Vocation
The Spirituality of Ordinary Life
- Luther described the various occupations -- parenthood, farming, laborers, soldiers, judges, retailers, and the life -- as all being "masks of God."
- In the doctrine of vocation, spirituality is brought down to earth to transfigure our practical, everyday life.
- God is sovereign over every aspect of His creation.
- Lutheran theology speaks of TWO kingdoms, that God rules both the spiritual and the earthly realms, though in different ways.
- In the spiritual realm, He works, as we have seen, through the Word and the Sacraments.
- In the earthly realm, He rules through vocation.
- God is providentially at work caring for His people, each of whom contributes according to his or her God-given talents, gifts, opportunities, and stations.
- God, who pours out His generosity on the just and the unjust, believer and unbeliever alike, hides Himself in the ordinary soical functions and stations of life, even the most humble.
- All of the vocations are thus channels of God's love.
- "God bestows all that is good on us," says Luther, "but...you must work and leand yourself as a means and a mask to God."
