Vocation, Vocation, Vocation
Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany
February 8, 2009
Mark 1:29-39
The three most important words in real estate are location, location,
location. If your real estate agent shows you a gorgeous house that's
in a dumpy neighborhood you might think twice about buying that house.
On the other hand, you might be willing to live in a house you're not
crazy about because of the area you'll be living in.
Buying a house isn't the easiest thing in the world. There are a lot
of factors involved, more than just the location. Your financial
situation, the economy, your plans for the future—all these things
play into your decision to buy a house and whether or not you can do
it. At the same time, it's not the hardest thing in the world either.
Living the Christian life is, though. We often wonder, don't we, why
it's so hard to be a Christian? We seek guidance in how to live a
God-pleasing life. We look for practical advice—specific things we can
do to live in the way God wants us to live.
So as one might give this advice to someone buying a home: the three
most important words are location, location, location, let me give you
this advice: the three most important words in living as a Christian
in this world are vocation, vocation, vocation.
What is vocation? Vocation is not a job, although your job may be your
vocation. Vocation is not a theory, although it's not as easy to pin
down as the location of a house or a particular job. Vocation is not
theological jargon intended to side-step so-called practical advice on
how to live in a godly way, although it is rich in theology and
ultimately deeper than notions such as, here are ten practical ways to
love God more, or to be a better spouse.
Vocation is a calling. It is what God has called you to. Vocation is
not just a job, it's a way of life. It's who you are because of
Christ. Vocation is service. Vocation is living in such a way that
you're not living for yourself but for God. Where you are serving God
by serving others.
It's too easy to discount the simple and ordinary things people do.
Often when people are doing simple and ordinary things they are doing
the greatest things. Because they are doing what God has called them
to do. There is nothing higher than that. It is vocation. When Jesus
healed Peter's mother-in-law, she got up and served them. This shows
us that Jesus healed her. But it also shows us that He healed her in
order for her to carry out her vocation. Her serving them was every
bit as much much a holy work as was Jesus healing her.
Location is as important to Christianity as it is to real estate. God
had called her to serve there, where she was. Jesus Himself healed her
there, where she was at. Not every Christian is called to serve in a
"spectacular" way. In fact, most Christians are called to serve in
very simple and ordinary ways. But we should never think that just
because they are simple and ordinary that they're not important and
not as faithful of ways of serving God as the ones that look
spectacular. In getting up and serving Jesus and her family Peter's
mother-in-law was carrying out her vocation. This was a blessed sight
in the eyes of God.
When you watch a sporting event, you want to watch the players play.
There are other people on the playing field with the athletes,
though—the refs. But you're not there to watch the refs. You want to
see the game. You want to watch the players play. If the refs are
doing their job, you won't notice them. When they blow a call, that's
when you notice them and begin yelling at the TV. But every once in a
while, I actually like watching the refs. I enjoy watching them do
what they do, which is their job. They do their job very well, and I
love to see people doing what they do when they make an effort to do
it well. This is vocation. When you do what God has called you to do.
Refing a game is an example. Playing a game is another. Mopping the
floor is one. These are not spectacular things, they're ordinary
things.
After He healed Peter's mother-in-law, Jesus went out and healed a
bunch of people. Jesus is doing what He had done in Peter's home,
healing. The people He is healing are also doing what they have been
called to do, receive what Christ gives to them. We'd normally think
of vocation as something we do, but God calls us to receive before we
give. That's what happened with Peter's mother-in-law. She was unable
to carry out her vocation until she had first received help from
Christ.
The carrying out of our vocation as Christians is not just doing good
works. It is receiving from Christ what He wants to give us so that we
may then serve. This is what the people were doing. They were
receiving from Christ. This is what Satan does not want to happen. He
tries to prevent us from receiving from Christ. He was hard at work
with his demons when they were getting in the way of Jesus healing the
people. But since this is Jesus' vocation He would have none that. He
made clear that the demons were not to speak.
There's a lot of healing going on in today's Gospel reading. That's,
after all, Jesus' vocation. He heals Peter's mother-in-law, He heals
all the people that come to Him, He goes out from there to other towns
to heal people. We saw what happened when Peter's mother-in-law was
healed—she got right to work carrying out her vocation. We don't hear
what happened with all the crowds. Did some of them get right back to
work, serving where God had called them to serve, carrying out their
vocations? No doubt some of them did. Did some of them just go back
home and never give it another thought that Jesus had called them also
to Life? That is, eternal life, and were therefore free to serve
others? No doubt there were these, too.
That's the way it is with Christ. He calls you. He gives you life. He
gives you to a place where you may serve. He calls you to carry out a
vocation that is specific to you. Nobody can make you do it. God's not
going to bash you over the head if you're too lazy to serve others.
But He does call you. And with the call comes the reward. Think about
this. If you reject His call, you are rejecting the reward. If you
don't want to go to heaven, you won't. If you want to be eternally in
hell, you will. God simply gives. He doesn't force.
That's what vocation is all about. It's about your Lord carrying out
His vocation of saving you. He heals in the ways we need the most. The
Gospel reading speaks of fevers and diseases and demon-possessions.
The healing Jesus brought to these people was a present manifestation
of His healing of souls. He forgives your sin. He heals your sinful
condition. His disciples brought the message that people were looking
for Him. No wonder! But He moved on from there: "'Let us go on to the
next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.'
And He went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and
casting out demons." And He kept on going, all the way to the cross.
This is the way God works. He carries out His vocation—which is to
save us. How He does it is often through very simple and ordinary
ways. And it has everything to do with where He locates Himself. For
three years, it was in the Person of Jesus Christ, walking the land to
heal and teach and finally to suffer in the place of every person.
This salvation is yours, where you're at. Where you're at is where He
has located you. Where you're located is where you serve, where you
carry out your vocation. Don't worry, He'll never tire of His vocation
of serving you, of giving you what you need in His Word and
Sacraments. That's where He locates Himself so that when you draw your
last breath you will find that He has called you Home. Amen.
SDG
--
Pastor Paul L. Willweber
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church [LCMS]
San Diego, California
princeofpeacesd.net
three-taverns.blogspot.com
It is the spirit and genius of Lutheranism to be liberal in everything
except where the marks of the Church are concerned.
[Henry Hamann, On Being a Christian]
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