Putting God on Speed Dial

 

I Kings 19:9-18

Romans 10:13

Matthew 14:22-33

 

            Last week while we were camping, we took time to visit the Villa Louis, the restored home of Wisconsin’s first millionaire. Our guide described the process of a visit back in the 19^th century, at least in this level of society.

            After you were let off at the gate, you would walk up the tree-lined front walk to the porch, and ring the doorbell. When one of the servants answered, you would present a card with your name printed on it. It didn’t matter whether you were a best friend or neighbor or a salesman. You had to show your card. The servant would then invite you in to a very comfortable hallway, and go off to deliver your calling card. You would then sit in the waiting area until such time as the person you had come to visit could see you.

            A social visit was not a spur of the moment thing, done on a whim. You had to reserve a significant block of time, you had to follow a particular set of rules, and the entire process was controlled by the person you wanted to visit.

 

            Thanks to cell phones, the concept of visiting has entirely changed. We can contact anyone at any time in any place. We can enter a person’s home from halfway around the world, while we’re pulling into a parking lot, exercising on a trail, or doing the dishes. We can text someone in the middle of a sermon; we can reach them while they’re sitting in class or in the middle of an important meeting.

 

            A similar thing has happened with trade or commerce. A Pakistani professor was explaining the tradition of bartering in many nations around the world. He said that it exists, not to turn every transaction into a stressful, cutthroat competition that tests a person’s negotiating skills, but because it facilitates human interaction. An exchange of goods between two persons is considered an honored and important event. It is always personal. The barter system provides time and a framework for personal interaction.

 

            The professor pointed out how bewildered Pakistanis are by the modern American supermarket. Where hundreds of dollars of goods are transferred from one person to another with scarcely any eye contact. Where the only human interaction is “Did you find what you needed,” “That’ll be 69.45, please,” and “have a nice day.” They find stock market exchanges even more baffling, where billions of dollars of assets change hands without either party in the transfer even knowing that the other party exists. And don’t even try to explain phone transactions that take place without ever getting an actual human voice on the other end.  

 

            That cultural divide makes a huge difference when reading Romans 10:13, where Paul writes, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Just what does he mean by calling on the Lord?

 

            Does calling on someone mean firing off an instant message, or does it mean going through an elaborate formality? Does it mean communicating quickly and efficiently, or does it mean taking time to enter into some sort of structured personal interaction?

 

            This vital issue lies at the heart of almost every worship conflict in the church.

            Is worship about easy access to God? What we refer to as contemporary worship leans in this direction. The idea is to eliminate all barriers that lie between the average person and God. Everything is made more accessible and streamlined and informal so that even those with no experience with an organized church can take part and feel comfortable.

 

            Is worship about establishing a respectful interaction with a God beyond our understanding? What we refer to as traditional worship leans in this direction. The idea is to learn a series steps designed to show slow us down in an attempt to show respect and honor for God. Everything is more formal and dignified to facilitate an unhurried exploration of the mystery and majesty of God and our relationship with that God.

 

            Most people tend to lean one way or the other. Those brought up in a more formal, slower-paced world, where respect was paramount, tend to prefer traditional. Those brought up in a faster-paced world, where efficiency is paramount, tend to prefer contemporary.

 

            But the issue goes way beyond individual preferences. According to Paul, our very salvation is tied up in this matter of calling on the Lord. With such a critical thing at stake, we need to have a clear idea of what it means to call upon the Lord. Is it primarily a matter of respect or of access, or something in between?

 

            Our other Bible readings for today may shed some light on this.

 

            In I Kings, the prophet Elijah is on the run. He has gotten into a war with the prophets who worship Baal, the Canaanite god. Israel’s King Ahab and Queen Jezebel have fallen away from the Lord; they, too, are worshippers of Baal. They have put a price on Elijah’s head: wanted dead or alive.

            So Elijah is hiding out. His allegiance to God has gotten him into trouble, and it makes sense to him that God should take some responsibility for getting him out of it. In this reading, Elijah calls on the Lord to do that.

            The Lord responds by saying, “Go out and stand on the mountain and let’s talk.”

 

            Elijah does as he is told. Almost immediately, a powerful wind blows through the mountains, so powerful that it shatters rocks. Just what you’d expect. Elijah has called on the Lord. He has instant access to God, who has answered immediately, and arrived in this furious storm to rescue the prophet.

 

            Except that God was not in the wind.

 

            Puzzled, Elijah waits awhile longer. Here comes an earthquake that shakes the earth and splits the rocks. Surely, God has answered the call this time. The wind was just a preview, and now God has arrived in this even more frightening display of power.

 

            Except that God was not in the earthquake.

           

            Elijah’s getting a little impatient by now. He called upon God; God told him that he would be coming. So where is he? Elijah expects an answer to his call.

 

            Then comes a roaring fire up the mountainside, burning everything in its path. Another devastating, frightening event. But it makes sense; God has been showing Elijah the range of his power, the power he will unleash at Elijah’s beckoning. Because Elijah called on him.

 

            Except that God was not in the fire.

 

            After all these furious acts of nature disappear, what happens next is so startling that the Hebrew translators aren’t quite sure what to make of it. The NIV translation that we read this morning says, “After the fire came a gentle whisper.” The NRSV describes it even more dramatically. It says, “After the fire, a sound of sheer silence.”

 

            What is clear is that when Elijah calls upon the Lord, God does not come to him in a sudden rush or a violent appearance. Instead, Elijah’s call is met by silence and stillness and reflection. This is where Elijah finds the voice of the Lord. Access to God is not so easy or simple. You don’t just snap your fingers or swipe your credit card and God appears. Calling upon the Lord involves time, and it involves listening, and paying attention. It involves interaction, not easy access.

 

            On the other hand, listen to what happens when Elijah tries to restrict access to God. “I have been very zealous for the Lord,” he says, proudly. “The Israelites have rejected your covenant. I am the only one left.”

 

            What he is saying is, “It’s just you and me, Lord. When I call on you, I expect special treatment, because I am the only one who is faithful. I am the only one who worships the way it’s supposed to be done.”

 

            Listen to God’s response to that in his last statement after giving Elijah his instructions. The Lord says, “Yet I reserve 7000 in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal.”

 

            There’s a little pinprick to burst Elisha’s bubble of pride. You say you’re the only one left. The only one doing it right. The only one who deserves access to me. No, there are thousands.

 

            In other words, when you call on the Lord, leave your pride at home. Don’t claim special access to God. Don’t try to restrict others’ access to God. Yes, God is worthy of respect and honor, but God is also open and available.

 

            This paradox between respect and access becomes even more striking in the story of Peter walking on water, a story with which our Bible school kids became very familiar in Vacation Bible School.

 

            First, Peter sees Jesus coming across the water. He calls upon the Lord, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”

 

            This is the epitome of the instant access Christian. Peter acts very familiarly toward Jesus, like they’re a couple of fishing buddies. When he calls on Jesus, he tells him what he wants Jesus to do. And it’s not anything Peter needs to do. It’s not anything that would benefit anyone else. It’s a request made purely for Peter’s sake, so he can experience a thrill.

 

            Things don’t turn out the way Peter imagined they would when he called upon the Lord. It starts out well, but then he gets scared and the whole thing turns into a nightmare. Peter called upon the Lord for his own wants, and instead of getting what he wants, he finds himself sinking, drowning.

 

            There is a strong impulse in us to make the mistake that Peter made in calling upon the Lord. Tony Campolo describes the difference between magic and religion as this: Magic deals with trying to manipulate God, to get God to do what we want God to do. True religion tells us what God has done and is doing and will do for us.

 

            The instant access world is geared for magic. It’s geared toward getting what we want, quickly, efficiently. I would say that there is a large segment of Christians who are more superstitious than religious. Who view prayer as the magic genie, who view good works as the way to get in tight with God, and who view worship as the way to manipulate God.

            Magic Christians are interested in the transaction, but not in a relationship. They want the goods God has to offer. They want it fast and painlessly. They want God to scan it, bag it, and wish them a nice day, and that’s about it.

 

            That’s not calling on the Lord. Calling on the Lord is not about easy access. It’s about taking time to interact with God. To listen and hear, probe and ponder.

 

            On the other hand, Peter calls upon Jesus a second time in this story. When he notices the strong wind, he becomes frightened and he begins to sink. Through his own foolishness and recklessness and lack of faith, he is drowning.

 

            And so he calls upon the Lord. “Lord, save me!”

 

            This time there is no delay. There is no ritual. There’s no getting to know each other better. There’s no meditation, no reflection. There’s action. It’s an instant response. “Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him.” 

 

            Whoever calls upon the Lord will be saved.

 

            So isn’t this magic religion? Isn’t Peter’s calling upon the Lord a way for him to get God to do something?

 

            No, because we don’t get God to save us. There are no magic formulas or tricks or persuasive arguments we can use. It’s a waste of time to barter or bargain with God, to plead or beg. Saving is what God does. That’s what God offers, all the time, no matter what you do.

 

            When it comes to salvation, to living in relationship with God, call upon the Lord and you will be saved. That’s it. 

 

            Some of us are suspicious of deathbed conversions. We note sarcastically that there are no atheists in a foxhole on the battlefield. We shake our heads at the common tendency of humans that when all else fails, all we can do now is pray. 

 

            But God is all about saving. That’s what God does. Salvation is for everyone and far be it from us to try and deny anyone access to that whether in our theology or our worship. By all means, speed dial God when you are need of saving. When your life is a wreck, when you are so burdened with pain or anger or fear that you don’t know where to turn, dial 911 to God. Because God is all about saving.

 

            But if we use that saving characteristic of God only as a last resort bailout system, we miss so much of what God has to offer. If we spend more time calling on the Lord in the old-fashioned way, taking some time to meet with God in quiet reflection, person to person, if we would just, in the words of the Psalm, “be still and know that I am God,” we wouldn’t spend so much time sinking. Just ask Peter.

 

            Call upon the Lord and you will be saved.