Pastor's Corner

A Call to Serve
I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. Philippians 1:12-13

The Apostle Paul mentioned above of his “imprisonment” for Christ. This is not to be taken metaphorically. Paul was in jail. He did nothing wrong of course, except speak the gospel. About 25% of Paul’s active ministry to the Gentiles was spent in jail. That is hard to believe. We should also remember though, this is exactly where God wanted Paul to be. God wanted Paul in prison. This was Paul’s “vocation” for those 4-6 years. Paul’s calling, believe it or not, was to be in prison.

The word “vocation” is a fascinating one we don’t consider enough in the church. The word “vocation” literally means “calling.” For us Christians, our vocation means where God has called us to be. They do not have to be fascinating vocations from a worldly perspective. What makes them fascinating is that God has called us into them. Take the Apostle Paul as an example. The great and mighty “Apostle to the Gentiles,” the man who performed numerous outstanding miracles, who met with the resurrected Christ on numerous occasions, Paul’s calling for those years of his ministry was to be in prison. Paul’s vocation, his calling from God, was to be in jail for many years.

Our vocations from God may not always be easy for us. For example, a woman who is a stay-at-home mother, who is going on 4 hours of sleep, doesn’t receive a medal for her work. No matter how many diapers she changes or spit up she cleans, there are no worldly trumpets for her. But still, this is where God has called her. This is her divine vocation at this point in her life. And when we can look at our lives from God’s perspective, suddenly things like diapers, and spit up, take on a divine dimension and the words of Christ ring true, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).

Each and every one of you have a vocation, a calling, from God. Not sure what that is? Just look at your lives. You may be called to work a 9-5 job. That is your vocation. You may be called right now by God to spend your final years sitting in a wheelchair. That is still your vocation from God. So, what is our reaction to our callings from God? We could sit around and bemoan our vocation. The Apostle Paul could have. He could have whined that he was in prison, grumbled that he wasn’t being allowed to do something more “glamorous” in worldly eyes, but he didn’t. He accepted his vocation. From that calling to be in prison, Paul was able to witness to those around him of the mercy of Christ. You also can be like Paul. You can accept your various vocations as callings from God, and you can serve God faithfully, giving witness to those around you of the mercy of Christ.

-- Pastor Grimenstein