We have all been there: sitting in a room (maybe even in church) when someone stands up and asks for volunteers for a role or a project. Almost everyone, including you, looks down silently, hoping that someone else will step forward first. Most of the time, the reason we stay quiet is not a lack of willingness to help; it is because we do not think we are capable or worthy enough.
However, everything changes when someone personally invites you and says, “I believe you can do this.” All of a sudden, you start to see yourself differently. Your mindset shifts: Confidence grows. And before you know it, you are stepping into something you never imagined.
That is exactly what John experiences in this Sunday’s Gospel. Imagine if Jesus stood in front of a crowd and said, “So…who wants to baptize me?” Would anyone have volunteered? Probably not. Instead, Jesus goes directly to John, whose first reaction is, “I should be baptized by you, not the other way around.” He does not feel worthy, but Jesus makes it clear that John is exactly the one called to do this.
There is a popular Christian saying that captures this moment well: “God does not call the qualified. He qualifies the called.”
So often in ministry (and life), we underestimate ourselves. We assume that someone else is more talented, holier, or better prepared. But again and again, God chooses ordinary people and invites them into extraordinary things.
At our parishes, we are always in need of people willing to step forward, whether as lectors, singers, greeters, catechists, festival helpers, AV ministers, or countless other service roles. I would love to have more singers in the choir, but it is rather difficult to make personal invitations when I am sitting at the piano and unable to walk around the church and listen to everyone’s voice.
So, please consider this a genuine and personal invitation. If you have ever felt a nudge or a sense that maybe you could serve, remember this: You are worthy. You are capable. You are called. Not because you already have everything figured out, but because God makes you worthy.
