Are you a winner?

'One who is more powerful is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals.

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.’

I wonder if you are someone who has always wanted to be the headliner, the main act,

the charismatic leader? All of us undoubtedly have at least some desire to be the first -

the one that has got ahead, proved themselves, won the race, become successful.

Our culture is great at celebrating the ones who achieve poll position: the winners of Strictly,

the Apprentice, Master Chef - everything is a competition to find the best. 

Yet, there are many faithful number 2s and 3s and 4s - those willing to be in the shadows

but nonetheless influencing the action. Their stories are not so often told. John the Baptist

is known as the forerunner, the one who prepared the Way, making the paths straight -

creating an environment in which it would be easier for others to receive Jesus and his

message. An itinerant preacher himself, a prophet, a holy man calling the people to

repentance and challenging the religious authorities of his day, John the Baptist surely

could have been a great rival to Jesus. Instead, he has a clear understanding of his role

and purpose in life. John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus and pointed people to

him - that was his vocation. As such he was an extraordinary figure who can help us all

think more realistically about the whole idea of vocation.

In our culture there are many gurus telling us they have the answers to our problems, the

key to unravelling our success. We are all enticed to believe that if we try a bit harder, make

some more sacrifices, or get a bit more ruthless, make a few more shortcuts, even cheat, we

can win. But, not everyone can win the gold medal, be the headliner, run the most successful

business, get the outstanding Ofsted. What happens to those who come second, third, fourth

or who fail?

In this context where the only option seems to be winning or losing, thinking about vocation

can be really helpful. When thinking about vocation we might ask: 

Who is it that I am in God’s eyes?

This requires a sober assessment of ourselves which should lead to repentance. This may

take a very long time - I'm talking years not months! But it is only from this point of humility,

even emptiness that we can be refilled by God. The good news for us in this alternative model

of flourishing and well-being is that God doesn’t assess and judge us as the world does; he’s

not interested in a list of our achievements, beaten rivals, or titles by our name. He is

interested in our inner nature and how that impacts on our outer actions.  Vocation leads to

our flourishing and the flourishing of others around us, because vocation is about God’s will

for us, not what we will for ourselves. 

Another way of thinking about vocation then is to ask: What is God’s will for my life? God

sees more broadly than we do. Vocation isn’t simply about our own individual flourishing,

our own search for personal fulfilment - a very contemporary aspiration - vocation is about

God’s story and how we can become an active part of it. God invites us into the kingdom of

heaven, a place in which God is in charge. But to let God be in charge we have to let go.

That is very hard for us. It is hard for us to let go of the fantasies that we construct of our own

success or brilliance. We have to let go and trust that God knows what is best for us - not

what is better for me as an individual, but what is best for us as a community, a people,

God’s children. 

Vocation then offers a counter-narrative to that of the false promises of our world. It offers a

vision of human flourishing that doesn’t divide the world into gifted and mediocre; great

leader and unnoticed follower; champion and loser. It offers rather the Kingdom of Heaven in

which all God’s people have an essential and important part to play. This is Good News, it’s

wonderful news, extraordinary news - whoever you are, whatever the opportunities you’ve

had, whatever your past successes or failures, God has a place for you in the Kingdom. 

This second Sunday of Advent we might do well to ponder our response to God's call upon

lives. How is God asking you to be part of his story? What might you need to put aside

or turn away from (i.e. repent of) to take up that role? Who do you see around you that needs

to hear the Good News that God has a place for them in his Kingdom?

The final point is that all true vocations will ultimately reflect John the Baptist’s - in that they

will enable us to point away from ourselves, towards Jesus. It is God’s desire for us that

shapes the kingdom of Heaven; we need to learn how to get out of the way so that God’s will

can be done.