If you're a Christian God calls us to do everything--including our work--as worship to him. Whether you be in cube world, chasing after little kids, getting ready to come back to school or just gainfully un-employed sitting around reading random blogs like mine and watching Price Is Right re-runs on the Game Show Channel.
The question that often comes in response to this charge is the question of how. How do we do our work as worship?
I was reminded recently of this story about Martin Luther (the dude who launched the Protestant Reformation) that I hope might point the way for us on a Monday morning.
Luther was once approached by a man from his congregation who was a shoe maker. He proposed to Luther that he wanted to draw the sign of the cross on the soles of each one of his shoes. This would be his way of turning his work into worship.
Luther shook his head. "Do not do that. Make good shoes. A shoe well-made gives glory to God."
Of course this story happens in the context of a conversation between Luther and Christian. I'm not sure what he would say about a well-made shoe being made by someone who wasn't a Christian. But for those of us who are trying to follow Christ in our spheres of work, I think the call to being a good shoe maker is a good note to sound at the beginning of a new work week.
2 comments:
I think Luther would say that the shoe well-made by anyone gives glory to God. The point is not whether you are a Christian or not, but what gives glory to God. I think you can do great work that reflects God's great work without having made a public profession of faith or "accepting Jesus into your heart".
Jeff, I'm sympathetic to your stream of thought here but I'm not sure it's entirely true.
Intent and content at some point have to have a place in our work in order for it to be glorifying to God. In other words, a pornographic film is not glorifying to God, no matter how excellently well it is filmed or directed. drugs sold to children do not glorify God, no matter how excellent of a salesmen you might be. but there are ways to direct films or be in sales that do glorify God--even films or sales that have nothing to do directly with Christian faith (like drawing crosses on the sole of the shoe v. just making a good shoe).
so yes, the heart of the worker DOES matter. what is good, what is glorious, what is excellent anyway? we receive those definitions from the one who actually IS those things. when our work is motivated towards God whose gracious and perfect character we know through Jesus Christ who has made him known, then it is worship.
Of course good work can be used by God in any number of ways and especially to point people to himself (i.e. a painting that is beautiful but not done by a Christian). But that is then done in a redemptive way that can be used by God sometimes in spite of the intent of the one who made it rather than in concert with God's purposes. In such a case God is still glorified but the person who is the worker misses out on the full benefit of being in step with the Spirit.
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