You may know that Sunday May 11th (just past) was “Vocations Sunday.” Coincidentally, in the week before this, I met someone who asked me about my journey to becoming a Priest, and so I have written a couple of short articles for my congregations about “vocation” generally. In light of the fact that I’ve not written anything on this blog for a while, I thought it might be worth sharing one of these reflections with you. I’ve adapted it slightly because you haven’t seen the previous articles, but this is basically what I wrote this week.
I want to address something fundamental which applies to us all. We all face different decisions in life, e.g. “Which career should I pursue?” or “Should I buy this car?” or “Should I look for a spouse?” Underpinning all of these questions, for Christians, is the the question, “What does God want me to do?” Because some people claim to have received clear guidance from God in matters like this, other Christians can be hampered in their decision-making, waiting for a specific answer to a specific prayer which may never come. However, the truth is that we can all know what God wants us to do.
Let me take just one example and apply it in two ways. God wants us to “spur one another on toward love and good deeds” and tells us we should not be “giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another.” (Hebrews 10:24-25). That instruction gives us clear guidance about taking a promotion at work which would mean we were likely to be less often in church with our Christian brothers and sisters. It’s not a definitive answer to the question as to whether to take the promotion, but it is guidance from God as we seek to decide. In the same vein, if we are planning a house move, what factors might we consider? Clearly, the price of the property and its proximity to family, work or necessary amenities are important, but since (see above) God wishes us to play an active part in a local church fellowship, we would do well to include church as one of the “necessary amenities” in our consideration – is there a church nearby that faithfully preaches the gospel in word and deed? If not, maybe relocating to that place is unwise. Recent research shows that the biggest reason for declining church attendance in the USA over recent decades is not a growth in atheism, but simply family relocation which broke the habit of weekly worship – a habit which many have never re-established, to their own detriment and to the detriment of those who would be blessed by their presence, love and support.
The way the word “vocation” is often used today makes it tempting to regard vocations as something for others (e.g. clergy, nurses or teachers), but rightly understood, a vocation is simply a life lived in keeping with God’s call. The Latin verb “to call” is “vocare” and is connected with the words “vox” and “voice.” God’s word is clear about what he wants of us (the text above from Hebrews is just one example). Therefore, let us endeavour to live in accordance with his call in all the decisions of life and resolve to allow his good and perfect will to weigh more heavily on us in all the choices we make. Let us, with the Apostle Paul, “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5b)
May the Lord make you more alert to his call on your life, that you may live out your vocation with generosity and joy, imagination and courage.
Revd Canon Mark Dunstan
Rural Dean