When the Christian takes up his work, he does so in a Christian way; he does it after the manner of Christ. Our daily work is our sacrifice of praise, our faithful response to the free gift of salvation. Where men answer the call to shepherd, preach, and serve at the altar, they imitate and confess Christ. But our Lord models many other works as well. Where the people of God teach, wash, and tend the sick, they imitate and confess Christ. Where the people of God listen, obey, and bear burdens, they imitate and confess Christ. Where the people of God fish, plant, and build, they imitate and confess Christ. You know what this is: the doctrine of vocation. You know it well because it is a particular insight of Luther himself, and one that was desperately needed in his time. The people of God clung to this Scriptural truth. They found comfort and joy in God’s assurance that their poor lives of labor pleased Him, whatever form that labor took.
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