compelling theology, but the experi- ence of the almighty God in the thin spaces between us. And the practice of faith calls out what is deepest in us in response to the ambiguity, pain and extraordinary beauty of real life. Early in his novel Cutting for Stone
(Vintage Books, 2001), Abraham Verghese gives voice to this kind of vocational discernment: “I chose the specialty of surgery
The practice of serving, of giving of oneself for the sake of the other,
enables people in search of their life’s calling to
experience deep spiritual transformation.
a long track record of success work- ing with young adults. He suggested that we leave behind all of the story- telling, well-informed presentations and small group conversations. “Engage them in discerning their vocation by serving,” he counseled. The pastor’s advice resonated
with us, so we took a risk and cre- ated weeklong events in which young adults spent their days scattered around cities or rural communities. They worked alongside congrega- tions and social ministry organiza- tions. They served and talked with those on the margins. The evenings were filled with singing, Scripture and reflection—a fluid space to give thanks for the opportunity to be of use, to grieve the cruelty of the world in which we live, and to beg God to bless and change us.
Serving at the margins As it turns out, young adults were not willing to give up a weekend to talk,
but they were willing to commit an entire week to serve. Each time we offered these events, they were filled to capacity. These service opportuni- ties became important entry points for young adults who were on the mar- gins. The “spiritual but not religious” were engaging in vocational discern- ment. Young adults who seldom set foot in a church were beginning to wonder if the Spirit might be calling them to lead communities of faith. At the heart of this approach to
encouraging church vocations is the practice of serving, of giving of one- self for the sake of the other, which enables people in search of their life’s calling to sidestep the logical pro- cesses and experience deep spiritual transformation. In each of the baptized lives a God-
given desire for agency in the world, to give of ourselves in ways that makes a difference. Spiritual seekers who get a glimpse of what it is to live like that are opened to a conversation about min- istry in a whole new way. Suddenly, faith is not lined up neatly in rows and read responsively from a cranberry- colored book. Ministry is not just committee meetings and stewardship campaigns. Vocational discernment isn’t coordinates on a graph, the end of a methodical and logical process. Instead, Jesus Christ crucified becomes not just a lovely story or a
because of Matron, that steady pres- ence during my boyhood and ado- lescence. ‘What is the hardest thing you can possibly do?’ she said when I went to her for advice on the darkest day of the first half of my life. “I squirmed. How easily Matron
probed the gap between ambition and expediency. ‘Why must I do what is hardest?’ “‘Because, Marion, you are an
instrument of God. Don’t leave the instrument in the case, my son. Play!’ “I was temperamentally better
suited to a cognitive discipline, to an introspective field—internal medi- cine, or perhaps psychiatry. The sight of an operating theater made me sweat. The idea of holding a scalpel caused coils to form in my belly. (It still does.) Surgery was the most dif- ficult thing I could imagine. “And so I became a surgeon.” In these days when fewer people
are responding to the call to serve the church, it’s imperative that we rededi- cate ourselves to encouraging fellow believers to do the most difficult things. Vocational discernment is finally about the practice of faith, the exercise of our primary vocation—to serve God in our neighbors.
Author bio: Johnson is president of Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa
January 2016 41
CHRIS OCKEN
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