I recently celebrated a milestone anniversary of my ordination to the ministry. Every anniversary, I read through the vows I made that day with a sense of remembrance and purpose. I share these vows here with you.

“Before almighty God, to whom you must give account, and in the presence of this assembly, I ask: Will you assume this office, believing that the Church’s call is God’s call to the ministry of Word and Sacrament? Each candidate responds: I will, and I ask God to help me.”

The Church in which you are to be ordained confesses that the Holy Scriptures are the Word of God and are the norm of its faith and life. We accept, teach, and confess the Apostles’, the Nicene, and the Athanasian Creeds. We also acknowledge the Lutheran confessions as true witnesses and faithful expositions of the Holy Scriptures. Will you therefore preach and teach in accordance with the Holy Scriptures and these creeds and confessions? Each candidate responds: I will, and I ask God to help me. 

Will you be diligent in your study of the Holy Scriptures and faithful in your use of the means of grace? Will you pray for God’s people, nourish them with the Word and Holy Sacraments, and lead them by your own example in faithful service and holy living? Each candidate responds: I will, and I ask God to help me.

Will you give faithful witness in the world through word and deed, that God’s love may be known in all that you do? Each candidate responds: I will, and I ask God to help me. 

Almighty God, who has given you the will to do these things, graciously give you the strength and compassion to perform them. The assembly responds: “Amen.” (Occasional Services Book, 1982.)

The call I have is to the ministry of Word and Sacrament. It places every pastor in the position to study and share the Word of God and to administer the Sacraments in good order. Those tasks are woven through the vows, especially the first two.  

I am also part of the priesthood of all believers. Perhaps you are as well. That makes us students of Jesus and disciples of Christ. The vows touch upon the aspect of the Christian life that is not for pastors alone but for all.  

The final two vows can be extended to all believers. These include the study of Holy Scripture, being graceful, praying for others and living a holy life. We are called to be witnesses through what we say and do and that God’s love is reflected in us.  

Finally, there is the acknowledgment that all of this is through God. God will provide through grace, strength and compassion that is beyond our own feeble abilities. This is true for me and certainly true for you as we live each day.

— Reflections appears regularly on the religion page. The column features a variety of local writers, coordinated through the Monroe Area Clergy Group. John Tabaka is pastor of Grace Lutheran Church, Monroe.