vocation

John 1:43-51  The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, 'Follow me.' Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, 'We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.' Nathanael said to him, 'Can anything good come out of Nazareth?' Philip said to him, 'Come and see.'
  When Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards him, he said of him, 'Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!' Nathanael asked him, 'Where did you come to know me?'
  Jesus answered, 'I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.' 
  Nathanael replied, 'Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!'
  Jesus answered, 'Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.' And he said to him, 'Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.'

     Grace, mercy, and peace be unto you, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
       Towards the end of the week, a news story caught the attention of many. The story is about a ten year old girl, named Emma, in Billings, Montana. Emma watched with her parents last week's events at the Capitol, especially the video of the Washington D.C. police officer, Daniel Hodges, who was crushed between the doors and people. Emma could not understand why people were hurting him while he was trying to do his job, and became upset. 
      Emma's mother suggested she write out her feelings. Emma did, writing both a letter and a get well card. When finished, Emma's mother shared the letter and card on social media in hopes an address could be found to physically mail the card and letter to him. A few hours later, Emma's mother received a response from the Washington D.C. Police Department that Officer Hodges was recovering and doing well. A t.v. station in Washington D.C. learned of the story and connected Emma with the police officer through Zoom.
      When asked why she wrote the letter to someone she didn't know, Emma's response was simple: "I hoped it would help him feel better about himself and that there was somebody who cared about and didn't want him being hurt."
     Emma's parents have taught her well: to be kind, caring, compassionate, and loving towards complete strangers. They are also teaching her the importance of being aware of her calling in life.
     Were he alive, Martin Luther would argue Emma is living out her vocation -- her calling to serve God and neighbor. Luther would also argue this care for her neighbor -- a stranger she has never met, is her way of sharing her love of God with others.
     In Luther's day, a calling, a vocation, was intended for those seeking the religious life. Luther argued back each of us has a calling, a vocation in life to love our neighbor. Luther viewed even a parent changing a child's messy diaper as being a vocation. A colleague reminded us of this in the weekly text study -- the simplest, mundane tasks are part of our vocation. Even the household tasks we like the least are part of our vocation. For example, with three cats in the Glover household, cleaning out the litterboxes is often an unpleasant, yet necessary task needing to be done. Caring for them by feeding them, cleaning out their litter boxes, giving them time and attention is part of the vocation of caring for creation.
      Household tasks and projects of cooking, laundry, grocery shopping are also part of the vocation as wife.
      Think for a moment of some of the unpleasant or unnecessary projects within your home or your career. As you think about these unpleasant projects, I invite you to look at them through a different lens of how you can best help others through the unpleasant or unnecessary project. And as you think of ways the least fun parts of your home or your career can best be used to help other, I invite you also to think of the ways others can possibly see Jesus through you.
     Because ultimately, that's what each of our vocations is about: pointing the way to Christ Jesus, pointing the way for others to know Jesus.
      Like Philip, our vocation, our calling, is to invite others to 'come and see'. 
      Philip says to Nathanael, 'Come and see'. Nathanael does, and is surprised when he meets Jesus. Nathanael's surprise comes in realizing Jesus knows more about Nathanael than Nathanael has shared. 
      Jesus' reply when asked how he knew so much about Nathanael is that he saw Nathanael earlier. In local language, there's a thought that 'under the fig tree' was reference to a good, local fishing spot. It's possible Jesus had been watching Philip, Nathanael, and the others before approaching them, inviting them to follow him. 
      In that brief conversation with Jesus, Nathanael's vocation and calling changes: from a fisherman to a disciple. Nathanael has no idea what this change of vocation means for him, other than it is both life giving, and life changing. Jesus assures Nathanael he will see and experience things never anticipated or imagined: the heavens to open, and angels will descend. 
     Like Nathanael, Philip, and Samuel, when we say yes to God's calling on our lives, we too are in for adventures, experiences, journeys, and opportunities as yet unknown. We are called into a daily vocation of service to God and to one another. In this vocation, we are invited to tell others "Come and see."
     Come and see, dear friends. Come and see Jesus, here with us, in this moment, in this space, wherever this space may be.

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