Some of us are called to
ordained ministry. All of God's people are called to be partners with
God in creation through our work, which, Luther said, is a "mask" of God
Some years ago a newspaper article described how Lyndon Johnson, when
he was president, was elected to a Board of Deacons in a local Baptist
church. The article assured readers that President Johnson was going to
be diligent in fulfilling his Christian duties. The assumption seemed to
be that his work as president — dealing with the war in Vietnam, working
on his war on poverty, pushing the cause of civil rights — was somehow of
no importance to God, or not as important as his work on that Board of
Deacons.
Jesus said that we are "sent into the world" (John 17:18). I wonder
whether many of us, whether pastors or laity, have grasped the
significance of his words and the idea that work — one's vocation — in the
world is a way of serving God.
We often understand our calling only in terms of redemption, such as
helping people come to faith. We are not quick to understand our daily
work in the world and ourselves as partners of God in the work of
creation.
If we ask Christians what they do to fulfill their calling, they may
say, "I teach Sunday school; I sing in the choir; I have served many
church dinners." But have you ever heard someone say, "I am called to be
a school bus driver. God is concerned about the safety of children." "I
am called to be a teacher and do my best to help children grow to
maturity." "I am called to be a lawyer concerned about justice"?
The church is meant to be not a fortress to which we retreat but a
launching pad thrusting us into the world.
"Our Works" — God's Mask"
Martin Luther understood the words of Jesus that we are sent into the
world. He wrote, "What is our work in field and garden, in town and
house, in battling and in ruling, to God, but the work of his children.
Our works are God's mask, behind which [God] remains hidden, although
[God] does all things."1
A recent statement from the Greek Orthodox Church concurs with
Luther's words. It says, "All are called to be saints (to be
Christians), but each person is called to do so in his or her own unique
way.... Some will work primarily in a physical way, others will work
intellectually. Some will be artists, scientists, business people, and
professionals. In the eyes of God none is better than the other is."2
Using a different metaphor but affirming the same idea that Luther
described, the late and much-loved Fred Rogers, who related to our
children in television's Mister Roger's Neighborhood for 33 years, once
stated that we are God's "stand-ins" in the world. He added that we are
"God's representatives on earth. We are stewards who are here to take
care of God's full creation."4
Seeking Wisdom
How are God's people to fulfill their high calling in the world as
masks of God? We usually talk about being loving, patient, just,
forgiving, and kind. These are all important, but Jesus once also said,
"Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be
wise" (Matthew 10:16).
We don't often attribute the quality of wisdom to the Christian life,
even though Paul writes in Corinthians, "Do not be children in your
thinking. Rather be infants in evil, but in thinking be adults" (1
Corinthians 14:20). The baptismal prayer says, "Pour your Holy Spirit
upon this child: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of
counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord."4
Luther once said, "Faith does not come by reason, it is a gift," and
then he identified the "power of apprehending, judging, discovering as
the best of all gifts to men."
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The church is meant
to be not a fortress
to which we retreat
but a launching pad thrusting us into
the world. |
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We like to sing, "They will know we are Christians by our love."
Could we also sing, "They will know we are Christians by our wisdom, our
thoughtfulness, our insights"?
If we take seriously the idea that our parishioners' vocations in the
world are ways of serving in God's work of creation, it may well change
the way we do ministry. Our world desperately needs not only loving
Christians but also wise Christians. As pastors, we might ask
parishioners not only about their families, children, spiritual lives,
and stewardship but also about their jobs. Does their faith make a
difference where they work? If appropriate and feasible, a pastor might
visit the places where church members work as well as their homes.
Affirming our calling in the world may well add another dimension to
the educational work of the church. Courses might be designed to explore
the implications of one's faith to the world of work. If a congregation
gathered all those who were in the medical field together, for instance,
could they not explore the issues and problems of their work? If a
congregation gathered farmers together for study, might they explore the
way God would want them to deal with the land and environment?
Our Neighbor's Sake
Perhaps Luther thought of the Christian's calling in the world when
he offered these dramatic words, "I will therefore give myself as a
Christ to my neighbor, just as Christ offered himself to me."5
To be a Christ to one's colleague at work, or boss, employee, or
customers; to be a Christ to one's wife or husband or children; to be a
Christ to the poor and the homeless; to be a Christ to those with whom
we interact all week — that is our calling, and it is a magnificent
calling.
James B. Hofrenning is professor emeritus of religion, Concordia
College, Moorhead, Minnesota. He lives in Minneapolis.
Endnotes
1. Martin Luther, Day by Day We Magnify Thee (Philadelphia: Fortress
Press, 1982), p. 298.
2."Finding One's Calling," Fr. Dean Thomas Hopko, dean of St.
Vladimir Seminary (The Holy Synod of Bishops, 1990).
3. St. Paul Pioneer Press, Feb. 28, 2003, p. 14a.
4. Lutheran Book of Worship (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House,
1979), p. 124.
5. Martin Luther, "Treatise on Christian Liberty," Works of Martin
Luther (Philadelphia: Muhlenberg Press, 1947), p. 337.
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