Whistle While You Work #8: Generosity

We’re continuing on how to love our neighbor through our work. We’re still on the provisional end of things. This isn’t so much who to provide for, but more to be a generous person. God hasn’t blessed us to horde our stuff. He’s blessed us that we might be a blessing to others.

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. – 1 Timothy 6.17-19

We’re to love our neighbor by being generous people, generally, and caring for them in particular when their need is great. How generous should the people of God be, knowing how generous God has been to us? That’s rhetorical, by the way.

For those concerned about the “Prosperity” stuff several posts ago, this puts some kind of “cap” on accruing stuff for our own enjoyment. We need to be denying ourselves to a certain degree if we’re going to be generous to others and the poor.

This also brings us to generosity for those who are fulfilling God’s purposes around the world. Abraham was blessed by God to be a blessing to the nations (Gen. 12.1-3). The psalmist asked for God’s blessings on Israel, not that Israel would horde, but that God would be known among the nations.

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, 2 that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. – Psalm 67.1-2

Use your resources to support a missionary a little extra from your church (the Allans are heading to Cambodia from Cypress), or give to a Faith Promise fund or missions fund your church offers, and don’t forget Jane’s House and their ministry in India (see previous post).

How has your work enabled you to be generous to others? To those serving around the world to make Christ known?

Ordination #2, Art. 7b: The Lord's Supper

The Lord’s Supper was instituted by Jesus at the Last Supper (Mt. 26.26-29; Mk. 14.22-25; Lk. 22.17-20; 1 Cor. 11.23-26) and was practiced in the early church (Acts 2.42, 46; 1 Cor. 11.27-34). It seems that this should be a repetitive rite (1 Cor. 11.26). It is an occasion to remember the death of Christ on behalf of the church (1 Cor. 11.25-26) and an anticipation of Jesus’ return (Mk. 14.25). Christ is also present in the midst of the meal. When one is “sharing” the Lord’s body and blood (1 Cor. 10.16) in the “Lord’s supper” (1 Cor. 11.20) at the “Lord’s table” (1 Cor. 10.21), which is an expression of table fellowship, it is clear that there is some presence of Jesus implied. Jesus is truly, spiritually present in the celebration of the Eucharist, though it is not the only means of His presence in the life of the church (Eph. 3.17; Mt. 18.20; 28.20). This ordinance is reserved for believers by its very nature. Believers in fellowship celebrated (Acts 2.42) and it is partaking in Christ and His work (1 Cor. 10.16), but believers ought to examine themselves and take the ordinance seriously (1 Cor. 11.27-32).

Whistle While You Work #7: Provide for the Poor Locally and Globally

We’re still on loving our neighbors through our work. Now we move to a more traditional idea of loving our neighbor. Caring for the poor in this case.

He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. – Ephesians 4.28

Don’t just work to quit stealing. That’s good. That honors God. Paul’s talking about more than just pulling our own weight. We’re to work to “get” so we can “give.” The end goal isn’t self-provision. It is self-provision plus others’ provision. Jesus was pretty clear on how important it is to take care of the poor.

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' 37 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' – Matthew 25:34-40

Look for local opportunities to give to the poor. It could be the guy on the street corner, if God so leads. But it could also be a mission, or some organization that helps people get on their feet with more long-term assistance and training. Whatever you do, it is clear God wants us to bless the poor through our work.

In Southern California, our church runs a ministry called Campaign for Care that provides blankets for the homeless and we have boxes up for people to donate items to the missions. We also support Faith In Christ Ministries, which is a church that reaches out to the suffering in South LA. If you want to expand caring for the poor to the world, I have a friend who started his own organization that currently trains pastors and evangelizes in India and, most importantly for this point, provides for 30 or so orphans. For more information, check out this website: http://janeshouse.org/

How do you use your work to provide for the poor in your area? What are good ministries in your area that others might be aware of them (be sure to tell us the area)?

More on Bullpen Usage

If you're at all interested in non-traditional (or non-conventional) bullpen usage, see the post/link from a few posts ago (on 4/21) as well as this one on how it is helping the Mariners win games now (which is no easy task): http://ussmariner.com/2007/04/27/the-multi-inning-save/

Whistle As You Work #6: Providing for Your Family

As we look at loving our neighbor through our work, we need to look first at who our neighbor is. The Good Samaritan in Luke’s gospel answers the question – if a Samaritan could be an ancient Jew’s neighbor, anyone is a neighbor. Let’s start with those neighbors who actually live with us. Our family.

Your family is the first neighbor you can love through your work. You love them by providing for them – the same way you provided for yourself.

But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. … If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. – 1 Timothy 5.4, 8

In this case we’re talking about providing for your parents, in this case a widow. That’s your responsibility (see also Mark 7).

While we’re looking primarily at material provision so far, this I think would be a primary contribution of those who aren’t “breadwinners,” but who are the stay at home parent. And it shouldn’t be understated. My wife “works” a couple part-time jobs to help materially, but there’s no measure to be put on the role she plays in shaping the lives of our girls. It’s value is inestimable.

We ought to whistle as we work because, whether it is provision through punching the clock, or being unpaid in the job that you never clock out of, our work provides for our families, our first neighbors. How do you love your family through your work?

Whistle While You Work #5: Loving Your Neighbor

The last few posts have dealt with how our work is beneficial to ourselves, personally. I’m sure, if God is at work in your life, you were wondering when we’d get outside ourselves to using our job to bless others. Now is that time, though we know we usually derive much personal joy from doing good to others. These next several posts were, in the sermon, under the second point: "Whistle! Your Work Matters for Your Neighbor!"

One of the things I found most exciting when studying for this series, in the formative stages and when it came time for me to preach. Calvin and Luther apparently didn’t care much whether you were self-fulfilled in your work (see Vocation by Schuurman). You could hate your job, but you were called by God in that job, whether you liked it or not, to love your neighbor. Work was a key venue for loving your neighbor in Reformation times.

Before we begin the posts on how you love your neighbor, have you ever thought of loving your neighbor as an important reason for your work? How do you see yourself loving your neighbor in your work?

Whistle While You Work #4: Subduing the Flesh

This is the last section on "Whistle! Your Work Matters for You!," which is the first point in "Whistle While You Work" - the sermon, or series of blog posts. This is a little more abstract, or at least less tangible than the previous two posts - your job providing needs and wants in a material way. This one has to do with how work can be used, if we let it, to subdue our flesh, making us more like Christ. This came from a book my friend Keith loaned me for sermon prep called The Other Six Days by R. Paul Stevens. It was a helpful book, but on this point he pretty much lets Bonhoeffer make the point on "the therapeutic value of work":

Work plunges men into the world of things. The Christian steps out of the world of brotherly encounter into the world of impersonal things, the ‘it’; and this new encounter frees him [or her] for objectivity; for the ‘it’-world is only an instrument in the hand of God for the purification of Christians from all self-centeredness and self-seeking. The work of the world can be done only where a person forgets himself [or herself], where he loses himself in a cause, in reality, the task, the ‘it’. In work the Christian learns to allow himself to be limited by the task, and thus for him the work becomes a remedy against the indolence and sloth of the flesh. The passions of the flesh die in the world of things. But this can happen only where the Christian breaks through the ‘it’ to the ‘Thou’, which is God, who bids him work and makes that work a means of liberation from himself. (from Life Together).

If I understand this correctly, work will, if we let it, take us out of ourselves and focus us on something external. This is valuable because we can spend so much time thinking about ourselves and feeding our flesh, our selfishness. When we put our hand to the task, we take our focus off our selves and, if we let it, God will use this to make us less "fleshly," less selfish, less self-focused.

I can honestly say that during my warehouse forklift days I remember spending a bunch of time while I was at work seething with contempt for my job. But there were plenty of times where I was focused on the task at hand, which means I wasn't focused on myself. I wish I would have used that time better. In ministry I can honestly say the work has never been incredibly frustrating. It is enjoyable, but there have been peripheral matters that have weighed heavily and made me focus on my dissatisfaction. I guess this is a huge benefit of loving what you do. You can get lost in your work easier if you enjoy the task.

This is an interesting perspective on work. Do you think this is a valuable insight by Bonhoeffer? How do you think it works? How has it worked for you?

Next: "Whistle! Your Work Matters for Your Neighbor!"