Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Some thoughts on vocation

I took a few minutes to read the news today, a beloved practice of mine that I have neglected for far too long. Sifting through The New York Times website, I found the opinion article "A Life Beyond 'Do What You Love'"

It was a refreshing read, to see a lucid articulation of what Lutherans call the Doctrine of Vocation there on the page: doing what is necessary, what is best, what is good for your neighbor, rather than simply what one likes to do.

These are the things that the Lord calls His people to: serving the neighbor, whether its convenient or not, whether it's the thing that one would most like to do.

This idea of vocation may also involve a call to love and serve when it is decidedly inconvenient, even when to the world it looks like lunacy. Like this incredible video I saw recently.

The living God does not ask something that He is unable or unwilling to do, Himself. He is not above doing the necessary thing, like remaining on the cross to serve His people, in spite of taunts and revilings.
"'He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.'" Matthew 27:42

The beautiful, upside-down thing about Christianity is the incredible honor in being asked by the Lord to do "lowly" things.

We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 1 Corinthians 1:23-25
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God grant that I may honor Him and my neighbor today and every day in the vocation He's given me. And if it pleases Him, may He also grant me joy and pleasure in this service.