Labor Unto Glory
In Ephesians, we’ve been considering some of the roles and relationships that make up our vocation. We all long for rich meaning in our work and in our lives, yet we are often frustrated by the mundane and monotonous tasks we face each day. More than that, sin and conflict and tragedy creep in and drive a wedge between us and the people that make up the fabric of our lives this side of heaven. In the midst of this, how do we find God-glorifying meaning in our often-disappointing work and vocations?
Steven Garber, in his book Visions of Vocation, says this: “The word vocation is a rich one, having to address the wholeness of life, the range of relationships and responsibilities. Work, yes, but also families, and neighbors, and citizenship, locally and globally – all of this and more is seen as vocation, that to which I am called as a human being, living my life before the face of God. It is never the same word as occupation, just as calling is never the same word as career. Sometimes, by grace, the words and the realities they represent do overlap, even significantly; sometimes, in the incompleteness of life in a fallen world, there is not much overlap at all.”
There’s a lot in there, and even more that could be said about our vocation as Christians. Romans 12:1 calls us to “present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” How do we take our entire vocation, each of the various tasks and roles and relationships and spheres we’ve been placed into by God, and surrender them to him as worship? Here are some resources I have found helpful:
-
The album Work Songs by The Porter’s Gate, some of which we have sung at Christ Church. My favorites are “We Labor Unto Glory” and “Father, Let Your Kingdom Come”.
-
The album Here Are My Hands by A New Liturgy, is a mixture of songs and prayers designed for reclaiming your commute. The first half (for commuting to work) helps you surrender your work to God, and the second half (for commuting home from work) helps you reflect on the day and practice confession and forgiveness when necessary.
-
Every Moment Holy, which is available as physical books and downloadable liturgies, offers prayers on a variety of everyday pieces of life (like work, changing diapers, preparing meals, medical providers, and more) to help you offer each moment to God.
-
A “Prayer for Vocations” by Steven Garber (which you can both read and watch), helps us pray that God would “Give us eyes to see that our work is holy to you, O Lord, even as our worship this day is holy to you.”
The simple act of surrendering the work of our hands in worship to God will not fix all the frustrations of life in a fallen world. But it will reorient us to the ways that God is faithfully working in all of it, perhaps most of all in us, to conform us more and more into the image of Christ. Pastor Andrew will be preaching on Ephesians 6:5-9 this Sunday, which touches on some of these themes of honoring God wherever he places us. I look forward to worshipping together!