Yesterday at the Lenten services, I preaching about what it means to 'do my job'. The thoughts below reprise that sermon and offer a few additional thoughts.
What we do for a living and how we see ourselves is often intricately intertwined. One reason for that is the sheer volume of our time spent at work. Another reason is our work has become a socially acceptable topic to discuss in mixed company. And so often the stories we tell about ourselves are based on experiences we have doing things at work or out in the community. So, what you do gets wrapped up in who you are and how you see yourself. When we talk about our ‘job’ our minds drift to thinking about those activities for which we are paid as well as increasingly those activities for which we have responsibility and accountability. So, my ‘job’ might be both a pastor and a father. My work is both inside the church and also what I do around the house. I might be paid for my work as a pastor, but I certainly (alongside my wife) am accountable and responsible for my children.
Yesterday at the Lenten services, I spoke about how our job is really to be the people of God. I want to be careful here not to come across as making this sound too pie in the sky. To be the people of God is not something extra or additional to add to your already overfull schedules. To be the people of God acknowledges the truth that our primary role in all times and in all places and in all relationships is to hold fast to who we are and whose we are. We are the beloved children of God. We belong to God through a life giving and life changing relationship that unfolds every single day of our life. To be the people of God takes us into our offices where numbers are crunched and into classrooms where children are taught and into meeting after meeting after meeting. To be the people of God is not just a role we slip into when we walk into the church doors, it is a role we live into every single day of our life.
Tomorrow I will comment on the “but how do we be the people of God?” question as it relates to our scripture lesson for Sunday. But for today, I want to stress that being the people of God is not something extra we do, but a fundamental faithful characteristic that we live out in our daily life. The truth is you can be the people of God in different settings and in every profession. What would it mean for you to be the people of God when you sit down to a meeting today? What would it feel like for you to be the people of God when you go to volunteer? What would it look like to be the people of God when you type an email?
I also want to stress that I am using the plural form of that phrase intentionally. To be the people of God is not an isolated, individualistic endeavor. Or to quote one of my favorite authors, Albert Winseman, “The phrase ‘individual Christian’ is an oxymoron.” Sure, you are an individual who has been claimed by God. Sure, right now you might be by yourself reading this devotional. But…there are others in our church reading this devotional. You are connected to a church who gathers every Sunday to worship God. You are connected to brothers and sisters in Christ who go by different denominational brand names, but still we all try to follow Jesus. You are connected to a world-wide family of people in different countries. To be the people of God celebrates those connections. And to be the people of God is what we are called to live out today, in the places you go and the people you bump up against.
Prayer: Gracious God, help me today realize this world wide web of connections to all Your people And help me live out my job to be the people of God whether I am crunching numbers or repairing cars or talking to children or wherever and whatever I do today. Amen.
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