Word & Sacrament: Issue 01 | Spring 2023 - Vocation

TABLE OF CONTENTS

From the President

From the General Editor

The Vocation of the Christian: A Theological Account

Dr. Alexander H. Pierce

Resisting God’s Call

The Rev. Jeff Morlock

Disentangling Christian Vocation from Occupation

The Rev. James T. Lehmann sts

The Christian Vocation: A Calling to Holiness ... And Hope

Dr. Paul Blowers

Vocation as Martyrdom

Dr. David Luy

discernment column

Discerning God’s Call

The Rev. Jeff Morlock

seminarian series

The Call of God: Finding Vocation Amidst the Vanities of the World

Ethan Zimmerman

faculty spotlight

The Rev. Dr. Andrew Weisner sts

program highlight

Ordination Under Special Circumstances (OUSC)

bible study

“Do Not Say, ‘I Am Only ____’”: God is Calling You!

The Rev. Wendy Berthelsen

BOARD OF REGENTS

The Rev. Dr. Daniel W. Selbo, Bishop

The Rev. Wendy Berthelsen

The Rev. Dr. Dennis Di Mauro

Mrs. Lynnae Douglas

Mr. Richard Jansak

The Rev. Dr. Stephane Kalonji

The Rev. Dr. Paul Krueger

The Rev. James T. Lehmann sts

Mr. Bruce Randolph

The Rev. Dr. Eric Waters, Chair

Mr. Roger Weyersberg

Scripture quotations from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.

Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

PRODUCTION TEAM

General Editor

Dr. Alexander H. Pierce

Creative Editor

Steven Neaton

Editing / Design

The Rev. Dcn. Andrew S. Ames Fuller

Ariel Wicker

Alana Brooks

FACULTY & STAFF

President

The Rev. Dr. Eric M. Riesen

Administrative Coordinator

Ms. Rebecka V. A. Frontz

Associate Professor of Systematic Theology

Dr. David Luy

Assistant Professor of Historical Theology

Dr. Alexander H. Pierce

Director of Lutheran Studies, GCTS

The Rev. Dr. Nathan H. Yoder sts

Director of Vocational Discernment

The Rev. Jeff Morlock

About the Cover Image: The central image of this chalice is from a stained glass window in the chapel at the NALS Seminary Center at Trinity School for Ministry. Cover designed by Andrew Ames Fuller.

Background Image: Wenceslaus Hollar, “The Augsburg Confession” (1639). Engraving; 40 x 28 cm. Altered by Andrew S. Ames Fuller.

Welcome to the first issue of Word & Sacrament, the Magazine of the North American Lutheran Seminary. A good question might be “Why start a magazine?” The short answer is: We wanted a device (Word & Sacrament) to communicate, as broadly and effectively as possible, the uniqueness of the North American Lutheran Seminary. So, the next question might be “what makes us unique?” And here I would like to offer a slightly longer answer:

• The NALS and Word & Sacrament exist to foster faithful and confessional theological education in the Lutheran tradition. Accordingly, our students and readers will gain an appreciation for the spectrum of thought that exists within the Lutheran Church. We want to be intentional about giving a voice to representatives of the various confessional expressions within Lutheranism. In other words, we don’t represent a singular theological camp in the Lutheran family. There’s richness in our confessional diversity. So we say: “Let’s explore it.”

• Word & Sacrament will intentionally reflect and unpack the meaning of the NALS’s educational values. The NALS exists to educate and to form pastors and church leaders specifically for the North American Lutheran Church. This is why the Core Values of the NALC are woven into the curriculum and community life of the NALS. No other seminary is intentionally committed to forming NALC leaders who are Christ Centered, Mission Driven, Congregationally Focused, and Traditionally Grounded. These are not just slogans, they are living values which reflect the unique ethos of the NALC, which the NALS exists to serve.

• Closely related to this, Word & Sacrament will be a resource for continuing education for pastors and lay leaders. It’s very important for all of us to take time to sharpen the saw. We want to provide a practical resource, and to that end it is our hope that the articles published here will find their way into sermons and Bible studies, and perhaps even come from the lessons and sermons being taught from pastors across the NALC.

• We want to help our readers to grapple with the richness and depth of the catholic faith. We live in an increasingly secular and post-Christian age. One way to address this reality is to foster healthy ecumenical partnerships with those who share our core values. Simply put, we can no longer provide theological education in isolation from other Christian communions. Readers can expect to see this kind of ecumenical engagement in the pages of Word & Sacrament.

• Word & Sacrament is an avenue for supporting the unique “hub and spokes model” the NALS has adopted. The NALS has its “hub,” its own faculty and staff, at Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, PA. However, we have several other seminaries that serve as “spokes.” It’s important for us to give voice to students who attend spoke seminaries, to learn about their experiences, and to share the theological resources of the NALS with them. There is flexibility built into the theological education we provide. At the same time, we aim to ensure that our students are formed with confessionally Lutheran hearts and minds.

Finally, this magazine will allow us to share with our supporters all that God is doing. I am amazed and grateful for the group of people - faculty and staffthat God has brought together to work at the NALS. I offer my thanks to each and every one of them. I also want to recognize Dr. Alex Pierce as he will be serving as the General Editor of Word & Sacrament. I welcome and thank Dr. Pierce for serving in this significant role!

Of course, I want to thank you - our supporters. Your prayers and gifts make the ministry of the North American Lutheran Seminary possible. With all my heart, I offer you my deep gratitude.

Yours in Christ Jesus,

The Rev. Dr. Eric M. Riesen President North American Lutheran Seminary

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To what has God “called” us as human beings? As Christians? What is the difference between vocation and occupation? What does it mean to receive a vocation to ministry? To marriage? To engineering? To public service? Is the ministerial vocation superior to others? How can vocation be costly? In our inaugural issue of Word & Sacrament, the Magazine of the North American Lutheran Seminary, we start where all pastors in the North American Lutheran Church must start, serve, and finish: with vocation.

And yet, as you will see in the reflections and stories that make up this issue of Word & Sacrament, the concept of vocation is not only related to those called into ministry. Vocation can refer to our basic human vocation to share “likeness” with God. This calling begins, of course, in Genesis 1:26 where we learn that God created man and woman according to His image and likeness. From their beginning, humans are called to be like their Maker. Vocation can also refer, as Luther famously advocated, to the vocation of living as a Christian in this world in such a manner that the love of God received in faith issues forth in love that makes Christ present to others by addressing their needs. This, of course, involves the Christian working with the gifts, talents, and opportunities with which God has blessed His people, collectively and as individuals.

to remember that the vocation of the Christian happens not in a vacuum but in a world filled with alternative scales of value. Answering God’s call upon one’s life, whether as a minister or layperson, requires a steadfast resolve in the face of cultural, political, and often personal headwinds. Further still, it is not uncommon for those receiving a call to be assailed by the deception, distractions, and derailments that signify spiritual warfare.

We here at the NALS are grateful to have the wonderful opportunity of accompanying and playing a small role in the vocational discernment, training, and sending of pastors and leaders of the NALC by means of (1) robust spiritual formation, (2) rigorous and distinctive theological education, and (3) intentional pastoral mentorship. In addition to curricular seminary formation, we are excited to build partnerships with pastors carrying out their vocations and to provide avenues for ongoing theological formation.

It is my sincere hope that the contents of Word & Sacrament will become a distinct and dependable source of encouragement and edification for clergy and lay persons within and without the North American Lutheran Church. As we look to build a shared conversation by means of this venue, I invite your suggestions for topics to consider in future issues, followup questions about what you read, and notifications of interest from potential contributors. Together, we can ensure that Word & Sacrament is indeed the magazine of the NALS for the NALC.

Yours in Christ,

For those who receive a ministerial vocation, there are many questions regarding the path to serving. The seasons of ministry can elicit wonders and anxieties: Am I still fulfilling God’s call? What does it look like to transition out of full-time ministry? It is also crucial

Dr. Alexander H. Pierce General Editor Word & Sacrament Magazine

“From their beginning, humans are called to be like their Maker.”

The North American Lutheran Seminary (NALS) is committed to forming pastors and leaders for faithful ministry today. As a network of seminaries centered in Ambridge, Pennsylvania — with additional graduate schools in six states and provinces across the United States and Canada — the NALS exists to form pastors and leaders for the North American Lutheran Church (NALC) through robust spiritual formation, rigorous and distinctive theological education, and intentional pastoral mentorship. Learn more at www.thenals.org.

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THE VOCATION OF THE CHRISTIAN

A THEOLOGICAL ACCOUNT

In late medieval Europe, the religious vocations of clergy from priesthood to monasticism towered above the work of laypersons in moral and theological significance. As is well known, Martin Luther leveled the playing field in his advocacy of the priesthood of all believers and his corresponding assertion of the common vocation (vocatio, Beruf) of all Christian believers.1 Luther’s reimagining of the landscape of vocation and the Christian life came downstream of his renewal of the central importance and practical implications of the Gospel. God calls individuals who inhabit distinct forms and rhythms within this life. But a “calling” can be received only by those who have already received the love of God in faith. Vocation is a curriculum for how to live as a member of Christ in a world still marred by sin, death, and the devil. Believers’ common priesthood means not only that all share direct access to God in Christ, then, but also that we all minister to one another, making Christ’s love present to each other.

Dr. Alexander H. Pierce Assistant Professor of Historical Theology

1. For essential reading on Martin Luther’s understanding of vocation, see Gustaf Wingen, Luther on Vocation, trans. Carl C. Rasmussen (Philadelphia, PA: Mulhenberg Press, 1957).

“We are called to act with justice, we are called to love tenderly, we are called to serve one another, to walk humbly with God!”

David Haas We Are Called

Lorenzo Monaco (Piero di Giovanni), Moses (1408–10)

The vocation of the Christian amounts to the faith-filled Christian passing on the love of Christ to neighbors in need within the context of the three orders (Stände), of “the household, the government, and the church.”2 Luther agreed with much of the earlier Christian tradition that the orders of the household (marriage and family life) and the church were orders of God’s good creation. But the order of government or the state was a form of divine accommodation to the fallen state of humanity. The entrance of sin into human life also corrupted both of the created orders. These three orders — four if we divide that of the household into family and work3 — are the avenues in which Christians can fulfill their earthly duties out of love for their spouses and children, superiors and subordinates, pastors and political representatives.

The Christian vocation requires that we respond to the promises of God by sharing God’s love in all things and with all persons. At one level, the vocation of the Christian is particular to each individual believer. Every person’s vocation will look a little different. In the case of every believing Christian, however, the vocation of faith active in love involves sharing a gift already received rather than seeking to be worthy of a gift yet to be given.

The vocation of the Christian is also corporate. God told the Israelites in the Mosaic Covenant, “You shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6). What, we may ask, does the Lord require of His people? In recalling the words of Micah 6:8, the refrain of “We are Called” (the modern hymn by David Haas) reminds

But in the New Testament, 1 Peter tells baptized Christians: “you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9; emphasis added). The vocation common to all members of Christ’s Body is to live as those who have been welcomed into the people of God by the waters of baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit. We must, as Luther teaches in the Brief Instruction, receive Christ both as gift (in the righteousness of faith) and as the example we are to follow.5 But we must also proclaim the Good News of the Gospel, sharing in word and deed our trust that in Jesus’ Person and works God has provided forgiveness of sins, victory over death, liberation from the devil, and the promise of eternal life.

The gift of Christ, that is, His grace in the form of the Holy Spirit, enables the Christian to respond to God’s call with a life conformed to Christ’s example. The Christian vocation of struggling to forge ahead in this already-but-not-yet life is the unpredictable arc of sanctification, a set of forward and backward steps that forms a growth curve as we cultivate proper virtue that flows out of Christ’s alien virtue imputed to us as the righteousness of faith. Yet, we must keep in mind that perfectionism is not possible this side of heaven. Enduring faith in God’s love enables the Christian to love others without placing hope in these works of love. Rather, the baptized continue in the struggle of this earthly vocation against sin, death, and the devil in the hope that God’s promises given and made known in Christ will continue to come true, to the point of Christ’s return in glory to subject all of creation to Himself.

2. Martin Luther, “No. 5533: Three Rules Used for Translating the Bible, Winter of 1542–1543,” in Luther’s Works, American Edition, 55 vols., eds. Jaroslav Jan Pelikan, Hilton C. Oswald, and Helmut T. Lehmann (St. Louis and Philadelphia: Concordia and Fortress, 1955ff.) [hereafter cited as LW], 54:446.

3. See Robert Benne, “Martin Luther on the Vocation of the Christian,” Oxford Research Encyclopedias, Religion (2016)

us,

We are called to act with justice, we are called to love tenderly, we are called to serve one another, to walk humbly with God!4

4. David Haas, “We Are Called,” GIA Publications, Inc., 1988.

5. Martin Luther, “A Brief Instruction on What to Look for and Expect in the Gospels” (1521), trans. Theodore Bachmann, in LW 35:117–124, esp. 119-120.

RESISTING GOD’S CALL

The Rev. Jeff Morlock Director of Vocational Discernment

When God calls a person to a specific task or ministry, resistance is often the first response of the called, Jeremiah claimed that he was too young. Gideon was too weak. Isaiah considered himself too sinful, “a man of unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:5). Such resistance to God’s call comes from two sources. The first is the belief that we know better than God what will be required. This distorted belief amounts to self-deception, which also gives rise to the impulse to explain to the Almighty why we are not qualified.

Moses had a loving family and a quiet life as a shepherd when God’s call came to him in “midcareer,” as we might say. From a burning bush came God’s vocational call that Moses should go confront Pharaoh and demand the immediate release of the Israelites from bondage in Egypt. It’s not unusual for God to ask things of His children that seem beyond their competence. But it turns out that the old trite saying is true: “God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called.”

In Moses, we might recognize some of the excuses that we ourselves have used for resisting God’s call when it became clear. “Then Moses said to God, ‘If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?’” (Exodus 3:13). One common excuse for resisting God’s call is that I don’t have all the answers. This was my greatest fear when God first called me to become an ordained minister. I was afraid of not being able to answer every question that my future flock(s) would pose. And in

Moses’ case, surely his years as a shepherd had not prepared him to stand up to the wisdom and might of a powerful political leader like Pharaoh.

However, what Moses failed to recognize was that he was not the most important factor in God’s plan. When we mistakenly assume that God’s plan hinges on our abilities, we will fear failure. We will worry about embarrassment and the judgment of others. But the Lord God is not impeded by such anxiety. When Moses asks, “What shall I say to them?” God replies, “‘ I am who I am.’ And he said, ‘Say this to the people of Israel: I am has sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:13–14).

Moses had to learn that his call had nothing to do with his own ability and everything to do with God’s plan! As a pastor, when I consider the responsibility of proclaiming the Gospel and teaching God’s Word, I often feel I am unworthy and incompetent. But when I do these things with the awareness that the “I am” of the Scriptures is speaking through me, I can be confident that His Word does what it says and accomplishes every purpose for which He sends it.

The second excuse that many of us have in common with Moses is the fear that people won’t accept us. Moses had a past. Having fled Egypt as an outlaw and a murderer, he could be condemned as not only having broken God’s commandment but having abandoned his own people. Moses’ deep-seated sense of inadequacy led him to object, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’” (Exodus 4:1).

Fear clouds our perspective; it leads us to dwell on the worst possible outcomes. Fear keeps the focus on the self rather than on the Lord. It magnifies our weakness and underestimates God’s strength. Thus, God gave Moses two practical demonstrations of His power. First, He turned Moses’ staff into a snake, and then back into a staff. Second, He made Moses’ hand wither and then restored it once more. Through these signs, the Lord gifted Moses with confidence that God Himself would do the work.

Similarly, when God chooses you for a particular task or ministry, He provides all that is necessary and shows you the next step you are to take. Most of us want to see more than the next step; we want to see far into the future. But that would be walking by sight, not by faith, and without faith, it is impossible to please God.

Moses, still unconvinced about God’s plan, offers a final form of resistance: his speech impediment would obviously make him ineligible to serve, since confronting Pharaoh would require public speaking. This is the sense that our deficiencies are insurmountable. But God had a different perspective. “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak” (Exodus 4:11–12).

In the light of God’s sovereign design for our lives, every notion of “disability” is overcome and transformed. By now, Moses was running out of excuses, so in one last effort to avoid his assignment, he blurted out, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.” But God didn’t let Moses off the hook. Instead, He called Moses’ brother Aaron to be His helper and spokesperson. The Lord doesn’t need anything “special” from you or me. He definitely doesn’t need our advice. But it’s easy to get so caught up in our excuses that we miss the entire point of God’s call. The Lord wants to accomplish something significant through you by doing something significant in you. Often, part of God’s purpose in calling a disciple into a particular assignment or ministry is to grow their faith so that they learn to trust His provision and depend on His promises.

Lastly, I stated that resistance to God’s call comes from two sources. The first is a belief that we know better than God what the call will require and whether or not we are up to the task. And the second source of resistance is the evil one of whom Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). Whenever a person gets clarity regarding God’s call and is trusting God’s promise of abundance, the enemy will show up to create doubt and raise objections. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:2).

Therefore, when it comes to God’s call at any phase of life, resistance is good and necessary. But as the apostle James exhorts believers, the one to be resisted is the devil, in order that he might flee from you. To resist means to withstand, strive against, or oppose in some manner. Here, God’s Word becomes our offensive weapon, just as it was for our Jesus. As soon as He was baptized and His vocation to be the Messiah became clear, Satan went on the attack. But Jesus resisted him by countering each temptation with a promise of Scripture. And the devil left Him.

It is in this submitting and resisting that all objections are overcome, and you are free to pursue God’s call on your life without hesitation or delay.

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

– James 4:7

DISENTANGLING CHRISTIAN VOCATION FROM OCCUPATION

Most often, vocation, one’s “calling,” is associated with a young person beginning to consider a field of study leading to an occupation. The questions can go something like this: What do I enjoy doing? What do I like to study? Can I earn a living doing this activity? What opportunities are available at the beginning of my career? Are there prospects for advancement? These questions are worthy of reflection. But while vocation and occupation are related, they are not synonymous.

Vocation has more to do with how a person lives out the Christian faith. In Baptism, a person is adopted into the family of God, and called to serve in His name. In the Affirmation of Baptism, the question is asked: “Do you intend to continue in the covenant God made with you in Holy Baptism: … to proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed, to serve all people, following the example of our Lord Jesus, and to strive for justice and peace in all the earth?” In moving from occupation to vocation, the focus shifts from self to others, and that is precisely where the excitement begins.

To serve God and others through our lives adds a whole new level of meaning. Mundane activities take on new purposes. Pulling weeds in the garden to feed your family; changing diapers for the health of your daughter; grading papers for your students’ learning; laying sewer lines for the sake of the city can amount to more than doing a job. These activities represent the different ways we are called to care for people and for the world in which we live for the sake of Christ.

Some people have been called to serve Christ and His Church in ordained ministry. God calls, a person discerns, and the Church ratifies. It sounds so simple. It rarely is. There is usually a long period of saying “yes,” then “no,” then “yes.” Sometimes the discernment process persists while a person is pursuing an entirely different career. However long it takes, the Office of Holy Ministry offers unique opportunities to fulfill the Christian vocation to care for God’s people. To be invited into people’s lives at their times of greatest joy or deepest sorrow is a privilege and an honor. To lead a congregation in worship of the Triune God and to encourage them to care for people in need around the world is part of this divine calling. I am thankful that God called me to ministry.

What about when pastors reach the time of retirement from full-time parish ministry? Is this the end of God’s call? Filling in from time to time with pulpit supply or for interim ministry is not the same as ministering full-time. Some pastors are specially trained for interim ministry. It is a calling in itself. Nevertheless, serving our Lord has no end. The vocation may broaden or even end up mirroring that of the laity. Inasmuch as the ministry of the laity and that of the clergy are both vitally important, such a transition can itself be a gift. Each of these Christian vocations reinforces and coordinates with the other.

Wherever you are in your life, give serious consideration to this question:

“How is God calling you into ministry?”

The Rev. James T. Lehmann sts NALS Regent / Pastor, Immanuel Lutheran Church (Flatvillle, IL)

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THE CHRISTIAN VOCATION

A CALLING TO HOLINESS... AND HOPE

Paul Blowers

In the early Christian period, several biblical interpreters exploring the details of the creation story in Genesis 1 (called the Hexaḗmeron/ Ἑξαήμερον) or six-day creation account) noticed many subtly important nuances in the text that carried significant meaning for the Church. In the Septuagint’s Greek translation of the original Hebrew, for example, they noticed in Genesis 1:26–27, the creation of humankind, that not only did the text have the Creator referenced in the plural (“Let us create humanity…”), usually understood as the whole Trinity involved in the creation, but there was also a distinction between the “image” and “likeness” of God in which humanity was made. The “image” (eikṓn/εἰκών) appeared to be primarily a natural God-likeness in humans’ created nature; but the Greek word usually translated “likeness” (homoiôsis/ὁμοίωσῐς) is more accurately rendered

“assimilation.” Many of the Greek Church Fathers, who favored the Septuagint as the truly inspired scriptural text, took this to mean that the divine “image” is the divine gift of God-likeness endowed in human nature, while the “likeness” had to do with humans’ process of growth through this life in assimilation to God.

Our true likeness to God is something that must be actively pursued and perfected. Assimilation to God is our long-term vocation as human beings gifted with reason, free will, and deep-seated desire.

Even Plato had spoken of the soul being summoned to “assimilation to God so far as possible” (Theaetetus 176b). However, various ancient Christian authors like Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Gregory of Nyssa, and others, though appreciative of certain aspects

Dr.

Dean E. Walker Professor of Church History, Milligan University

“Assimilation to God is our long-term vocation as human beings gifted with reason, free will, and deep-seated desire.”

of Platonism, focused on the fact that Christians’ assimilation to God, being their lifelong vocation, not only required a whole regimen of moral and spiritual disciplines, but that the ultimate perfection of humanity had “arrived” in the person of Jesus Christ.

By this account, Christ was not only the model of human integrity and virtue, worthy of imitation, He was the new Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45–49; Romans 5:18–21) who in His incarnation, cross, and resurrection transformed humanity’s very future, both rectifying the disobedience of the first Adam and his progeny and opening them to a glory never achieved in the primordial paradise of Eden. For this reason, many early Christian theologians were as interested — if not more so — in the vocation of humanity as in human nature as such. Even though various writers used the language of humanity’s universal task being a “return” to paradise, the hard existential fact was that the past could neither be recovered nor “fixed” after the fact of the Fall. Human history moved relentlessly forward, such that pining after a “paradise lost” could never suffice. Christians needed to face the future with confidence in, and assurance of, the faithfulness of God supremely demonstrated in Jesus Christ. They were called to live out their own faithfulness before God, in

all the different forms that it would take: continuing repentance, death to self and self-interest, obedience to Christ’s commandments, inculcation of Christ’s virtues and overall holiness, abiding participation in the sanctifying worship and Sacraments of the church, and so on.

The apostle Paul himself had already emphasized the future-oriented character of the Christian vocation. In Ephesians in particular, he meditated on the magnificence of the Creator’s plan for the human race. Even before the foundation of the world, Paul declared, God had “chosen” humanity to enjoy His grace, “that we should be blameless and holy before him” (Ephesians 1:4). “He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will” (1:5). “We who first hoped in Christ have been destined and appointed to live for the praise of his glory” (1:12). Simply put, our human vocation is the active worship and enjoyment of our Creator. Further into Ephesians, Paul accentuates the fact that our human “calling” is a calling to hope (1:18).

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love, eager 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 that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all.

– Ephesians 4:1–6 rsv

The early Church persistently sought to maintain the vocation of all Christians. Being a part of the Church — by definition, the community of the “called out” ones (ekklêsia/ἐκκλησῐ́ᾱ) — is a matter of living up, through faith and holiness, to a hope in the God who is always doing a “new thing” among His people (Isaiah 43:19; Revelation 21:5), guiding believers into an uncertain but ever promising future.

St. Gregory of Nyssa (335–395)

VOCATION AS MARTYRDOM

Dr. David Luy Associate Professor of

When a hurricane approaches the coast of Florida, wise coastal homeowners make diligent preparations. For a Midwesterner — I grew up in Illinois but visit my in-laws in Miami twice each year — it is a rather strange scene to behold as locals brace themselves for crisis with no visible indication of impending calamity. Where I come from, stapling plywood to window frames when it is partly sunny with a gentle breeze is not generally considered normal behavior. Floridians behave in this manner because they know something about the destructive force of a hurricane. They know from experience it is foolish to ignore the approach of a severe storm with glib indifference. They also know that the best time to prepare for a hurricane is precisely before it hits, while the sun is still shining and everything looks fine. Prudence sometimes requires behavior that appears strange to one’s neighbors.

Christians are called by God to bring their lives into alignment with theological truths and realities, many of which are likewise opaque to present experience. Doing so can be a struggle, for the world, the flesh and the devil tell us a very different story about what is true and what is real — and they insist it is utter foolishness to forsake their counsel. It is not easy to obey God when wickedness seems to prosper (Psalm 73). It is not easy to trust God when enemies mock, saying: “where is your God?” (Psalm 42). It is not easy to hope in God when it feels as if the “right hand of the Most High has lost its power” (Psalm 77:10). A life aligned to the reality of God sometimes looks (and feels) rather strange indeed.

The erosion of cultural incentives in support of Christian self-identification in the late modern West is forcing the church, and individual Christians, to decide in a more acute manner than perhaps ever before what we truly believe to be most real. Sometimes the

“Saints are such as show clearly and plainly in their lives and deeds and in their very being that God lives.”

Nathan Söderblom

The Living God

Systematic Theology

choice confronts us in dramatic moments of decision which call for heroic faithfulness. So it was for Ignatius of Antioch, Perpetua, Polycarp, Nicholas Ridley, and Richard Wurmbrand, men and women who decided in their own historical contexts it was better to suffer and even to die rather than to renounce Christ for the sake of transitory comforts. More often, the question concerning what is most real is processed at the level of what we might call “life trajectories,” the daily rhythms, patterns, investments and priorities which give shape to a person’s story.

With this, we come to the doctrine of vocation. Vocations are durable trajectories of faithfulness carried out within particular fields of activity — Christian faith lived out as a neighbor, as a physician, as a mother, as a teacher, as a citizen, and so forth. The concept of vocation serves as a salutary reminder that the Christian life is not simply a matter of isolated decisions aggregated from one moment to the next. It involves what Eugene Peterson has somewhat famously referred to as a “long obedience in the same direction.”1 The doctrine of vocation also teaches us that a life of alignment with the reality of God and His plan of salvation need not be achieved at the cost of flight or escape from the world. Christ died for the world, and He summons His followers to lives of responsible service to the world, often precisely in the places where God’s grace has found them.2

Christian vocations can be understood as a kind of martyrdom in the sense that they bear witness — often in costly ways — to the reality of God and His coming kingdom in the midst of one’s neighbors. The concrete shape of an individual’s vocation will differ in all sorts of ways from one context to the next. But all permutations of authentic Christian vocation will share in common a certain, characteristic strangeness. A life lived in subjection to the rule of a crucified king will inescapably find itself out of step with the values and priorities which govern the present order which passeth away (1 John 2:17; 1 Corinthians 7:31).

Our natural tendency may be to prioritize extraordinary instances of Christian faithfulness such as the examples of heroic self-sacrifice mentioned above. It is right to celebrate such stories, but in doing so we must not fail to recognize, and to acknowledge the depth of cost and the potency of witness generated by the quiet resolve of “ordinary” saints who seek to configure their lives to God over long expanses of time. Bo Giertz offers a helpful reminder in this respect.

“[The] true saints look very small in the eyes of the world. Their hands are callous from coarse everyday work, their time is occupied with trivial chores, and their silently done great deeds are not suitable some sensational witness in a general meeting. They do not see their saintly glory in the mirror. They require a lot of forgiveness and suffer from weakness. Yet they have known their Lord and loved him. Yet all around them there has grown up a generation that cannot doubt that God lives.” 3

May the Lord grant each of us strength and courage by His Holy Spirit to live in such a manner as bears powerful witness to our neighbors that God is real.

1. Eugene H. Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society, 20th Anniversary Edition (Downer’s Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2000).

2. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Ethics, Reader’s Edition (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2015), 290.

3. Bo Giertz, A Shepherd’s Letter (Irvine: 1517 Publishing, 2022), 139.

Bishop Bo Giertz (1905–1998), Swedish Lutheran bishop, author, and theologian.

SPRING 2023 LUTHERAN WEEK AT THE

DISCERNING GOD’S WILL

DISCERNING GOD’S WILL

When considering decisions about vocation or the person we will marry, Christians are often told to “seek God’s will.” We are encouraged to look for ways in which God may be directing us regarding which school to attend or which house to purchase. Sadly, this quest to discern God’s will regarding the details of our lives has become a source of anxiety and even paralysis for many believers, who fear displeasing the Lord.

An important question, then, is “How can we know if the Lord has willed something or not?” Martin Luther taught about God’s will in two ways, distinguishing His “hidden will” from His “revealed will.” God’s hidden will refers to His sovereignty and reign over all things. Nothing happens that is outside of God’s perfect plan. But it is hidden because we cannot know for sure that something is God’s will until it comes to pass.

“…for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose…’”

– Isaiah 46:9b–10

For Luther, God’s hidden or secret will is contrasted with His revealed will.

“God does many things which He does not show in His word, and He wills many things which he does not in His Word show us that He wills … At present, however, we must keep in view His Word and leave alone His inscrutable will; for it is by His Word, and not by His inscrutable will, that we must be guided.”1

From the Scriptures, we know that it is God’s will for us to love our neighbors, act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with Him (Micah 6:8). We know that it is God’s will that we have no other gods before him, that we do not murder, steal, kill, cheat, lie, slander, or covet.

In twenty-first century Christianity, the work of “discovering God’s will” for one’s life typically involves intense prayer and reflection, as the baptized look inside themselves for a feeling or insight that confirms the “right” decision. Or they look to events and signs that God may be using to help them find the “right” direction. But feelings can be deceptive, and interpreting signs can be tricky.

Of course, this is not to say that we should not pay attention to feelings or to the circumstances in which we find ourselves. Rather, if one is to have certainty and assurance regarding God’s will, then Scripture must be our guide. The Holy Spirit speaks to us a word that

1. Martin Luther, “The Bondage of the Will,” in LW 33:139.

The Rev. Jeff Morlock Director of Vocational Discernment

comes from outside ourselves, proclaimed in sermons and studied in community with others. The Holy Spirit speaks through an external word, often from the lips of fellow disciples.

Discernment is not like trying to hit the small center circle on a distant dart board. It is listening for God’s external word while walking by faith and in freedom, knowing that God is always at work for our good, for His glory, and for the upbuilding of His kingdom. As a quilter, my wife has taught me that, while the tangled, seemingly random threads on the back side of an oldfashioned quilt may seem to be without pattern or purpose, the front side always tells a beautiful story. The God of the Gospel weaves together our contingent choices and even our trials and sufferings into an intricate, purposeful tapestry of grace.

“For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. For all the promises of God find their Yes in him” (2 Corinthians 1:19–20a).

God’s great “Yes” to us in Christ guarantees that our decisions cannot thwart God’s purposes. Even our worst blunders can never prevent God from accomplishing what He wants to achieve. Therefore, in discernment, by all means pray, “Thy will be done.” Listen, seek, pay attention, be open. And walk in faith, knowing that God will work out His purpose.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

– Proverbs 3:5–6

NATHAN YODER AND GORDON-CONWELL JOIN THE NALS

The Executive Council of the North American Lutheran Church (NALC) is pleased to announce the call of the Rev. Dr. Nathan Howard Yoder sts as a full-time faculty member of the North American Lutheran Seminary (NALS), alongside the addition of the Charlotte campus of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (GCTS) to the NALS Network. The NALS Board of Regents made these recommendations to the Executive Council in a joint meeting in May.

Pastor Yoder will join the NALS faculty as a fulltime teaching theologian as well as serve as director of the Lutheran Studies at the GCTS Charlotte campus. Yoder previously served as an adjunct faculty member for the NALS, most recently teaching a course

entitled “Congregationally Focused for Congregational Renewal” in summer 2022 with the Rev. Dr. Andrew Weisner sts. He will continue to serve as pastor of St. Martin’s Lutheran Church in Maiden, North Carolina. The addition of GCTS to the NALS Network will benefit the NALC greatly. Its Charlotte campus brings a southeastern seminary into a network that stretches across the United States and Canada, providing opportunities for regional theological and pastoral formation across the entire NALC. GCTS will especially serve the Carolinas Mission Region of the NALC, as the Charlotte campus of GCTS sits within the district.

Read the full article here

THE CALL OF GOD

FINDING VOCATION AMIDST THE VANITIES OF THE WORLD

What is a call? What does it mean to have a vocation? These are questions that I have pondered over the last several years during my undergraduate studies as I prepped to start seminary and to begin walking the path to ordained ministry. When I first felt the call to ministry, I was finishing up my senior year of high school, and I had the recurring thought and nudge deep in my being that I had to preach. At this point I had signed up to go to Ohio

Northern University for their 3+3 Criminal Justice and Law School program. As the call kept up and didn’t go away, I started to make excuses, saying I could preach to my clients as a lawyer and minister to them that way. This is a mighty fine and venerable way to preach the Gospel to those in your reach, but that is not what God had in His plan for me. As the months wore away, I graduated high school and entered my last summer of freedom as a kid before college. I started working at McDonald’s as a fry cook and absolutely hated it. I thought to myself, “Isn’t it a good thing that I am going to college and then law school! I’ll never have to work a job like food service again!”

Before I knew it, the summer was over, and I moved away from home and to my freshman dorm for band camp. I quickly adjusted to my new home and met lots of people. One of the first questions on a college campus that you’re asked by a new person is, “What is your major?” I’d happily chirp away talking about the Criminal Justice program, law school, politics, and running for office as soon as I was old enough to do so. This all quickly changed as band camp came to an end and the semester started. Not wanting to lose ground in my faith walk,

Seminarians Dale Stanley and Ethan Zimmerman lead an evening prayer service.

Ethan Zimmerman

M.Div. Candidate, NALS Seminary Center at Trinity School for Ministry

I decided to attend a worship service put on by a campus ministry group on the Thursday of the first week of the semester. During that service, the call to ministry went from the sweet and floating sound of a wind chime to a boisterous organ pumping out the beginning melody of a hymn and it became difficult to ignore. The preacher for the service spoke on purpose and vocation, and at about the half way point of his sermon, I couldn’t take it anymore. The arrogant denial that I had been giving to God for the last several months came to an end. I realized that what God wanted me to do was not just some alternative career or another path for my life, but the only one that I could walk with any degree of contentment. After the service I quickly called my grandparents crying and told them, and they were delighted, telling me they knew it all along. I found relief that the internal call that I felt was confirmed by them and that it wasn’t some odd interest that I was entertaining.

Soon, I started the journey of preparing to go to seminary, switching my major to religion, working for the campus chaplain as an intern at a local soup kitchen/thrift store making food for the local kids during the summer for a free lunch program (the Lord has a good sense of humor with that one), and eventually working as a mentor at the NEXUS Institute, walking with high schoolers for

The first thing I learned is that a call from God is sacred. God does not wantonly make decisions or do anything recklessly (contrary to what some popular songs suggest). When God calls you to a vocation, which could be anything, it is because He wants you to do His work and will. While many different people can do the job in a similar manner, you are the one chosen by God in His providence for it, and that is what is sacred about it. The sacred character of a vocation makes it unique in the one called to it, as it gives the person purpose and clarity as to why they do what they do. Pastors are called to lead a congregation because the congregation is a flock that needs spiritual counsel, wisdom, and direction, to be uplifted in the faith. Nurses are called to give special care and attention to those that are suffering physical ailments that can be soul shattering in their severity. Teachers are called to guide and educate youth, to help them mature into adulthood. Whatever the vocation may be, it is sacred because God is the one that ordains it and if it is sacred, it should not be taken lightly, but with the utmost seriousness, “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).

a week as they learned about ministry. From the time I started my vocational journey until now, I learned a few things about what it means to follow God’s call.

The second thing I learned is that a call from God will take you where you don’t expect. I never thought that I would be where I am now when I was graduating high school. I expected to be halfway through law school and preparing for a career in the criminal justice system and eventually civil government. I never expected to meet the people that I have, minister to them, and having them minister to me in return. I never expected to walk so deeply into the faith to receive backlash and hatred from those who despise God and the faith as a whole. I never expected to move away to a different state to pursue my calling. Out of all the unexpected things that have happened, I have never once been abandoned by the One who called me. The Lord has walked with me every step of the way, for, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22–23).

Ethan and fellow NALS classmates with Bishop Selbo in March 2023.

The third thing I learned is that following a call from God is not an easy endeavor. To pursue the call that God has put on your life is no cake walk. If your vocation is sacred and is to be taken seriously, many aspects of the call must be approached in a thoughtful and diligent manner, requiring that you put in the hard work. In my case, I must be diligent in my studies at seminary, so that I can absorb the lessons and knowledge, the habits and dispositions necessary to pastor a church. If your vocation involves unexpected variables, you must be ready to adapt and to face obstacles and challenges that come your way. If you knew exactly what to expect, you wouldn’t have to put any trust in God, because you would be able to prepare adequately ahead of time when trouble came your way. Thanks be to God that we are not alone in this endeavor! For though it might be nerve-wracking to go out into the unknown when following God, we should take heart, for the One who calls us will also equip us, for we may have our doubts like Moses, but God says to us, “Then the Lord said to him, ‘Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?

Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak’” (Exodus 4:11–12).

When pondering what a call means, what does a vocation truly entail, take these things into consideration. If you are truly feeling called to go forth into a direction such as ministry, does it make you squirm and want to run away and deny it like I tried too? Do you feel like what you’re doing now is sacred, or perhaps you feel drawn in a more serious direction? Do you feel like you are being drawn out into the unknown in pursuit of something greater, or are you dictating how your life is being run? Do you pick the easy road, avoiding anything difficult, or are you willing to take the deep dive, willing to trust the Lord when things are beyond your control? It doesn’t matter how old you are, what you are doing right now, or what you haven’t done, it is never too late to pursue the vocation God has been placed upon your life. Our God calls, will you answer?

Faculty and students from the NALS Seminary Center in Ambridge, Pennsylvania gather for the affirmation of call for President Riesen and installation of Dr. Luy and Dr. Pierce.

PREPARE FOR A LIFE OF MINISTRY

Prepare for a life of ministry with a Master of Divinity from the NALS. Expand your theological knowledge and gain practical ministry skills. Enroll today and start your journey.

THENALS.ORG/MDIV

MASTER OF DIVINITY

GETTING TO KNOW PASTOR ANDREW WEISNER

The Rev. Dr. Andrew Weisner sts is a pastor of the North American Lutheran Church, serving as a long-term interim pastor at Antioch Lutheran Church in Dallas, North Carolina; director of the NALC Carolinas Mission Region’s McDaniel-Yoder Center for Theology, a continuing education center for clergy and laity; and an adjunct professor for the North American Lutheran Seminary (NALS). He graduated from Lenoir-Rhyne College with a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy in 1979, and later returned to serve as the Dean of Campus Ministry from 1995–2020.

was a student of theologians Carl Braaten, Reinhard Hütter, and Fr. John Linnan as well as church historians Paul Rorem, Kurt Hendel, Bernard McGinn, and the Ukrainian Catholic historian Father Andriy Chirovsky. He earned his Ph.D. degree in church history in 2006.

Though his doctorate is in church history, Pastor Weisner has found himself teaching his passion, the theology and practices of Christian worship. He’s taught PT670: Theology and Practice of Worship for two semesters online at the NALS. Being a church historian and teaching on worship, he says, “I actually do teach church history, just specifically the history of sacramental theology. How we understand worship is rooted in our history.” He has been thrilled to teach at the NALS and says “the students at the NALS are top quality.”

Pastor Weisner’s academic formation in seminary, at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg (LTS), was under the tutelage of Professors Eric W. Gritsch and Robert W. Jenson in church history and theology. He earned both his Master of Divinity (1983) and his Master of Theology (1991) degrees from LTS. Later, through the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, Pastor Weisner

When reflecting on vocation, the theme of the present issue of Word & Sacrament, he commented: “We all, through baptism, are called to one Christian vocation: love for neighbor and love for God. But I like to go even a little bigger than that. In an Athanasian kind of fashion, looking at the cosmos, we are all called to oneness with God. Our Christian vocation is that we are all called to oneness with God and unity with the Trinity.” It’s keeping that end in mind that centers Dr. Weisner’s pastoral and teaching ministries. For him and the entire NALS community, the end of all of our doctrines and practices is union with the one triune God.

“Our Christian vocation is that we are all called to oneness with God and unity with the Trinity.”

Pastor Weisner teaching during a June InterTerm class at the NALS Seminary Center.

ORDINATION UNDER SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

At the heart of Ordination Under Special Circumstances (OUSC) is the unique special circumstance surrounding the congregation, the ministry, and the person seeking to serve either or both of those entities. To think of OUSC as a program or curriculum designed to provide a streamlined path to ordination for an isolated individual, is to miss the underlying goals that support the vision. A quick scan over the landscape of our denomination reveals numerous congregations and ministries that are shrinking, perhaps even struggling, but still have members who need to be served and communities that need to experience the love of Christ at work.

I might never have expected it, but events began to unfold later in my life that put me in the crosshairs of a special circumstance. My life’s experience, my background, and my walk of faith together prepared me to help. By the time 2020 rolled around, I found myself widowed, an empty nester, and, because of COVID-19, looking at early retirement. As I thought about what might be next, I sensed the Lord saying that He still had work for me. Was this God nudging me to look at the possibility of entering the ministry? I wasn’t sure. A friend suggested that I reach out to Pastor David Wendel and find out what programs might be available through the North American Lutheran Church. Pastor Wendel told me about a plan the NALC was then putting together designed to prepare candidates for ordination in specific

ministries which a traditional path to ordination could not fill in a reasonable amount of time or at a salary the congregation could afford.

Ordination Under Special Circumstances (OUSC) is for NALC congregations in need of a pastor but have special circumstances. The OUSC Diploma from the NALS Seminary Center at Trinity School for Ministry is designed for students in OUSC with the North American Lutheran Church (NALC). Congregations and applicants interested in OUSC must first be recommended by the OUSC Committee prior to applying to the NALS.

Such was my case, and such was the special circumstance for Desert Springs Lutheran Church in city of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. Desert Springs was a small ELCA congregation, which had been served for eleven years by Father Peter Cacoperdo, a retired Episcopal Priest who had signed on in 2011 as the temporary, interim pastor. The timing, for me, seemed exactly right! It appeared that I was in just the right place, with the right background, to step in and give Father Cacoperdo well-deserved relief from his temporary duties. OUSC provided a path, the tools, and the timing, for someone like me to be in a position to serve a congregation like Desert Springs. It also allowed the congregation to transition from the ELCA to the NALC, thus facilitating the building of a new ministry while, at the same time, allowing an existing one to continue.

The Rev. Bobby Syner Pastor, Desert Springs Lutheran Church (Truth or Consequences, NM)

“DO NOT SAY ‘I AM ONLY

GOD IS CALLING YOU!

4 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.”

7 But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.

8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.”

9 Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.

10 See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”

VERSE 4

NOW THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME TO ME, SAYING,

• The Lord is speaking to Jeremiah, giving him direction. How has the “word of the Lord” come to you or how has the Lord spoke to you? In the past? In the present? Share your experience.

• Read John 10:3–4. Jesus is saying that we, his sheep, recognize His voice, that is the living God’s voice.

• How do you recognize Jesus through the Holy Spirit speaking to you? Are there practices you use to increase your ability to recognize His voice and hear His “words?”

.’”

”

JEREMIAH 1:4–10

The Rev. Wendy Berthelsen NALS Regent / Pastor, Hope Lutheran Church (Cedar Hill, TX)

VERSE 5

“BEFORE I FORMED YOU IN THE WOMB I KNEW YOU, AND BEFORE YOU WERE BORN I CONSECRATED YOU; I APPOINTED YOU A PROPHET TO THE NATIONS.”

• Like Jeremiah, these words in v.5 are words to you also. What is each of these phrases, these “words” from God saying? How do each of them make you feel? What do they say about how you are valued by our God?

1. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you…”

2. “Before you were born I consecrated you…”

3. “I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

• A “prophet” is a mouthpiece for God… a human through whom God speaks directly to others. The Lord is “calling” and “appointing” Jeremiah to be a prophet, to speak His Word to His people. The remainder of the book of Jeremiah in the holy Scriptures is the Lord speaking through Jeremiah to his people.

VERSE 6

THEN I SAID, “AH, LORD GOD! BEHOLD, I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO SPEAK, FOR I AM ONLY A YOUTH.”

• Consider that Jeremiah was very young when he experienced this. What is Jeremiah’s response? How does Jeremiah feel insecure or inadequate for what the Lord is calling him to do?

• How might you respond to God? How would you feel inadequate? Fill in the blanks. » “I do not know how to _____________, for I am only _____________.

VERSE 7

BUT THE LORD SAID TO ME, “DO NOT SAY, ‘I AM ONLY A YOUTH’; FOR TO ALL TO WHOM I SEND YOU, YOU SHALL GO, AND WHATEVER I COMMAND YOU, YOU SHALL SPEAK.

• How does God respond to Jeremiah’s objection and feelings of inadequacy? How does God respond to your objections and inadequacies? Fill in the blank.

» “Do not say, ‘I am only _________________.’”

• “… for to all to whom I send you, you shall go …” The words, “mission” or “missionary” come from the Latin word, “missio,” meaning to “send.” With these words, Jeremiah is being “called” and “sent” by the Lord God.

• “… and whatever I command you, you shall speak …” Who will give the words that Jeremiah will speak? Here the Lord God is assuring Jeremiah that He will provide what is needed for Jeremiah to fulfill his “calling” as a prophet (a mouthpiece for God).

• Read 1 Corinthians 1:25-31. In this passage, the apostle Paul is addressing ALL of the ordinary everyday Christian people in Corinth. Paul’s words are also God’s words spoken to you. Paul is implying that all Christians, including you, are “called” by our living God. What is your reaction to these words?

• Like Jeremiah, you are “called” by our living God. How does this make you feel? Is this a new thought?

• A call is a beckoning, a divine nudge towards your unique multi-faceted part in the mission of our living God. It is compelling. What is our living God calling you to be and to do? What is your unique part or role in the mission of our God?

DO NOT BE AFRAID OF THEM, FOR I AM WITH YOU TO DELIVER YOU, DECLARES THE LORD.”

• How does the Lord God’s word in verse 8 make you feel?

• Consider:

1. Often in the Scriptures when God “calls” someone for His mission and purposes, He tells them: “Do not be afraid…” Compare Luke 1:30-31 for another example.

2. “Do not be afraid…” is the most common phrase in the Holy Scriptures. Our Lord desires to take away our fears and inadequacies and use each of us in important ways for His mission and purposes.

• The prophet Jeremiah was persecuted greatly for the words he spoke on behalf of God. How might these words of promise (found in verse 8) spoken by God to Jeremiah when God called him … later give him confidence and peace to face this persecution and to continue serving God as a prophet?

VERSE 9

THEN THE LORD PUT OUT HIS HAND AND TOUCHED MY MOUTH. AND THE LORD SAID TO ME, “BEHOLD, I HAVE PUT MY WORDS IN YOUR MOUTH.”

• How does God help and provide for Jeremiah so he can fulfill His call as a prophet, speaking on behalf of God?

VERSE 10

“SEE, I HAVE SET YOU THIS DAY OVER NATIONS AND OVER KINGDOMS, TO PLUCK UP AND TO BREAK DOWN, TO DESTROY AND TO OVERTHROW, TO BUILD AND TO PLANT.”

• Here the Lord God gives Jeremiah authority (the right and power to accomplish) and a picture of his coming prophetic ministry. What will Jeremiah’s ministry as prophet accomplish?

“Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.”

– Jeremiah 1:7

REFLECTION EXERCISE

Find a time and space to be quiet. Ask the Lord God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to speak to you, directing your thoughts and desires. Now read Jeremiah 1:4-10 again, slowly reflecting upon one word at a time before moving to the next. Pay attention to the thoughts, feelings, and desires that come to you. These may be our living God, Christ Jesus through the Holy Spirit whispering to you, calling you. Then:

• Write a letter to God. Tell him your thoughts, feelings, and desires. Ask for His help with your fears and inadequacies. Offer your life to God as a living sacrifice, surrendering it to Him (Romans 12:1-2). Ask the Lord God to “call” you continually.

• God’s call involves your entire life: work, family, church, and the whole world, local to global. How is the Lord God calling you?

• Share your experience with a trusted Christian friend.

• Try this “Reflection Exercise” over and over. It will help you to develop and fine tune your ability to recognize and to hear our living God speak to you, specifically and personally. This exercise combines two practices used by Christians throughout the centuries: “lectio divina” and spiritual journaling. These time-tested practices have been helpful to many.

Now listen to our living God speaking to you and all ordinary Christians through this encouraging exhortation:

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, am earnestly calling you to walk in conformity with the worth and weightiness of the calling to which you have been called” (Ephesians 3:20-4:1).

CARDIGAN & COLLAR WE’RE STARTING A PODCAST!

Cardigan & Collar is a new podcast for those seeking to enrich their faith and pastoral understanding from the North American Lutheran Seminary (NALS). Hosted by Dr. David Luy and the Rev. Dr. Maurice Lee, Cardigan & Collar aims to bridge the gap between academia and practical ministry through theological conversations and pastoral insights. Launching in the second half of 2023, Cardigan & Collar is the perfect podcast for pastors, lay leaders, and anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of faith and ministry. Join us as we explore the intersection of theology and pastoral practice, uniting the church and seminary in one enriching journey.

Dr. David Luy The Rev. Dr. Maurice Lee

THEOLOGICAL CONVERSATIONS FOR THE ENRICHMENT OF PASTORAL MINISTRY