Occupational Longevity in the Kingdom of God
August 12, 2009
Question. What do a wainwright, costermonger, and warrener have in common? Other than being words you likely have never used in a sentence, these have the distinction of being occupations that have faded from the American mainstream over the last 100 years. Since we no longer need men and women who solely make wagons, sell fruit and vegetables on the streets, or protect wild rabbit holes from foxes, these jobs are officially extinct. And thanks to the current pace of technological development, those whose jobs center on movie rental stores, the Yellow Pages, or dial-up internet will be on the list with the costermongers in the not-too-distant future.
This dynamic of occupational longevity has been on my mind all week as I have read about two very different yet equally significant vocations in the kingdom of God. One has an termination date on it, while the other will carry on throughout eternity. And in both cases, this time frame is a good thing.
The first is the work Abby Tracy is doing with street children in Uganda. All of our hearts have been broken by the kidnapping of four of her beloved boys who live in the slums-two of which were within 12 hours of moving into a group home. As we pray for Nicholas, Mukenya, and the other two boys, we bear a small piece of Abby’s grief when she writes, “I do not feel hopeless; just immensely sad and overwhelmed with the evil and suffering that I am surrounded by in my ministry to street kids.”
The reason Abby can embrace hope-the reason her ministry of sharing in these children’s hurts has a termination date on it-is because the evil and suffering surrounding her will soon be no more. When King Jesus returns wielding his vengeful sword, all those who rebel against his rule will be judged with eternal fire and will do evil no longer. And when his redeemed are left standing, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).
On the opposite spectrum, I read this week of a vocation that will only intensify following Jesus’ return. In 1 Chronicles 16 we read of the various priestly roles that existed as part of the temple worship. After mentioning the priests who handled the sacrifices, the chronicler notes, “With them were Heman and Jeduthun and the rest of those chosen and expressly named to give thanks to the LORD, for his steadfast love endures forever” (1 Chronicles 16:41).
Heman, Jeduthun, and others had one vocation in the temple: give thanks to the LORD. Why? Because his steadfast love-his covenant loyalty and mercy toward his people-endures forever. As long as God continues keeping his promises to his people, these men were to give thanks to him. And because God’s promise-keeping endures forever, their vocation will never end.
Though most of us do not do the work of an Abby or Jeduthun full time, we are all called to engage the brokenness of this world with mercy and to respond to God’s faithfulness with thanksgiving. We can do the first in hope, knowing that this brokenness will not last forever, and we can do the second in joy, knowing that God’s steadfast love will last forever. May God grant us an increasingly eternal perspective so that we might press forward in these kingdom occupations with hope and joy.
Pastor Chris