Calling

Sermon from Sunday, April 27, 2025

Vanessa Urban

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Good morning, everyone. I am your guest pastor this morning. If some of you here or online don’t know me, my name is Vanessa Urban. I am the Director of Faith Formation here at Maitland Pres., where I manage children at the church from the nursery all the way up through high school. And sometimes college as well.

Thinking about what I wanted to share with you today wasn’t difficult for me. Because, I don’t know about you, the weeks after Easter I find myself renewed. Energized. The reminder of Christ’s sacrifice fills me with a renewed sense of dedication and commitment to his word. And I would like to talk more about that this morning. Something I feel directly.

Our calling.

I believe we all have a purpose. A calling that God puts into our lives. I want to share how I’ve seen mine in my life. Maybe for some of you, you’ll hear my story and see similarities in your own walk with Christ. Maybe for others you’re still trying to figure out what that calling is. Either way, I just hope that by sharing my story, you’ll feel a little more encouraged—whether you’re already walking in your purpose or still figuring things out. We’re all on our own journey, and God’s got a way of showing up right when we need Him to.

You know, the bible is full of stories about God calling others to their purpose. Maybe you think you are too young to find or fulfill a purpose with God. That’s not true. There are a few stories in the bible about this subject, and we’re going to look at one of them now.

We’re going to be looking at Jeremiah 1: 4-10.

4 The word of the Lord came to me, saying,

5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,    before you were born I set you apart;    I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

 6 “Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”

7 But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.

9 Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”

God starts this conversation with Jeremiah by saying with such confidence, “Before I formed you in the womb, I KNEW you.” The Lord is saying that before Jeremiah’s mom or dad. Before Jeremiah knew his best friend, that the Lord KNEW him. He’s telling Jeremiah, “I know you better than anyone else, and I know you can do this.”

And then the Lord goes on to say, ‘Before you were born, I set you apart.” As in, he set Jeremiah apart for this. His unique, momentous purpose in the world.

Unsure of himself, Jeremiah questions whether he is fit for the role he’s been given. But God is reassuring. He tells Jeremiah not to be afraid, that he will be with him. And then God tells Jeremiah all the great things he will accomplish through him.

No one is too young to fulfill God’s purpose for their life. And you have never been too young to be called by God.

Ten years ago, I was a stay-at-home mom. I had a wonderful son I was looking after, and who will now be graduating high school in three weeks. I was finding myself with some extra free time and decided to fill it by volunteering with the children’s ministry here. I found the work enjoyable and ended up helping the director with vacation bible school that year. My VBS experience was very satisfying to me. Now, unbeknownst to me, the Children’s Ministry Director I was helping was feeling the call to help with our Sunday morning worship team. And while she shifted her focus, she needed someone to take on children’s ministry.

Ok, this is good, I thought. I can take this on! It definitely kept me busy, filling my free time with the weekly planning and execution of a lesson plan. And, not realizing it until it was presented to me, it meant I officially started as a paid member of the staff. As it turned out, I realized I had a knack for it. I easily connected with the kids and became closer to Christ alongside them through each week’s bible story.

Then, on an inconspicuous day in December, I got a phone call from our pastors. The Children’s Ministry Director had put in her two-week notice, and they wanted me to step into her position. Obviously, I was not expecting this news, and it took me a moment to digest what was happening, but it was not a difficult decision for me. I immediately agreed to take on the role. Fortunately, nothing much happens here at the church in December. But the story doesn’t end there.

Maybe a year into my time here, God would begin to move in my life again. Jonathan, the Youth Director at the time, was planning a middle school summer trip and needed a female chaperone. I had only volunteered a little bit with the youth group, and had really enjoyed it, and wanted to do more. But a trip? With a bunch of middle schoolers? So, I negotiated, and told him if he couldn’t find someone else that I would go with them. But only as a last resort!

I sat down and discussed the situation with Pastor Megan. She knew that Jonathan had asked me to volunteer for the trip and her advice was, “Well, after spending a week with middle schoolers, you’ll know by the end if it’s for you or not.” And she was right. On the trip I felt a new calling. Working with the youth group was something I needed to do. I grew into my role with them, becoming someone they could count on being a part of their life.

During my time as a Children’s and Youth Ministry Director I came to realize I could serve the kids better if I furthered my education. And I don’t mean asking my son or husband what ‘no cap’ means or who is this ‘chat’ that the kids are always mentioning. I mean learning better ways of directing them in their faith and preparing them for their post high school life. So, after talking with my husband and the pastors, and it being 25 years since I had taken my last class, I went back to college.

I’m still in it. UCF’s spring semester wraps up this week. I’m about a year or so away from my bachelor’s in World Religions. And maybe within the next decade, I’ll have my masters degree in Divinity. But the knowledge I’m gaining every semester is helping me shape how I teach and how I help develop our next generation here at the church.

God has called me through these open doors, and will continue to guide me in my life. Even when I was reluctant, he’s put people in my life that encourage me to take my next steps. I follow his calling to the best of my ability every day of my life.

Earlier we looked at a bible passage that told us that you’re never too young to find your calling. But maybe you are on the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to that story. Maybe you are sitting here today thinking, “Vanessa, I’ve lived a lot of life and I am too old to answer a call from God.” Guess what? You’re not. There are a lot of stories in the bible about people who believe they are too old to start a new calling, and we’re going to look at one of those now, featuring Abram.

We’ll be looking at Genesis 17: 1-2, and then 15-17.

17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty[a]; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. 2 Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.”

This revelation had to be mind-blowing to Abraham. Then after delivering other directions about fulfilling this new commandment, the passage goes on . . .

15 God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 16 I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”

17 Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” 

Abraham laughed. God you must be crazy, because I am too old for this. But God responded, “That’s exactly what I want you to do.”

Here is a man, very much in the later stages of his life—in today’s terms, a great-grandpa—being told not only that he will father a child at the age of 100, but that his lineage will become an entire nation. Not just any nation, but God’s chosen people. Imagine hearing that when your joints ache just from standing up! Talk about a calling! It’s wild, it’s impossible by human standards, and yet that’s exactly the point. God doesn’t operate within our limits. He chooses the unlikely, the overlooked, the ones the world would call “past their prime” to do some of His most powerful work.

You are never too old to answer God’s call. Never too old.

But young and old aren’t the only ones to doubt their worthiness. You might be sitting here thinking, “Vanessa, you don’t know what I’ve done in my past. God isn’t going to call someone who has done what I’ve done.”

First off, let’s not sell God short. He is THE almighty God, and he can and will use anyone, even someone with a rocky or questionable past.

Have you committed a crime? Maybe you fell into some bad habits or chased experiences that turned out weren’t for you. King David did that. King David was far from a perfect follower of God. But due to his deep faith it tells us in 1 Samuel 13:14 that God considered him “a man after his own heart.” Even with everything David chose to do, God had a purpose for David. It doesn’t matter if you’ve made poor choices in the past, God has a purpose for you.

In the past some of you may have treated people poorly. Maybe there was a time when you singled out a particular group of people with aims to do harm to them. The apostle Paul did that.

Before he was Paul, he was Saul. In the book of Acts, chapter 7 and 8, we learn how he persecuted early Christians and stood by and watched, with approval, the deaths of some of them. But God used him to become a leader in his early church. God gave Paul purpose, just like he has purpose for you.

Maybe you’ve betrayed friends or family. Maybe you’ve let them down when they needed you the most. Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples, did that. The book of Luke, chapter 22 verses 56-60 tells us that after Jesus was arrested, rather than standing with his friend, his Lord and teacher, Peter denied knowing him and left him to be tortured and killed. But God still had a purpose for Peter, as he would go on to help spread the word of Jesus’ life and death, helping build the early church. God gave Peter purpose just like he has purpose for you.

There is nothing, nothing in your past that can keep you from answering the call God has put before you.

We can’t grow as Christians if we don’t step into our calling. It is essential to our relationship with God. Our calling isn’t just something we “eventually” get around to—it’s a part of how God shapes us, teaches us, and reveals Himself to us. When we walk in obedience to what He’s asking of us, even when it’s uncomfortable or unclear, we begin to see His faithfulness and power in new ways. Ignoring our calling is like ignoring a part of who God made us to be. Stepping into it expands our faith, deepens our spirituality, and brings us closer to him.

Like me, your calling may change or coalesce into something new over time, that’s how God continues to challenge and help us grow. You may start out as a volunteer with the children and end up being a full time Director of Faith Formation. Or sit on a pew in the narthex on Sunday mornings because your teenage son enjoys coming here and end up on Session, growing to help make decisions for the entire church.

God will be with you through it all, and will give you what you need along the way.

It doesn’t have to be a grand, extraordinary event. It could be as ordinary as raising your family. Or being a source of joy for those around you in your workplace. All of these things God calls us to, the ordinary and the extraordinary, all of these things are us doing our part to bring God’s kingdom here on earth. I don’t know about you, but that is something I want to be a part of.

And for those feeling contrarian, you can try to not answer the call, but my experience with God has shown me the phone will just keep ringing. God does not give up on us. He knows we can do what he’s calling us to, he believes in us enough to keep on calling.

Now I can’t leave you all today without some easy, practical steps.

Okay, and my youth group kiddos should be able to answer this one because it comes up a lot: What’s the first and easiest thing we can do? Pray! We pray about it! We should be talking to God . . . a lot! The best place to find some clarity in your life is in talking to Him. Ask Him to make the path clearer, to show you the way. To give you what you need to accomplish what it is he asks of you.

Second, find someone to talk it over with. Another thing I tell my youth kiddos all the time … God made us to be in community. We were never meant to go it alone. So find someone in your life that you trust. Someone who has walked this path before. Including our two amazing pastors that are always willing to sit and help discern what it is God is calling you to. Find your circle of encouragement and listen to what they have to say. God put them in your life for a reason.

And after you’ve done those things, the only thing left to do is take the step. This can be by far the scariest part. It can leave you vulnerable, which is always scary. But I’m telling you, for me, it’s worth it. Successes or setbacks, following the path God has laid before you is its own reward.

So here I am again, answering what I think is a call God has put on me. Over the years as the pastors have talked about filling the pulpit for times when they are away, the thought has crept into my head, “You could do that.” Then I would quickly push the thought away.

But earlier this year, I finally spoke up and said, “I’ll do it.” And we’ll see if I do it again. (Laugh) As soon as I said yes, the nagging doubts started to creep in. “What were you thinking?” “You can’t do this.” But then I looked back on the last ten years. Children’s Ministry. Youth Ministry. Returning to college. And I could see all the ways God had supported me throughout. Adding some light pastoral work to the list of jobs I do couldn’t be too much, could it? And I decided that God was making this call to me because he must see it in me. He knew me before I was in the womb. And whatever it is he’s calling you to, he sees it in you as well.

My journey, your journey, everyone’s journey, will not be easy. God never promised to make it easy, and, in fact, he told us it would be hard. But you are never lost. Not to God. You are never lost, and you are never alone. God is with you in all of it. So seek out his calling, follow the path he lays before you, and fulfill the purpose in which he has given you.

Let us pray.

God of purpose and promise,Thank You for calling us—each of us—into Your work and Your world.Thank You for reminding us that we are never too young, never too old, never too broken for You to use us.Help us to hear Your voice more clearly. Help us to trust when we feel uncertain.Give us courage to take the next step, even when we’re afraid.Surround us with people who will encourage us, support us, and remind us of who we are in You.Help us to be a church that listens for Your voice, that steps boldly into Your calling, and that loves our neighbors deeply.Use our lives—ordinary and extraordinary alike—for Your glory.And may we find joy in saying yes to You.

In Jesus' name we pray,Amen.