Pastor's Corner: Celebrate, mourn, repeat

This week, Protestants (and even some Catholics I know) celebrate the Reformation, that period of time 500 years ago when an outspoken German monk named Martin Luther wrestled with the church and - kind of - won. In Luther's day, some of the clergy acted like crooked businessmen, selling salvation and stealing from the alms box. They got away with it because some pastors and priests claimed a special relationship with God. They asserted that their vocation was superior to everyone else's. All that was left for most of the laity to do was go to church like you'd go to the theater, watching silently as the clergy consumed communion and paying for the privilege on their way out.

Luther found this elevation of the priesthood to be morally and biblically unsound. To combat that belief, he made a distinction between a Christian's "office" - what we'd think of as a job - and a Christian's vocation. A Christian's office might be seamstress, banker, farmer, builder, student, pastor, etc., and no one office is dearer to God's heart than any other. Each job requires unique gifts and contributes to the ongoing business of living. There are a dizzying number of "offices."

But in Luther's view, there is only one Christian vocation that we all share: to serve and love God and neighbor in all that we do. It's right there in our baptismal vows. The tools of our trade, whether spreadsheets, painter's tape, textbooks, or branding irons, are the tools we use to live out our vocation of serving God and neighbor. For example, a Christian electrician doesn't proselytize to the shivering tenants in 24B; a Christian electrician makes sure his neighbors don't freeze. We all seek to marry our unique office with our shared vocation; so whether you work for a congregation or a college, you can do the Lord's work. It is our common calling.

In our time, Protestants and Catholics recognize that no "office" gives any particular standing in God's eyes. But I think we'd all agree that it's a beautiful thing when a person finds an "office" that perfectly fits their gifts and natural inclinations, and when they can easily live out their Christian vocation within their office.

That is part of what makes the recent death of Superintendent Craig Mueller so hard. I admit, I never met him, but I'd gotten so used to seeing him sitting in the back row of every high school concert or game I went to. He was always showing up, always supporting, always encouraging - at least from my perspective. Mr. Mueller seemed to join his office with his vocation in a way that brought joy and competency everywhere he went. What a gift he was to this community, and what an example of how to serve others with our own gifts.

This week, we celebrate how God is constantly reforming God's church and God's people. We celebrate how Martin Luther reminded us that God loves all his children, whether they wear a clergy collar or not. We celebrate that we all have an important role to play in the drama of life. And when we lose someone who is so suited to their office - whether its parent, spouse, friend, teacher, or superintendent - and so humble in their vocation, we mourn. We mourn the loss of a figure from our community whose office and vocation were so well matched. And in our collective and individual grief, perhaps we'll find a moment to remember and recommit to the calling of our vocation, whatever our office might be.

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Pastor Megan Hoewisch

First Lutheran Church