When strangers meet, they typically ask a set of questions. “What’s your name?” “Where are you from?” “What do you do?”

So it was when I met someone in the Village a few days ago, but it was the last question that caught me. What do I do?

I decided to take a humorous approach. “I load frogs into a wheelbarrow.”

“Huh?”

Seeing the confusion, I clarified. “I’m a middle school teacher.”

“Oh. Ha ha ha.” (Thanks for the courtesy laugh, Alan.)

I kept thinking about that question as the day went on, however. What do I do? It has a corollary: What am I called to do?

Jesus was called through the words of Isaiah. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” As John Fugelsang recently wrote, "Obama's not a brown-skinned anti-war socialist who gives away free healthcare. You're thinking of Jesus."

Am I called to do what Isaiah says too?

I’m currently a middle school teacher. The frog illustration aside, I’ve also thought about teaching middle school as similar to a potter throwing a pot. She shaped it from a raw form, molding the sides, adjusting their thickness, and ultimately creating a beautiful shape. Instead of using clay, however, it often seems like I’m working with Jello.

Before being a teacher, I was a pastor. I’ve served 3 Presbyterian churches, and in many ways my current work – what I do – is similar to that. I continue to teach. I continue to “visit” with kids one-on-one when they need extra help. I continue to work with families, hopefully toward the direction of healing, seeing, encouraging and uplifting. As I teach, Isaiah’s words often ring in the background.

So what do you do? Here in the Village, there are many jobs. Some are called to be plumbers, some child care workers, some launderers, some teachers, some guests. In a conversation with a guest when I was here on long-term staff, question 3 came up again. “I’m a carpenter,” I said, “What about you?”

“I’m just a guest.”

Just a guest?! Is that all? I wish I’d had the presence of mind to say, “Thank you for what you do. Thank you for giving this Village a purpose. Thank you for helping transform lives.”

Just a guest…that’s a good one! Mahatma Gandhi one said, “Whatever you do may seem insignificant, but it’s most important that you do it.” Scripture offers a similar exhortation, saying "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for [people]." [Colossians 3:23] One of the confessions from my own faith tradition offers further guidance on the tertiary question. The Westminster Confessions is written in the form of a catechism, and the very first question is asks is, “What is the chief end of man?” The answer: "The chief end of man is to glorify God, and to enjoy God forever." So it is with us. Whether a housekeeper, a cook, a gardener, or a director here in the Village, whether an accountant, a lawyer, a student, or a software developer outside the Village, we are all called to do the same thing: to glorify God in our work and to enjoy the work to which God has called us because we are ultimately working for God, not human beings. I know that some days are great and others are a drag. And I know that sometimes people need to change jobs. But God is calling each of us to do the same thing no matter what our job is: to glorify God in what we do so that we may bring good news to the poor, and to all whom we meet, to proclaim release, to bring sight and to proclaim God’s favor toward all. Blessings in all you do.