NOVO 2023: Where we are
Righto, revision time. Which solae have we looked at so far?
Christ alone
Grace alone
Faith alone
Scripture alone
The fifth and final sola we are looking at today is soli Deo gloria: to God’s glory alone.
Our theme this week has been ‘The Bigger Picture.’ We’ve been stretching out our understanding of what we are, who we are, and why we are.
What we are: God has made us to be like himself, and has saved us from sin through Christ alone.
Who we are: God has defined who we are by making us His own children by grace alone.
Why we are: God has given our lives purpose by giving us the task of making more disciples, giving us faith and Scripture to help us.
Today, we finish off by thinking about where we are. More specifically, think about where God has put you. When you go home, you’ll get back into the regular pattern of daily life and hopefully return to a regular diet with a bit less sugar.
Martin Luther was a pastor who lived 500 years ago. He had some very helpful things to say about a thing called vocation. No, not vacation; vocation.
There’s three basic points to it:
God gives us gifts
We have joy in our work
We can serve God by serving others
We tend to think about our gifts as the things you are really good at. I think it’s better to think about it as the things that you enjoy most. Now, you might be good at something and really enjoy it too, but not always.
For example, I was pretty good at maths when I was in school, but I didn’t get excited for it. But I did get excited for sport on the weekends even though I wasn’t the best player on the field. You’ll get a chance to think about your own gifts and share them in small group time today.
The point is this: each of us has God-given gifts. God blesses us with these things for two main reasons: to enjoy and to serve with.
OK, so there are gifts and abilities, but there are also vocations. Your vocations are the areas you live, work, and serve in. This isn’t just about being on a roster at church, or about getting a job.
Being a student. Being a son or daughter to your parents. Being a brother or sister to your siblings. Being a member of a sports team. Being a part of a church community. Being a citizen in your local community. All of these things are your vocations. We all have more than one.
Luther said that all vocations are given by God. He also said that we can serve God in any and all of them.
Being a loving son or daughter serves your parents, but it also serves God. Being a helpful member of society serves your fellow citizens, but it also serves God. Being a good student serves your teachers and classmates, but it also serves God.
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Colossians 3:23–24 (NIV)
Jesus spoke about this sort of thing as well. He told a story about it:
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
Matthew 25:34–40 (NIV)
In everything you do—at home, at school, on the sporting field, at work, at church—you are serving Jesus by serving others.
We tend to expect a reward when we do good things. When you do well in a subject at school or on the sporting field, you often get recognised with an award. When you do something good at home, your parents might thank you or let you have something as a reward.
The thing is, we don’t always get recognised for our good work. Our sola for today—soli Deo gloria—is about giving the glory, credit, and reward to God.
God has given us everything—our world, our bodies, our gifts, our vocations, and everything we have. Nothing we achieve is based on our own ability—God gave us everything to begin with. The absolute least we can do is credit him with the good stuff we do. And, really, that’s all God wants from us.
When it comes to our day-to-day, the smaller picture is about looking for own rewards for effort. The bigger picture is about giving glory to God in everything we do. When we do that, we’ll find so much more joy in our work.
Those three points for you again:
We have God-given gifts
We have joy in our work
We can serve God by serving others
So, as you get ready to head home, get on with the jobs God has given you to do, and find joy in them.
