There is a quote that is widely ascribed to
Martin Luther that says, “The Christian
shoemaker does his Christian duty not by putting little crosses on the
shoes, but by making good shoes.” Whether Luther ever said that or not, doesn’t
really matter, because the sentiment is true; we don’t have to import a
Christian message into the places God has called us to work, because all
vocations have a divine calling and God is already there as we work, for Him.
Last week in worship Pastor Kevin Kritzer
laid the foundation for our Parish Theme for this year of ‘God At Work.’ He reminded us that we see God at Work:
FOR
us in Christ to grant forgiveness
IN
us through the Holy Spirit to create faith
THROUGH
us in the world to facilitate His presence
Today, I want to start with our New
Testament lesson from Ephesians chapter 4. Paul begins, “I, a prisoner in the Lord, encourage you to live the kind of life
which proves that God has called you. Be humble and gentle in every way. Be
patient with each other and lovingly accept each other.” (Ephesians 4:1-2)
Before we go any further, let’s remember…We are saved only by the grace of God, and
we contribute absolutely nothing of our own actions to the work of Christ. In that mysterious exchange upon the cross,
Jesus bore all our sins, received all of the punishment that we deserve, and
gave to us all of His righteousness. We
come to God as sinners, not as doers of good works, and what we receive from
Him is pure, free, and unconditional forgiveness.
I’m sure you have heard the familiar words
of St. Paul from earlier in his letter to the Ephesians, “For
by grace you have been saved through faith.
And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works,
so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
God doesn’t need (and in fact cannot use)
our good works. Though our relationship
with God has nothing to do with our works, good or bad, and is indeed, totally
God’s work, but Paul continues, “For we are his
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared
beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10).
By virtue of our creation, our purpose in
life is to do good works, which God Himself “prepared” for us to do. We are God’s workmanship, which means that
God is at work in us and through us to do the work He intends. God might not need them, but they are still
important.
Often times, when we think of God at Work, we think in mystical
terms, as an otherworldly magical power, not something so close to home. God works in mysterious ways, not in ordinary
ways, we think. If He is going to heal
us, we expect something spectacular—a miraculous rising from the wheelchair or
hospital bed, something that doctors cannot explain.
Sometimes this happens, but the usual way
He heals us is more mundane, though none-the-less wonderful as He works through
the hands of doctors and nurses, medications and procedures.
If He is going to talk to us, we want a
giant billboard along the freeway, a booming voice from heaven, writing in the
sky, or at least an inner voice, if not a mystical vision.
The fact that He uses a book…mere ink on
paper…much less a preacher, whom we know is no different from us, can seem like
a letdown.
The truth is – God does indeed work in all things.
I think in our modern world we have lost the notion that God works
through means, through the stuff, locations, and vocations of life.
For countless generations it was assumed
and accepted that God causes it to rain.
Then the scientists of the Enlightenment presented data about air
pressure, relative humidity, and cold fronts.
That, they say, is what causes it to rain; we don’t need God to explain
it. But knowing the chemical and metrological process involved by no means
diminishes the fact that it is still God who makes it rain. He is the one who designed, created, and
sustains all of these natural processes.
He works through means.
Water and Word, bread and wine, these are
the means by which God works in the spiritual kingdom, but He is by no means
bound here. Yes God’s grace, the message
of His love and forgiveness in Christ comes to people through the sacraments
which are tangible manifestations of the Gospel. He
works through means.
God also works through means in the earthly
kingdom. God works through the natural
laws built into creation. He rules the
nations, including those who don’t know Him by means of His moral law and He
works in the so-called secular world by means of vocation. That is, He institutes
families, work, and organized societies, giving human beings particular parts
to play in His vast design. He works through means.
We find God at work in us hidden in the
vocations of His dearly loved children.
God’s fatherhood looms behind human fathers, and the marriage
relationship is a reflection of the relationship between Christ and the Church.
God is at Work as He provides for our
needs. He uses civil magistrates to
protect us. He uses parents to take care
of us and spouses and families to bless us.
Luther goes so far to say that vocation is
a mask of God. That is, God hides
Himself in the workplace, the family, the church, and seemingly in secular
society.
To realize that the seemingly mundane
activities that take up most of our lives—going to work, taking the kids to
soccer practice, picking up a few things at the store, going to church—are
hiding places for God can be a revelation in itself. It makes the mundane, divine.
Most people seek God in mystical
experiences, spectacular miracles, and extraordinary acts. To find God in vocation brings Him, literally
down to earth, make us see how close He really is to us, and transfigures
everyday life.
The work that God does through us, the good
works of life, are not meant for God, but for our neighbor. Look at those around you. You are literally
surrounded by God at Work. As God works through us we are God’s
representatives no matter where we have been called in life.
If you have been called to the boardroom,
you do so by God to work for Him. If you
have been called to the classroom, or cubicle, the construction site, or the
community center, you do so by God, to do His work. All vocations are divine by
nature, instituted by God and how God works through you each and every day.
God is hidden in vocation, that is true,
but in some ways it is also true that God is hidden in our neighbor.
Christ is hidden in our neighbors and all
those in need. Sometimes our neighbors
may not seem all that loveable, but Jesus loved them and died for them. How
could we not love them?
The farmer and the others who feed the
hungry are feeding Christ. The mother dressing her baby is clothing
Christ. The nursing home attendant who
meets the needs of the resident is taking care of Christ. When we serve our neighbor, we are serving
God.
You might be saying, what about me? I’m not working any more, where is my
vocation? What about my family member
who is home bound or being cared for by others?
Many of you know that my mother was in full
time residential care for 19 years.
Suffering from an undiagnosed neurological disorder, she could no longer
care for herself.
Earlier this year when Rev. Dr. James Lamb
from Lutherans for Life was here for life Sunday he said something most
amazing. He said (and I am paraphrasing) that when he talks to those who are
home bound, or relegated to residential or convalescent care he tells them that
they have the privilege to be Jesus to others and he reminds them of Jesus
words in Matthew 25, “I tell you the
truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did
for me.”
What comforting words! My mom’s 19 year
tenure in nursing homes was not a waste, it was not punitive, or the act of an
unloving God, but an extension of my mother’s ministry on earth. For years her
vocation was that of a classroom teacher where she cared for the students in
her classroom, later her vocation was that as mother as she cared for her
children, but that was not the end of her ministry or her vocation. She continued to be Jesus to those who took
care of her, who fed her, bathed her, and took care of her needs, and in the
end, when she finally entered paradise, she heard the wonderful words of the
Savior, “Well done, good a faithful servant.” So today I have renewed hope and
a changed perspective on service to the Savior and the idea of vocation. May I
be blessed to be Jesus to others for as long as my mother.
There will be moments in life where your
actions are not the actions of Christ, where you will not be working for God
but working for your own selfish ambitions having given in to the temptations
of Satan. When that time comes, and it
will, remember that God was at work for you in Christ. He calls you by name, invites you into his
presence here in His house and He hears your confession. He worked a miracle on the cross and through
the open tomb and announces that as far as the East is from the West, so far
has he removed your sin from you.
That is why we come back again and again to
this place, because we know that God is at work through means. In this place there is forgiveness,
nourishment and refreshment that will strengthen you to be God at Work,
wherever God has called you.
So let’s end where we began, with Paul’s
encouraging words to the Ephesians, “I, a prisoner in the Lord, encourage you to live the kind of life
which proves that God has called you. Be humble and gentle in every way. Be
patient with each other and lovingly accept each other.” (Ephesians 4:1-2)
Let
us pray…
-Pastor Seth Moorman
