Special Election...

Nope, this one isn't going to be about what you think, either. "Election" is a term much debated in the history of Christian theology. John Calvin argued (more mildly than his followers) that God "chooses" persons to be "saved," and that unless God chooses you, you will not be part of the "elect." Jacob Arminius, a theologian/philosopher who had an influence on John Wesley of Methodist fame, advocated for a "free will" view of salvation and Christian volition--a kind of "whosoever will" thing.  Honestly, Calvin never went nuts about this "election" thing, and John Wesley didn't do an endless "free will" dance to the music of Arminius, either. Both Christian theologians approached God in a spirit of humility, underscoring God's love and grace as presented in Jesus Christ, and that we, the beneficiaries of it, should do likewise. Who "chooses" whom is far less important than the fact that God's love and God's desire to include all people trumps the numerous theological eddies human thinkers have swirled around it. Why can't we just accept that God has "chosen" to accept us?

Another topic that could come under "election" is the idea that God calls us to do stuff. On one hand, there are numerous responses, tasks, and ministries that we can just go and do, without any special prompting. The Bible is full of stuff like this--love your neighbor, feed the hungry, help the needy, random acts of kindness, etc. One doesn't need to be "touched by an angel" to commit such acts of mercy. However, if your plan is to quit your job and go out on faith to do any of these things for the rest of your life, that may be something you should listen to see if God is specifically calling you to do that. Down through the history of the church, people have gotten themselves into serious trouble by setting an overly ambitious agenda without checking with God first. Oh, and don't ever go into the ordained ministry or become a pastor without working through a call from God, either. As a former co-chairperson of our conference's Board of Ordained Ministry, a big part of our task was to listen to the call stories of potential ministerial candidates, seeking to validate them for the wider faith community. Occasionally we would hear a candidate say something like "I want to be a pastor because I always thought a church would be such a loving an peaceful place to work," or "I failed at several other careers, so I figured maybe God wanted me to become a pastor," neither of which inspired confidence in the Board that this individual had a legitimate call of God.

Actually, our theology suggests that ALL of us have a call of God on our lives, as people of faith. Every career, provided it is on the up and up and not a scam or a crime, is a vocation, which comes from the Latin, vocatio, meaning "to call" or "called." If you have never thought about what you do for a living as a call, now is a good time to start. It can bring a greater sense of purpose to your job, and maybe even provide ways to subtly witness to your faith. If you really accept that God has called you to do what you do, you may find much more fulfillment and happiness in it. And if, instead, it is a constant source of stress, anxiety, or dread, maybe it's time to do a little praying and listening to see if God has a new calling in the offing for you. The most blessed people I know are the ones who are spending their lives doing what they "know" they should be doing, and using their best gifts in doing it.

It would be nice if everyone was at this point. I often wonder if the monumental rise in the "leisure" industry is the result of many folk not working in careers they find fulfilling or that are a calling for them? So, they "work" to make enough money to do fun stuff to salve the pain through leisure activities on the weekends.

Of course, none of the ideas presented here should be taken to extremes. We can do lots of nice stuff without feeling God calling us to do them. We can have a legitimate vocation (job) that sometimes drives us nuts, but it doesn't necessarily mean we're in the wrong place at the wrong time. And we all enjoy certain leisure activities without them being some kind of compensatory medicine for a bum job. However, the well-examined life--which I think Christian people are to be about--has us at least thinking about these things, and seeking a benevolent balance. As a pastor for over 33 years, I can say it is frustrating, for example, to have parishioners turn you down for a volunteer job, saying, "Oh, pastor, I'm just SO busy!" And when you ask them what they're up to, answers include things like "Well, we're going skiing this weekend, and then next weekend we have to get the boat out, and then we're going hiking the weekend after that..."

At risk of sounding like the TV detective Columbo, there's one more thing: God sometimes calls people to short-term service, which is in the middle between the "we all should do" acts of kindness and mercy, and full-time religious service like pastoring or the mission field. Years ago, my wife felt God calling her to go on a short-term mission trip to Paraguay. I told her the church would affirm her and help her raise the necessary funds to go on the trip. And then something really weird happened--as I began to pray for her for and the trip, I heard God's "still, small voice" saying I should go with her. (By the way, we preach and teach about God's "still, small voice," but for me, it's usually a louder shout, because I can be spiritually tone-deaf.) Not being one to be excited about going to a far-off land where they don't speak my language, and where I'm going to sleep on the floor for two weeks, AND where my particular "skills" really aren't all that helpful, I resisted rather passionately. Finally, though, I gave in to this little election, and it was one of the most fulfilling and formative experiences of my Christian life.

Isn't it nice to read something about elections that doesn't involve politics, attack ads, or incessant telephone polling? You're welcome...