Vocation
Commentary
In most of Christian history, the church has needed to stress the calling to service within its own structures to accomplish its distinctive functions. In the past three or four decades, however, new emphasis has emerged to include service outside the specific activities of the church. To the Christian, nothing is "secular;" nothing is outside of God's domain. Although personal abilities, preferences, ambitions continue, they become proper material for evaluation from the perspectives of Christian faith. Motivation is not a matter of self will alone, nor of attractions from the world. A person's career is understood as a divine calling, a vocation.
The lessons for this Sunday concentrate upon God's call in a variety of settings. The fundamental call is the call to faith in Christ, as experienced by Cornelius according to the passage from Acts. Without a faith, a Christian sense of calling would be impossible. Since Peter had followed that sequence from faith to calling as an apostle (vv. 39-42), he was available to bring the gospel and baptism to Cornelius (vv. 44, 47-48). It is easy to understand why the calling to preach the gospel, so essential to nurturing faith, became the calling of primary concern within the church.
Although the book of Acts was written to record the missionary outreach of the church and was not likely to say much about the vocation of the laity in daily life, it did show that Cornelius had a head start. He headed a contingent of Roman soldiers, but had a good reputation among the subject people. His family and volunteer help were commendable (vv. 1-2, 22).
The concerns in daily life would include justice, a major objective for the calling of the servant in Isaiah 42. Since its purpose was to eliminate oppression in the world, it is interesting to compare the reference in the lesson from Acts. Peter spoke about oppression from sin, which Jesus overcame. Putting the opposition to these two kinds of oppression next to each other provokes a recognition of the significance of personal and societal aspects of Christian vocation.
The calling of Jesus is central to both our personal call to faith and our societal callings in daily life. In referring to this event in Jesus' life, Peter mentioned particularly the empowerment by the Holy Spirit. Each of the lessons refers to the action of the Spirit. Our Christian calling makes us channels between the power of God and the needs of the people with whom we live and work.
OUTLINE
Call for global justice
Isaiah 42:1-7
A. vv. 1-4. Distinctive call. This is the first of the "servant songs" in Isaiah 40-55. It tells of God's servant --chosen by God, empowered by God's spirit, a delight to God.
With responsibility for establishing justice, the servant is like a king, local elder or priest among personages in the Hebrew Bible. In teaching, he is like a prophet or priest. The servant is an ideal figure combining all of the significant roles in ancient Israel, as the Messiah did in the New Testament.
Most significant is the vision of the servant's manner of working, which contrasts with the military conquests of Cyrus (45:1-2). The results are just as worldwide.
B. vv. 5-7. Distinctive justice. This second stanza parallels the first by beginning with God. The universal scope of the servant's work receives its basis in God's creation of heaven and earth and giving life to all people. Yet, the special relationship between God and the servant is elaborated with some detail.
Most tellingly the servant will represent God's covenant as a light to the nations. The character of the justice in this covenant had been presented in the first stanza by metaphors from the incidental. Even a bruised reed or a flickering wick would be sustained. With human examples, the second stanza repeats other promises in Isaiah 40-50. Justice means new sight to the blind, freedom for prisoners languishing in dark dungeons --hope for the hopeless.
OUTLINE II
God's impartiality
Acts 10:34-38
A. vv. 34-36. Peter was experiencing the new radical development that brought Gentiles (in this case, God-fearers who believed without adopting all Jewish practices) into the church, which had remained a Jewish sect (vv. 25-29). He had needed an unusual amount of help from God before he became willing to make the change. His history-shaking conclusion reached a profound confession of faith: "God shows no partiality."
The criterion was not ethnic nor even religious customs. Faith was basic. Doing "what is right" seems to grow from faith rather from the Law. In the NRSV, "message" translates the Greek logos (word); "preaching," euanggelizomenos (proclaiming the gospel). Faith depended upon receiving the gospel from others. Peter brought that message of peace, i.e. reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ, to augment and clarify whatever may have been heard already.
B. vv. 37-38. Peter reached back into the churches' memories of beginnings of the gospel. Maybe Peter remembered these events from personal contacts. He was providing experiential grounding for the message. Recognizing Jesus' baptism as the beginning of his ministry and especially the endowment with the Spirit and the messianic announcement from heaven (Luke 3:23), Peter referred to it as an anointing. The spread of the message, the healings and exorcisms were possible because of the power of God. That power was still at work as the gospel reached out without prejudice to all people.
OUTLINE III
Christ's unique call
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
A. vv. 15-16. Messianic power. Although John the Baptist had been very influential, in comparison to the Messiah he was like a slave unworthy to loosen the master's sandals. His baptism was symbolic of a new beginning that his followers chose for themselves. New power from God, as in Acts 2, depended on the ministry of Jesus.
B. v. 17. Completing God's purpose. The eschatological metaphor of the harvest suggests that the ministry of the Baptist had been like cutting the grain, preparatory to winnowing. Jesus would be like the farmer tossing the grain into the air with a wooden shovel, so the wind could blow away the chaf to be swept into a village's continuously burning refuse heap. The grain would be gathered into a place for safekeeping.
C. v. 21. Uniting heaven and earth. Luke is distinctive in reporting Jesus praying at particularly significant moments. Here it is the beginning of his ministry. The response with the heavens "opening" is told with the same verb that is used in Isaiah 64:1 to portray God's giving the Law. There will now be a new center for the life of faith.
D. v. 22. Commissioning. Since only Luke reports the "bodily form" of the dove, he is emphasizing the visible sign of Jesus' endowment with the Spirit. Then heaven testifies that Jesus is the Son of God, a messianic title (2 Samuel 7:12, 14-16; Psalm 2:2, 4). Luke is most concerned to clarify the source of Jesus' ministry.
The lessons for this Sunday concentrate upon God's call in a variety of settings. The fundamental call is the call to faith in Christ, as experienced by Cornelius according to the passage from Acts. Without a faith, a Christian sense of calling would be impossible. Since Peter had followed that sequence from faith to calling as an apostle (vv. 39-42), he was available to bring the gospel and baptism to Cornelius (vv. 44, 47-48). It is easy to understand why the calling to preach the gospel, so essential to nurturing faith, became the calling of primary concern within the church.
Although the book of Acts was written to record the missionary outreach of the church and was not likely to say much about the vocation of the laity in daily life, it did show that Cornelius had a head start. He headed a contingent of Roman soldiers, but had a good reputation among the subject people. His family and volunteer help were commendable (vv. 1-2, 22).
The concerns in daily life would include justice, a major objective for the calling of the servant in Isaiah 42. Since its purpose was to eliminate oppression in the world, it is interesting to compare the reference in the lesson from Acts. Peter spoke about oppression from sin, which Jesus overcame. Putting the opposition to these two kinds of oppression next to each other provokes a recognition of the significance of personal and societal aspects of Christian vocation.
The calling of Jesus is central to both our personal call to faith and our societal callings in daily life. In referring to this event in Jesus' life, Peter mentioned particularly the empowerment by the Holy Spirit. Each of the lessons refers to the action of the Spirit. Our Christian calling makes us channels between the power of God and the needs of the people with whom we live and work.
OUTLINE
Call for global justice
Isaiah 42:1-7
A. vv. 1-4. Distinctive call. This is the first of the "servant songs" in Isaiah 40-55. It tells of God's servant --chosen by God, empowered by God's spirit, a delight to God.
With responsibility for establishing justice, the servant is like a king, local elder or priest among personages in the Hebrew Bible. In teaching, he is like a prophet or priest. The servant is an ideal figure combining all of the significant roles in ancient Israel, as the Messiah did in the New Testament.
Most significant is the vision of the servant's manner of working, which contrasts with the military conquests of Cyrus (45:1-2). The results are just as worldwide.
B. vv. 5-7. Distinctive justice. This second stanza parallels the first by beginning with God. The universal scope of the servant's work receives its basis in God's creation of heaven and earth and giving life to all people. Yet, the special relationship between God and the servant is elaborated with some detail.
Most tellingly the servant will represent God's covenant as a light to the nations. The character of the justice in this covenant had been presented in the first stanza by metaphors from the incidental. Even a bruised reed or a flickering wick would be sustained. With human examples, the second stanza repeats other promises in Isaiah 40-50. Justice means new sight to the blind, freedom for prisoners languishing in dark dungeons --hope for the hopeless.
OUTLINE II
God's impartiality
Acts 10:34-38
A. vv. 34-36. Peter was experiencing the new radical development that brought Gentiles (in this case, God-fearers who believed without adopting all Jewish practices) into the church, which had remained a Jewish sect (vv. 25-29). He had needed an unusual amount of help from God before he became willing to make the change. His history-shaking conclusion reached a profound confession of faith: "God shows no partiality."
The criterion was not ethnic nor even religious customs. Faith was basic. Doing "what is right" seems to grow from faith rather from the Law. In the NRSV, "message" translates the Greek logos (word); "preaching," euanggelizomenos (proclaiming the gospel). Faith depended upon receiving the gospel from others. Peter brought that message of peace, i.e. reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ, to augment and clarify whatever may have been heard already.
B. vv. 37-38. Peter reached back into the churches' memories of beginnings of the gospel. Maybe Peter remembered these events from personal contacts. He was providing experiential grounding for the message. Recognizing Jesus' baptism as the beginning of his ministry and especially the endowment with the Spirit and the messianic announcement from heaven (Luke 3:23), Peter referred to it as an anointing. The spread of the message, the healings and exorcisms were possible because of the power of God. That power was still at work as the gospel reached out without prejudice to all people.
OUTLINE III
Christ's unique call
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
A. vv. 15-16. Messianic power. Although John the Baptist had been very influential, in comparison to the Messiah he was like a slave unworthy to loosen the master's sandals. His baptism was symbolic of a new beginning that his followers chose for themselves. New power from God, as in Acts 2, depended on the ministry of Jesus.
B. v. 17. Completing God's purpose. The eschatological metaphor of the harvest suggests that the ministry of the Baptist had been like cutting the grain, preparatory to winnowing. Jesus would be like the farmer tossing the grain into the air with a wooden shovel, so the wind could blow away the chaf to be swept into a village's continuously burning refuse heap. The grain would be gathered into a place for safekeeping.
C. v. 21. Uniting heaven and earth. Luke is distinctive in reporting Jesus praying at particularly significant moments. Here it is the beginning of his ministry. The response with the heavens "opening" is told with the same verb that is used in Isaiah 64:1 to portray God's giving the Law. There will now be a new center for the life of faith.
D. v. 22. Commissioning. Since only Luke reports the "bodily form" of the dove, he is emphasizing the visible sign of Jesus' endowment with the Spirit. Then heaven testifies that Jesus is the Son of God, a messianic title (2 Samuel 7:12, 14-16; Psalm 2:2, 4). Luke is most concerned to clarify the source of Jesus' ministry.
