For a study guide see page 22. Maneuvering
today’s rocky vocational road S
How Lutherans, strengthened by their faith and understanding of vocation, are coping with today’s job market challenges
By Mark Staples
ome years ago our youngest daughter, now in her 30s and recently married, asked if I felt disappointed that she was a bartender, as opposed to working, say,
in education or corporate life. I told her I wasn’t disap- pointed at all, and what really mattered is how she feels about it. She was, and is, working toward a college degree in business. Meanwhile, she is earning a good income. I reminded her (and myself) that in the 1500s Martin
Luther penned his theology of vocation, espousing the view that whether you are a priest or shovel manure (or serve as a bartender and conversation partner in the hospitality trade) you are occupying a station of equal merit, one that is holy (unless it’s overtly sinful). Key to any vocation, Luther said, is serving the neighbor, contributing to the common good. Luther expanded the concept of vocation to include
domestic and civic duties as well as employment. He wrote: “Te works of monks and priests, however holy and arduous they may be, do not differ one whit in the sight of God from the works of the rustic laborer in the field or the woman going about her household tasks … all works are measured before God by faith alone.” His ideas had a leveling effect, taking the priesthood
down a peg and raising the vocations of the laity. For Luther, key Scripture for his thinking was 1 Corinthians 7:23-24: “You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of human masters. In whatever condition you were called, brothers and sisters, there remain with God.” In these days of unemployment and underemploy-
ment, Luther’s vocational views can inspire us no matter what “station” (or stations) we hold or once held. Today another kind of leveling has impacted the
American scene. According to the U.S. Labor Depart- ment and other reports, the latest recession (the 11th in the postwar period since 1948) was the most devas- tating since the Great Depression. Te gross domestic
product of the U.S. contracted 5.1 percent, and in Octo- ber 2009 the unemployment rate reached 10 percent, dramatically up from the November 2007 figure of 4.7 percent. Te recovery has been relatively weak, according
to many reports. Last November the unemployment figure stood at 7 percent with about 7.4 million jobs created since February 2010. Tat figure is considerably lower than the number of jobs lost in the recession—8.7 million, according to the Labor Department. Reports suggest that the kinds of jobs now being created aren’t as high-end overall as many of the positions lost several years ago. Te Labor Department also has reported that the
income of American households has plunged to a level not seen since 1992, when adjusted for inflation. Te Census Bureau reports that the median household income is $50,233. Te median income for men is $45,113 and for women $35,102. So how are Lutherans around the country handling
the challenges of today’s job market? What role is their faith playing in their capacity to cope? How do they use their giſts in their daily work and otherwise?
John Grabner Te 58-year-old member of Trin- ity Lutheran Church, Lansdale, Pa., and mechanical engineer has been out of work twice since 2001, most recently several years ago and more than two years altogether. Grabner said he “spent a lot of time praying and looking for guidance.” Te first time he was unem-
ployed he said it helped a great deal that he had “a renewed relationship with Christ.” While unemployed, Grabner also volunteered for an
March 2014 17
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