- God’s mission is different for every one of us. Because God has a given each of us a different set of gifts. We must seek to discern what our particular mission is. Maybe it is to be a great Christian mechanic who is known for doing the best work. Or an excellent teacher. Or cook!
- For most of us, our primary mission is to be the best husband or wife, mother or father, we can be. We must constantly ask God for grace to do well on our mission, and use the means of grace the Church offers to help us fulfill our mission.
- Once we have discerned what our particular mission is, we won’t feel we “have” to do it. For it is God’s work and we have a special role to play in that work. What a privilege! What a joy! To know that what we do today, even if no one notices, will have a role to play in God’s work of redemption. He sees it, even if no one else does.
- Remember that when we are helping that kid or neighbor or customer, Jesus said that when we do anything as unto him we are really doing it for him. Especially when it is for “the least of these my brethren.”
Gerald McDermott born in Pittsburgh, is a professor at Beeson Divinity School. His favorite movie is “Ushpizin” (view the trailer here). They had a great dog named Jaffa, named after their favorite place in the world, Jaffa, Israel. His favorite smell is petrichor. Some of his favorite books, which he recommends widely, are Mr Blue, A Severe Mercy, Sabbath by Abraham Heschel, and the trilogy Jesus of Nazareth by Pope Benedict. His first job was at an ice cream parlor in 8th grade. He was fired because he did such a lousy job. When he’s not reading and writing and teaching theology, he loves running, the Boston Red Sox, being with his ten grandchildren, going to Israel (17 trips thus far), and spending time with his wife of 43 years. He grew up Catholic in Boston and New York, went to a Jesuit high school in New York City. During one of the summers he washed dishes on a Greek ship in the Aegean Sea where they worked 14 hours a day for 14 cents an hour. After college he joined a Christian commune where he met his wife. They lived in Christian communes for 9 (for her) and 7 (for him) years, and had their first two sons there. You can hear his podcast here and read a recent exchange on Israel here.
