A reflection on vocation and tribulation



We’re all a bunch of sinners free-riding on Jesus

Last fall Amanda and I stumbled on to the show “Stranger Things.” The plot is basically Good versus Evil (John 1:5). This winter, well after we had binged on the show, Amanda asked if I had seen the acceptance speech. 
The cast won the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Outstanding Performance in an Ensemble in a Drama Series.
To accept the award, most of the cast took the stage. One of the main actors, David Harbour, gave the speech. What gained all the attention, though, was another actor. Throughout the entire speech, Winona Ryder is making these totally bizarre reactions! 
Who knows why…
What caught my attention, and what I want to talk about, is the speech itself. The award was given last January; & I bet you can remember how we were feeling at that time. 
Upon receiving the award, Mr. Harbour acknowledged how it felt odd to celebrate at that moment. But he continued. He said it was humbling it was to receive the award from fellow actors. He accepted the award as a call to arms. 
A call to dig deeper into the craft. To trust its ability to reveal truths about human life, and in doing so, help cultivate a more empathetic culture. 

What impressed me most was the way Mr. Harbour obviously trusted his vocation. How he trusted its power to solve real problems. The way tribulations didn’t tempt Harbour to look outside of his calling, but deeper into it. 
I think many of us in the church could learn a lesson or two from him. Because we’ve got issues to face too, don’t we? 
So often when faced with a problem, the temptation is to look outside of our vocation for solutions. To business or entertainment - or what have you. Imagining perhaps one or another of their strategies can shore up our own. 
No doubt there’s a certain wisdom there. The trouble comes, though, when we haven’t even explored the wisdom of our own tradition first. Because truthfully, Christianity, Lutheranism, know a thing or two about how to weather a trying time. How to speak to the world’s deep needs. 
Rather than praying, reading scripture or listening to the words of forgiveness as if everything hung on them, we look to some other solution. It’s a sad. Plus, until we trust the promises of our own vocation, we shouldn’t expect others to, either. 

Let me tell you something, the best thing about getting to be a pastor is seeing all the ways Jesus keeps his promises. How he’s given us more than we know how to handle. I’ve seen God work in and through you. Making witnesses out of us. Bringing the kingdom of God to our little corners of the world. 
It’s given me the conviction that our challenge isn’t to figure out solutions, but to dig deeper into our vocation. To press the promises of God further. To read the Bible with conviction. To come to church expectant. To pray with crash helmets on. To wake up wondering what God’s going to do today. Because in the end, all we have is what Jesus has given us. And the truth is, that’s more than enough. 




Well, even if you don’t care for the speech, Winona’s reactions are priceless.

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