Who isn’t my neighbor?

By Bishop Ann Svennungsen

Ten days ago in Demsa, Nigeria, I joined eleven bishops for the laying on of hands, ordaining 72 new pastors to serve in the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria (LCCN). It was a profound experience, made moreso by the 50,000 worshipers gathering with us in this outdoor setting.

An ancient tradition, the ordination rite was part of the final worship service of the 99th Annual LCCN Convention on February 25.

“The concept of vocation is one of the most powerful ways we bridge the gap between faith and daily life.”

At the same time, using something unheard of in ancient times, an online campaign was launched, sending emails to 100,000 LCCN members, inviting each to contribute at least 2,000 Naira to advance the construction of the new Lutheran University of Nigeria.

Within a couple days, 5 million Naira was raised. In a country where the cost of food increased 35.41% from January 2023 to January 2024, such a generous response is truly amazing.

 

THE JUXTAPOSITION OF the two events – the ordination of 72 pastors and the generous gifts to the University – gave me pause. Both events support a Lutheran understanding of vocation, fostering the callings of all the baptized. In Luther’s time, the common understanding was that priests alone (the ordained) had a “calling from God.”

Luther challenged that – believing that God calls every one of us. All are called to love and serve the neighbor. And, in good Luther form, he gave vivid examples of callings: If your town needs a mayor, run for mayor. If it needs a school, build a school. If your baby’s diaper needs changing, change it. These are all callings from God.

I believe the concept of vocation is one of the most powerful ways we bridge the gap between faith and daily life – between Sunday and Monday. And vocation is not only about occupation. It includes our whole lives. Children, those who are retired or unemployed, all have callings. God calls us where we are, including our occupations, but not only there. Dr. Marti Stortz, asks simply: does what you are doing with your life include the word “neighbor” at the end of the sentence? That is a key to understanding vocation.

“If your town needs a mayor, run for mayor. If it needs a school, build a school. If your baby’s diaper needs changing, change it.”

And, the building of a university is a key way to support such a rich and inclusive understanding of vocation. Dr. Stan Olson has a nice “word ladder” to describe this:

Because of Christ, the World
     Because of the World, Vocation
          Because of Vocation, Education

The dream is that the Lutheran University Nigeria (LUN) will provide quality higher education for more students and do it more equitably. And, in doing so, LUN will raise up a generation of leaders to serve the complicated, interfaith, diverse country that is Nigeria.

Election season is all around us here in the United States. (Today is the Presidential Primary here in Minnesota.) We each have a vocation to participate in public life for the common good (serving the neighbor). And just like the future graduates of the Lutheran University of Nigeria, we have also been equipped by God to live out our vocation – as leaders and citizens in the complicated, interfaith, diverse country that is United States. I pray we might be faithful stewards of this calling.