Seeing Vocation
2nd MAY 2017
This evening, a group of 12 or so people from St Hilda's gathered round food and conversation to continue to describe and understand the nuances and subtleties of an unfolding communal vocation.Two summers ago, we discerned together as a church that we were being called to reach out from our comfort zones to the primary school children of the parish and their families. We had a simple aim and passion. To share the good news of Jesus with every single child of a primary school age over the next five years.
This shared vocation sprang from a sense of call which our Children's and Families' Missioner responded to about 12 months before we put together our vision document.
Tonight there was a great sense of affirmation of this vocation, to bravely and creatively engage with children and their families, both patiently and joyfully. Tonight was about 'seeing vocation'. We are learning together what it means to work as a team delivering different platforms for sharing the good news of Jesus' death and resurrection, forgiveness and new life.
When people ask 'what is vocation?', I find it helpful to put flesh on the bones, reality on the theory. Vocation looks like the picture above. This is a prayer wall. It comes from a Prayer Space event with a school. It represents the unleashing of prayer, the prayers of school of children. It is made possible by one person responding to God's call. And that obedience leads to a multiplicity of outcomes. It is like a blossoming of a thousand flowers, from one seed. It is estimated that an average sunflower has a seed head of between 1000 and 2000 seeds. From one flower comes the possibility of 2000 more flowers. Isn't that an amazing picture of the incredible impact that a single person's obedience to a vocation of God can look like. Looking at a sunflower seed head is 'seeing vocation'.
Looking at the picture of the sunflower what strikes me and has struck me many times before, but I had forgotten until I saw the image, is the beautiful pattern. In being itself the sunflower is not just beautiful, but intricate and it's potential 2000 seeds make a pattern that is of interest, not just for its regularity, but as a something that can be analysed mathematically and has its own precise and specific formula.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all that speaks to me of the pattern made by the people involved, with Mandy, in the work with families and children. Secondly it speaks of the pattern of everyone at Saint Hilda's making, being made into Gods's pattern. However, beautiful though the sunflower spiral is, it's too rigid and a dance is the pattern I see for us.
For some time I've thought that our calling is to be the people God made us to be and to be able to show our being made in God's image in our individuality, expressed in our unique personalities, gifts and skills, both human and divine and that our deepest calling is living out who we are. Today the emphasis is on doing that in community, together as Christ's body in this place.
The gardening expert in my house informs me that for sunflowers to grow tall and beautiful they need to be growing in a really sunny spot, be watered well, and be planted in rich fertile soil.
ReplyDeleteAs co-workers in a calling to work with families and children we need to have our gaze fixed on Jesus, the Sun of Righteousness, be fed by the life giving waters of the Holy Spirit, and have our work rooted in prayer, Scripture and worship.
As Eukd says, what a joy that is when we do it together, and God transforms and grows what we offer into something beautiful.
Like the sunflower that focuses on the sun, may our focus be on the son of God. Like the sunflower seeds that are arranged with adequate space to flourish while wasting a minimum of space, finding the right vocation, with God being our direction allows us to produce much fruit.
ReplyDeleteGal 5:22,23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.