JOHN 20:19-23
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

Student, construction laborer, gas station attendant, musician, optometrist’s assistant, graduate student, pastor, editor/writer, carpenter (not very skilled), teacher, editor, pastor. Try this exercise: List all the vocations of your lifetime in order, if possible, in which you were engaged for more than a year. Now think through the list, and ask yourself, “In which of these vocations did I have the sense that I was made to do this—that this is my calling?”

You saw my list. At least twice I’ve had that sense. And when you feel you were made to do something, the labor becomes light, work becomes fun! Question is, when you’re not having fun, but only “doing a job,” can you conclude that it is not your calling?

I suggest that every vocation you engage in is your calling for that time. And that God is using the earlier experiences to prepare you for the later experiences. And that in every one of your vocations, your real calling is a constant—you are sent to serve God.

We tend to distinguish between the pastor’s “call” and other callings. There is something unique about the call to proclaim God’s Word. But we see in John 20:19-23 that Jesus called (and sent) all of his disciples, and it wasn’t only to preach. Some might write, some might go fishing, some might make tents. But whatever they did with their talents and skills, their calling was always to serve God and people by sharing the Good News.

In verse 19, we see disciples who think their world has fallen apart. They are hiding in fear of the Jews. Jesus is about to send them out with Good News to the very people they don’t want to face. How can they possibly answer that calling? Jesus not only called them, he equipped them.

What equipping did they receive? First, they had three years of knowing, walking with, and learning from Christ himself. Now, in John 20, Jesus brings to them his renewed presence, the evidence of his resurrection, the joy of knowing him personally, the peace with God that comes with sins forgiven, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the privilege of forgiving people’s sins by bringing the gospel to them—sometimes called the keys of the kingdom of God.

What equipping do we have today? First, we have years (however long you’ve been a child of God) of knowing, walking with, and learning from Christ himself. We also have his presence, the evidence of his resurrection, the joy of knowing him personally, the peace with God that comes with sins forgiven, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the privilege of forgiving people’s sins by bringing the gospel to them—sometimes called the keys of the kingdom of God.

Regardless of your specific vocation right now, you are equipped for a wonderful calling. Even now, Jesus says to you and me, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

By Brent Juliot

Rev. Brent Juliot is Editor of Faith & Fellowship Magazine, teaches math at Hillcrest Lutheran Academy, and serves as senior pastor at Stavanger Lutheran Church in Fergus Falls, MN.