Scottish Episcopal Church
VOCATIONS SUNDAY
The College of Bishops confirmed that the fourth Sunday after Easter would be kept as ‘Vocations Sunday’ in the Scottish Episcopal Church. It is often referred to as ‘Good Shepherd Sunday’, because the gospel reading for the day is taken from John 10, which explores the image of Jesus as the good shepherd.
Vocations Sunday offers us the opportunity to consider what ‘calling’ means in the Church, and how we may best use our gifts in God’s service.
This document aims to provide resources for congregations and their leaders to explore the theme of vocation at services. The sections are
(i) suggested prayers (ii) using the sermon time (iii) hymns (iv) links to other websites which offer further resources (v) PDO article from Inspires on ‘Vocation in the SEC today’ (2011)
If you would like further information or help for Vocations Sunday, please contact your Diocesan Director of Ordinands or the Provincial Director of Ordinands.
(i) PRAYERS
Collects from various churches:
Collect for Epiphany 3
Almighty God, by grace alone you call us and accept us into your service. Strengthen us by your Spirit, and make us worthy of your call, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
From the Church of England: Let us pray for the ministry of the whole people of God.
God our Father, Lord of all the world, through your Son you have called us into the fellowship of your universal Church: hear our prayer for your faithful people that in their vocation and ministry each may be an instrument of your love, through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen
Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of the Church is governed and sanctified: hear our prayer which we offer for all your faithful people, that in their vocation and ministry they may serve you in holiness and truth to the glory of your name; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
Almighty God, you have entrusted to your Church a share in the ministry of your Son our great high priest: inspire by your Holy Spirit the hearts of many to offer themselves for the ministry of your Church, that strengthened by his power, they may work for the increase of your kingdom and set forward the eternal praise of your name; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
From the Anglican Church of Australia
Almighty God, look with compassion on the world you have redeemed by the death of your Son Jesus Christ. Move the hearts of many to offer themselves for the sacred ministry of your Church, so that by their lives and labours your light may shine in the darkness and the coming of your kingdom be advance, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
From the Roman Catholic Church:
Lord Jesus you said to your disciples:
“The harvest indeed is greatbut the labourers are few.”
We ask that we may knowand follow the vocation to which you have called us.
We pray for those called to serve:those whom you have called,
those you are calling now,and those you will call in the future.
May they be open and responsiveto the call of serving your people.
Amen.
God our Father, You will all men and women to be saved and come to the knowledge of your Truth. Send workers into your great harvest that the Gospel may be preached to every creature
and your people, gathered together by the word of life and strengthened by the power of the sacraments, may advance in the way of salvation and love. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
Everliving God, strengthen and sustain those whom you have chosen that with patience and understanding they may love and care for your people, and grant that together they may follow Jesus Christ, offering to you their gifts and talents, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Blessing:
Almighty God, who for the salvation of the world gives to his people may gifts and ministries to the advancement of his glory, stir up in you the gifts of his grace, sustain each one of your in your own ministry, and the blessing of God Almighty …
A prayer for young vocations to ministry by Pope John Paul II
Lord, Jesus, Christ, Good Shepherd of our souls, you who know your sheep and know how to reach our hearts, open the minds and hearts of those young people who search for and await a word of truth for their lives; let them understand that only in the mystery of your incarnation do they find full light; arouse the courage of those who know where to seek the truth, but fear that what you ask will be too demanding. Stir in the hearts of those young people who would follow you, but who cannot overcome doubts and fears, and who in the end follow other voices and other paths which lead nowhere. You who are the Word of the Father, the Word which creates and saves, the Word which enlightens and sustains hearts, conquer with your Spirit the resistance and delays of indecisive hearts; arouse in those whom you call the courage of love's answer: "Here I am, send me!" Amen.
From the Methodist Church:
Jesus, Lord and Master, you transform the lives of men and women.
In your strength we can do all things and please our sovereign God.
Tame our natures Lord, mould us to your need, fashion us to your taste,
and conform us to your will.
Enable us and all who hear your call to ministry to give ourselves generously to your service.
Send us as workers into the Church and into the world.Amen
Lord, as you called your disciples, call us now.
Open our ears to listen to you calling;
Open our eyes to see you;
Open our hearts to your love.
Help us to hear you, to experience your presence with us and to love you.
And loving you, let us serve you, our servant King.Amen
There are more resources for the liturgy on the Church of England’s Vocations Sunday website at
For example, they have provided this specimen of intercessions:
Lord God and Father of all,over all and in all and through all: we give thanks that we are called to your service; may all your people may be attentive and obedient to your calling.
Lord, hear your people and answer our prayers.
Lord of all, we give thanks that you call some to be apostles, sent out to do your work. We pray for all who respond to this calling to serve in your name: for those immersed in the world, seeking to bear witness to the gospel in word and action, for those whose service takes them to places where they face opposition and difficulty, may they be continually filled with your Spirit, and empowered to follow your calling.
Lord, hear your people and answer our prayers.
Lord of all, we give thanks that you call some to be prophets. We pray for all whom you have called to speak out and proclaim the values of your kingdom: for those who challenge injustice and apathy and untruth, for those who campaign for the well-being of your people and your world may they be continually filled with your vision, and have courage in their prophetic calling.
Lord, hear your people and answer our prayers.
Lord of all, we give thanks that you call some to be evangelists. We pray for all whom you have called to share the message of your love: for those who communicate the good news of Christ to others from a variety of backgrounds, for those whose enthusiasm and love conveys your truth, may they be filled with your love as they share the good news with others.
Lord, hear your people and answer our prayers.
Lord of all, we give thanks that you call some to be pastors.We pray for all whom you have called to care for others through prayer and through service: for those who take care of any who are young or old, who are sick or struggling, for those whose work supports medical, social and community services, may their lives be channels of your love and grace.
Lord, hear your people and answer our prayers.
Lord of all, we give thanks that you call some to be teachers. We pray for all whom you have called to encourage adults and children to learn and grow: for those who teach informally as parents, mentors and facilitators, for workers in schools, colleges and universities, and for those who teach in our churches may they speak your truth, and help others to grow in wisdom.
Lord, hear your people and answer our prayers.
Lord of all, you have called each of us to serve you in your world and in your Church; strengthen and equip us by your Spiritto recognise your call to us, and give us grace and courage to fulfil that calling, through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.
(ii) SERMON TIME
Who will speak?
First of all, you might want to consider who might speak during the sermon time. Clergy could speak about their own vocation and the callings of those in the congregation. Lay Readers could speak about their own distinctive role.
Invite an ordinand to preach . Your Diocesan Director of Ordinands will be able to advise you about the possibility of this. If you have no Lay Reader, there might be one nearby who would be willing to speak; licensed Lay Readers for each diocese are listed in the Red Book.
Interview someone about their life and explore how what they do is not just a job but a calling. You would need to have a conversation about this first and agree the questions that could be asked – e.g. ‘What do you do?’ ‘How did you come to feel inspired to do this?’ ‘How does it express being a disciple of Christ?’ ‘What challenges do you face?’
(This could be the beginning of a series of occasional interviews in which individuals describe ‘Where I will be and what I will be doing this time tomorrow (i.e. Monday)’. It will then provide material for intercession about this and other examples of working lives and how faith may be expressed in them.)
Ask someone to speak about their journey to the particular role they have in church at present, whatever it might be. How did they begin to get involved in the church? Who helped them on their journey? How does their calling fit into the callings within the Church, the body of Christ?
You could use the sermon time to have a panel of people – ordained, lay, paid, voluntary – who talk about their sense of calling. Young people might speak about how they are being drawn to a particular path in life and why; what are they going to do with their gifts?
The theme
The most effective way of encouraging people to think about vocation is through personal stories. The section above has suggested some ways in which these might be told, and the questions which might draw them out.
Vocations Sunday is a good opportunity to look broadly at the concept of ‘call’. We are called to become fully human; we are called to be baptised; we are called to live out our Christian identity in the way that is suggested by the particular gifts God has given us, and the inner sense of vocation that we can all have.
So ‘vocation’ is much wider than a call to some form of ministry in the Church. Exploring how everyone has a call opens up ways to connect our daily life and our faith. How is a person’s discipleship made evident in each aspect of their life? Does the Church recognise the value of different jobs and lifestyles? Do we offer prayers of intercession for a wide range of these?
Vocations Sunday is also a time when we can alert people to the needs of the Church. A Christian community calls for many different kinds of service, which St Paul characterised as parts of a body. Any congregation’s life depends on many different people. It is important to recognise and celebrate those forms of service, and to encourage people to consider the gifts they might offer – for work with children and young people, finance, fabric, the vestry, music, pastoral care and so on.
There is a pressing need for vocations to ordained ministry. The future leadership of the Church requires a new cohort of enthusiastic and energetic deacons and priests who will build up the experience and wisdom to lead God’s mission in a challenging world. Many of our clergy will retire in the next few years. It would be good for them to be succeeded by those who know and love the Scottish Episcopal Church and have offered themselves to serve it in this way.
Some people hear a call to the Religious Life as a member of an Anglican religious community. This will involve making vows, and might or might not include ordination. There are many well-known stories about this vocation, including that of the great medieval theologian, St Thomas Aquinas. When Thomas was a little boy, he went and knocked on the door of his local monastery, a monk came to the door, opened it and asked him, “What do you want my lad?” Thomas replied with three words, “I want God.” Anglican religious orders are listed at and there is a booklet about vocations to the Anglican Religious Life downloadable at .
Some of these broad themes are explored in the sermon outlines on the Church of England website at (see drop-down list on the left of the webpage).
There is copious exegesis, commentary and suggestions for worship based on the Lectionary texts at , which provides weblinks to the resources.
Notes on Lectionary:
(i) New Testament Readings:
Year A: Acts 2:42-27 describes the practical outworking of faith in (diaconal?) service and mission. The fruit of this is the growth of their Christian group.
1 Peter 2:19-25 reassures a hard-pressed Christian community that Christ has already experienced persecution. They are secure because they have ‘been returned’ (the verb is passive) to God in Christ, the ‘Shepherd’ and ‘Guardian’ (episkopon – over-seer / ?bishop) of their souls.
Year B: Acts 4:5-12 stresses that the ministry of healing is always through the power of Christ.
1 John 3:16-24 calls Christians to the self-sacrificial service of others in imitation of Christ’s own loving sacrifice.
Year C: Acts 9:36-43: At firstsight, Tabitha appears to have been simply a beloved church worker who looked after widows in a practical way, and whose death prompted the local church to call for Peter. His prayed and she was raised to life. The story could be used to celebrate the value of pastoral work.
But note that Tabitha’s activity is called ‘good works’, not ‘ministry’ (a term used elsewhere for practical service). How do we label different kinds of work? What makes something ‘ministry’? Do we place different value on different ‘vocations’?
Tabitha is called a ‘disciple’, which is unusual for a woman in the New Testament. What made her a ‘disciple’? Was it an eagerness to learn how to follow Christ and express her faith? What is ‘discipleship’? How do we hear and respond to God’s call to become disciples?
How might Tabitha have come to her particular calling? Could the steps in her ‘vocational journey’ be reconstructed imaginatively? Who might have helped her to realise it and use her special gifts in God’s service?
(ii) Gospel
John 10 God was understood as ‘Shepherd of Israel’ in the Hebrew Scriptures (e.g. Psalm 23, set for Easter 4C; Isaiah 40:11; Ezekiel 34:11-16). False leaders of the people of Israel were condemned as bad shepherds (Isaiah 56:11; Ezekiel 34:1-10). God will send the Messiah as the true shepherd (Ezekiel 34:23).
John 10 explores Jesus as the Messiah who is this good shepherd of the New Israel. For John, Jesus is the sole shepherd (whereas in the non-gospel parts of the New Testament, pastors of congregations are also seen as shepherds eg. in Acts 20:28, charged to ‘keep watch over the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers’).
Year A: John 10:1-10 points to Jesus as the trusted and familiar shepherd whom the sheep follow because they know his voice. This shepherd will lead them to abundant life.