Post by MIRIAM JACOB on Sept 1, 2007 23:54:03 GMT -5
WORK CAN BE WORSHIP
by Max Lucado
Jesus’s word for frustrated workers can be found in the fifth chapter
of Luke’s gospel. Peter, Andrew, James, and John made their living
catching and selling fish. Like other fishermen, they worked the night
shift, when cool water brought the game to the surface. And, like other
fishermen, they knew the drudgery of a fishless night.
While Jesus preaches, they clean nets. And as the crowd grows, Christ
has an idea.
He noticed two boats tied up. The fishermen had just left them and were
out scrubbing their nets. He climbed into the boat that was
[Peter’s] and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Sitting there,
using the boat for a pulpit, he taught the crowd. (vv. 2–3 msg)
Jesus claims Peter’s boat. He doesn’t request the use of it. Christ
doesn’t fill out an application or ask permission; he simply boards
the boat and begins to preach.
He can do that, you know. All boats belong to Christ. Your boat is
where you spend your day, make your living, and to a large degree live your
life. The taxi you drive, the horse stable you clean, the dental
office you manage, the family you feed and transport—this is your boat.
Christ shoulder-taps us and reminds:
“You drive my truck.”
“You preside in my courtroom.”
“You work on my job site.”
“You serve my hospital wing.”
To us all, Jesus says, “Your work is my work.”
Our Wednesdays matter to him as much as our Sundays. He blurs the
secular and sacred. One stay-at-home mom keeps this sign over her kitchen
sink: Divine tasks performed here, daily. An executive hung this plaque
in her office: My desk is my altar. Both are correct. With God, our work
matters as much as our worship. Indeed, work can be worship.
Peter, the boat owner, later wrote: “You are a chosen people. You are
a kingdom of priests, God’s holy nation, his very own possession.
This is so you can show others the goodness of God” (1 Pet. 2:9 nlt).
A priest represents God, and you, my friend, represent God. So “let
every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the
name of the Master, Jesus” (Col. 3:17 msg). You don’t drive to an
office; you drive to a sanctuary. You don’t attend a school; you attend
a temple. You may not wear a clerical collar, but you could. Your boat
is God’s pulpit.
______________________________
From Cure for the Common Life
Copyright (W Publishing Group, 2005) Max Lucado
www.maxlucado.com
by Max Lucado
Jesus’s word for frustrated workers can be found in the fifth chapter
of Luke’s gospel. Peter, Andrew, James, and John made their living
catching and selling fish. Like other fishermen, they worked the night
shift, when cool water brought the game to the surface. And, like other
fishermen, they knew the drudgery of a fishless night.
While Jesus preaches, they clean nets. And as the crowd grows, Christ
has an idea.
He noticed two boats tied up. The fishermen had just left them and were
out scrubbing their nets. He climbed into the boat that was
[Peter’s] and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Sitting there,
using the boat for a pulpit, he taught the crowd. (vv. 2–3 msg)
Jesus claims Peter’s boat. He doesn’t request the use of it. Christ
doesn’t fill out an application or ask permission; he simply boards
the boat and begins to preach.
He can do that, you know. All boats belong to Christ. Your boat is
where you spend your day, make your living, and to a large degree live your
life. The taxi you drive, the horse stable you clean, the dental
office you manage, the family you feed and transport—this is your boat.
Christ shoulder-taps us and reminds:
“You drive my truck.”
“You preside in my courtroom.”
“You work on my job site.”
“You serve my hospital wing.”
To us all, Jesus says, “Your work is my work.”
Our Wednesdays matter to him as much as our Sundays. He blurs the
secular and sacred. One stay-at-home mom keeps this sign over her kitchen
sink: Divine tasks performed here, daily. An executive hung this plaque
in her office: My desk is my altar. Both are correct. With God, our work
matters as much as our worship. Indeed, work can be worship.
Peter, the boat owner, later wrote: “You are a chosen people. You are
a kingdom of priests, God’s holy nation, his very own possession.
This is so you can show others the goodness of God” (1 Pet. 2:9 nlt).
A priest represents God, and you, my friend, represent God. So “let
every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the
name of the Master, Jesus” (Col. 3:17 msg). You don’t drive to an
office; you drive to a sanctuary. You don’t attend a school; you attend
a temple. You may not wear a clerical collar, but you could. Your boat
is God’s pulpit.
______________________________
From Cure for the Common Life
Copyright (W Publishing Group, 2005) Max Lucado
www.maxlucado.com