We have lost the sense of call in our society. At one time the sense of professional was one who professed or advocated for a certain aspect of life. When we sought our vocation, we were looking for our calling in life. But now we resist the idea of being called because it suggests a power outside of ourselves who is acting on us. It challenges our understanding of being free to make our own decisions.
It also suggests that we are accountable to some authority outside of ourselves. To be the people called by God through Christ provides a whole different perspective on the nature of the church. At a time when the church feels confused about who and what it is, I believe that a renewed understanding of the church as the called people of God may offer a revitalized sense of dignity to those who belong.
To be called by God in Jesus Christ means that we are part of something bigger than ourselves. In a society that increasingly makes people feel like little more than a number, there is dignity in being an important part of something greater than ourselves. “Now you are the Body of Christ and individually members of it.” (1 Corinthians 12:27)
The challenge of the church in our time is precisely to make people feel as if they mattered. As a member of this community, you have an important vocation or calling in relation to the other members of the community. The Reformation lifted up the concept of the “priesthood of all believers.” The power of the concept was to emphasize that each person was called by God to serve as a priest to the neighbor.
We all are called to minister to one another in Christian community. We cannot assign that responsibility to someone else and so be relieved of this responsibility. Our neighbor in the faith experiences God’s promise of forgiveness fulfilled in our acceptance and forgiveness. In an era in which the sense of community is breaking down all around us, this is an important task.
