Beyond Sunday
Beyond Sunday is a podcast where we dive into what our Church is up to, what's happening in society, go deeper into topics from Sunday mornings, and hear leadership talks and coffee break theology from Pastor Greg Griffith. This is a podcast of King of Kings Church in Omaha & Fremont, Nebraska. Learn more at kingofkings.org.
Beyond Sunday
S1Ep10 - Vocation — Your Calling is Bigger Than Your Career
Greg and Marcus close out Season 1 of Coffee Break Theology by pouring into the biblical meaning of vocation. More than just a job, vocation is God’s calling in every part of life — from family to work to community — where ordinary moments become sacred service. As the season wraps, they remind us that theology isn’t just for study; it’s for the daily grind. So brew a fresh cup, live your calling, and stay ready for what God is brewing next.
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You're listening to Coffee Break Theology, a King of Kings podcast.
SPEAKER_02:Welcome to Coffee Break Theology, where the coffee's hot, theology's grounded, and the gospel is stirring up in everyday places.
SPEAKER_01:He's Greg. I'm Marcus. Today we're talking about a word that might sound like something you might hear from a guidance counselor, but it's actually deeply biblical. Vocation.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I love our Lutheran theology of vocation because it's not just about your job. It's about your God-given calling in every area of your life. It's at your vocation at home, your vocation in work, your vocation at church, your vocation in the world.
SPEAKER_01:It's how we serve our neighbor and glorify God. It's not just on Sunday. It's not just Sunday learning about God. It's not something that's super spiritual. It's it's every day. It's it's Tuesday in the pickup line at the grocery store. It's Thursday in a staff meeting. It's how you treat your employees, it's how you treat your coworkers. So what is vocation?
SPEAKER_02:Well, let's start with the word itself, right? So vocation comes from the Latin vocare, to call.
SPEAKER_01:So vocation is about being called. It's not just into faith, but into the places and the relationships where God puts us to serve.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I think this is an important part is a reminder, our God is so intentional. Like there is nothing in our lives that's circumstantial. And so um we know that in that intentionality, you're there with a purpose from God to serve him and to serve others. Ephesians 2 10 says, You are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has prepared beforehand that you should walk in them.
SPEAKER_01:Right. And Martin Luther revolutionized this idea, how the church thought about this. So in his day, only priests, monks, and nuns they were the only ones to be considered to have holy callings. That was it. Nobody else.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. So so Luther said, and and I've never met a person uh that had this vocation in our world today, but he said, the milkmaid. And I I don't even like, do they are they the ones that delivered milk? Is that what a milkmaid is? I don't think so. I think they're not. Or they were the ones that they were getting the milk out of the udders. Maybe it's both. Maybe they're okay. Maybe I have met a milkmaid. I don't know. I yeah, I'm not a dairy farmer. But anyways, the milkmaid, Luther said, and the pastor both have sacred work. Right. If it's done in faith.
SPEAKER_01:Right.
SPEAKER_02:His famous line ready. God milks the cows through the vocation of the milkmaid.
SPEAKER_01:So when I think Luther, that's the quote that comes up automatically, just every time.
SPEAKER_02:From now I thought I wonder if I wonder if if there are milkmaids in heaven and then if Luther is the milkmaid up there. That would that would be a riot for me.
SPEAKER_01:He's gonna be, and he's gonna recruit you when you get there too. In in the small catechism, Luther doesn't use the word vocation necessarily, but he does model it, especially in the table of duties.
SPEAKER_02:So here's what the table of duties are if you've never heard these. Luther wrote these, and they're they're to give instructions to parents. Like we said, parents have their role and their vocation, and to children, and to employers and workers, and citizens, and leaders, and they're all based on scripture.
SPEAKER_01:Right. And e each one of those roles is a station of service. It's not about the status, it's it's about stewardship.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. So Luther saw these everyday roles as kind of masks of God. So they're ways God works through us to bless other people. Right.
SPEAKER_01:And so when you teach your kid to tie their shoes, when you change a diaper, when you type an email, when you pay a bill, when you hire somebody, God is present in all of that.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. Yeah. I've actually uh switched over to these slip-on shoes. Okay. The ties are pretty awesome. Like I don't have to tie just as I get older bending now, it's not as fun as it used to be.
SPEAKER_01:Anyways, it is still pretty fun for me.
SPEAKER_02:Anyways, so so here's the thing, too. Like, and we've talked this whole season. I I really hope that everyone's heard and understood. Like, our identity really matters, and that identity is found in Jesus. So please know this. This is freeing. Your vocation is not your identity. I I don't know if like this is a part for me, but like, um, I don't want to be critical, but when I when I meet pastors, it's like they say, Hi, you know, I'm Greg, and they go, Hello, I'm Pastor Bill. I'm like, no, like, I mean, come on. Like, you were not born as Pastor Bill. You were born as and and you were born and your parents gave you the name Bill. Right. Like, so so I think we confuse that when we make our title into like even just our everyday, you know what I mean? Like, and so so it's a reminder that it's not your identity, it is your assignment in that season, right? Because your identity is in Christ.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, definitely. And that means vocations can shift. Yes. It also means you can have multiple vocations at the same time. Uh, you might be a student today, yeah. You might be a caregiver tomorrow, you might be retired from work, but you're you're you're not retired from serving ever. Correct. Right.
SPEAKER_02:Right. So Colossians 3 23 says, Whatever you do, work heartily as for the Lord and not for men.
SPEAKER_01:And that verse that changes how we see things. The mundane becomes meaningful. Oh, that's good. The the overlooked becomes sacred. Come on. Yeah. God does, God does work miracles. And and we they're amazing, and we should look for them and we should seek them out, and we should pray for them. Absolutely. But we also need to realize and appreciate God working through the nuts and bolts of life. He does that. And our part in that is important, whatever our vocation is.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. And and that's that's so important too, is like, and I think this is the freedom, right? You don't my vocation isn't about proving my worth, whatever it may be. Like, like I can be, like I I want to be a good pastor, yeah, but that doesn't make me worthy of God's love. Right. I can be a really bad pastor, and and I'm still loved by God. Right. And I'm still worthy of his grace. And that's what's a reminder. Like I serve in my vocation, whether it's a pastor, whether it's a a father, whether it's a husband, whether it's it's a neighbor, and I respond serve in that and respond out of the grace of God.
SPEAKER_01:Right. And so, like we said before, God doesn't need our good works. Yeah, but the neighbor does. That's that's classic Luther. That's actually a quote that I know of Luther that comes to mind immediately. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. So when we fail in our vocations, which we all do, um, we get to go back to the cross. Absolutely. We get to receive forgiveness, we return to our service, and we're renewed in our calling that's been given.
SPEAKER_01:Right. And our calling isn't to be amazing. We're not supposed to be these awesome people. It's to be faithful where God has placed you. He'll do the amazing part. That's the great thing. That's that's the best thing. Nothing I can do is amazing anyway. I'm filthy rags. We've said that many times on here. But equipped with the Spirit and having access to God's power, He chooses to work through me, and that's a holy calling.
SPEAKER_02:So here's your coffee break theology takeaway today. Your vocation, whatever it is where you're called, is God working through you in the everyday to love and to serve others. It's a holy work in ordinary clothes. Right.
SPEAKER_01:You don't have to be a pastor or a missionary to have a calling. You already do right where you are. Whether that is a pastor or a milkmaid, you have a holy calling.
SPEAKER_02:I think we should bring back the milkmaid career. I think so too. Like, let's find a way to get milkmaids as a new Amazon. Ooh. Like, can you imagine? I can't. No, neither can I. I don't know how that works. So, hey, wow, that's a wrap on season one. Thanks so much for brewing with us. We'll be back really soon with season two, where we're gonna dive deeper into the Christian life, tackle tougher questions, and keep pointing you to Jesus in the everyday.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, looking forward to it. But until next season, brew a fresh cup. Go serve your neighbor.
SPEAKER_00:You're on God's clock. Thanks for listening to Coffee Break Theology. Be sure to tune in next time and remember to check out our other podcast series available on every major podcast listening service.
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