When I was a child and began attending the little Methodist church near our home, I concluded that the man who stood in the pulpit must be the godliest man I would ever meet. He was educated, wore a black pulpit robe, spoke with confidence and authority, was admired by the gathered congregation, and was friendly and kind to all he encountered—even to an eight year old child.
Later, as a teen, I attended another church served by a man who had the same characteristics as the other pastor. Educated as an engineer, he left it all for the ministry. What incredible commitment and sacrifice! Later, as I struggled with a call to ministry, I couldn’t see myself in the same league as these two men.
John the Baptist was neither highly educated nor properly attired. As a religious leader, he hardly fit the mold. He was aggressive, abrasive, had strange dietary habits, and was even accused of being demon possessed! Yet, Jesus said of him, “I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John…” Jesus himself was not seen as a particularly “holy man” by the religious establishment. Among the charges leveled at him were, “…you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’”
It doesn’t take a biblical scholar to peruse the pages of the Bible and find that God often chooses odd people to speak on his behalf and accomplish His work. In fact, “…God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise.” The religious leaders of Jesus’ day were confounded by both a wild man and the son of a carpenter. They were undoubtedly scandalized by those chosen to be Jesus’ disciples, as well.
In northeastern Tennessee, a former cowboy and recovered alcoholic faithfully pastors a group of people who meet in a barn in a cow pasture. In Georgia, a grizzled, bearded, tattooed man serves as the shepherd of a church composed of bikers that meet in a restaurant. All over the world, unlikely people are faithfully engaged in God’s work.
God calls and equips whom he wills. It is His work in which we, the “foolish” are invited to participate.
Bishop David Epps is the founding rector of the Cathedral of Christ the King in Sharpsburg, GA and the Bishop Ordinary for the Diocese of the Mid-South (Tennessee and Georgia) for the Charismatic Episcopal Church. He is also the associate endorser for U. S. military chaplains.
