Perhaps the most powerful word in all of Hebrew Scripture is Hineini- "Here I am." Hineini is more than simply a statement of personal presentation, much more than the response of a student in class answering role call. Hineini carries within it not only "I'm here", but it is a statement of intentional, purposeful response. In Genesis 12 God challenges Abraham to leave everything behind him, with only the promise of divine protection in a distant foreign land. Abraham responds Hineini "Here I am". Ten chapters later, Abraham answers his son Isaac's fear-filled query on their walk up the mountain with Hineini. And when Moses at the burning bush, is stopped short by a voice from the flames, he answers Hineini/Isaiah too declares Hineini Sh'lachani "Here I am, send me" in his vision of standing in the presence of God.
Hineini is a powerful statement of dedicated purpose. It rises from deep within the hearts and souls of our biblical ancestors, confirming their covenant-commitment. Abraham, Moses and Isaiah were called into action, to live out what they claimed to live by. And we too are called by God-we are called to be God's partners in the repair of our world. God's voice comes to us from the pages of our scriptures, rises from deep within our hearts and souls, and reverberates whenever we join together as God's agents.
Each of us has within us a Hineini, all of us realize that something significant is asked of us, and before us are opportunities to become an Abraham, a Moses or an Isaiah. Standing proudly within our faith-community, and proclaiming Hineini, we affirm that because God lives within us, we must surely respond. But when we stand together, an intentional, purposeful, inclusive community, spanning race and religion, place and politics-when we together declare Hineini, it is a powerful and forceful statement that cannot be ignored.
God calls to each of us in the language of our respective faiths, and God calls to all of us, reminding us of our roles in repairing the world. It is our task to remind our own people of the Hineini that resides within each one of them, each one of us-- a personal affirmation that must be brought to our lips and then enacted with our hearts and our hands. To give voice and realize the Hineini within me is to make a difference in the world around me. We declare Hineini in many ways: in living lives of justice, righteousness and mercy, in protecting the well-being of our friends and family; in preserving the values inherent in our faith-systems-and as Americans, we also declare Hineini in the power we bring to the voting booth. Today, we begin to earnestly engage ourselves in the challenge of registering voters, and of insuring that our collective presence is felt in local and national elections.
2500 years ago, Isaiah records his vision of standing before God. The seraphim fill the air around the throne with shouts proclaiming God's glory. Isaiah writes: "Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" And Isaiah answered Hineini Sh'lachani 'Here I am, send me." We are called to action, to make right our neighborhoods, our communities, our cities, and our nation. God calls and we know what our answer must be.
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