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Sacrament and Vocation
"The Mass is ended. Go in peace to love and serve the Lord."
These are not simply nice words. We do not get to choose which action we will take. We are sent to love and serve the Lord. But, what does that mean? It means that each of us has a vocation, a calling, in which we serve Christ, and in turn make a difference in the world for Him.
The problem is that the organized church has fallen into the temptation of using the term "vocation" to refer to the clergy. We say that someone has a "calling", a "vocation", if they can navigate the ordination process and serve the Church as either a Vocational Deacon or a Priest. In this way, we have privileged the clergy as being the ones who are called to serve the Church, and by extension, Christ. This is both unfortunate and problematic as it creates a not so subtle distinction between the "professional Christians" (i.e. the clergy) and the laity.
In this environment, ministry is what the clergy do, and they alone are responsible for the life and growth of any single parish as it's their "job". And what do we do if we have risen through the ranks of local parish leadership? Why, the next step is to become a member of the clergy! Have you been a member of the Vestry? Can you read and prepare a budget? Have you served as a Warden successfully? Why you must be a priest or "at least" a Deacon! We need professional, organizational, Christians to run the Church and do the ministry!
This is not to say the Church does not need good priests and deacons, but this is wrong thinking, you do not have to be a priest or a deacon to have a calling, a vocation. Each of us has one. Clergy are not professional Christians. Every one of us is called to be one. We are called, and sent, to love and serve the Lord. This is our vocation. What differs is how we do this.
Whatever we do in our daily life, is the place where we love and serve the Lord. We are called to proclaim and live the Gospel in each aspect of our personal and professional lives. For us, there is no secular occupation, as each occupation is an opportunity to proclaim Christ in action.
We may be a ditch digger, or a highly paid professional, but we are called to dig those ditches, or live that professional life, for the glory of God and His Kingdom.
Let us go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
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