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INTRODUCTIONVocations – God calling people to Christian ministry or service in particular ways – can be the theme of worship on any day of the year, to suit your situation.
A traditional day for Vocations Sunday is early in the year, when the Gospel in the Revised Common Lectionary has the call of the disciples. In 2007 that falls on 4th February, when the readings are Luke 5:1-11, Isaiah 6:1-8/13, Psalm138, and 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. Those readings were featured in the Vocations Sunday material for 2004, which is still available on the website.
This pack uses the readings for 15th July , which are Luke 10:25-37, Amos 7:7-17, Psalm 25:1-10, Colossians 1:1-14
These readings open up various possibilities including:
WHEN TO USE THE MATERIALAs in other years it is for each church to decide when is the best time of the year to concentrate on vocation. It depends on other significant events in your church calendar.
congregation to attend an Enquirers Conference where a the whole range of service and ministry can be explored. Contact your Synod Training officer for the dates of Enquirers’ Conferences in 2007.
Some people may have a particular interest in lay ministries and deepening their own faith knowledge. The closing date for TLS registration is the 30th June so you may want to use the material before that date.
The date of 15th July gives the opportunity to focus on vocations at a time when people are receiving exam results or looking ahead to new jobs or courses.
ContentsThe pack is offered in loose leaf form for you to choose the elements you wish to use.
Material from this pack is designed
There are 11 sheets in this pack besides this introduction:
Unless otherwise indicated here, all the material is written by Revd Bernie Collins, Development Officer, Yorkshire Synod, United Reformed Church.
Copies may be made for use in worship. For permission to copy for any other purpose, contact Revd Bernie Collins. training.yorkshire@dial.pipex.com.
Vocations Sunday 2007 © The United Reformed Church, 2006 Published by The United Reformed Church 86 Tavistock Place, London WC1H 9RT
The material may be freely used in the worship of the churches. If it is used in printed form, acknowledgement of the source and author should be given.
The reproduction of the material for circulation or sale beyond a local church is prohibited without permission. All rights reserved. Application for permission of use should be addressed to Revd Bernie Collins, training.yorkshire@dial.pipex.com
The publishers make no representation, express or implied, with regard to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and cannot accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may take place.
SUGGESTIONS FOR ORDERS OF SERVICE
Traditional worship Your local church’s usual order of service, with selections from the material in this pack for call to worship, hymns, prayers, Bible readings, sermon outlines, personal stories and blessing.
A fellowship sequence based on Colossians 1:1-14
Introduction Songs or hymn gathering to worship Read Colossians 1:1-14 A hymn of God’s grace in salvation
Read verses 5 & 7-8 In small groups, share early experiences of receiving the Good News, and the effect this has had on your lives
Read verses 3-4 ¢ Prayer of thanks for each other
Read verse 6 Share news of recent blessings locally and from around the world A hymn or songs of gospel work
Read verses 9-10 Share thoughts and prayer requests about how God may be leading you to learn / grow / take next steps in serving God Pray for each other to know God’s will
Read verses 11-12 as a blessing Around a lighted candle, silent waiting upon God and reflection on the experience Share as God leads A hymn or song of commitment to serving in God’s mission
Conclude with verse 2b Perhaps follow with further conversation, news or plans over refreshments.
Workshop activities for participatory worship, café church, or labyrinth stations
To suit your situation, choose one, some or all of the suggestions from the sheet of Workshop Activities.
The activity could be the main part of worship. Or small groups could take an activity to prepare and present to a larger group in worship.
Later, you could get participants to reflect on
For an “all age talk” in a traditional order of service
You could choose one of these suggestions:
WORKSHOP ACTIVITIESA. Amos 7:7-9 Amos had a vision of the Lord holding a plumb line to show he is checking how society has been built. Through prayer and discussion about society now, seek a graphic way to show God’s comment on some unjust feature of society. Then work out a way to convey that to people, using drama, mime, painting, computer technology, or some other art form.
B. Luke 10:25-37 In answer to a man’s question about who is the neighbour that he should love, Jesus told a story. In the story a man was attacked, robbed, and left for dead. He was helped, not by the people you would expect, but generously by someone from an opposing group. Think of your community. Put together a story with the same message, set in your community; or recall a similar incident that actually happened. Prepare to tell your story, or to act it out, or to make a video of it.
C. Colossians 1:3-12 Verses 3-8 Read or hear news of Christians in another part of your town or county, or another part of the world. Verses 9-12 Write prayers for those people in the situations they are facing, based on your understanding of the way God may want to lead them to grow through their experiences and their opportunities for service. If there are pictures in the material you have been looking at, you could use them to illustrate these prayers.
D. Psalm 25:1-10 After thinking about your own struggles to understand God’s guidance, try to express your thoughts in a psalm based on the pattern of this example. It has five parts:
v.1-2 Bring your struggle to God v.3 Say your belief in God’s way of seeing it v.4-5 Ask God to show you what to do v.6-7 Ask God to forgive your wrong ways in the past v.8-10 Declare your confidence that God does forgive and lead in right ways, and God offers this for all people
Within each part, each thought is usually expressed twice in similar words. If several of you write psalms about your own struggles, you could read them to each other, and then share how this experience has helped you.
E. Compose Choose one of these stories. Think/pray/discuss, then compose a song, hymn or meditation based on it.
The aim of the hymn, song or meditation is for you and your singers/hearers/ readers to think deeply about call by God and response to it.
SUGGESTIONS FOR SERMON OUTLINESCalled to speak for God Text Amos 7:14-15
1. Describe Amos’s call, from his work, to speak for God, to challenge society with God’s true ways 2. Tell stories of people with similar calling in recent times 3. Outlining non-plumb features of society in the world today, urge people to be open to God calling them to speak out
Five Marks of Mission The five marks of mission are shown in these readings:
1. Proclaim the good news – Colossians 1:4-8,13-14 2. Nurture new believers – Colossians 1:9-12 The 1st & 2nd marks are both seen in Psalm 25:1-10 3. Loving service – Luke 10:30-35 (or 25-37) 4. Transform society – Amos 7:7-10 (or 7-17) Also Psalm 25:1-10 in its context 5. Integrity of creation – Colossians 1:6,15-20
What is your mission field? Where is God calling you to make your mark? What are the colours and shape of your piece, which is essential for the big picture of God’s mission?
Go and do the same Text Luke 10:37 What is Jesus’s call or instruction here for us? Give background to the passage, and illustrations from today for each of these answers:
1. Take care of those who need help, as the Samaritan did. 2. Love those who are different, as the lawyer is led to recognise the Samaritan as a neighbour. 3. Be concerned for others, rather than seek eternal life for ourselves. To see through this the purpose that God has for our lives.
What does God want me to do? Ask God; and God will show what to do. This is the pattern in each of these passages:
Taking a message from each of these readings, it is important:
“Formation for ministry within a learning Church”
1. Using Psalm 25:8-10 and Colossians 1:9-12 describe the Church as people learning of God’s love and purposes and growing in God’s ways. 2. Outline the vision of Regional Training Partnerships to develop coordinated learning for mission across different interests, abilities and denominations, in preparation for different ordained and lay ministries together. (More information from your Synod training officer.) 3. Explain the United Reformed Church’s understanding of ministry (as set out in the Manual, Basis of Union, paragraphs 19 & 20), and the need/call for people to fulfil the particular ministries to enable the learning and growth of the whole people of God for their parts in Christ’s total ministry.
Conclude with reference to Psalm 25:4-5 to encourage personal formation for ministry.
OPENING, CLOSING, AND A PRAYER OF CONFESSIONA responsive call to Worship influenced by Psalm 25:1-10
Leader: God invites us to gather, to worship, to praise. God invites us to service.
All: To listen and hear God’s word, To stand and walk on God’s path, To be taught and to learn God’s will, To seek, find and follow God’s way.
Leader: to the truth of God’s steadfast love.
A closing blessing As we gathered, so let each of us go out in response to God’s call, in the knowledge that the God who calls us, loves us: that the parent who lets us go, remains forever with us; that the Spirit who invites us, equips and supports us; that the Son who challenges us to “go and do likewise” will meet us in our neighbours throughout the world. Amen.
A prayer (influenced by Luke 10:25-37)
“Go and do likewise” You said those words, Lord. You call us to love the Lord our God with heart, soul, strength and mind, with our totality, and then to go and love our neighbour, as we love ourselves.
We confess, Lord, that we struggle to love our neighbour because we struggle to love ourselves. We struggle to show mercy to others because we struggle to forgive ourselves. We struggle to care for others because we struggle to care for ourselves. We struggle to engage with others because we struggle to face ourselves.
Ever faithful and loving God, through the life, death and resurrection of your son, Jesus Christ, you enable us to experience true love. Forgive us when we fail to love you, our neighbour and ourselves as you love us. We ask that your Spirit may help us in our struggles, and through our struggles give us the strength to recognise and accept your call to serve in love. We ask this in the name of Jesus, the one who walks with us on both sides of the street. Amen.
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSIONGod of love, Father of Jesus who told the story of the Good Samaritan, God of power, who raised Jesus from the dead, we pray for people who are trying to see how to respond to your call.
We pray for people who are moved by the needs they see around them, and who use their resources to help when they can.
Help them to decide if they should take a step to devote more time to doing this, and even make it their life’s work. Help them to count the cost of taking this step, but to measure it against the crying needs they see, and the strength of your sacrificial love to sustain them in their commitment. And help them to talk with people who organise the ways of giving this long-term service.
We pray for people who are already dedicated to serving you, whose commitments make it hard to turn aside to meet other needs, and are troubled by this. Help them to give space and encouragement to those who are in a position to do it, and to give due recognition to the importance of this work. Help them also to review their own programmes, so as to be ready to respond when you prompt them to turn aside.
We pray for teachers of your ways, who raise questions about eternal matters, who set assignments about the purpose of life, and challenge inherited beliefs. We pray that they will be able to carry out research which is useful for many people, that they’ll be truly open to your guidance when questioning you, and that they as well as their students will be able to shape their lives by the answers they sincerely find.
We pray for those who have been nursed back to life after a disabling attack,and who feel this experience has been a life-changing one. Help them to express gratitude in their new sense of priorities. Help them to use renewed health and vigour in the service of others. Help them to see life, fragile though it is, as your gift to be shared.
We pray for people who prey upon others, who rob people in the course of their daily lives, and who don’t mind what suffering they cause while gaining advantage for themselves. We pray that they’ll be stopped in their tracks by a Spirit-given conscience, that they’ll put their ingenuity to use in the service of others, and that their whole culture of self-seeking will be turned around to self-giving and the building up of a community where all are loved.
We pray in the name of Jesus and the power of his resurrection. Amen.
A REFLECTION “You Can’t Possibly Mean Me!”Voice 1: I’m not important I can’t speak well No-one will believe me I don’t even know Your name. You can’t possibly mean me!
Voice 2: I’m too young I wouldn’t know what to say. You can’t possibly mean me!
Voice 3: I’d rather run away. I’ll sit under a tree and sulk even if it does get eaten by a worm. You can’t possibly mean me!
Voice 4: I’m just a home-maker –
Voice 5: – so was Mary
Voice 1: I’m just a simple worker –
Voice 5: – so was Andrew
Voice 2: I’ve made a lot of mistakes –
Voice 5: – so did Peter
Voice 3: I thought I’d got my whole life mapped out –
Voice 5: – so had Saul.
Voice 4: You can’t possibly mean me! I’m not good enough I’m not clever enough I’m not wise enough.
Voice 5: You can trust me You can put your hope in me I will not let you be put to shame. I will guide you, show you the path to walk and teach you my ways.
Voice 1: Can you possibly mean me?
Voice 2: Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying
Voice 5: “whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
Voice 2: and I said
Voice 3: “Here am I, send me.”
Voice 2: because I realised that
Voice 4: just possibly
Voice 1: He might mean
Voice 3: me.
SUGGESTIONS FOR HYMNS AND SONGSAll these suggestions relate to call, response, commitment to service, or seeking God’s guidance for life’s purpose.
They are listed under the themes of the Five Marks of Mission. Some of these themes are emphasised in certain readings:
Luke 10:25-37 Loving service Amos 7:7-17 Transform society Colossians 1:1-14 Proclaim the Good News and Nurture new believers
Numbers are from Rejoice and Sing, except italics = not in Rejoice and Sing, but in various books italic numbers are from Songs of Fellowship (HC) = has reference to Holy Communion (ch) = may be suitable for children
Proclaim the Good News 354 Come, living God, when least expected 572 (ch) Colours of day dawn into the mind 726 Give me a heart of compassion 650 God with humanity made one 576 God’s spirit is deep in my heart 574 Go forth and tell! 167 Here I am, wholly available 851 I will offer up my life 422 Lift high the Cross 613 Lord, speak to me, that I may speak 579 Lord, thy church on earth is seeking 285 O for a thousand tongues to sing 319 Thanks to God whose Word was spoken 329 (HC) There’s a spirit in the air Vocations Sunday 2007 Hymns
Nurture new believers
495 Father, hear the prayer we offer 518 Father, I place into your hands 84 Forgive our sins, as we forgive 498 (ch) God be in my head and in my understanding 746 (HC) God, your glory we have seen in your Son 526 Hushed was the evening hymn 367 I want to walk with Jesus Christ 311 Jesus, you are changing me 530 (HC) Living God, your joyful Spirit 894 Lord, I come before your throne of grace (Psalm 25:8-10) 994 Search me, O God (Psalm 25:4-5) 682 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul (Psalm 25:1-10) 561 Unto thee, O Lord (Psalm 25:1-4,7,14)
Loving service
570 A glorious company we sing 438 (HC) An upper room did our Lord prepare 474 Brother, Sister, let me serve you 522 From heaven you came, helpless babe 523 (ch) Give me joy in my heart 652 God! When human bonds are broken 646 Help us accept each other 448 (HC) Here, Lord, we take the broken bread 830 I, the Lord of sea and sky 197 (ch) Jesus’ hands were kind hands 629 Make me a channel of your peace 392 More love, more power (Luke 10:27) 463 (HC) Now let us from this table rise 615 O God of mercy, God of might 510 O Lord, you are the life of the world 1003 Sing to the Lord (Luke 10:27) 308+9 Spirit of the living God 636 (HC) The Church of Christ, in every age
Transform society
664 Beauty for brokenness 623 Eternal ruler of the ceaseless round 620 For the healing of the nations 497 Give to me, Lord, a thankful heart 625 God of freedom, God of justice 676 (v.10-14) I will declare your name to my people 603 Lord, for the years 533 Lord of good life 633 O let us spread the pollen of peace 90 (ch) O Lord, all the world belongs to you 634 Pray for the Church afflicted and oppressed 635 (HC) Put peace into each other’s hands 605 Son of God, eternal Saviour 637 The day of the Lord shall come 1076 We are marching in the light/love/power of God 483 We are your people 583 We’ ll walk the land 654 We turn to you, O God of every nation 655 When Christ was lifted from the earth 558 Will you come and follow me
Integrity of creation
520 For ourselves no longer living 42 For the fruits of all creation 60 God who spoke in the beginning 86 God, who stretched the spangled heavens 87 Lord, bring the day to pass 46 (ch) O praise him! O praise him! 79 This day God gives me
Relating to several of the Marks of Mission
580 (HC) Lord, you give the great commission 583 (ch) The Church is wherever God’s people
New verses
arising from Luke 10:25-37 and Amos 7:7-9 to be sung in place of the 2nd and 3rd verses of 45 Morning has broken after the first verse “… springing fresh from the Word”
Life’s a tough journey needing a neighbour, painfully learning who’s a true friend. Jesus loves all kinds. He is the Saviour, transforming small minds: love without end.
Ours is the new day brimming with promise: rising in God’s way, built as straight stones, hopes and ideas offered to Jesus, all our careers plans and unknowns.
STORIES OF GOD’S CALLPeople are called in different ways. The support, encouragement and challenge they receive from others can be crucial. And the sense of call can develop over a period of time. Here are some examples.
Simon Loveitt
I knew from when I left school that I wanted to work with people, so I trained as a Hotel Manager and worked in the catering industry for a while. Over time, it became evident that I was not entirely happy with this industry, but still felt a strong call to work with people.
At the same time, the church I attended – South Aston URC was involved in community work in the neighbourhood. They operated an extensive programme which included Time for God volunteers working in the neighbourhood for between six months and a year. I left the catering industry and became a volunteer in 1984, relishing the opportunity of trying to make a difference to a local community. This was my niche and I felt increasingly called during the year to this type of work.
Towards the end of the year, the minister and a couple of elders suggested that I might be interested to find out about a new ministry in the United Reformed Church, called Church Related Community Work, which would enable me to develop the skills I had learnt in my year working as a volunteer. Having felt strongly that this was where God was calling me I talked to the Moderator in the spring of 1986. By the autumn I had completed the candidate procedure and began training at St Andrew’s Hall in Selly Oak.
I have served in Moss Side and Hulme in Manchester, in Middlesbrough, and am now in the inner city estate of Bradford Moor in Bradford.
Heather Pollard
My sense of call came slowly, over a period of about seven years. On reflection, it was a matter of “one step at a time”. After an initial “gut feeling” that God wanted me to do something, and after praying and talking with a number of friends, I decided to train as a lay preacher.
During my lay preaching course I began to feel that this wasn’t specifically what God wanted me to do and at the back of my mind was the thought of non-stipendiary ministry. However, I could give a number of good excuses why I couldn’t do it, so I began to pray that God would make it very clear if that was what he wanted me to do. Then a non-serving elder at my church asked me, “Heather, have you ever thought that you could be a minister?” This prompted me to attend an enquirer’s conference and to speak with my Moderator, who suggested that I might consider the stipendiary ministry. Once again I could give many reasons why I couldn’t do it, so I concluded that God was calling me to be an NSM.
A little over one year into my training for the non-stipendiary ministry I felt once again that God was challenging me. Whilst I knew that God was behind everything I was experiencing, feeling and thinking, I struggled to discern what he was saying. I really appreciated the support offered by a number of close friends who didn’t try to tell me what I should do, but patiently listened as I shared what was happening.
After a number of months the process reached a climax during a weekend course at college. In separate conversations with three colleagues each one asked me when I was going to “go full-time”. Then the preacher at the Sunday service seemed to be talking just to me when he spoke about trusting God and taking risks. Later that day I voiced what was becoming an inner conviction, “One day I will be a full-time stipendiary minister”. The theme of the evening service was final confirmation that I needed to speak to my Moderator again.
John Danso
I was a professional Teacher, who taught abroad and in London. I became a member of the URC in 1984 when I was studying at Birmingham University. I moved to London in 1985 and worshipped at Camberwell URC and later transferred to Streatham Pendennis Road URC.
I was an elder and took active part in the life of the Church. I was given authorisation by District to preside over communion when the Minister was on sick leave for some time. I led worship and preached on many occasions. I also attended District Council meetings as well as Synods.
I did all the above in the church, but it was not until 1988 that something strange began to happen to me. I realised that there was a push always followed by a faint voice, telling me to give myself up for the ministry.I did not understand because I was offering ministry in the church and pastoral ministry also. But I prayed about it. Anytime it happened and I brushed it away, something happened to me. This went on for some time.
Then one day my minister called me and said, “John, I believe you are being called to become an ordained minister.” I did not understand him, but we joked over it and left. During that week it was revealed clearly to me in my dream that I should get ready for the journey.
I went straight to my minister and informed him that I wanted my name to be put forward for candidating. The church voted overwhelmingly to support me and encouraged me not to be afraid. The process started, and in 1983 I was admitted at Westminster College for training.
When the call came it was a big challenge, because I had to leave my work as acting deputy headteacher on a high salary to be a servant of God where I was going to receive less than a third of my salary. When I informed my headteacher that I was going to be trained as a minister, he came home to ask my wife whether I was alright. But by then the die had been cast and there was no turning back.
My own conviction that I am being called and the encouragement from members of the congregation really helped me a great deal.
I finished my training and have had a very exciting but challenging ministry ever since.
David Pickering It began with my then minister when he perceptively asked me, at a time when I was thinking about my future direction in life, whether the ministry might be for me. His question was a surprise, and I rather hastily declined.
However, he had planted a seed that lingered and when he asked again five years later his question was no longer a surprise. As I reflected, chatted about and prayed about what might be, I felt a will to explore further – is that a call?
My local church was supportive and I found particular encouragement from my secular and largely non-Christian work colleagues, and so I candidated.
Twenty largely stimulating, fulfilling and enjoyable years later I am still finding new challenges and, looking back, a sense of calling affirmed.
David Jonathan
There was a time in my life, when I thought I could run away from God. Least had I imagined then, that actually I was drawing nearer to God. Despite having been born in a Christian family in India, I avoided God, faith and the Church. An average graduate, later trained as a paramedic, I somehow got drawn into working with the YMCA in India for over 10 years. In October 2001, when I arrived in the UK to work with the United Reformed Church, I said to God, “Here I am Lord”.
Interfaith Project called ‘Sharing People in Mission’1, based at GRASSROOTS2 in Luton, led me to understand Abraham Lincoln’s words, “I destroy my enemy when I make him/her my friend.” It has happened between “Me & God” and I wonder if others could also taste this experience. This is what I do in Luton, thinking if God is One and if we believe in One God then there are obvious bonds that need to be discovered and propagated amongst people across races, religions and nationalities.
The world may seem too big to impact upon, but Luton is also a part of it. We affect the world by intervening in life in Luton.
GRASSROOTS Programme in Luton has been inviting Mission Partners from the countries of South and East. It has transformed people’s lives, not necessarily by making people Christians, but by reaching out in and through the name of Christ, to those from ethnic minorities, who were/are misunderstood or least understood.
1 Also supported by Council for World Mission and Luton Council of Faiths.2 A Local Christian Ecumenical Programme, working alongside Churches and other faithsto build bridges of positive communication and to promote understanding of issues thataffect all of us irrespective of our caste, colour, creed or religion.
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