From January on Theology of Vocation

As you have started to make out your New Year’s resolutions, maybe you have given some thought into how you are going to be a happier person this year. We could all really use a resolution to be more “Positive Peggy”s rather than “Negative Nancy”s. So how does this help us better understand:
What does a congregation look like that lives out a Theology of Vocation?
 The last challenge we need to address is a constant Pursuit of Happiness. Our desire to be happy can drive us to do all sorts of things, which means that it can help us to do good things or bad things. Sometimes our desires can have good intentions but ultimately are either too self-centered or place greater burdens on others. (Sin can be defined as actions turned toward self or for advantage of self, in opposition to others.)
One of the important keys to understanding the Theology of Vocation is that while Vocation is a Calling from God, it is also a call to service. God does not call you to serve yourself (Sin), but to serve others. Often times in addressing the previous challenge of purpose, it is good to remind yourself that your “have to”s are providing service to others. As Christ has come to serve you, he in turn asks you to serve others. Your service to others is thus defined by the Theology of Vocation.
As an employee you have a responsibility to serve employers, and ultimately consumers or customers. In “service jobs” this may seem a little easier to see, but even in factory work someone is going to use what you are making. So how you do your job reflects on your love for that person. If I am sloppy in my work, it could reflect in the product that is produced, which could result in accidents or harm to the consumer. Therefore, it ultimately reflects on your love for God.
I don’t like using Matthew 25 (as you do it to least of these my brothers), but it seems to be the quickest way to get the point across to people. We Love because he first loved us. We serve because he first served us. Thus, if our goal is simply our own happiness, we may lose sight in how our gifts or talents can be used in service to others.
The Pursuit of Happiness can be a very good thing as long as it is not at the expense of others. We need to seek out good employers and good jobs, but not at the expense of the talents God has given us to serve others. As people become social, political, or business climbers, it is difficult for them to remember they are stepping on actual people. Or as we see a job as a means to a paycheck, we will often lose sight of how our actions in the workplace effect others and ultimately the consumer.
As a congregation that is trying to support the Theology of Vocation, we must seek to reflect good work and service to others. So whether you are Father, Mother, Son, or Daughter, you can ask: how you can be in service to your family. Likewise as Employee, Employer, Retiree, or Neighbor, you can ask: how you can service your fellow workers, employees, or community members.

Next month we are going to start trying to illustrate ways in which a congregation can support those living out a Theology of Vocation.

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