How Do We Get Good At Our Calling?

How Do We Get Good At Our Calling?

Good Morning Friends,

Just as we each have a calling, so too local churches and the Church Universal have a calling. And if we are going to walk as saints in the vocation to which we have been called we need to consider how to be worthy of the task. Paul touches on this process in the letter to the Ephesians and Jesus as recorded in Matthew sets the parameters of his earthly ministry, including eating with tax collectors, one of whom, Matthew, would take on a ministry of documenting the good news. So, enjoy today’s lectionary scripture even as we contemplate, How Do We Get Good At Our Calling?

Scripture: I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.

Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13 (NRSV)

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him. And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard this, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.”

Matthew 9:9-13 (NRSV)

Message: The call is for us to go into the world and make a difference. Somehow, we are to show the world who Christ is. We do it through the ministries with others. We do it when we take our gifts and use them to glorify God and not ourselves. We do it through various outreach activities that characterize the attributes of Jesus and, we do it by talking to our neighbors and coworkers about Christ in the light of Christ. We do it when we go to the stores and not only at Christmas time but each day. We do it by grounding ourselves in our faith, so that whether it is a great day or a miserable day, we find ways to exalt Christ as our Savior, as our Lord, and our Redeemer. We do it by living a life which seeks to honor and glorify Christ. And so, it is necessary for us to remain so filled with the Spirit of God, as we move about in community, that we become generative and transformative agents for God. But even around other believers, we cannot take anything for granted. It is too easy for us to hurt one another without even thinking. We need to seek Christ in all we do for everyone is important. We are, as it has been said, to have unity in all things essential, and in things, not essential we are to offer liberty but in every action and thought we are to love. We are to use our strengths and submit to God to balance out our lives with others. Even our weaknesses are to be used in our lives as they bind us together in a harmony of a loving life with others. That is the call of His church. For here we are to demonstrate that by living faithfully with gentleness, humility, love, wisdom and patience, in the Spirit, that we become worthy to be called children of God.

Pray we realize that Jesus came to help the likes of us succeed. Pray we realize that we all are sinners but can seek to be something better in unity with God if we follow in the Way. Pray
therefore
we bear one another in love. Pray we not have a haughty spirit. Pray we do not fight each other but instead fight evil. Pray we not be arrogant or angry. Pray we experience the positive power and peace of God. Pray we are ultimately recognized by others as One Body because we share a faith in The One True God. Pray we not have a haughty spirit. Pray we walk in soberness, godliness and humility. Pray we not be arrogant or angry. Pray we not be short tempered. Pray we never run out of patience. Pray we function as one body, believing in Christ and believing in one another and always, always seeking to be unified as we honor Christ together.

Blessings,

John Lawson