What is a "calling?"

We read in 1 Samuel the story of the young boy Samuel sleeping peacefully in the temple of the Lord... even though historically, the temple had not yet been built! Whatever... as with so much other "history" in the Bible, the story's factual accuracy isn't the point. The story serves to show what the nature of Samuel's "call" from God was all about. The portion of the story I have in mind ends by telling us that everyone came to acknowledge Samuel as a great prophet. Bear one other thing in mind: the term "prophet" doesn't just describe a teller of holy oracles; it was anyone who answered God's special call to them. "Prophet" was a term with many meanings.

The same is true with the word "calling." What is a calling, anyway? Basically, it's a communication from God to anyone—male or female—to do something specific for the good of the Reign of God. Some are "called" to ordained ministry and the road to that profession, in most churches, is deliberately difficult in order that the person may truly test their vocation. Ordained ministry is only one type of calling though and every person has a calling.  

Ok... so how does a person know their "calling?" Well, my friends, the only way to do that is to look inward and dig deeeeeeep. It means a lot of trial and error, it means a lot of stumbling. It also means a lot of joy on the way as well as a heap of pain. Along the way, the "spine" that has to run through the whole discovery process is prayer, meditation and, above all else, action. That, in a nutshell, is anyone's path to discovering their calling. 

We clergy are a minority in the church and for good reason: all baptised followers of Christ have their special calling to follow and that special calling has its place in the church, which is the body of Christ. The tragedy is that not all followers of Christ take an active part in their calling and leave matters spiritual to the priest or the minister. In the final analysis, just showing up to worship, whether it's a more "hip" worship experience with free Starbucks or a more traditional service with fewer "handouts," makes no difference whatsoever. That is not active faith, it is passive and unhealthy.

But being Christian isn't a passive thing and it's not just an elaborate game of "follow the leaders"; there's a world out there. In that world, justice has become a privilege of the few who can afford it. In that world, people are starving, not receiving basic medical care. In the seeking of justice, the feeding of the poor, the healing of the sick and all other outreach is where we can go out and make a difference. Just as important, we each, within the work of the body, find our "calling."