Of all the scriptures about the vocation of the Christian, there are three that I find most helpful. The first is Matthew 9:9, “Jesus said to [Matthew], ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him.” The second is Matthew 22:37-39, “Jesus said to [the expert in the Law] ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind… You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The third is Colossians 3:17, “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
Although there is certainly a lot more that goes into filling out these verses, this is what we are basically called to do: Follow Jesus, loving God and others with our entire being in everything we do. This is Christian vocation. That’s the vocation that is placed on each and every one of us by the waters of our baptisms. As Barbara Brown Taylor writes, “I could pump gas in Idaho or dig latrines in Pago Pago, as far as God was concerned, as long as I remembered whose I was.”
About 500 years ago, Martin Luther was the main proponent of this way of thinking about Christian vocation. Monks and priests were no holier than anyone else, he said, which was pretty surprising coming from the pen of a monk/priest. Luther writes, "What seem to be secular works are actually the praise of God and represent an obedience which is well–pleasing to him." Luther even wrote of the faith significance of housework by saying, "it has no obvious appearance of holiness, yet these very household chores are more to be valued than all the works of monks and nuns." Luther wrote that every tool of work, whether at a job or at home, calls out to us, “My dear, use me toward your neighbor as you would want your neighbor to act toward you with that which is his.”
Oxford Scholar Alistar McGrath, in writing about the views of Christian vocation held by both Martin Luther and John Calvin wrote,
“Whereas monastic spirituality regarded vocation as a calling out of the world into the desert or the monastery, Luther and Calvin regarded vocation as a calling into the everyday world. The idea of a calling or vocation is first and foremost about being called by God, to serve Him within his world. Work was thus seen as an activity by which Christians could deepen their faith, leading it on to new qualities of commitment to God. Activity within the world, motivated, informed, and sanctioned by Christian faith, was the supreme means by which the believer could demonstrate his or her commitment and thankfulness to God. To do anything for God, and to do it well, was the fundamental hallmark of authentic Christian faith. Diligence and dedication in one’s everyday life are, Calvin thought, a proper response to God.”Personally, I have met many people who have lived out our shared Christian vocation in their daily lives. I have been blessed by real estate agents, car mechanics, attorneys, teachers, stay-at-home moms, soldiers, retired people, doctors, gas station attendants, and even a couple of pastors along the way who follow Jesus, loving God and others through their lives, whatever their work may be. I love being a pastor and I love preaching sermons from the pulpit on Sundays, but some of the most important sermons preached every week are those that are lived out by disciples who are following Jesus in the midst of, and through, their work in the world. A cashier at Wal-Mart or Kroger has far more opportunities to bless many more people in a week than I ever will. A hospice nurse does the sacred work of caring for body and soul, sharing God’s life with the dying. A stay-at-home mom has the sacred duty of raising up children in a way that will draw them into following Jesus, loving God and others through their lives, in every word or deed.
So don’t every give in to the talk about some having “a higher calling.” As long as you follow Jesus, loving God and neighbor with all you are, then whatever you do in His name is the highest calling there is. But always remember, none of us can do this on our own. Firstly, and most importantly, we can only do this if God is working through us. Secondly, it's a lot easier to do if we are a part of a community of faith--a congregation in which we uphold one another in living out the God given vocation we share in our baptisms.
My hope is that you have a week in which you are able to see God's presence and the spread of God's Kingdom in the midst of your everyday life. God is at work all around you. I promise you! Just open the eyes of your heart to see it.
Grace and Peace,
Everett
