In Luther’s theology, the Word of God is central to his thinking about the nature and work of the Triune God; God is fundamentally a communicator pouring forth speech day and night (Ps 19:1-14). While he affirmed the revelatory nature of creation and Scripture, he also argued for a communicative dimension of vocation. In other words, God uses the vocations of others to speak to us about his providence, provision, and concern. Listen to Luther,
“Instead of coming in uncovered majesty when he gives a gift to man, God places a mask before his face. He clothes himself in the form of an ordinary man who performs works on his earth. Human beings are to work, everyone according to his vocation and office; through this they serve as masks for God, behind which he can conceal himself when he would scatter his gifts…God gives his gifts through the earthly vocations, toward man’s life on earth (food through farmers, fishermen and hunters; external peace through princes, judges, and orderly powers; knowledge and education through teachers and parents, etc.) Through the preacher’s vocation, God gives forgiveness of sins.”[1]
This theological lens changes the way we see the world. The waitress, the dentist, the mechanic, the barber, the doctor and the realtor are now vehicles of God’s generosity and storytellers of his kindness. His healing provision, his aid in providing a home, his concern for your transportation, his care for every hair on your head, and his commitment to put bread on your table are worked through these vocations.
In our suffering, when God seems to up and leave us, discerning the masks of God all around us will provide encouragement that he is deeply invested in our every need. In fact, we will find his presence and providence at every turn confirming that “if he did not spare his own Son, how will he not with him freely give us all things” (Rom 8:32). At times, the “all things” are hidden in the vocations of our neighbors.
[1]Gustaf Wingren, Luther on Vocation (Eugene: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 1957), 27, 57, 138.