7/7
Discipleship
Being a Christian in our
working lives
Session 4
God’s calling to everyone
We all have a vocation
Vocation …..
Vocation …….
Vocation …….
What does the Bible say?
• In groups, read and discuss the suggested
passage(s).
• Be prepared to feedback briefly to the
whole group.
Some questions to consider (and others may occur to
you):
How and why does God call people in the Bible?
What is the significance of someone’s name (or the
changing of a name) in the Bible?
What can we learn from the Bible about God’s calling
to us .. our vocation?
A story …
The Hasidic rabbi, Zuscha, was asked on his deathbed
what he thought the kingdom of God would be like. He
replied, "I don't know. But one thing I do know. When I
get there I am not going to be asked, 'Why weren't you
Moses? Why weren't you David?' I am only going to be
asked, 'Why weren't you Zuscha?”
The naming of cats by T S Eliot
The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter,
It isn't just one of your holiday games;
You may think at first I'm as mad as a hatter
When I tell you, a cat must have THREE
DIFFERENT NAMES.
First of all, there's the name that the family use
daily,
Such as Peter, Augustus, Alonzo or James,
Such as Victor or Jonathan, George or Bill Bailey-All of them sensible everyday names.
There are fancier names if you think they sound
sweeter,
Some for the gentlemen, some for the dames:
Such as Plato, Admetus, Electra, Demeter-But all of them sensible everyday names.
But I tell you, a cat needs a name that's particular,
A name that's peculiar, and more dignified,
Else how can he keep up his tail perpendicular,
Or spread out his whiskers, or cherish his pride?
Of names of this kind, I can give you a quorum,
Such as Munkustrap, Quaxo, or Coricopat,
Such as Bombalurina, or else JellylorumNames that never belong to more than one cat.
But above and beyond there's still one name left
over,
And that is the name that you never will guess;
The name that no human research can discover-But THE CAT HIMSELF KNOWS, and will never
confess.
When you notice a cat in profound meditation,
The reason, I tell you, is always the same:
His mind is engaged in a rapt contemplation
Of the thought, of the thought, of the thought of
his name:
His ineffable effable
Effanineffable
Deep and inscrutable singular Name.
Alonzo
Augustus
Electra
Peter
Admetus
Victor
Jonathan
Demeter
George
Bill Bailey
Plato
Alonzo
Electra
Augustus
Munkustrap
Peter
Jellylorum
Coricopat
Admetus
Victor
Quaxo
Jonathan
Demeter
Bombalurina
George
Bill Bailey
Plato
Alonzo
Electra
Augustus
Munkustrap
Jellylorum
Coricopat
?
Victor
Jonathan
Peter
Admetus
Quaxo
Demeter
Bombalurina
George
Bill Bailey
Plato
Finding your vocation
Your true name before God
Working life
Job
Home
activities
Family
activities
Sport
Church
tasks
Voluntary
work
Club or committee
membership
Working life
Home
activities
Job
Qualifications
Experiences
Family
activities
Sport
Skills
Voluntary
work
Gifts
Talents
Aptitudes
Club or committee
membership
Church
tasks
Working life
Home
activities
Sport
Skills
Voluntary
work
Job
Qualifications
Experiences
Your unique name.
The personal
qualities that
make you who you
are. The image of
God within you?
Talents
Family
activities
Gifts
Aptitudes
Club or committee
membership
Church
tasks
Working life
Home
activities
Sport
Skills
Voluntary
work
Job
Qualifications
Experiences
Your unique name.
The personal
qualities that
make you who you
are. The image of
God within you.
Talents
Family
activities
Gifts
Aptitudes
Club or committee
membership
Church
tasks
Your Turn …………………….
Working life
Home
activities
Sport
Skills
Voluntary
work
Job
Qualifications
Experiences
Your unique name.
The personal
qualities that
make you who you
are. The image of
God within you.
Talents
Family
activities
Gifts
Aptitudes
Club or committee
membership
Church
tasks
Suggestions for the week
• It can be quite difficult, especially for adults, to get in
touch with the ‘inner circle’ of who we are.
• Some questions for thinking about are given on the
handout. You might like to use some or all of these in
order to help you to get more deeply in touch with your
‘innermost circle’.
• You might like to write or draw your response to these
questions in a journal.
• You will not be asked to share your specific responses to
this exercise, unless you want to, although it would be
good to know next week whether or not you found it
useful.
Closing worship
….