The Joy of Vocation

Labor Day Weekend 2009
When I was young I wondered, but not too much, about why a Monday "off" was called Labor Day. When I was in politics, and being a Democrat who had a heart for "laborers", I learned full well the history and significance of this holiday. Now, as a minister of the Word I am faced with the challenge of bringing theological significance to a strictly secular holiday. I think it is an important day, but how to connect this day with the church calendar?

What I was led to this year is a restatement of our understanding of "work" in the Reformed theological tradition. "Work" was taught by Calvin to be understood as the ordained duty of each person...a calling from God to "vocation." Vocation is not to be understood as only the work of the clergy or professional ministry (although it is certainly inclusive of our work), but it to be much more broadly understood as the work of all "lawful" occupations. (Spurgeon).

How do we redeem the idea of "work" for ourselves this weekend? Frederick Buechner directs our attention to the place where our greatest joy interesects with the world's greatest need. Others suggest that our call is found at the place where our spiritual gifts meet our happiness or joy in using them. So, perhaps we can think of a three way intersection as the picture where our understanding of God's call to us is found. God's call is certainly first that we love God and to seek to know God and be God's loved child. But, secondarily, we are to find a way to join Jesus Christ's work of inaugurating the Kingdom (Os Guinness, "The Call.")

Down one lane we seek to find our greatest joy: serving God...being the presence of Christ to the searching children of God. Down a second lane we see how God has given us gifts to serve in the Kingdom. Down a third lane we discover the world's greatest need. When we get in the middle of that three-way intersection we are in the place God has called us; we have found our true vocation.

This vocation may be at our "day job"...the job at which we earn our bread and shelter. And certainly God calls us to work at these jobs in a way which glorifies God. But our vocation may be found in volunteer work...or in a "hidden life" (Nouwen, "Bread for the Journey"), of solitary service.

We will gain a glimpse of the happiness toward which our future hope compels us when we find out true vocation. It may not be anything great or any act which will transform the world. It may touch only one other life...or perhaps it will transform only our solitary relationship with the God who calls us. As one writer puts it, when it comes to work, God is likely more concerned about quality than quantity.

So, off we go, looking for that special intersection. But be careful when you enter that intersection for you are likely to meet the Holy Spirit head on...and you will never be the same.

Thirsty?

Today I had the opportunity to minister with a pastor from the Kenya (Africa) area, whose name is Pastor Simon. We talked during worship about the needs of his people, the Massai. They live as nomads, travelling great distances for clean water. The response of the R.C.A. has been to offer to help build 5 deep wells. This will reduce the need to travel, allowing the people to remain stationary for longer periods of time so that they can be educated, attend churches, and so forth.
His story reminded me so much of how God provided for the people of Israel as they travelled for 40 years in the desert. They came to be totally dependent upon God. And then Jesus comes to this world as the one who can satisfy thirst forever!
So, we in today's churches, those who support this well-drilling effort, are God's hands to the Massai. We in the U.S. take so much for granted. We certainly don't think twice about running water. Yet, in Africa, God's children still become overwhelmed with gratitude for the chance to get a cool, fresh cup of water.
If we can help them get physical water which changes their physical lives, we can follow that with opening their hearts to receiving Spirit-Water, which will satisfy their thirst forever. But the door to earning their trust is opened by helping them build wells.
Our future hope is in life-giving bread and water. Jesus is the true source of both. Read John 6:35.

The Meaning of Life?

I had a great lunch experience today. If you want a way to stimulate your thinking cap on a summer Monday, have lunch with a bright college student. They have great questions! My lunch guest and I talked about faith and truth and life. In particular, we talked about what gives life meaning. Indeed, does life have meaning? My friend suggested that life is given meaning by what each person does...we give our own lives meaning. But, after we explored that idea we came to see that there needs to be some objective, outside source which gives our lives value and meaning. If we each give our own lives meaning, then I cannot judge the actions of a person as good or bad. But, we concluded, there must be some objective way of knowing good and evil; of judging whether some conduct, e.g. murder, is bad, and other conduct, e.g. saving a life, is good.

In the end, surprisingly, we came to see that the meaning of life comes in helping others see the value in their own lives, and in directing ourselves and others to "good living." This reminded me of Jesus' command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." This Truth is heard so often that it risks being tuned out by its hearers. But, when you engage in an hour long discussion that wanders through all kinds of questions about life, it feels good to come back home to the Truth that Jesus teaches.

How do we know life has meaning? By seeing the Good that is brought when we practice God's love toward our neighbor. What will give my life meaning? Serving God by loving God and my neighbor.So simple it seems almost trite to write it. So profound that it took an hour of lively discussion to find it.

Our discussion went on to explore how we know we are God's child; how we are drawn by God's love as he chases us until we are captured by God's grace; why I treasure our Reformed theology. In the end, we settled little. But we decided it would be good to meet again, and to this time invite some other questioners. It will be great! But I had better carve out more time for lunch that day!Go talk to a young person today, and let them ask lots of questions. Help them live the questions.

Don't worry about having the right answers....because sometimes that is not the point. People searching the faith need lots of space to ask questions...to live questions. Be sure to leave room for the Holy Spirit to give direction. And then enjoy the searching of young minds. You will be blessed.

The Holiness of God

God is Holy. We are called to be Holy. And of course, we cannot be fully Holy...yet. We can be set apart, if that is one definition of holiness. We can be sanctified, a process of becoming Holy. But how can it be that we can be in the presence of a Holy God? This has been a quest for understanding for the earliest of human beings until today, and so it will be until Jesus the Christ returns.

I am not worthy of being in God's presence, and yet He draws me there. And it is in His presence that I know I am a child of God.

This religion we practice can only be understood as Mystery. And in the midst of the Mystery, in the depths of our longing, God reaches out with His Spirit to draw us into His inacessible Light. "The Unbearable Lightness of Being."

How shall I come to understand God and my relationship to Him? By being. By being in His Light. Remove these coals from my lips. Here am I, send me.