Walk Worthy of Your Vocation
And not only you have struggled, but for many, your families have as well. Your husbands and wives and children have postponed dinners, lost weekends together, and canceled vacations. Your boyfriends or girlfriends have learned to subordinate their desires in order for you to have more time to study. Your parents have wondered when you would finally be through with school. The effort of reaching this goal is not a solitary one, but a group effort.
But all of this effort, all this focused energy was aimed, at least in part, in getting you to this day – to graduation and your diploma. Today you move, at last, from the ranks of "students" to the ranks of "graduates", from the world of academia to the world of work. For many of you, those worlds have never been far apart – you have studied even as you worked, you have had your feet in both the world of work and the world of academia. But even for you, a decisive and important move forward is made.
Yet even while, in a real sense, graduation is a completion of a stage of preparation, it is perhaps even more a beginning. There is good reason that our graduation ceremony this afternoon is called a commencement service, for with it you will commence the work of the rest of your life. You commence the full time work of service to your family, your church, and your society. It is this idea of commencement that I would like to focus my thoughts on today. What should be nature of your work, now that the time of preparation is over? How should you, and all of us, shape our lives, as we attempt to participate constructively in our work, our churches, our society? And in what way does the education you received at Milligan prepare you more fully for your life work as a Christian vocation?
I. The Idea of a Vocation.
Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, addresses each of us with a bold charge. "I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of calling to which you have been called..." Or, as Marcus Barth translates this verse, "conduct yourselves as men (and women)worthy of the vocation to which you were called."
Note that Barth chose the word vocation here, which seems to place this verse firmly within the grasp of all of us. Most of us by this time have chosen, in either a very specific or more general way, a vocation. Perhaps that vocation is to be a teacher, or an accountant, or a business manager. But whatever your choice of jobs, your vocation is not just a job. Understood within the biblical concept, it is a calling.
The word vocation comes from the Latin vocare, to call. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the following definition as the first meaning for vocation:
"Action on the part of God of calling a person to exercise some special function, especially of a spiritual nature, or to fill a certain position; the fact of being so called or directed toward a special work in life; a natural tendency to, or fitness for, such a work."
Our vocation, that is our life-work, is one of the means by which God chooses to use individuals for His purposes. Your vocation is your calling to perform a special work, and it should reflect in some significant way God’s desire for you to be of service to one another. In other words, your work life, properly understood, is a spiritual calling that should enhance your life, your family’s life, and the lives of those with whom you work.
II. Diversity of Gifts.
As we all know, diversity is now one of the buzz words of our generation. Governments and public institutions have made a great effort to allow and encourage diversity in their workforce and constituencies. Perhaps no greater effort has been made for diversity than in higher education. Universities, especially public universities, for the past several years have emphasized the need for diversity in thought, and the in racial and ethnic makeup of student bodies and faculty. While this effort can become burdensome, with the search for diversity at times overshadowing the concern for competence or consistency, the desire to encourage diversity can and should be viewed as a positive trend in our public arenas. For the fact is that God is the great originator of diversity, and the church should be the locus of the most creative efforts in inclusive use of diverse people.
It is precisely this diversity that Paul reflects in his call for a Christian vocation. For behind the diversity of human skills and characteristics and interests lies a God who has given diverse gifts to humanity. As Paul puts it here in Ephesians, "To each of us was given grace according to the measures of Christ’s gift." Each of us is gifted / talented, and this talent is truly a gift from God -- we did not earn it, but we were simply granted it by God’s grace.
Consider the way Paul understands this diversity of talents. Here in Ephesians, he lists four, possibly five, specific talents: Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers (or Pastor-Teachers). These are different gifts, given diversely to different individuals. Some are called to go take the message to others in far lands. Others are called to interpret the current situation to others. Others are called to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. Others still are called to teach and care for individuals. These are very different gifts, each no less important than the others. In other letters of Paul, this diversity is described differently. In Romans 12, Paul says:
"For as one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we who are many are one body in Christ, and individually we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness." (Rom. 12: 4-8)
In addressing a very similar topic in his letter to the Corinthian Church, Paul says:
"Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All of these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses." (I Cor. 12: 4-11)
The central message of these scriptures, taken together, is clearly that God is the author of our talents, and He distributes these talents among us in various ways. Our diversity as individuals is part of God’s plan.
III. Unity in Diversity.
But at the same time, this diversity of gifts is by no means to become a point of division or segregation. Instead, the very diversity of gifts is given in order to lead us to become more functional as a group, especially in the church. Notice that in our Scripture reading, before even mentioning the diversity of Gifts, Paul emphasizes the need for unity: Because there is One Lord, one body, one faith, one baptism, we should act toward’s one another in a loving manner so that this unity that is God’s will be manifest among us. Only from the standpoint of recognizing the One God as the author of our gifts can we properly use them. We reflect God’s grace (that is God’s having given us Gifts) only when we serve others first.
Again, Paul’s message in I Corinthians amplifies this emphasis on unity as the context of our gifts and talents. Consider his admonition to a church which seems to have considered their individual gifts as "birthrights" or "opportunities to gain the upper hand":
"Indeed, the body does not consist of one member, but of many. If the foot would say, "because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body" that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear would say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them as he chose. ... But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care one for another." (I Cor. 12: 14-18, 24-25)
Paul’s emphasis is that, within the church, we have been given gifts that are to be used in service for one another, for the purpose of creating unity so that the church can truly do its work, that is of showing to the world that Christ is Lord. So Paul, in the Scripture reading from Ephesians can conclude his message about the diverse gifts God has given us with a strong statement of purpose. We are given diverse gifts, Paul says, in order that we might equip the saints for works of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.
Brothers and Sisters in the Lord, we have been gifted. We have received Grace from our Lord in many wondrous ways. We have received an education, we have received critical tools, we have received insight into the errors and successes of generations past, we have been granted abilities to lead, to teach, to manage, to analyze, to create, to compute, to write, to read, to listen, to speak ----- all in order that we might build up others in the body of Christ, all in order that we might help others do works of ministry, all in order that we might help one another grow up into the perfection that is Christ. In other words, we are all called to service. We all have a vocation in service. We have a vocation in helping others grow more fully, become more Christlike, in leading and exemplifying ministry in our daily lives.
IV. The Servant-leader.
What Paul is suggesting as the way we might live lives worthy of our vocations, our calling, might best be termed a Servant-Leader. Each of us has been called, in whatever profession we enter, to be a Servant-Leader, and not just in church but in every aspect of our lives – our churches, our families, our businesses, our classrooms. Not only does this make sense biblically, but it also makes good sense from a business and management sense. There is a strong and growing movement in leadership circles to encourage Servant-Leadership.
Robert Greenleaf was management consultant who first worked for A.T & T, and then after his retirement, as a teacher and consultant for Harvard Business School and the Ford Foundation. In 1970, Greenleaf wrote an essay entitled The Servant as Leader, which has helped spawn this growing interest in Servant Leadership. This essay was followed by one entitled, The Institution as Servant, and then Trustees as Servants. From these essays, and the works of other management theorists, a movement of servant leadership has slowly begun to form and grow. To support this growing movement, a non-profit institution, The Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership, was founded to do research on servant leadership and to educate business and educational leaders of its advantages. Today, funded by the Lilly Foundation and the Kellogg Foundation, the Center holds many workshops and training sessions to help government, business, and educational leaders learn about the benefits of servant-leadership.
What truly defines the Servant-Leader? Robert Greenleaf suggested that the difference between simply "leadership" and "servant-leadership" is "made manifest in the care taken by the servant – first to make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served." Greenleaf goes on to suggest that servant-leadership is best known by its fruits.
"The best test, and difficult to administer, is: do those served grow as persons; do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society? Will they benefit, or at least not be deprived?"
Robert Greenleaf’s definition of the servant-leader sounds a lot like a commentary on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians – that one should exercise one’s calling in order "to build up the body ... for works of service ... that all might come to maturity ... to the full stature of Christ."
What are the specific features of servant-leadership? In many ways they are simply ways of living out the life that Jesus showed us -- humility, concern for others above ourselves, honesty, integrity, care for the marginalized in society. But taken together, they provide a telling and meaningful way to transform the workplace, transform the church, transform the home. Larry Spears, the current chairman of the Greenleaf Center, has assembled what he calls the 10 commandments of Servant-Leadership. While these surely are not "gospel", they certainly do resonate with Jesus’ own example, and are eminently workable in today’s business and school environments:
1. Thou shalt not plug thy ears. Beyond traditional roles of communication and decision-making, focus on intensive listening. We need to learn to listen actively to what others say they need.
2. Thou shalt not condescend. Accept and acknowledge others’ unique gifts and spirits. You must empathize with co-workers and not reject them as people. We are all gifted, just in different ways, ways that strengthen our organizations.
3. Thou shalt not deny treatment. Just as individuals require healing at the interpersonal level, your organization is also an organism, and can be made whole by human effort. Individually and corporately we need constant effort, constant concern, constant care.
4. Thou shalt not force compliance. Big decisions are most effective when you persuade others to believe in your position and build consensus within the group.
5. Thou shalt not avert thy eyes. General awareness, especially self-awareness, strengthens your ethical understanding, enabling you to deal with complex issues more effectively.
6. Thou shalt not be short-sighted. Intuitive foresight of a given situation will help you comprehend lessons from the past, realities of the present, and likely consequences in the future.
7. Thou shalt not be thick. Nurture your ability to dream great dreams, thinking beyond day-to-day management realities. Without vision, the people die.
8. Thou shalt not thwart humanity. Be committed to the true value of people beyond their tangible contributions as workers.
9. Thou shalt not plunder. Remember that you hold your institution in trust for the greater good of society, and along with everyone else you are a steward of the organization.
10. Thou shalt not divide and conquer. Develop a greater sense of community among all members of the organization. Bring people together as one, just as God is One.
At Milligan, we believe that Christ can be Lord over all aspects of life – not just church, but also the business arena, the marketplace, the workplace, the schools, everywhere. And we believe that the Scriptures give insight into how we might order our lives and construct our society. We have tried to show that no aspect of life is excluded from God, that all of creation is under His care, his concern. And we have tried to instill in you the desire to think, to critically examine, and to be prepared for the changes that lie in store as you live out your calling, your vocation. But most importantly, our role at Milligan has been to help educate you so that you can go out and build up the body, to exhibit servant-leadership, to lead by example and thoughtful precepts, so that all might benefit, so that all might grow up into the full stature of Christ. If we have helped you in that role, then we also were servant-leaders.
V. The Charge to the Students to be Servant-leaders.
So this day, as you assume more fully you vocation, your calling, as servant leaders, stretch yourselves toward the measure of the full stature of Christ,
who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross. (Phil. 2: 6-8)
Exercise your unique gifts in order to build up others. Equip the saints for their works of service. Show the world that Christ still lives, in you, through you, and with you. And may the world be blessed because of your making the body of Jesus Christ visible to a world that still needs His love and care.