“For many are called, but few are chosen.” Matthew 22:14
I have often battled with this verse. It’s a bit bleak, many are called, yet only a few are chosen? What does that mean for me, for my family, for the people I love?
Jesus speaks these words at the end of the Parable of the Wedding Feast. The king sends out invitations to his banquet, but many reject them. Others make excuses. Some even attack the messengers. So, the king extends his invitation further, calling in both the good and the bad from the streets. The banquet hall fills, but then the king finds a man without a wedding garment, and he is cast out.
This parable is about Gods kingdom. The call of salvation goes out to many, the Gospel is proclaimed to the world, but not all respond in faith. Some reject it right away. Others try to enter but on their own terms. Only those clothed in His grace, those chosen in Christ, remain at the feast.
As a Lutheran, I take comfort knowing that salvation is entirely God’s work, not mine. I do not choose God, He chooses me. In Baptism, He has called me by name and clothed me in the righteousness of Christ. I do not have to worry about whether I am good enough or whether I have earned my place at the table. The chosen ones are not the strongest, the smartest, or the most deserving. They are not the ones who have given the most money or done the most deeds. They are simply those whom God, in His mercy, has gathered to Himself.
Yet, this verse still calls me to act. The fact that I am among the chosen is not a reason for arrogance, but for gratitude. It reminds me how important it is to share the “Good News” of Jesus’s love and salvation with others. God calls many, and I am part of that calling. Through my words and actions, I can invite others to the feast, pointing them to Jesus, who provides the wedding garment of righteousness.
Today, I find peace knowing that I am both called and chosen. I did not earn it, and I can’t lose it by my own doing. It is God’s gift, through Christ. And with that certainty, I can live in faith, love, and joyful anticipation of the great banquet feast to come.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for calling me into Your kingdom. I know I do not deserve Your grace, yet You have chosen me in Christ. Clothe me in your righteousness and give me the courage to invite others to Your feast. In Jesus name, Amen
Reflection: Jennifer reminds us that being chosen into God’s Family leaves no room for arrogance, but gratitude. What are you most thankful for because God chose you?
Author:
Jennifer Freeman Talley is a life-long Lutheran, a wife, mom to a Zion 4th grader, educator, writer, and musician. She enjoys subbing at Zion, sings in the choir, and plays the clarinet in the Saint Louis Wind Symphony, Zion’s wind ensemble and the Northwinds Concert Band. www.noteworthymommy.com.
This devotional appeared in Zion Lutheran Church’s 2025 Easter Devotional Book, Chosen People of God.
I’ve always believed that music has the power to carry us through life’s hardest seasons, and if there’s one musical that has walked beside me through both joy and trial, it’s Mary Poppins. Not the classic Disney movie version (sorry, Julie Andrews), but the stage adaptation—deeper, darker, and much more aligned with the tone of P.L. Travers’ original books. Yes, this Noteworthy Mommy has read them, and trust me, they’re dark! Which is why the musical version resonated so deeply with me, it captured that complexity in a way that felt honest and strangely comforting.
I first saw the Mary Poppins musical in 2009, when the original Broadway cast members Ashley Brown (as Mary) and Gavin Lee (as Bert) came through town on tour. From the very first note, I was enchanted. The music, the storytelling, the choreography, everything felt elevated and emotionally rich. I bought the cast recording immediately and listened to it on repeat. And repeat. And repeat. The new songs by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe were brilliant additions, seamlessly integrated that they felt like they’d always belonged. The reimagined book by Julian Fellowes (yes, the Downton Abbey guy) was, in a word, practically perfect.
And as magical as it was, it wasn’t just entertainment. That soundtrack came into my life right when I needed it most.
In 2009, my work life was in upheaval. I had only been working as a full time educational consultant for a few years, and we’d already gone through a small merger where a few people were let go. But then came the big one—we merged with our sister company (who also happened to be our biggest competitor). My manager, the woman who had hired me and mentored me, was let go. Suddenly, I was training on new products I hadn’t worked with before, working under a new manager who hadn’t chosen me, and my team had been dismantled. I felt like a stepchild in a new family that didn’t want me.
It was a confusing, discouraging, and emotionally draining time. And somehow, in the middle of that, one particular song from Mary Poppins became my anthem. My lifeline.
“Anything Can Happen.”
Here are some of the lyrics that carried me:
“Anything can happen if you let it
Sometimes things are difficult, but you can bet it
Doesn’t have to be so
Changes can be made
You can move a mountain if you use a larger spade…”
And especially this line:
“If you reach for the stars
All you get are the stars
But we’ve found a whole new spin
If you reach for the heavens
You get the stars thrown in.”
Those words gave me courage. They reminded me that change, while painful, could also be full of possibility. They gave me a thread of hope to hold onto. And they reminded me that I was not alone.
Of course, the ultimate strength that carried me through didn’t come from lyrics or melodies; it came from my faith. It’s only through God, my Heavenly Father, that I’m able to sit here today and write about that difficult season with perspective and peace. Music may have given me comfort, but it was God who gave me transformation. When I finally handed over all my worries and anxieties to Him, really surrendered, it’s like the floodgates of grace opened. That surrender changed everything.
I’ve written before about the power of music and how God uses it to speak into our hearts. It’s a gift that keeps on giving. But fast forward to 2025, and wouldn’t you know it? Mary Poppins found her way into my life again.
This time, it wasn’t a big Broadway tour. It was a local high school production at Lutheran High School. I almost didn’t go—I was too busy, overwhelmed with our family’s ever-growing calendar. But something nudged me to make it work, and so I carved out one evening (a Thursday night) to attend. Mini Me was going to see it the next day with a friend, I even planned to sneak out at intermission to make it to choir rehearsal.
But God had other plans.
As I entered the theater, I immediately saw two of my dear mommy friends, Beth and Becca, sisters in Christ from my Moms in Prayer group, women I faithfully pray with every week and who have become treasured mommy mentors. They invited me to sit with them, and then two more women from church joined us, ladies who love Advent by Candlelight, the special event I lead each year. I looked around and realized I was surrounded by community. Teachers from my daughter’s school. Parents and students in my daughter’s class. Church members who have poured into our lives in countless and beautiful ways.
And then the show began. It was so good I skipped choir and stayed until the end!
I recognized so many young faces on that stage—kids I’ve watched grow up in church, at Zion Lutheran School, in choir. And there, in the lead role of Mary Poppins, was none other than our senior pastor’s daughter. She sang beautifully, as did the entire cast, and flew high above us like the Mary Poppins in the professional productions! What amazed me the most is many of these young people are involved in other activities outside of theatre, but theatre is the thread that brings them together, unites them. And it’s through theatre that they created art for a room full of people to enjoy. They gifted me with this moment. Full circle. Full heart.
The Noteworthy Mommy with Mary Poppins!
During the show I thought of my loving church/school family, in the room that night, people whom I didn’t even know a mere ten years ago. They are exactly what I got on my knees and prayed for. Tears welled in my eyes as I realized how God works in layers and loops. That He’s constantly weaving stories we don’t fully understand until we’re living in the beauty of their unfolding. Mary Poppins wasn’t just a show that once got me through a tough time. It’s become a symbol of how God plants seeds of hope through art, through people, and through the unexpected magic of second chances.
So yes, Mary Poppins the musical will always be very special to me. Not just because it’s better than the movie (sorry again, Julie), not just because of the amazing score or the masterful writing, but because it was there—God placed it there—when I needed it most.
And I’ll never stop believing:
Go and chase your dreams You won’t regret it. Anything can happen if you let it.
Click on this link and see a special performance of Anything Can Happen Video featuring the leading women of past and present Disney Broadway shows (Ashley Brown is front and center) along with talented girls who participated in a special fine arts program in NYC.
Last week, this Noteworthy Mommy had the joy of stepping into the role of substitute music teacher at Zion. It was a day filled with music, laughter, and a surprising wave of emotion as I got to teach something near and dear to my heart, the recorder, to a room full of energetic 4th graders. But what made it extra special? My very own mini me is in the 4th grade this year, and I got to share this moment with her.
Mini Me and the Noteworthy Mommy
As a lifelong musician, my main instrument is the clarinet, and I hadn’t touched a recorder in years. But it was like riding a bike. The fingerings came back so naturally, almost like my hands remembered what my mind had long forgotten. The kids were eager to play, and when I demonstrated a few tunes for them, they clapped! There is truly nothing more heartwarming than being applauded by a group of nine and ten year olds. Their enthusiasm was contagious.
Teaching Zion 4th graders the recorder.
We played familiar favorites like When the Saints Go Marching In and Jingle Bells, but the piece that moved me most was a simple melody by Mozart titled Andante. I played it carefully for the class and explained that “andante” is a musical term meaning moderately slow. As the gentle notes floated through the room, I was suddenly transported back in time, not just to my own childhood when I first learned to play the recorder in 4th grade but to those sweet early days of motherhood.
I remembered holding my infant daughter in my arms, streaming lullabies in the soft glow of her nursery. I remembered the way her tiny fingers curled around mine, the scent of her baby skin, and the ache in my heart as I packed away each set of outgrown clothes, mourning the passage of time. I was scared back then, unsure of the future, desperate to hold onto those fleeting newborn moments. If only I had known the amazing things God had in store for both of us!
Teaching that music lesson was a full circle moment. From 4th grade me learning the recorder, to over four decades of playing the clarinet, making music with friends, joining musical ensembles, and creating lifelong memories; music has always been a thread running through my life. That little plastic recorder reminded me that beauty doesn’t have to come from something fancy. Joy can be found in the simplest of melodies.
And perhaps the best part of this experience is it helped me connect with the class in a new way. I’m usually the mom leading classroom parties or driving on field trips, but on this day, they saw me as a musician. And they listened. Really listened. We laughed, we played, and we made music together.
Music has a way of bringing back memories, of stirring feelings long buried, of connecting people across time and space. It’s full of emotion and it’s meant to be shared. And yes, if you want to torture someone, just put them in a room of 4th graders playing the recorder and don’t let them wear earplugs! We all start somewhere and I sounded exactly the same when I began. But there’s beauty in that, too.
God gives us such wonderful and unexpected opportunities. What a gift to be my daughter’s music teacher for the day. What a privilege to share this musical connection with her. What joy there is in music!
Noteworthy Mommy 