Some 500-plus years ago, Martin Luther upended the notion that only those who work as clergy received divine callings significant to God's creation plan, a revolutionary thought that equaled the work that that lay people did with that of the Catholic priests.
After bitter disappointment with the church, and much self discernment, contrary to what religious leaders of the time taught, Luther came to believe that each and every one of us receives a divine calling, or in his language, a "vocation."
And the only difference among all of the vocations was that each had different responsibilities. Therefore, yes, some people according to God's plan certainly are called to ministry, but others called to be teachers, bakers or candlestick makers. Furthermore, some are called to be stay-at-home parents, and others are even called to be professional volunteers. There's an endless list of vocations, and not all of them are paid professional or laboring positions.
In other words, God didn't rank the importance of various occupations when the world was created. Rather, the Creator just gave us all different gifts so that in conjunction with each other, we could care for the earth, according to God's plan. Â ... In other words, the called clergy are just one of many vital vocations to this world, and no more important than any other vocation.
Luther then tied this teaching of "vocations" to his teaching of "Justification by Faith Alone," which teaches that Christians are called by God through Christ to be his beloved and forgiven children, and that they need no mediators to receive that graceful call directly. ... Or as I tell my confirmation students: The Good News is that there is absolutely nothing that you can do to earn God's love and mercy. The even better news is that there is absolutely nothing that you can do to lost God's love and mercy, either.
And this knowledge, Luther taught, should change us as faithful people. Receiving God's love and mercy for free should make us desire to utilize our vocational gifts from God to help our neighbors. And being that every vocation was equally as important as the next, Luther he taught that all Christians are thus charged with the responsibility to mediate their God-given grace unto others. ... And we do so through ... our vocations!
You see how neatly all of that ties together! ... Thank you Martin Luther! High five!
I know people who are absolutely certain they know what their vocation is, and the difference it makes in that person's life is nothing short of divine. I've witnessed this divine effect in my fellow clergy, in some of the journalists I've worked alongside over the past 30 years, those in the medical fields ... and those working in actual fields(!) like some in my congregation. What's exciting is that you can find people divinely aligned with their vocation in any aspect of work!
The example that comes to mind immediately for me, of course, is our mother. She was a small town cafe waitress for more than 45 years, and raised many of us kids on that simple income. But if she was unhappy with her chosen profession, no one would have ever known. ... Because I've never once seen a person more joyful in their job than our mother was!
If there ever was a maestro of small town cafe service, it was her. And she thrived in that environment. Not only did she still come home happy after a long and tough day of work, she changed the lives of the people she waited on every single day.
When I was about 12, and the last child left in the house, our mom and I moved from our hometown to another little town about 30 minutes away. She ended up taking another waitressing job in a little dot of a town on the map that was about halfway between our former home and the new town in which we were lving.
The striking thing is that many of her old customers actually would drive the 20 minutes out of town to frequent the new cafe my mother started working at ... just so that they could see her again. That was the impact of her service on them all those years she had served them. ... Which I find very remarkable and which also brings me great joy!
My mom had found her God-given vocation. And because she did, she made the world a better place in which to live. She cared for her neighbors -- dear friends or complete strangers -- one plate of food and one cup of coffee at a time. She was most certainly mediating God's grace unto others through her service.
I thought about all of this on a recent Saturday morning as I drove home from Thief River Falls, Minn., a small city about two hours away from where we live. It's actually not that far from the small city where I grew up, and mom worked all those years as a waitress. And so the drive to Thief River Falls was full of nostalgia for me.
On the way home on that trip, I began to think about vocation and the way that finding her vocation had shaped my mother's life, and the lives of those around her. It was like hearing the perfect hum of a tuning fork watching her work a restaurant's dining room. ... And I'm learning that there are times when I sense the same joyful alignment taking place in my own life.
You see, I found myself in Thief River Falls that morning with the opportunity to teach a storytelling presentation to our synod council and some of our synod staff, thanks to an invitation from our bishop.
Serving as their opening devotion, I had 30 minutes to inspire those present that storytelling might be the No. 1 priority we have as faithful people. After all, I can deliver a perfectly sound, theologically-based sermon every Sunday that I am in the pulpit. But I know that I move many more hearts when I just simply share the call story that brought me to pastoring. ... That might be a blow to pastors' egos, but it's the truth.
Fundamentally, stories help us to understand others, and they help us learn about others, including the Father, Son and Holy Spirit!
So, on that Saturday morning I shared a couple of brief stories with the attendees, described the principle elements of storytelling and then finished with three lessons about why it is imperative that we faithful share our stories with others, my favorite being that, after all, Jesus was the "Greatest Storyteller" in history. ... And so, if storytelling worked for Jesus to capture hearts, then I think we better learn from that!
Storytelling: Heavens ... it is what makes my heart sing! ... And I know that storytelling is my God-given vocation, which doesn't belittle my pastoral work in the least. In fact, I know the two go hand in hand. I wouldn't be the pastor I am without my God-given ability to tells stories. And I absolutely know that for certain!
Friends ... that Saturday morning was the most complete I've felt in a long time, as I know I was practicing what God called me to do which is tell stories and teach others how to do so as well.
In that moment, watching the faces of those listening, I sense that I was experiencing the same feeling our mother must have had when she was serving her people in her cafes: a tuning fork finely humming along. ... The entire world in order. Creation in alignment!
I wonder if you have ever experienced the same? I'd love to hear about it if you have!
Additionally, teaching storytelling through a faith lens is becoming a growing piece of my ministry, and so if you know of a person, group or organization who could benefit from storytelling training, please reach out to me! We can work something out!