As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. —Ephesians 4:1, NIV
I think a lot of people, knowingly or not, read this passage, “Live a life worthy so that you may be called.” That if we just try a little harder, resist a little more temptation, learn a little more about the Bible and pray a little more often, we’ll finally be worthy to be called to be part of God’s plan.
International Dog Day
On a completely unrelated topic, let’s acknowledge that today is International Dog Day and consider, for a moment, my now-juvenile puppy, Leon. From a newborn, he grew into an awkward toddler with alarmingly large paws.
That’s about the time he came to live with us, and the question became, “What must this puppy do to earn love?” What does he owe us for his kibble every morning and evening? What is the requirement for him to have a warm bed, a safe home and a family?
But there is none. And that’s the heart of the Gospel, the heart of our faith. The part that you can’t get to by human reason, but hits us deep down in our spirits, where we were made in God’s image. God, who owes us nothing, has decided to give us everything. God sent his Son to us while we were still sinners and made us his agents before we were at all appropriate for the task.
Or to go back to Scripture, first God calls us, and then we respond by living lives worthy of that call. God has chosen to inspire us to acts of love and holiness, not to require them. Christ shows us personally and directly how to love our neighbor, and then invites us to do likewise. The Holy Spirit changes our hearts by wild, unimaginable, transformative grace that challenges our ways of thinking and being, and then dwells within us in order to reach others.
Unconditional love and belonging
This is the life that Leon inherited. A family in which he was immediately made safe, shown affection, given food, beds, two new dog roommates and half a dozen cats. From the very first day, he knew that this was where he belonged because we chose him as he was, not because he had to do anything or become anything to earn it. And in response he feels safe being a lovable goofball who sleeps upside down on a sofa with a kitten tucked into his arm, chases after birds hundreds of feet in the air and squashes boxes flat with a well-timed pounce.
And then we invited him to become the dog that we knew he could be. To work with us not out of fear, but out of love. Because he really does want to make us happy. And yes, that means being corrected sometimes. Acting out of love and grace doesn’t mean we don’t have standards, just like God offering us salvation doesn’t mean that sin isn’t a real and ugly force that makes our lives demonstrably worse. It means that we follow God’s commandments not because we must, we are trying to earn something or are afraid of what happens if we don’t, but out of love and a desire to be what he made us to be. It means wanting “to live a life worthy of our calling.”
A family with a shared calling
And just one more thing. Don’t forget the residents in this either. If we truly understand that to inspire is better than to require, that to be worthy of a calling is not the same as being worthy enough to be called, that we love because God first loved us, then this changes the way we treat everybody. Our residents are not needs to be met and our staff not resources to be tapped. We are all members of the same divine Kingdom that shares a call and mission stretching beyond our walls and lasts literally past the end of time.
For as the Apostle Paul continues writing, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”
Let us pray. Bless, O God, all of us gathered today, that we would have our eyes fixed on your purposes, that we would follow your Son’s example, and that we would be inspired by your Spirit to lead this ministry into the good that you have prepared for us to do. In your most sacred Name, Amen.
Rev. Chris Wheatley serves PHS as Senior Director of Pastoral Care Services. He is an ordained Lutheran pastor and has served in hospice, eldercare, hospital, HIV/AIDS and congregational settings. He and his wife Nicole are perpetually outnumbered by cats and Dobermans.
The Light for the Way series provides staff with an examination of a biblical reading to deepen our focus on scripture. Thank you for engaging with this series as we seek wisdom through prayer and reflection as a Christian Ministry.
