3 Short Thoughts on Work

1. Humans are meant to work. If we are not giving our efforts and our selves to something (or someone/some people) then we will fall apart and waste away. To not work is to waste.

2. Work existed before the Fall, exists now, and will exist eternally for humans. This isgood! Let us see the effort of our hands and feet as worship because that is exactly what it is.

3. Since work is worship then what we do for work is incredibly important. Our attitude about our work is also incredibly important. We must work with joy and thanks.

Sidenote: The term Liturgy actually means "the work of the people." This is evidence that worship and work are deeply connected. Church practice is work just as career practice is worship. Our doing is our worshipping. Our deeds prove our love. How will we work today? How will we worship?

A 4th of July Question for Christians

Pastor, author, and theologian Gregory Boyd wrote an article that was posted online by the Q group. It was titled, The Birth of Two Kingdoms; A Fourth of July Reflection. You can find it here. Below is a question asked by Gregory Boyd in his article concerning the American holiday.

How can a holiday that celebrates one group of mostly professing Christians violently overthrowing another group of mostly professing Christians be venerated by people who are called to love their enemies and to be peacemakers, even if they happen to find themselves on the side that won?

He presents an interesting perspective. How do people of love (Matthew 5:43), peace (Matthew 5:9), and reconciliation (2Corinthians 5:11-21) who belong to a kingdom that is not of this world (John 18:36) celebrate or venerate such divisive action [for the Church]? Sure, many American values are worthwhile, that isn't being debated, but how can Christians celebrate a time when Christians fought and killed fellow Christians (and in the name of earthly kingdoms of which they do not belong)? Isn't that problematic in some respects?

The Mennonite Central Committee once wrote up a Modest Proposal for Peace. The proposal simply stated, "Let the Christians of the world not kill each other." Many read this and think that is not a good enough proposal since Christians should not kill anyone, to which the committee states "It is a modest proposal." In the same spirit of the peace proposal one could make a veneration proposal that stated, "Let the Christians of the world not venerate violent and divisive acts against fellow Christians." Would this be a worthwhile proposal for Christians?

I hope you don't hear me attempting to say that America's independence is inherently bad or anything anti-American because that is not at all my goal or perspective. Rather, I'm simply posing the question of "how do Christians venerate an event in which Christians fought against fellow Christians?"

How do you answer Boyd's question? Is it problematic for Christians to celebrate or venerate this sort of thing? Why or why not?

Incarnational Living & The Poor

Mother Theresa once said, "Our life of poverty is as necessary as the work itself. Only in heaven will we see how much we owe to the poor for helping us to love God better because of them."

Many Christians do not take to any vows of poverty or simplicity. I find this to be more than unfortunate. While we may not be commanded to invest in poverty for ourselves we are commanded to invest in the poor with the currency of love through deeds. This is often called charity in the Christian tradition but it does not mean charity in the way we often think of the term. It means merciful giving.

Derek Webb sings a song entitled Take to the World in which he sings, "you must become what you want to save because that's still the way he takes to the world." The Apostle Paul was willing to become all things to all people so that some might be saved. In scripture and early writings Christians are said to be "poor while making many rich." To become what one seeks to save is to practice incarnation. Charity in the most modern sense is not enough. There must be more than donations made. There must be self-transformation and self-sacrifice made for others.

Part of being Christian is to do, to work, to meet faith with true deeds. The truest of Christian deeds is sacrifice. Paul tells the Church in Rome that they are to present themselves as living sacrifices for that is their spiritual act of worship. Christian work is most often the deed of giving up. Christ gave up his life and told his follows to pick up their crosses and do the same. The church in Acts consisted of believers giving up their finances and property (this is a way in they became poor while making many rich).

Mother Theresa also said that if you have two pairs of shoes the second belongs to the poor. We do not have to live with one pair of shoes to be Christian but we must give up all we have and all we are to truly put deeds to our faith if our faith is in Christ Jesus who gave himself up so that we might live. We must learn to practice incarnational living so as to reflect the love of God. If we have fifty pairs of shows we must find a way to allow that fact to compliment a solidarity with those who do not have shoes. Everything we have, do, and are is either helping our case or fighting against it. Too often we are idle in our way of living. Too ofte we are not intentional, not incarnational. When one has few possessions it is difficult to be idle with them for everything one has becomes more important and everything one gives becomes more sacrificial. Yes, a lifestyle of poverty is not commanded but it must be admitted that it is beneficial. If not for an entire life then a vow of poverty or simplicity ought to be taken at least for a time.

What are some ways in which you can practice giving up right now? What are ways you can seek to find solidarity with those away from Christ or away from heavenly blessings while on earth? What is keeping you from living out incarnation?