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October 20, 2005
vocation: the world's great hunger
there has been a significant amount of discussion today on at least Christian college campuses dealing with the question of vocation. we want to know who we are and the purpose we would best serve in our world. a popular way of framing the Christian vocation has been with frederick buechner's line: "the place where God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet."
this theological exploration of vocation certainly a worthy undertaking. but it seems that we might learn something from stepping back from the discussion. who is asking the question? to whom are we responding? in a more cynical view, the exploration of vocation may be just desperate attempt to conjure purpose within our plush middle class world of options. i was at a conference last week graciously provided by the lilly endowment, students from across the u.s. gathered to talk about what they thought vocation was all about. again, there were certainly worthy ideas, but is a comfortable hotel facility really where we best understand vocation?
this is what Jesus says about how we should live as his disciples: "if any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me..." (mk 8.34). Jesus teaches that our understanding of vocation begins by looking outside of ourselves. in an age of suffering and violence, ignorance and apathy, we must become aware of what the world needs.
walter bruggemann suggests that its is the prophetic embrace of pathos, the ability to grieve that breaks the numbness that the politics of oppression have instilled in us. we are within a society has become numb to the pain and suffering that exists among us and around the world. the old testament prophets gave voice to this pain in order to evoke consciousness in their people.
in taking up the cross, we are called to be people of compassion. compassion, that is, sharing "passion" or pain, is what Jesus demonstrated through his cruciform life. he shared with society's victims of injustice in their suffering, even to death as a political criminal on a cross on their behalf. Jesus "disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it." (col 2.15) as his followers, we must become aware of those victims today and share with them. we are to advocate for the poor and bring injustice to light.
the first question of vocation should not be how i might be most "me." Christ-like vocation is to give of ourselves, in love, to empower the underpriveledged that they might have the theological and financial/sociopolitical place to consider purpose. in denying ourselves, we may find a freedom we didn't expect. Jesus says we must lose our life in order to find it (mk 8.35). in serving the world's greatest hunger in Christ, we may discover ourselves.
Posted by Derrick at 05:40 PM | Comments (0)