Sunday 8th January 2017. Lifehacks – Get wise about work
How do you feel as you begin another new year?
For some people January can be the hardest month of the year. It’s sometimes called the January blues because of the dull days and long nights and because all the fun and festivities of the Christmas holidays are over. The decorations are down and everything looks a rather bare. Someone sent me a video titled ‘Actual footage of me going back to work after the holidays’ which I thought just about sums it up! [Polar bear video]
Our sermon series for January and February is called Lifehacks because we all need practical wisdom for dealing with life’s challenges, especially when we are facing a new year full of so much uncertainty at both a national and global level. Some of us, like the polar bear, just need a little encouragement to simply face the tasks of tomorrow.
The bible is full of relevant information and help when it comes to living everyday as a Christian even in our complex world so we are going to launch straight in with a passage from Colossians which talks about work, service and prayer.
Colossians 3:22-4:6
22Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favour, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.25Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favouritism.
1Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.
2Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.3And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.4Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.5Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.6Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
Woah! ‘Slaves, obey your earthly masters!’ Now there’s a politically incorrect way to begin a sermon series!
But please understand something about slavery in New Testament times: There are different types of slavery. There is forced slavery which is something Paul explicitly condemns – he says that slave kidnappers are ungodly and sinful in 1 Timothy 1v10.But there is also voluntary slavery – where people who got into debt could go to the market place to sell themselves as a bondservant to work for a certain period for a redemption price.It was the way the economy worked and Paul had no other framework of reference. I don’t think for one moment that Paul is talking about forced slavery here, but rather some more akin to employers and employees in our terms.
Now I don’t know whether you feel like a slave in terms of your work or perhaps you feel enslaved by something else, maybe by an ageing body or a growing backlog of bills, but whatever situation we find ourselves in Paul is suggesting in this passage thatwe need to see things differently.
The Christian approach our work, just like the Christian approach to marriage and family life can make a huge impact for the kingdom of God in our community if we are willing to do things a little differently from the norm.God is just as much with us in the workplace as he is in the home or at church.
‘Whatever you do,’ says Paul in verse 23 ‘work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men’
So that means whether you are a Bus driver or a Bank manager, a pensioner or a prison warder God is not only there with you but he is calling you to make the best job of it that you can, recognising that ultimately it is the Lord who is the real boss.
The Chinese city of Wenzhou has experienced remarkable economic growth in recent years, and a BBC article highlighted the impact that local Christians are having in the workplace. One of the larger factories called the Boteli Valve group now encourages its staff to study the bible and pray weekly for the business, because of the positive impact faith has on productivity. The business manager Weng-Jen Wau says that when staff convert to Christianity, their attitude towards their work is transformed."If you're a Christian you're more honest, with a better heart," he says. "The people who aren't Christians aren't responsible."I'm not saying those people who aren't Christians are all bad, but from the percentage of the workers who are Christians, they seem to be more responsible.”Now even the Chinese Government are taking notice commissioning further research into the link between Christianity and growing productivity in China. Maybe that’s something our government would do well not to ignore in future.
I see four ways in this passage that Paul suggests we can make a difference whatever our work or life situation and the first of those is
Wholeheartedness. ‘Work at it with all your heart!’
Now we Brits have a bit of trouble with being wholehearted – we’ve had a lot of training in scepticism and sarcasm. Perhaps you have experienced the sort of replies I used to get when I asked people at work how they were on a Monday morning: ‘Ask me again on Friday’, ‘Same rubbish, different day’ or ‘I’m alright – it’s just all the others!’ Hopefully you won’t hear that too much from the staff at LCC, but perhapswe can all feel like it somedays!Negative talk is a curse cyclethat we should try to break as Christians. Even if you feel negative you don’t have to express it! Instead of letting mockery chill the spiritual atmosphere, wholeheartedness welcomes the Holy Spirit. Don’t get me wrong, mockery is not the same as good humour – which is vital for a positive wholehearted approach to work.
Second Integrity: Work hard not only when the boss’s eye is on you and to win their favour, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.
In Mark Green’s Book ‘Thank God it’s Monday’ he tells the story of Lewis Trippett, who worked as a lawyer for a telephone company. One day a woman came in from the accounts department whom he had never seen her before. She asked him if he was Lewis Trippett. With some trepidation he replied ‘Yes I am’. She said ‘You’re the only one in this department with any integrity. Don’t change. Everyone else abuses their expenses’.
For Paul, lack of integrity shows insincerity and irreverence, but careful integrity will surely be rewarded.
So that’s Wholeheartedness, Integrity, and third is Service. When we realise that our job is not about us earning money, but rather us serving the Lord, everything changes.
Brother Lawrence was a seventeenth century monk who wrote a devotional book called The practice of the presence of God. It became an instant classic and one of the most translated books after the bible. I read it some years ago and one of the bits that remained with me was Brother Lawrence’s attitude to his work in the monastery kitchens. Although some of the monks would struggle with carrying out menial tasks such as washing up, Lawrence discovered that the kitchen became a place of rich devotion. He wrote ‘We ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed... It is enough for me to pick up but a straw from the ground for the love of God.
Fourthly The workplace and the places we are called to serve are a great opportunity for encouragement and evangelism.
5Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.6Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
When we consistent act with wholeheartedness, integrity and an attitude of service, people will see the difference and be curious about our motivation. It is great hearing how people who have become Christians start getting asked about it by their friends and colleagues. But get your seasoning ready! Like having a little handy pack of salt in your pocket, be ready to make a bland conversation tasty by mentioning the goodness of the Lord in your conversation. People respond to that! During March our sermon series is going to be based on this book by Michael Frost called Surprise the World! The five habits of highly missional people. And they are beautifully simple ways to engage with people and encourage them towards Jesus, by living what he calls ‘questionable lives’. We can’t save anyone, only Jesus can do that, but we can certainly answer their questions and encourage people towards him.
So Wholeheartedness, Integrity, Service and Encouraging evangelism, that’s how we can make a difference where God is calling us to serve, how we can be WISE in the work God has called us to do.
Yet what if we find ourselves in an overwhelming and brutal environment, where there is no fairness or Masters pay no attention to providing what is right and fair for their workers – how do we manage to follow Paul’s instruction in that case? Well of course we cannot allow abuse to grow unchecked – God values justice as well as our submissive obedience.
But here’s the Hack. When the bible was first written, there were no verses or chapter breaks like we have in our bibles today. The instructions about family life and working wholeheartedly like you are serving Christ are directly followed by this verse: 2Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.3And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message.
Paul worked as an evangelist. And he needed prayer for his work, just as much as you and I need prayer to serve effectively wherever the Lord has called us. Pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message. Paul was in prison when he wrote this – surely feeling enslaved and unproductive. He literally needed an open door – but we know that actually in the end, he never got it. He died as a prisoner in Rome – yet God did open the door for his message in ways unthinkable to him at the time. Could he have even guessed that we would be here today reading his letter and drawing strength from his prison-bound captivity?
Are you feeling stuck at work or enslaved in the place where God has called you to serve? Pray that God will open a door. He is the door opener – he is the one who can make things change, he can make you effective wherever you are. We don’t just pray on our own – it’s our covenant commitment to pray for each other and devote ourselves to prayer – for each other!
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