As a progressive Christian, I believe there are many names for God and many ways to a loving God; this article reflects one of those ways. Take from here what works for you. Celebrate life with joy and peace!
As part of a Vibrant, Inclusive and Progressive community of faith, we come together on Sundays to worship, and find strength and encouragement for our spiritual journey. But then comes Monday morning. What does our faith look like at work on Monday morning?
It’s interesting to note that Scripture has much more to say about work than it does about worship on Sundays one day a week. Could it be that work is one of the ways we worship God the other six days of the week?
As part of our spiritual growth, we strive to integrate all of our self into one fabulous whole. We bring together our spirituality and relationships, spirituality and sexuality and spirituality and our work life too. All too often, people find themselves segregating their “spiritual life” from the part of their life that dominates most of their waking hours: their work.
Many people don’t see the connection between Sunday worship and Monday work. In fact, some people believe faith and work don’t even mix. Maybe this describes you?
From what we know in Scripture, Jesus spent 90 percent of his life growing up and working as a carpenter in a small family business. Even after Jesus laid aside his hammer and chisel, 45 of the 52 parables he told, take place in a workplace setting. Jesus wasn’t like some “Christians” who are so heavenly minded they are no earthly good. So what can faith on Monday morning look like?
The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Colossian congregants describes how our spiritual life affects our personal life and our family life. Then, Paul explains three ways our faith can influence our work; giving us a new attitude, a new power source and a new career objective. Let’s start with our attitude. I’d like us to look at three attitude adjustments that will transform your work.
First, is an attitude of service. In MCC, we teach what is known as Servant Leadership. Unlike many leadership approaches with a top-down, command and control style, servant leadership emphasizes collaboration, trust, empathy and the ethical use of power. It’s not about a title or prestige or being in the spotlight. At heart, the individual is a servant first, making a conscious decision to lead in order to better serve others, not to increase one’s own power. The objective is to enhance the growth of individuals and to increase teamwork and personal involvement.
Think about what it would look like for us to go to work not to get others to serve us, but to serve them. Not to gain power, but to empower.
According to Paul, whether we are giving or taking orders, whether we are an employee or an employer, Paul says, I go to work not primarily for myself, but for others. I am to treat the people I work for fairly, giving to them the work they expect of me. And as for those who work for me, I am to empower them fairly to do their work.
Can you think of someone you’ve noticed working with a servant’s attitude, going above and beyond expectations?
Second, we are to work with an attitude of worship. Look at the signs as you leave the sanctuary – “Leave to Serve” – and when you come in, above the doors it says – “Enter to Worship.” Worship can be a part of every aspect of our lives. Not just in this room, not just on Sunday mornings, but even on Monday morning!
I believe we represent God all the time, especially when no one is looking. Worship is when we ascribe worth to God. Could it be that work is a means of worship, a way we ascribe worth to God? Everything we do, we do it as unto God, including our work.
When we use this lens, all work can be meaningful and God-honoring. Paul’s words obliterate the idea that God’s work and our daily work are separate categories. All work is God’s work.
If you are doing your best to being loving and kind, letting God’s light shine through you, then you are working for God. Work can be seen as an act of love and worship “as unto God.” Our work glorifies the God we serve.
That, of course, means that we do quality work, we put our whole heart into it, because this is our worship to God.
Third, Paul is reminding us this morning to also have an attitude of expectation in our work.
“Whatever your task, whatever your job, whatever you’re doing, put yourselves into it; put your heart and soul into what you’re doing, as if you were doing it for God.”
Remember we work hard, and the ultimate reward for our good labor that we want to hear is, “Well done, good and faithful servant, come now and enter into your rest.”
Our daily work is significant to God, whether we’re leading a company or leading a church, changing a tire or changing a diaper, making a sales pitch or sharing God’s love and light with a co-worker. And to help bring pleasure in doing the work God has gifted us to do, many times we don’t need to change jobs; all we need to change is our attitude.
Whatever we do, can be done for God. What’s important here is not so much what I do, but why I do it and for whom I do it.
