Proper 17
Ezekiel 3:4-15

The sermons for Sundays Proper 17 and 18 are provided by Rev. Joel Parsons. Joel serves as the senior pastor of the Sullivan Church of the Nazarene in Sullivan, Indiana.

It must have been a day like pretty much any other. Ezekiel, at age 30 and having just assumed the office of the priesthood among his people in exile in Babylon, was probably out strolling through the countryside along the Kebar River, when suddenly he had a divine encounter that would change his life forever. The first chapter of Ezekiel describes a vision of wild-looking creatures and wheels with eyes hovering around the appearance of the glory of Yahweh, the God of Israel. By the time the vision had departed him, Ezekiel had received a divine call to the prophetic ministry. The overwhelming nature of this call has several aspects with which the Church, both clergy and laypersons throughout the centuries, can identify.

First of all, it was an unexpected divine call. Yahweh appeared to Ezekiel while he was simply minding his own business. How often does God speak to us in extraordinary ways in the ordinary moments of life? Secondly, it was an overwhelming divine call. Ezekiel’s awe of the vision is evidenced by its sheer length, which is the longest description of a call to the prophetic ministry of all the Old Testament prophets. Thirdly, it was a lonely, thankless divine call. It was not a call to go to a foreign nation, for God tells Ezekiel if he sent him to another people he would be more likely to be listened to! He is told right from the start his people probably won’t listen to him. Finally, it was an unwanted divine call. At the end of the vision Ezekiel was carried back to his people “in bitterness and in anger of spirit.” He sat stunned and overwhelmed among his people for an entire week!

Ezekiel’s story really does have a lot in common with our stories, doesn’t it? Sometimes God’s call comes upon us unexpectedly. Sometimes what he calls us to do can be overwhelming, even unwanted. Obeying God may make us unpopular, feeling lonely, unnoticed, or even persecuted. Obeying God’s call may not lead us to a place where everything is nice and peaceful. It may bring periods of pain and heartache. In the end, however, our obedience will be rewarded and we may leave a legacy that far outlasts us.