Defining Moments

Defining Moments | Jonah 1:1–17 & Mark 1:14–20 There are moments that change the direction of our lives—a door opens, another closes, and suddenly we're faced with a choice about where to go next. In this sermon, Rev. Dr. Lewis Galloway reflects on the defining moments when God's call asks us to respond. Jonah hears God's call and runs. The disciples hear Jesus say, "Follow me," and leave behind what is familiar. Most of us probably find ourselves somewhere between the two. But calling isn't reserved for pastors or church leaders. Our vocation is the life we live in response to God, using our particular gifts, experiences, relationships, and work to serve Christ in the world. As Frederick Buechner famously described it, calling is found where our "deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet." And what happens when we run? Through Jonah's story and the story of historian Tim Tyson, Lewis reminds us that God doesn't abandon us when we take the long way around. Sometimes we say no before we say yes. Sometimes we run before we find our way home. Wherever we are in listening for God's call—perhaps somewhere between "no" and "yes"—God continues to call us toward the lives we were created to live. Preached by Rev. Dr. Lewis Galloway at First Presbyterian Church of Charlotte on August 9, 2026.