Seventh Sunday of Easter (2024)

1 Peter 4:7-14

EMPHASIS ON VOCATIONS AND IN PARTICULAR MOTHERHOOD

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we have in our Epistle lesson, encouragement from Peter and reminder to use the gifts that God has given us for the benefit of our neighbors. That we are called to live lives that are in service to one another. God teaches us this dependency from the very beginning of our life as we rely on each other. For God did not place us here in this world alone, but continues to work through and for the benefit of each us as we are all brought together.

God’s Callings

Our vocations come from God.

This flies in the face of many ideas that we have today about why I am here what am I supposed to do? What is the point of my existence? This is important for us to understand first and foremost, that they come from our creator.

They are not singular, but varied.

Think of how many callings an individual person might have. Every mother is also a daughter, but she can also be a sister, a wife, a neighbor, employee, etc.

Our vocations reveal our purpose.

The reason that we are here on earth. They are vital to understand what the purpose of our life is and they are not found in a void, but in how God has connected us within creation.

The Big Question

What do you want to...?

Be when you grow up? What do you want to do? Where do you want to go? What are your dreams, your desires, your wants, the trouble is our

Our wants are endless.

The have no end, there is always something more that we seek after to claim for ourselves. This allows us to keep chasing, dreaming, and never being satisfied as we week something more. There is a better question we ought to ask, and that is

What has God given me to serve my neighbor?

It narrows our focus considerable, and helps to understand our place in this world, and where God would use us to serve. God called people to many different vocations in this life and entrusted them with the tasks. At times they were nervous or surprised, and a bit uncertain.

If we are created, then we should look to our creator.

Our culture at present rejects this fundamental belief, and goes through life in a way that does not consider God at all. When a kid is asked what do you want to be? It doesn’t ask or have us consider God in the picture at all. Quite often the world thinks of God as a butler or cheerleader who will encourage you in whatever you want, and that is not godly, but Godless.

Stewards, Not Owners

Everything we have comes from God.

We confess that in our small catechism, that he has given me my eyes ears, my reason and all my senses. This means our strength, our intelligence, the gifts that we have, even who is in our lives for he is the one that orders our days. This knowledge is helpful for

It teaches us humility.

For what we do have that we can claim for ourselves or is by our own power. Today is Mother’s day, and that is a gift that God gave to each of us not because we were deserving or because we were so special, but he connected us with other people intimately. God used this vocation to teach us.

God intends for us to serve our neighbor.

That is what you see as the measure of a good mother. One who loves their children and helps them in their need, not necessarily in their wants, for the wants of children are endless.

Serving Family

God placed us in a family.

For that we ought to give thanks to him. After the first 3 commandments, the first commandment points us to our parents, and reminds us that we are not in this world alone, but we come from someone. We learn from them how to love and serve others.

Mothers serve their closest neighbor.

For motherhood doesn’t begin at birth, for life begins at conception, for mother didn’t just start caring for us once we are born, but from the moment we were conceived provided shelter, food, and kept us safe.

They are entrusted with our care.

For that we ought to give thanks on this day, and when we say happy mother’s day, it should remind all of us the joy that we have in our mother’s who provided for us, and imparted to us a valuable lesson.

Love directs us to others.

It doesn’t point us inward, but rather points us out to the world around us. For the sum of the commandments is to Love God, and Love your neighbor. It doesn’t point you back inward, but rather outward, and that’s what a mother is called to do.

Serving Strangers

Hospitality(φιλόξενος) means love for strangers.

Hospitality is a lost art in this world, but it reminds us of how we are to act and treat our neighbors in all things, not just the ones we like and know, but even the stranger.

Think of people as your friends.

How would you treat your friend? Instead showing favoritism, that we honor and treat all equally, and help them out in their need, stand up for them, and defend their good name, for that is what we would do for our friends.

Love involves sacrifice.

It is easy to do this for those we love, and those that we like, but we are called to do this for all people. It is far more tempting to work only for the good of those that like you, or for those who are grateful, or for those who you like, but that love is to be shown to all, for that is

Jesus’ Love For You

When did Jesus first love you?

Not while you were good, not while you were righteous, but while you were still a sinner, while you were an enemy of God and worked against God. Yet Jesus went to the cross for your sake, because

Jesus considers you His friend.

That’s why he laid down his life for you. It’s not that we first called Him our friend, it’s not that we accepted or chose Him, but that Jesus considered you His friend, He accepted you and chose you as His brother, and sister and gave His life for you.

Jesus’ love covered your sins.

It washed them all away so that you might have a place in paradise with Him. That’s love beyond the comprehension of the world, but Jesus joined us in the flesh, that He might call us His own, and gave up His life for you.

This love is poured into our hearts.

This is the perfect love that we wish to share with all people, and to let them know, for this love serves as the foundation for all other types of love that exist. The love a mother has for her child, and the love a child has for their mother.

So my brothers and sisters in Christ, let us see the great love that Jesus has for us, and that the father has for us. For it is this love that serves as the foundation for the love in all our earthly vocations. Let us also give thanks to God for the gift He gave us of a mother, for even if she didn’t fulfill this role as she should, she is the first gift that God entrusted our care to in this life. She serves as a reminder of how God provides for all of us each and every day. In Jesus name. Amen.