Introduction to Lutheran Theology

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Introduction to Lutheran Theology

• Lecture 10
• God Calls You and Everyone Else
• Vocation

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• Reflection on journal entries from previous
• session God Cares for Us in Two Ways
• The Two Kingdoms

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This Session

• Today we examine.
• The meaning of the concept of vocation
• How vocation relates to our work

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Vocation

• voco latin meaning I call
• at Reformation referred to divine calling
  (ecclesiastical - orders)
• Luther expanded to the Christians calling.

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Law and Gospel

• God cares for this world through the Law.
  Important use.
• God establishes many different stations
  orders/institutions/offices/hierarchies.
• God is a great lord and has many kinds of
  servants
• fathers mothers
• servants
• lords subjects
• Pastors

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• three basic stations
• economic including marriage (pre industrial
  revolution).
• political
• ecclesiastical also including parents
• They are the means by which God creates and
  preserves humanity.
• They establish order, justice and peace in our
  world.

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Our Vocation

• The call to follow Christ leads not to any
  religious vocation removed from daily life, but
  instead it transforms the attitude and
  understanding one has of the situation in which
  one already is.
• The Gospel frees Gods people and motivates us to
  serve.
• Frees us for the good of our neighbours and this
  world.
• We are called back into the world

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• all of equal importance
• God calls each person to his/her station in
  life
• it is more than work includes parenting/
  teaching/ helper / etc.
• one may have various vocations
• part of vocation is our work

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Vocation a channel for love

• Vocation without gospel is only drudgery or
  condemnation, for then the purpose of the law as
  love for the neighbour will not be seen. However,
  love is drudgery only for the old self. The
  gospel invites us to see our vocation as a
  concrete way of expressing our faith not as a
  limitation on love but as a channel for it.
• http//www.elca.org/jle/articles/vocation/article.
  kolden_marc.html

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Radical change

• Luthers understanding caused radical change
• Monasteries emptied
• the education process changed
• Vocation job can self-serving life
• Still today Luthers wider understanding brings
  an amazing challenge task becomes huge.

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Gods working people

• God created people to work (Gen.11728, 215)
• work was created before the Fall and it was
  good!
• the Fall changed ones view/approach to work,
  but not the role (Gen. 317 19 Eccl 218 23)
• Along with work, God rested and created rest (Ex
  209)

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Work in the N.T.

• supports the call for work, but not for selfish
  gain, but as a response to THE call (Matt 625-34
  Luke 1613)
• Jesus accepted all legitimate work
• Paul promoted work as service (Acts 2033 35)
• all to give glory to God ( 1 Cor 1031 Eph. 41,
  428) c.f. selfishness is destructive (1Tim
  63-21)
• n.b. the results of idleness those who despise
  work (2 Thess 36 15)
• it is there to meet the needs of others (Acts
  61-7)

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Protestant Work Ethic

• Calvinistic background
• work is an opportunity to express faith
• gain was a manifestation of working to Gods
  glory
• later Puritans saw a direct correlation between
  success and salvation and between personal
  wealth and righteousness
• modern capitalism was legitamized by this concept

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But

• a misrepresentation of equal status of all
  calling
• can easily lead to despair
• unemployment is utterly destructive
• this tends to lead from service to selfishness
• theology of glory (security in achievement) and
  not a theology of the cross (solace in Christ)
• n.b. Job wealthy, yet suffered
• Jesus, Blessed are the poor (Luke 620)
• bigger barns can be destructive! (Luke 1214
  21)

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Some further points to ponder

• How do I know what God wants me to do?
• Changing jobs is that a denial of the
  Christian view of vocation?
• How can work be a witness to ones faith?
• At what age should I retire?
• Is retirement a vocation?

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What about unemployment?

• a real problem for christians?
• (solution is very much an economic one not
  particularly christian) discussion point.
• the care for the unemployed is very much the
  role of the christian need to be the voice of
  the voiceless
• must not link work and value / unemployment and
  non-value

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3 Suggested principles

1. Debunk the notion that the unemployed are losers
   (c.f. the danger of Protestant Work Ethic)
2. Church needs to lead the way in giving meaningful
   opportunity to those who are unemployed
   (encourage the christian businessman to consider
   the unemployed)
3. Revalue work does not have to be paid (c.f.
   volunteers / cottage industries) Humankind was
   created to be creative)

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Teaching as Vocation

• a call from God
• along with other callings
• a part of Gods care for the world be a good
  teacher
• in the Lutheran/Christian School it is seen as a
  call to serve Christ
• as servants of Christ teachers are priests
  bringing Gods will / rule into the lives of
  others (along with parents)

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• the Christian teacher brings his/her specific
  care (grace) so that the Holy Spirit is able to
  do his work!
• not just through teaching, but by being a
  teacher
• role relates to all areas of curriculum, because
  it relates to students
• the non-christian teacher can also be good at
  teaching
• the christian teacher operates under law/gospel,
  both personally and also professionally

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Journal/Reflection Topic

• By comparison to some European countries,
  teachers in Australia are poorly paid. That
  devalues the role of the teacher. Do you agree?

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Next Week Lecture 11

• Subject Gods principles are central to what
  you do
• Christian/Lutheran Ethics