tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9069200.post1560068326305286637..comments2023-08-09T04:28:05.392-04:00Comments on A Pastor in the Parish: St. Andrew, Apostle—The “Peter Before Peter”GeekChurchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13734017463840940541noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9069200.post-58239402948751858162006-12-18T12:26:00.000-05:002006-12-18T12:26:00.000-05:00P.S.
The only thing I might say is that our vocat...P.S. <br />The only thing I might say is that our vocation don't change throughout our lives, but how that vocation is made manifest through our actions. <br />Peace.GeekChurchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13734017463840940541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9069200.post-49628954036787712632006-12-18T10:01:00.000-05:002006-12-18T10:01:00.000-05:00Thanks for the good post for several reasons. Fir...Thanks for the good post for several reasons. First, my son is named Andrew, and I sometimes forget about what the Biblical Andrew did. My son is more like Peter. Andrew must be like the older brother who is diligent, toes the line, is industrious, but is overlooked because the younger brother is "shiney." And all the glitters is not gold.<br /><br />Vocation: I have long felt that many jobs in our society are extremely necessary but not rewarded as such, by money or prestiege. Best example I can think of: cleaning people in the hospital. <br /><br />And no way are the CEOs of corporations worth 250% more than the worker bees. But they think they are, so they don't care when they outsource the factory to another country where the workers earn $.50/hour. They could cut their costs by cutting salaries at the top. But I digress....<br /><br />To me vocation, in the sense of God's calling, is in both the paid and unpaid work: taking care of my family and cleaning the toilets, volunteering with the children at church, as well as with the gifts, such as an artistic need to create something based on my God given talents.<br /><br />I think that our vocations can change over the course of our lives, just as the seasons of our lives change. If there doesn't seem to be some sense of purpose or happieness or fulfilment, at least sometimes in our paid work, well, that is a clue to reevaluate. God may be saying that there is a better place to use your time, whether in paid or unpaid work. <br /><br />It is all too easy to get dependent on the pay check because we paid too much with plastic. Then we feel stuck. That isn't vocation.LoieJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08083454353846306345noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9069200.post-54742501450579620612006-12-05T12:37:00.000-05:002006-12-05T12:37:00.000-05:00Well I am sorry to hear about that pebble... those...Well I am sorry to hear about that pebble... those can be d@mn uncomfortable! Andrew... the Mr. Cellophane of the synoptics. :) <br /><br />Grace and peace to you in this blessed Advent season.<br />BrianGeekChurchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13734017463840940541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9069200.post-69254460523034305962006-12-05T01:38:00.000-05:002006-12-05T01:38:00.000-05:00Hi Brian,
Thanks for the response. You're obviou...Hi Brian,<br /><br />Thanks for the response. You're obviously right about the call to discipleship wherever I am. I suppose I could use Paul's tentmaking as an example. I just can't help but wonder if there's something else I could be doing. So vocation tends to be a bit of a pebble in my shoe.<br /><br />It's appropriate that this comes up in the context of your discussion of St. Andrew. One of the things that fascinates me about Andrew is just how invisible he is in the gospels, especially the synoptics. We first meet him fishing with Peter, John and James, and then for the rest of the gospel we hear lots about Peter, John and James but, with one exception, not about Andrew. Given some of the things we read about Peter, James and John perhaps Andrew was doing well to be unmentioned, but in any event, I identify with him in his translucence.Andy Kaylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01863052203418450397noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9069200.post-80730051309874445642006-12-04T22:58:00.000-05:002006-12-04T22:58:00.000-05:00I think you have a really good point there. But I...I think you have a really good point there. But I think the problem with talking about vocation is that we sometimes are afraid to say that some vocations are really vocations after all. Sometimes a job is just a job. When I managed a camera store before I went to seminary, it was just a job. I was diligent, honest, and helped people be good stewards of the money they earned. But in the end I was not doing anything that was necessary. <br /><br />At heart, I think the problem with our discussion of vocation is that we still try to determine our worth through our vocation/job. That was not my intent in my posting. I want folks to understand the call of discipleship extends even to where they are working. And for some cases, I think a fresh perspective is helpful. I am not trying to show how some vocations are better than others. I will admit I can't stretch my notion of vocation to fit your job... but you are still sent to be a disciple even there.<br /><br />Peace,<br />BrianGeekChurchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13734017463840940541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9069200.post-53483609071705956332006-12-04T13:57:00.000-05:002006-12-04T13:57:00.000-05:00You know, I struggle with this idea of vocation. ...You know, I struggle with this idea of vocation. It works very well for the examples you cited, but there are other jobs where it seems you have to bend it a bit further.<br /><br />For instance, I'm a software engineer but the software I write doesn't do anything particularly essential. In a way it's part of the marketing machinery of the company I work for. For simplicity let's suppose I were literally in marketing and my job were solely to get people to buy my company's product instead of our competitor's. Where is the vocation in that?<br /><br />Now granted, I would still have the calling to honesty and integrity. I'd also have the basic calling of a husband and father to provide for my family. But could I actually connect my job to the kingdom of God?Andy Kaylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01863052203418450397noreply@blogger.com