Pastor Glen C. Bergson
Exodus 3: 1-15
Psalm 105: 1-6, 23-26 &45b
Romans 12: 9-21
Matthew 16:21-28
This weekend...this long weekend...of course...but...more specifically...on Monday...we are celebrating Labour Day...to be sure...neither a Church Holy Day...holiday...nor part of our Church Liturgical Calendar...yet and still...this Monday...Labour Day...is a day...that is celebrated...for the most part...not only here in Canada...but...a day that is celebrated all over the world...
The Labour Day holiday...is a holiday...that resulted from the efforts of the Labour Movement...and...it is intended to be...the Day...upon which we are called to celebrate...the economic and the social achievements of the worker ...of Labour...and...of course...today...not only organized Labour...but...all of labour...
Apparently...the Labour Day celebration had its earliest origins in what was
called the 8 (eight) hour movement...8 hours of work...8 hours of recreation ...and...8 hours of rest...In most parts of the world...the Labour Day Holiday is celebrated on May 1st...but...of course...here...in Canada...we celebrate the Labour Day Holiday on the first Monday in September...
Did you know that Labour Day in Canada had its origins back in April 1872..
when the Toronto Typographical Union workers staged a strike...strikes were not legal then...nevertheless...staged a strike in support of their working a 58 hour...yes...58 hour work week...Federal Labour Day Holiday Legislation was enacted in July 1894...
Yet and still...and...all Labour Day Holiday history aside...do you not think that it is reasonable to assert...that Labour Day has lost some ... perhaps... even lost much...of its lustre these days...simply said...do not many seem to regard the Labour Day Holiday event...more as a holiday event...rather than a Labour Day event...simply as...
- the final long weekend of the Summer...or...
- a weekend to close up the Cottage...or...
- the final weekend of freedom before School...or...
- the last big party blast weekend before classes...or...
- a day of STAT pay or double time pay...or...
- simply as an extra day to catch up on all the work that yet needs to be
done...
Labour Day...hmm??...doesn’t it seem...that we’re all...too busy working to be concerned about a Labour Day...indeed...in many respects...doesn’t it seem that we...and...here I mean the royal we...all of us...doesn’t it seem that...we have... really...given away...given back...lost ...much of what was gained by Labour...given away much of what this Labour Day Holiday was intended to represent...of course...all such reflection inviting us...to focus upon...our way of working and living...our way of living and being...and...of course...then...to try to answer the more faith-fully disturbing question that follows ...whether or not...in the midst of our now days...everyday...our always busy life style way of living and being...whether or not...we have lost our way...lost our true sense of vocation...lost our sense of call...lost our summons...our invitation...our way of living and being...as God’s People...in God’s world...
Truly...then...all such reflection...conversation...prayer... is well suited...for a
Labour Day Holiday weekend...in the middle of our Pentecost Season...also
remembering...that our Pentecost Season...our Faith Growing Season...calls
us...invites us...does it not...to reflect upon our...everyday way of living and
being in the world...to reflect upon our vocation...if you will...to reflect upon
our divine vocation...
In the very early Church...the teachings of the Church fathers like Origen and Augustine concerning vocation...equally were thought to apply...not only to every Christian...but...to every human being...In the following years ... though ...such an emphasis was lost...and much more emphasis came to be placed upon the Church vocation...the holy or religious orders...the divine vocation ...truly...the highest order of calling was thought to be the monastic life... and ...even though Luther and other Reformers sought to re-introduce the notion that every person...everyone...(aka...the priesthood of all believers...)...that everyone...regardless of occupation...was subject to divine call...however... the effect...the unintended effect of their effort was to suggest that vocation had merely to do with occupation...to be sure...a tragic misunderstanding...that still lingers...today...even in our Church...
To fast forward...then...into our world of today...haven’t the words vocation or career come to mean the same thing...and...isn’t much emphasis ...social
emphasis...now being placed upon education...training...career planning...
...goal setting...upon a person becoming highly effective...efficient...wealthy
profitable...success driven...goal oriented...clearly the focus being on personal choice...reasoned decisions...good management...and...if any doubts should exist...well...then...self-help books abound...How to Choose your Vocation ...Think and Grow Rich...7 Habits of Highly Effective people...How To Get What You Want...does that seem reasonable to you...??
Yet...clearly...such a methodology is quite contrary to God’s methodology...
the methodology that we encounter in the stories from our texts...especially
if we look at the likes of a Moses or a Peter...two who labour in the mystery
and wonder of God’s divine vocation...Quite contrary...indeed...to the systems- operations management theory approach...that we apply...to our vocational choices...in fact and in faith...a theologian friend of mine suggests that God’s divine call...to each and everyone of us here...can be characterized as follows
First...the idea of a call implies that an outside agent calls...God calls...or...
other words...one is the subject of a call...simply said...one does not choose
a career for one’s self...
Second...the call...the summons...the invitation from this other...from God...
often is...most often is...contrary to the will of the one who is called...or...in
other words...a God’s call maybe is contrary to the choice that the individual wants to make...
Next...invariably...the call always involves hardship...hardships...that must be overcome in order to respond to the call...and...
Finally...from the point of view of the one responding...the greatest danger ... really...appears...not so much in resistance as it appears in diversion...
Does that seem unreasonable...to you...??
Yet and still...these are the challenges that were faced by the likes of Moses
and Peter...and...today...these still are the challenges that are faced by each
of you...by everyone of us...God’s divine calling...reaching out...touching...
each and everyone of you...each and everyone of us...
Do we get right...do we always respond to God’s call...as we ought...as we
are called...well...of course not...just look at the dialogue between Moses and God...and...between Peter and Jesus...both...Moses and Peter ... clearly...misunderstanding the divine intentions and purpose of God’s call...God...goading Moses into his call...and finally...becoming so impatient...saying...look Moses...I AM who I AM...just do what your told...Peter...the one called to be the rock ...upon whom Jesus will build the Church...saying...when told of the death of Jesus yet to come...Jesus...you got it all wrong...and...thus being the subject of a stinging rebuke...Get behind me Satan...
Near the end of Deut 29:29...we hear these words...the secret things belong
to the Lord our God...but...the things...that are revealed...belong to us...and
...to our children for ever...that...we may do all the words of this law...or...in
much different words...in Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians (Ch 2)...for we are his workmanship...God’s workmanship...created in Christ Jesus for good works... the potter and the clay...our being made in the image of God...
On this Labour Day long weekend...then...my invitation to you...is... to ponder ...how you labour...for whom you labour...is...to ponder your vocation...your...divine vocation...not only as individuals...but as Church...here...in Airdrie...to ponder the divine call that God has placed in your heart...and while I will pray upon you...the blessed disturbance of God’s Holy Spirit...I also will pray upon you the love...and peace...and grace of our God...as you wrestle with God’s mighty and Holy ways...
When the Lord saw that he (Moses) turned aside to see...God called him...
Moses...Moses...and Moses responded...Here I am...Lord...send me...
Go in Peace...then...to love and serve the Lord...as unreasonable a vocation
and labour as that may seem to be for you...Thanks be to God...Amen
Pastor Glen
31 August 2008
Exodus 3: 1-15
Psalm 105: 1-6, 23-26 &45b
Romans 12: 9-21
Matthew 16:21-28
This weekend...this long weekend...of course...but...more specifically...on Monday...we are celebrating Labour Day...to be sure...neither a Church Holy Day...holiday...nor part of our Church Liturgical Calendar...yet and still...this Monday...Labour Day...is a day...that is celebrated...for the most part...not only here in Canada...but...a day that is celebrated all over the world...
The Labour Day holiday...is a holiday...that resulted from the efforts of the Labour Movement...and...it is intended to be...the Day...upon which we are called to celebrate...the economic and the social achievements of the worker ...of Labour...and...of course...today...not only organized Labour...but...all of labour...
Apparently...the Labour Day celebration had its earliest origins in what was
called the 8 (eight) hour movement...8 hours of work...8 hours of recreation ...and...8 hours of rest...In most parts of the world...the Labour Day Holiday is celebrated on May 1st...but...of course...here...in Canada...we celebrate the Labour Day Holiday on the first Monday in September...
Did you know that Labour Day in Canada had its origins back in April 1872..
when the Toronto Typographical Union workers staged a strike...strikes were not legal then...nevertheless...staged a strike in support of their working a 58 hour...yes...58 hour work week...Federal Labour Day Holiday Legislation was enacted in July 1894...
Yet and still...and...all Labour Day Holiday history aside...do you not think that it is reasonable to assert...that Labour Day has lost some ... perhaps... even lost much...of its lustre these days...simply said...do not many seem to regard the Labour Day Holiday event...more as a holiday event...rather than a Labour Day event...simply as...
- the final long weekend of the Summer...or...
- a weekend to close up the Cottage...or...
- the final weekend of freedom before School...or...
- the last big party blast weekend before classes...or...
- a day of STAT pay or double time pay...or...
- simply as an extra day to catch up on all the work that yet needs to be
done...
Labour Day...hmm??...doesn’t it seem...that we’re all...too busy working to be concerned about a Labour Day...indeed...in many respects...doesn’t it seem that we...and...here I mean the royal we...all of us...doesn’t it seem that...we have... really...given away...given back...lost ...much of what was gained by Labour...given away much of what this Labour Day Holiday was intended to represent...of course...all such reflection inviting us...to focus upon...our way of working and living...our way of living and being...and...of course...then...to try to answer the more faith-fully disturbing question that follows ...whether or not...in the midst of our now days...everyday...our always busy life style way of living and being...whether or not...we have lost our way...lost our true sense of vocation...lost our sense of call...lost our summons...our invitation...our way of living and being...as God’s People...in God’s world...
Truly...then...all such reflection...conversation...prayer... is well suited...for a
Labour Day Holiday weekend...in the middle of our Pentecost Season...also
remembering...that our Pentecost Season...our Faith Growing Season...calls
us...invites us...does it not...to reflect upon our...everyday way of living and
being in the world...to reflect upon our vocation...if you will...to reflect upon
our divine vocation...
In the very early Church...the teachings of the Church fathers like Origen and Augustine concerning vocation...equally were thought to apply...not only to every Christian...but...to every human being...In the following years ... though ...such an emphasis was lost...and much more emphasis came to be placed upon the Church vocation...the holy or religious orders...the divine vocation ...truly...the highest order of calling was thought to be the monastic life... and ...even though Luther and other Reformers sought to re-introduce the notion that every person...everyone...(aka...the priesthood of all believers...)...that everyone...regardless of occupation...was subject to divine call...however... the effect...the unintended effect of their effort was to suggest that vocation had merely to do with occupation...to be sure...a tragic misunderstanding...that still lingers...today...even in our Church...
To fast forward...then...into our world of today...haven’t the words vocation or career come to mean the same thing...and...isn’t much emphasis ...social
emphasis...now being placed upon education...training...career planning...
...goal setting...upon a person becoming highly effective...efficient...wealthy
profitable...success driven...goal oriented...clearly the focus being on personal choice...reasoned decisions...good management...and...if any doubts should exist...well...then...self-help books abound...How to Choose your Vocation ...Think and Grow Rich...7 Habits of Highly Effective people...How To Get What You Want...does that seem reasonable to you...??
Yet...clearly...such a methodology is quite contrary to God’s methodology...
the methodology that we encounter in the stories from our texts...especially
if we look at the likes of a Moses or a Peter...two who labour in the mystery
and wonder of God’s divine vocation...Quite contrary...indeed...to the systems- operations management theory approach...that we apply...to our vocational choices...in fact and in faith...a theologian friend of mine suggests that God’s divine call...to each and everyone of us here...can be characterized as follows
First...the idea of a call implies that an outside agent calls...God calls...or...
other words...one is the subject of a call...simply said...one does not choose
a career for one’s self...
Second...the call...the summons...the invitation from this other...from God...
often is...most often is...contrary to the will of the one who is called...or...in
other words...a God’s call maybe is contrary to the choice that the individual wants to make...
Next...invariably...the call always involves hardship...hardships...that must be overcome in order to respond to the call...and...
Finally...from the point of view of the one responding...the greatest danger ... really...appears...not so much in resistance as it appears in diversion...
Does that seem unreasonable...to you...??
Yet and still...these are the challenges that were faced by the likes of Moses
and Peter...and...today...these still are the challenges that are faced by each
of you...by everyone of us...God’s divine calling...reaching out...touching...
each and everyone of you...each and everyone of us...
Do we get right...do we always respond to God’s call...as we ought...as we
are called...well...of course not...just look at the dialogue between Moses and God...and...between Peter and Jesus...both...Moses and Peter ... clearly...misunderstanding the divine intentions and purpose of God’s call...God...goading Moses into his call...and finally...becoming so impatient...saying...look Moses...I AM who I AM...just do what your told...Peter...the one called to be the rock ...upon whom Jesus will build the Church...saying...when told of the death of Jesus yet to come...Jesus...you got it all wrong...and...thus being the subject of a stinging rebuke...Get behind me Satan...
Near the end of Deut 29:29...we hear these words...the secret things belong
to the Lord our God...but...the things...that are revealed...belong to us...and
...to our children for ever...that...we may do all the words of this law...or...in
much different words...in Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians (Ch 2)...for we are his workmanship...God’s workmanship...created in Christ Jesus for good works... the potter and the clay...our being made in the image of God...
On this Labour Day long weekend...then...my invitation to you...is... to ponder ...how you labour...for whom you labour...is...to ponder your vocation...your...divine vocation...not only as individuals...but as Church...here...in Airdrie...to ponder the divine call that God has placed in your heart...and while I will pray upon you...the blessed disturbance of God’s Holy Spirit...I also will pray upon you the love...and peace...and grace of our God...as you wrestle with God’s mighty and Holy ways...
When the Lord saw that he (Moses) turned aside to see...God called him...
Moses...Moses...and Moses responded...Here I am...Lord...send me...
Go in Peace...then...to love and serve the Lord...as unreasonable a vocation
and labour as that may seem to be for you...Thanks be to God...Amen
Pastor Glen
31 August 2008
No comments:
Post a Comment