As part of my Lenten journey this year, I will be blogging daily using the themes or words created by the South-Central Synod of Wisconsin in partnership with other ELCA synods for “Lent Photo a Day.” The word for today, March 2nd, is “Called.”

On this second day of Lent, now that the ashes have been washed from our foreheads, I am thinking about what it means to be called. How are you called through your baptism? How are you, or might you be called by the God who creates, sustains, knows, and loves you?

For example, Paul was called, and he begins his letter to the Romans talking about this calling as well as all of our callings. He writes,

“Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we receive grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, to all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” – Romans 1:1-7, NRSV.

Lent is a good time to reflect on this idea of being called. Sometimes we are called to things we know. Other times we are called to ventures unknown.

Every day that I work from my office at the Nebraska Synod office in Omaha, I come in and see this affirming yet also awesome responsibility in the form of my “Letter of Call,” which sits on my desk.

I have it there prominently on my desk, not to show other people, but to remind myself and to ground myself about why I am here, and why I do what I do. In those moments I might forget or turn inward, having that there is a convicting and inspiring reminder that my calling is not about me alone, but all those around me, the people of God, and of course my relationship with them and with God.

How do you feel this sense of being called in life? Or do you?

If not, how can we think, discern, listen, and imagine together about where you might be being called? Or perhaps more likely, where you have already been called and are following that call, but perhaps you have never thought of it as a call into your vocations?

As we ponder our sense of call, let’s close using the slightly adapted words of one of my favorite prayers. It’s sometimes called “The Journey Prayer,” and it is offered as part of both morning and evening orders of service.

Let us pray. O God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils and joys unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Source: Adapted from Evangelical Lutheran Worship, (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2006), pages 304 & 317.

As we continue together our journey through Lent to the cross, join me in pondering these questions, and join the #LentPhotoaDay adventure through images and pictures on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media channels.