The prophet Jonah preaches to the people of the pagan city of Nineveh. Here are nine principles I’ve found in the Hebrew Bible for understanding vocation from a Judeo-Christian perspective. 1. Stewardship of creation From the beginning of human history, God intended work to be meaningful and fulfilling (Genesis 2:15). The ur-text for vocation is …
Vocation in the Hebrew Bible: examples
József Molnár, The March of Abraham (1850). From the creation mandate that framed the lives of Adam and Eve to the call of Abraham and the anointing of prophets, priests and kings, vocation features prominently in the Hebrew Bible. In this post, I want to take a brief look at some of the stories. The …
Vocation and the way of Jesus
Jorge Cocco, "Go and do likewise (the Good Samaritan)." Oil on canvas. In my last post, I discussed the universality of vocation and suggested that vocation is “the place where your deepest gladness meets the world’s deepest need.”[1] Here, I want to focus on “Christian” vocation and the thought of theologian Jürgen Moltmann. Those who follow the …
Why am I here? Thoughts on vocation
Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church, discussing his book, The Purpose Driven Life. I work at the Donald Robinson Library, the centrepiece of Sydney’s Moore Theological College. Near the front doors to the Library is a glass-wrapped display case that often shows rare items from the Samuel Marsden Archives, another hidden jewel of the Anglican …
God’s call and my perceived needs
For those of you who are engaged in church or parachurch ministry, here's an important excerpt from the October 2011 issue of the "Pastors E-newsletter" published by Ken Clendinning, director of Ministry Support and Development for the Baptist Churches of NSW & ACT: How do you understand God’s call in your life to ministry? For many of us responding …
iDigress 