Vocation, Gratitude, and Joy: Don’t Be Afraid

By: Donnell Wyche – August 18, 2019

Preamble and Welcome
We’re so glad you are here with us this morning. We’re grateful for you and the gifts of God that you bring with you into this space. Together we’ve been welcomed into God’s family through Jesus. As we become the people of God, we choose to reflect God’s love in our gratitude, in our joy, and in our generosity as we navigate the complexity of our daily lives. We pray that whether this is your first time with us this morning, or you’ve been a part of our community for a while, that you will feel the invitation of the Holy Spirit to join in with our vision. If you are looking for a church home, we would love to be your church home, and I, in particular would love to become your pastor.

Where deep gladness meets the world’s deep hunger.
Have you ever had a child ask you the same question over and over again? Well for about a month, one of the little people I live with has asked me everyday, what’s my favorite thing to do? At first, I didn’t understand why I was being asked daily, but I quickly realized that this little person was trying to get to know me. At first I replied with reading. Then biking. Then cooking, but as the question kept being asked day after day, I realized that this was deeper than just what I enjoy or like to do; this question was getting at some else. It was a question about what I was made for, what we might call, vocation. After many days of this question and some processing on my part, I finally responded with “helping people reach their destiny and solving problems.”
Over the next several weeks we are going to consider vocation, gratitude, and joy. To be grateful is to recognize, acknowledge, and accept that we are the recipient of a gift. The most basic gift we receive is life itself.
You are the giver of life.
Your light lets us enjoy life. (Psalm 36:9, NCV)

When things are going our way, it is easy to see our lives as a gift, however, the growing edge of our discipleship is to see life as a gift even when things aren’t going our way. The practice of gratitude allows us to keep our hearts open regardless of whatever comes our way. And there’s a bonus, we are transformed into joyful people when we practice, integrate, and embody gratitude.
Frederick Buechner says that vocation is found “where your deep gladness meets the world’s deep hunger.” Put another way, “vocation is found where your greatest joy meets the world’s deepest need.” A lot of people I love and trust do not like this description of vocation, but I keep coming back to it because in many ways I have found truth in it.
STORY: This summer I got a last minute invitation to speak during InterVarsity’s Leadership Institute–a month-long leadership development training camp. Since this was our second time at Cedar Campus, we were excited to return to Cedar Campus and spend time serving and relaxing on the banks of Lake Huron. Cedar Campus is 500 acres of dense forest, beautiful shorelines, and a spacious bay. Our kids were especially happy to return to Cedar Campus. We all had a great time, but there was a moment where I realized that the Wyches were all fearlessly practicing our vocation that week. A friend and congregant who was up at camp remarked that our kids weren’t just happy, they were radiating joy. At one point, it occurred to me that my eldest daughter had taken over the activities of the other kids at camp. She wrote, directed, and produced a play during the week we were at camp, including getting parental permission from all of the participants. I had this moment of clarity and could only remark, Wow! This triggered a moment of pure joy, happiness, excitement, and peace. I was once again helping students discover their faith and future action on the issues of oppression and liberation. My eldest daughter was leading and engaging her peers. Maria had recruited the other parents for activities; we were in our element.
Sitting at a table with a dozen students who were active in their faith, asking probing questions, is a little slice of heaven for me. This active engagement lights up everything I think I’ve been made to do, so I was having a blast at IVLI. It was a space to partner with student leaders as they discovered a little bit more about themselves, their commitment to Jesus, and their call to join God in repairing the world. You know, we often come to know ourselves through the lens of others, and this parting reflection of one of the students was spot on, “At first I thought you were really intense, but then over the week, I came to realize that you just really care.” This was a great affirmation because I really do care deeply for people, even those I’ve just met.
I’ve learned over time that many of us will discover our vocation at the intersection of our interests (our joy) and activity (our doing).
And I love this picture of vocation. Because it is here that we discover a deep truth about God. Isaiah 43:1-5 says,
But now, this is what the Lord says—
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
    I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters,
    I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
    they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
    you will not be burned;
    the flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
Do not be afraid, for I am with you;” (Isaiah 43:1-5)
God takes great joy and delight in you that is never weakened by the struggles and mistakes that might be present in your life – God desires for you what God desires for each and every one of us: abundant and full life. So, don’t be afraid.

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. (James 1:17)

When we come alive and see God at work in our lives, this often is accompanied by an increased awareness that develops within us. Simply put, we start to care.
What have you come to care about?
Our vocation isn’t just a product of our will, it emerges from our listening. I’m discovering that it often requires a dying, a death to our false self, the self we project, so that we can create enough space to listen well and hear clearly.
Parker Palmer, in his book, Let Your Life Speak puts it this way:
“Before you tell your life what you intend to do with it, listen for what it intends to do with you. Before you tell your life what truths and values you have decided to live up to, let your life tell you what truths you embody, what values you represent.” Parker Palmer, Let Your Life Speak
All great discoveries begin with the same patten: faith (what we believe) -> trust (putting what we believe into action) -> risk (our hopeful probing in the dark). We move from the unknown to the known, and we do that step by step. We don’t start the process certain in what we know; we start the processing trusting what we believe. Jesus invites us, and says, “Don’t be afraid,” just like he said to Peter.
Let’s turn over to Luke 5:4-11. After a night of fruitless fishing, Jesus invites Peter to drop his nets again.
4When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

He tells Simon to push into the deep. I see this as an acknowledgement of the complexity of the human condition. It’s often in deep waters, where it becomes hard to swim or make it on our own, that we come to realize some deeper things about ourselves.

5Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

Oh, the sarcasm! This is a real interaction. If you don’t assume that Simon is irritated, here’s your proof. The word, “Master” has three meanings, “Teacher, Boss, or Chief” which one do you think Simon used?

Sure, chief! Right boss! I’ll do what you say so you can get out of my boat. I’ve been fishing on this lake longer than you have been a Rabbi, but okay, I’ll do what you say, boss!

6When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. (Luke 5:4-7)

This is the climax of the story. Simon doesn’t shout or call, he beckons to his friends. He does this because he is good at his profession. For the same reason that Jesus asked Simon to push out from shore, sound carries on the water, so Simon wants to protect this information, this discovery, this well-spring of living water. This is a key financial secret, and Simon does what a good business person would, he wants to keep it to himself.

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Many of us have heard of powerful transformations of people when they reached rock bottom, we even turned it into the meme, “God lets you hit rock bottom so that you will discover that God is the rock at the bottom” and other such statements. But that’s not Simon’s experience. Simon is wealthy. Simon is successful. And after this haul is collected, sorted, and sold, his wealth will increase.

Simon, you may have spent the entire evening trying in your own power and authority to fish, but I will reveal what it looks when the kingdom comes. In the kingdom of God there is abundance.

We often interpret Simon’s response to the catch as the realization of the holy righteous Rabbi that’s in his presence. But what if the deeper realization is that Simon is faced with someone who has real power to choose how they will live–dependent on God or reliant on themselves, their abilities, and the wealth they may be able to create.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” 11So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. (Luke 5:10-11)

Jesus just gave Simon’s life new meaning. Jesus took Peter’s “doing” and showed him the intersection of his doing with the deep places of pain unlocking the possibility of joy. This intersection of his skills as a fisherman and his joy in his God allows him to discover his vocation. No longer are you what you do for bread, Simon. I see you. I trust you. I know you. Join me, he says, and I will take your success as a fisherman and translate it into success in the kingdom.

To be human is to grow, learn, and develop; a human is a being in progress. To know anything as a human being is to come to know it, over time. We gather information, and experiences over time, making connections – one moment of insight makes way for another. It’s a process, a discovery.
When Parker Palmer says that our lives speak, it’s an invitation to slow down, observe, and reflect. This is transformation, changing what we do and how we behave. He’s inviting us to become aware of how we have related and responded to our lives so far. What’s worked? What hasn’t? When we create space to listen, it helps in our discovery process. How have we experienced God encouraging or discouraging us along the way? Is there too much in the way to consider what God is saying or trying to say?
Vocation is different than a job, a career, or an expertise. It is a calling that originates from an understanding of God, who created you, loves you, takes joy in you, and desires good things for you. So vocation is never about a blueprint that you have to get right or you’ll ruin your whole life. Vocation is never a list of specific tasks you have to complete and if you miss one, you have irrevocably ruined the plans. Vocation, meaning, and worth, are not taken away from you if you feel you have disappointed, struggled, or missed the mark.
It can be hard in the midst our struggles or failures to see clearly that we aren’t what we do for bread, that our identity instead is found in God. Some of us may be unemployed or getting laid off. We may have received a rejection to our application to a dream school, job, or fellowship. We may be in the midst of a health setback, a failed business venture, or have the sense of not-enough that almost every mother carries whether or not she is working outside of the home.
So, let’s hear again from Isaiah,
But now, this is what the Lord says—
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
    I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters,
    I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
    they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
    you will not be burned;
    the flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
Do not be afraid, for I am with you;” (Isaiah 43:1-5)
Risky Response
Here’s a modified version of the examen, which could be a brief way to let our lives speak to us? Listening for the moments of joy and connection that stand out from the past year (or month or week), and what God might say to us about who we are and how God made us in light of this moment.

Prayer Senses
Holy Spirit. Infilling of the Holy Spirit
Next steps. People who are anxious to get to “the next step” in life because you think that when you arrive there you will be satisfied. People who don’t know what if anything of value they have to offer the world. Wisdom and clarity in moving forward.
Emotional Healing. The Lord wants to help those struggling with unforgiveness and bitterness; these things keep pain in your life. Bring God the burden. God has compassion for you. 
Encouragement. 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”
Community. The Lord sets the lonely in families (Psalm 68:6). You may not fit in everywhere, but you always fit in with God. The Lord sees you. The Lord knows you. And The Lord knows the people through whom God wants to nurture you. The Lord wants to put you in community.  
Physical healing: hip pain, migraines and headaches. 
Hope and rest. Hope for the hopeless and rest for the restless. The Lord is calling out to you. The Lord wants to renew your soul and bring you closer to God.