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Mrs. Gagner would laugh if she knew she reminds me of a 19th-century Russian priest named Father John of Kronstadt. Most of his fellow clergymen refused to visit the villages that surrounded their cathedrals—chronic poverty had fostered a debauched despair that made the rural areas treacherous. But Father John would enter the slums and get down in the gutters. He would find some guy sleeping off whatever he had done the night before; he would cup his chin, look him in the eyes, and say, "This is beneath your dignity. You were created to house the fullness of God." Wherever Father John went, revival broke out, because people discovered who—and whose—they were. Shalom is contagious.

Preacher, teacher, homemaker, cheesemaker. Whatever our vocations, we are here for a reason. God's kingdom is at hand, breaking in, offering the job opportunity of a lifetime. We get to help him make shalom. Anything less is beneath our dignity.

Copyright © 2008 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Other articles on spirituality and prayer are available on our site.

Arend's previous columns include:

Theology in Aisle 7 | Trying to organize a God who transcends. (September 22, 2008)

Here's to All the Losers | Why defeat at the hands of God is magnificent. (July 16, 2008)

The Grace of Wrath | Is there any story about God that isn't a love story? (May 12, 2008)

Carbonated Holiness | Laughter is serious business. (April 1, 2008)

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November 2008, Vol. 52, No. 11