Two Sundays ago, I had the opportunity to visit a friend in Richmond for her last Sunday before heading off to Seminary. She has been a lay children’s minister for three years at this parish and during that time, discerned a call to priesthood.

If you are not familiar with the process of being called to what Nick and I do, it is tremendously complicated. If one feels the call to the priesthood, you go and talk with your parish priest about it. The priest then calls together a parish discernment committee for the individual to further think about their call with a group of people. If the discernment committee acknowledges the call as well, you are presented to a diocesan committee. If the diocesan committee feels so moved by your call, they send it over the Bishop who makes the final call to go to seminary. About halfway through seminary, depending on the diocese, you do the same process all over again for the final approval for ordination.

Although this is a complicated process, there are plenty of good reasons why it is so difficult. One of the questions they repeatedly asked me in my ordination process was something like, “what is it about your call to ordained ministry that you cannot do as a lay person”. And I think this is a great question because we are all called to ministry, as baptized members of the Church.

See, all of us take vows too. At our baptism each one of us, or our parents on our behalf, make vows to the mission of the church. The lay ministry is special and holy. And most beautifully, lay ministry is for all. It can look like being in the choir, making coffee for church, being an acolyte, coming to grill night, other fellowship or simply just sitting in the pews. That is ministry too. We are all called, in special ways at various parts of our lives to serve God. It is not just the priest who is called to ministry.

Of course, I love my job. I love the unique call God has put on my life which I have accepted. But God has called you too and God is using you. God has called you to answer the call to be part of a church community. And you answer that call, on Sundays, on weekdays, in evangelism, and so much more. God also might be calling you further into that call. Part of all our call is to listen to those quiet whispers from God.

I am grateful for this community at St. Luke’s which has answered God’s call to serve God and the world. And I am grateful to be living into God’s call with you all.