We read in today’s scriptures that both individuals and whole communities are called to serve for the sake of the world, and service often results in suffering.  

Sometimes we experience particular vocational callings, other times our callings shift and change as our seasons of life change. We may hear a call for solidarity, participation, or action. We may be called to be quiet, wait, heal, rest. On occasion the calling is more dramatic. There are all kinds of callings.  

God is always calling us—all of us—out of death and into life. God’s Mission is the restoration of all creation. God chooses to work in and through and with human beings to put the broken world back together.

Sometimes, when we step into Mission alongside God, the world roars back at us, and we feel pain. The suffering is not inflicted on us by God; suffering is not God’s intention. Suffering is the natural byproduct of the messy middle we live in between the cross and final restoration of the world. 

We know that Samuel, the apostles, and the early Christians all suffered in the service of Christ. And yet they kept serving, they kept participating in the healing of the world, though that looked different for each of them. 

Calling is for all people, all times, and all seasons of life. To be called is not unique. It is the call itself that is tailored to the person who hears it. 

We are all called into Mission, and we are called in a variety of ways throughout our lives. This, at times, can be confusing; too many good options or too many fires to put out.

In these times, I find it wise to follow the advice Eli gave to Samuel: if you feel that tug on your heart when God calls your name, answer, “Speak. Your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:10).

—Ani