From the Pastor's Desk

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

           Summer can be a busy time: vacations, work, family time, kids home from school…  And with all that’s been going on this summer, I’ve been thinking a lot about vocation. If I were to ask you about your vocation, I’m sure one of the first things to pop into your head would be whatever it is you do for a living. This is often our go to when it comes to thoughts about vocation. But literally vocation means calling. Your vocation is whatever you are called to.

So when I ask you what is your vocation, your first thoughts should not be of your job, that place you go to work. It should be about God. God is the one who calls you. He calls you to many different things. And first and foremost, he calls you to faith. St Paul reminds us of this in Ephesians 4:4:

You were called to the one hope that belongs to your call

You have been called to hope. You and I have been called to be children of God, to put our hope and trust in Him.

As children of God, we have a vocation. We have a job to do. We are called to share His good news. We can look to Matthew 28 and hear Jesus command, His call, to go into all nations and make disciples. But living up to our vocation as Christians also means following God’s commands. We have been called to obedience.

But God has also given us other callings. We have been called to other tasks. God has given us other vocations. In fact, each one of us was called to a vocation at birth. We were called to be sons and daughters. As we get married we receive another vocation: spouse. As we have children we receive another vocation: parent.

And we haven’t even arrived at our more common definition of vocation. Just a few verses after Ephesians 4:4 St Paul goes on to list how God has called us to different vocations. Ephesians 4:11 states:

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers

These are just some of the vocations God has given us. There’s farmers, doctors, nurses, store personnel, and so much more.

So with so many different vocations, what’s a faithful Christian to do?  How can one faithfully live out one’s vocations. After all to use myself as an example, I’ve got quite the list of vocations: Child of God, Husband, Father, Pastor, Son, Brother, Friend.

We can all feel the pull of our different vocations, the struggle for balance and as the saying goes, “keeping the plates spinning.”  But no matter what vocation you are focused on at the moment, no matter the struggles you may be going through, remember Ephesians 4:4. You have been called to one hope. You have been called to hope in Christ.

God gives us hope. He promises us his help. Philippians 4:19 states: 

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

God will take care of us. He gives us reason to hope no matter what our vocations bring. He is watching over us.

And he has supplied our greatest need. He has supplied our need for salvation. Notice how St Paul ended that statement in Philippians 4:19 “In glory in Christ Jesus.”  It is in Christ that God takes care of us. He supplies us with what we need to fulfill our vocations. So, called people of God, take courage, have hope, fulfill your calling.

In His Peace,

Pastor Nathan Peitsch