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I often imagine myself as one of the first disciples Christ called…drifting into shore in a fishing boat, and finding a stranger waiting there. Hearing him speak my name as if He’s known me my whole life, calling me to follow him and leave everything behind.
How is that different than Christ calling someone to faith today? We don’t get to see him in the flesh, but we can hear him, and we know He is alive and well.
And here’s something even more mind blowing to consider, was Christ not calling us at the same time He called his first disciples? It just took a few more years for our ears to hear him. “Simon/Peter, Andrew, James, John………Cindy” (Matthew 4:18-22). Was He not calling us before the earth was formed (Ephesians 1:4)?
Many times when I face challenges and expect Christianity to be easier, I think of Stephen (another of Christ’s disciples), full of the Spirit, speaking to the crowd with such passion and love. He died that day, stoned to death, but saw Christ, standing at the right hand of God – waiting for Him in the sky (Acts 7).
How is my responsibility any different than Stephen’s? I too want to be ready to speak when the Spirit leads. Should I expect a safer outcome?
What does it mean to be called? What does the Bible say about the chosen children of God? John 1:12, Romans 8:19, Galatians 3:26
These word pictures and questions inspired me to write a song for our Church’s One Hundred and Twenty Fifth Anniversary, June 24th, 2017 at First Baptist in Olds, Alberta.
I could have written something about God’s faithfulness and our church’s longevity, however I thought it prudent to celebrate the privilege of being chosen, the cost of being a follower, and the joy of being an active part of the body of Christ.
“One of the Chosen” first draft
Verse: 1
I find myself dreamin’ from time to time,
how destiny called this heart of mine.
I hear the soft shuffle of sandals in sand
and reach out to take his hand.
His voice is familiar but I don’t know why,
He asks me to leave all I’ve known behind
I follow his footprints, and the Sea disappears
I awake to find I am here.
Chorus:
Here standing on tomorrow’s shore
Called to follow those who’ve gone before
To take up my cross, to give up my life
I am One of the chosen the body of Christ
Verse Two:
I think of Stephen summoned to speak
The surge of the Spirit and the crowd at his feet
The smell of the dirt mixed with his dried blood
the stones where he once stood
And that voice so familiar saying ‘well done’
Christ in the clouds at the right hand of God
Stephen closes his eyes, and the world disappears
I know why I am here
Chorus:
Here standing on the alter floor
Called to follow those who’ve gone before
To rescue the lost, relinquish my life
I am One of the chosen, the body of Christ
Bridge:
We are the chosen the body of Christ
Few are called indeed
May we follow our Lord with all His might
and reveal this mystery
Congregational Choruses
Here standing on tomorrow’s shore
Called to follow those who’ve gone before
To carry our cross, to give Him our lives
We are the chosen, the body of Christ
Here standing on the alter floor
Called to follow those who’ve gone before
To rescue the lost, relinquish our lives
We are the chosen the body of Christ
©Cindy Palin/June 9, 2017