In 1973, Frederick Buechner published a slender little book entitled, Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC. In this book Buechner attempts to define just over 150 theological and Biblical words from Abraham to Zaccheus. Most of the definitions are witty and insightful as Buechner is not only an ordained Presbyterian minister but his true vocation is that of a novelist. Which brings me to the point of this reflection, defining one’s true vocation in life. An important goal for me throughout the past seven weeks of our ReConnecting study was that maybe a few people might find themselves getting connected or perhaps reconnected to their “true vocation”. Buechner’s book offers a definition of vocation that has become a standard understanding of what it means to respond to a life’s calling. There has not been a significant book written about vocation in the last thirty years that has not referred to Frederick Buechner’s definition. Here it is:
VOCATION. It comes from the Latin vocare, to call, and means the work a person is called to by God.
There are all different kinds of voices calling you to all different kinds of work, and the problem is to find out which is the voice of God rather than of Society, say, or the Superego, or Self-Interest.
By and large a good rule for finding out is this. The kind of work God usually calls you to is the kind of work (a) that you need most to do and (b) that the world most needs to have done. If you really get a kick out of your work, you’ve presumably met requirement (a), but if your work is writing TV deodorant commercials, the chances are you’ve missed requirement (b). On the other hand, if your work is being a doctor in a leper colony, you have probably met requirement (b), but if most of the time you’re bored and depressed by it, the chances are you have not only bypassed (a) but probably aren’t helping your patients much either.
Neither the hair shirt not the soft berth will do. The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.
I believe we are all called of God to that place beyond what we do for a paycheck. I pray that you have found that place where God is calling you or you are on the way to its discovery.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Vacation Bible School
Vacation Bible School is always a highlight in the life of any church. The VBS tradition goes back a long time as one of the most important ministries a church can provide for its own children as well as the children of the community.
Our VBS this year, “Power Lab” is no exception. Kathryn Storey and her VBS planning team have been working for months to make all the arrangements for an exciting week of learning Christian discipleship by creating a place where children experience the love of Christ through the example and attention of caring leaders.
Last Sunday during the 10:15 service I had a nostalgic memory hit me while we were singing some of the great songs out of the Cokesbury hymnal. I remember the many Sunday night services I was dragged to as a child. Since my father was the preacher I didn’t have much choice. Sunday nights were reserved for Cokesbury singing. Most of these hymns come out of the great revivals of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They are definitely songs from another era. But, in there day, they were contemporary hymns that enlivened the heart and helped the spirit to soar with the joy of community singing.
My memory, however, moved from singing the songs to remembering when the singing was over and the sermon began I would lie down and lay my head on my mother’s lap and go the sleep. And it was a good sleep. It was like being wrapped in a blanket of peace, comfort, security and love. Not only was I with my mother, but I was nestled among a people (a congregation) who knew me and surrounded me with their love and attention.
My reflection on this memory is that this is what the church is all about. It is the hope of the world, and our ministry to our children is that they grow up within a community of faith and love where trusted friends know them, call them by name, and surround them with their love and attention. The greatest gift any adult can give the next generation is the gift of a trusting heart that comes from seeing the precious child of God within them.
That is the heart of all children’s ministry. That is at the heart of Vacation Bible School. For all the lavish decorations, the wild and crazy music, and the extravagant games, it is all for one reason: To share the love of Christ with our children so that they will know the love of Christ for themselves for the rest of their lives.
Our VBS this year, “Power Lab” is no exception. Kathryn Storey and her VBS planning team have been working for months to make all the arrangements for an exciting week of learning Christian discipleship by creating a place where children experience the love of Christ through the example and attention of caring leaders.
Last Sunday during the 10:15 service I had a nostalgic memory hit me while we were singing some of the great songs out of the Cokesbury hymnal. I remember the many Sunday night services I was dragged to as a child. Since my father was the preacher I didn’t have much choice. Sunday nights were reserved for Cokesbury singing. Most of these hymns come out of the great revivals of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They are definitely songs from another era. But, in there day, they were contemporary hymns that enlivened the heart and helped the spirit to soar with the joy of community singing.
My memory, however, moved from singing the songs to remembering when the singing was over and the sermon began I would lie down and lay my head on my mother’s lap and go the sleep. And it was a good sleep. It was like being wrapped in a blanket of peace, comfort, security and love. Not only was I with my mother, but I was nestled among a people (a congregation) who knew me and surrounded me with their love and attention.
My reflection on this memory is that this is what the church is all about. It is the hope of the world, and our ministry to our children is that they grow up within a community of faith and love where trusted friends know them, call them by name, and surround them with their love and attention. The greatest gift any adult can give the next generation is the gift of a trusting heart that comes from seeing the precious child of God within them.
That is the heart of all children’s ministry. That is at the heart of Vacation Bible School. For all the lavish decorations, the wild and crazy music, and the extravagant games, it is all for one reason: To share the love of Christ with our children so that they will know the love of Christ for themselves for the rest of their lives.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Getting Started
"Our Divine Vocation" was the title of my first sermon preached on a Sunday in April, 1983. That morning Rev. Bob Young called a Charge Conference for First United Methodist Church in Grand Prairie, Texas to respond to my sermon and vote to affirm me as a candidate for the ordained ministry. The text for that day was Luke 4:18-19, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me...to bring good news..." And while I was working through the call of God on my life, I was asking the congregation to reflect upon God's call on their lives. For although I was responding to a specific call of God in my personal life, all of us, in the church, live out of a covenant call which is our divine vocation.
That was twenty five years ago. The idea of "our divine vocation" is still intriguing to me and I want to use this blog space to continue to pursue it's meaning in our church life today.
That was twenty five years ago. The idea of "our divine vocation" is still intriguing to me and I want to use this blog space to continue to pursue it's meaning in our church life today.
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