Vocation

This week my husband and I discussed vocation with our young adults group. Usually the term vocation brings to mind a job or career for me. But the Greek meaning of the word is actually “calling”, and so it actually encapsulates all the important areas of life where God has placed us, ie. family, job/career and church.

Together we read an article as part of the study by a guy called Gene Edward Veith, who has also written a book on the subject. What interested me most was his description of the Roman Catholic view of vocation, and how the Reformation changed that. Roman Catholics believed that to be super-spiritual a monk or nun had to renounce marriage (family), wealth (career) and interest in the outside community or government. However, Martin Luther rejected this two-tiered approach to Christianity in the Reformation, saying that even changing a baby’s nappy is “an act of holiness”!

I really liked the final paragraph of the article which summed up his whole argument:

“The doctrine of vocation brings the Gospel into ordinary life. It transfigures the mundane routines of ordinary life, charging them with purpose, spiritual significance, and the very presence of God.”

We watched a short video clip that discussed the danger some evangelical churches may be falling into of creating a ‘sacred / secular’ divide. Unfortunately, the impression can sometimes be inadvertently given that anything you do during the week in a secular workplace is of little or no value, except to make money for the church. Of course we should be encouraging those with pastoral gifts to consider pursuing full-time paid Christian ministry. However, it’s essential that we also encourage and equip those in other ‘callings’ to see there is purpose and meaning in what they are doing. Whether a mum, a plumber, a dentist or a computer technician, all Christians can go about their – sometimes mundane and ordinary – lives with the knowledge that they are equally in Christian ‘ministry’. They are the ‘mask of God’, blessing others through their God-given gifts.

The entire discussion highlighted that while pastors are important and necessary, all Christians – no matter what their situation – are acting as “priests” by loving their neighbours and ministering to those around them. This is so encouraging to me as an ordinary homeschooling mum!