Imitate me?

I’ve recently been challenged with Paul’s bold and dangerous statement in 1 Corinthians 11:1“And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ” - if we backup just a bit into chapter 10:33 , “I too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved”.

Sounds a lot like Mark 10:45, where Jesus states “The Son of Man did not come to be serve, but to serve”. I am additionally challenged by Heb 1:3 that remind us that Christ is the perfect reflection of the Father. The very nature of God is to serve and do what is best for others.

Firstly, I’m not sure that I feel as bold as Paul to be able to say to others “you should imitate me…” Yet, that’s not what Paul is saying, he IS saying only imitate me as I imitate Christ. The focus is not Paul, but Christ.

Many may not consciously state “do as I say, not as I do…” however; we tend to behave in that manner. We hold or expect something different than what he in fact hold ourselves too. The problem is I think that really I expect people to behave better than I am will to do myself.

Paul says “I try to please everyone in everything I do; I don’t just do what is best for me”. But we need to dig a little deeper into his motivation – “I do what is best for others, so that they may be saved.”

What I need to understand is that the Kingdom of God isn’t ‘over there’ or ‘just for Sunday’ – the Kingdom of God overarches our entire being – the physical, spiritual, emotionally, the mental. When we come to work – we don’t leave the Kingdom of God behind, it’s here – we’re in it. We’ve talked about this before, and we know this. For the Christian, they are in and are representatives of the Kingdom of God where ever they may be. The only thing that makes Christian Horizons different than any other work place is that we have the rare opportunity to be working alongside Kingdom minded people.

Living in this Kingdom mind set ticks me off sometimes. My wife does a much better job – I was reminded of this recently while at a restaurant. I have an expectation that when I go to a restaurant, I will be treated and served well – and I tip accordingly. If the service is lousy, it definitely affects the tip I leave. It affects the tip my wife leaves as well, but in the opposite direction. This drives me crazy. I know that when we have received lousy service, its’ going to cost me – because, she will tip more rather than less. Her belief is, in spite of bad service, her witness of goodness and grace to another is more important and vital than ever.

I however have pointed out the incongruently of her argument, because when I do less around the house, I don’t get reward more.

All that aside, I am deeply challenge by how I bring the imitation of Christ into existence in all aspects of my life that doesn’t’ depend on the actions or expected reward of another, but solely on the desire to be a living witness of gospel. I certainly believe that is essential when living before people that don’t know Christ. But, we are to do so no less for those that do know him.

Back to my restaurant rant, I don’t know if this is true or not, but I have heard people from the service industry say, that Christians groups can be some of the worst groups to serve because of their attitudes and expectations, and they can the worst tippers.

My point is not to advocate for better tipping – What I am convicted by is the experience others have me and whether they could conclude “I am seeking to imitate Christ” and whether I make things easier – or more difficult for them.

I certainly don’t think Paul’s promoting a spineless, wish washy approach. In fact we can point else in Paul’s writings where he is anything but a dish rag. What he is saying how we interact with one another matters – how we honour, respect – how we follow authority. Every action I undertake either represents the kingdom well – or it does so poorly. I hear in this passage, that I have to take responsibility for my actions, opinion and attitudes – for how I respond – and the frustrating thing for me is, that how I am to respond in my imitation of Christ, has little if nothing to do with the actions, behaviours and decisions of another.

Psalm 1 comes to mind.

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,

Nor stand in the path of sinners,

Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,

And in His law he meditates day and night.

3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,

Which yields its fruit in its season

And its leaf does not wither;

And in whatever he does, he prospers.

The psalmist identifies three specific actions here, walking, standing, sitting. I think it is a conscious progression, one that I have seen in myself too often. I can easily get caught up in the ‘walking of grumbling and complaining – I react, I pull another in, we walk along together initially in the problem, if I don’t get a handle on it, it isn’t just a chance meeting of other walkers, I’m standing, I’m looking to draw people, to drag them into my compliant – by standing I’m becoming an obstacle that others might bump into an now I’m trying to get others to stand with me. If I don’t stop standing, I sit. Not only am I obstacle, now I become a stumbling block for others to trip over. I become entrenched and get others to entrench – to dig in with me.

When this happens I’m a long way from Paul’s call to imitate, to do what is best for others so that they might be saved – or having them experience the Kingdom of God through me.

I would contend that Paul’s idea of ‘saved’ is broader than simply ‘converted’ – certainly that is part of Paul’s hope and agenda, but I believe he has the idea of ‘redeemed’ more in mind – redeemed to be Kingdom livers.

I think Paul would be urging us to wrestle with how can Live, work, be with one another that brings God’s Kingdom into reality – that when we encounter each other, we’re bringing the Kingdom into a fuller existence in this place, in one another’s lives.

As a group of Kingdom people gathering in this place, we return to our Psalm passage, it is necessary and appropriate for us together to mediate on His law – day and night. But that mediation translates into a changed life – one that more fully reflects Christ and the Kingdom of God.

It is the delight of God I think to see us as his people imitate his Son with one so that we become a tree firmly planted by streams of water – his sustaining and life giving power. A gathering which yields nourishing fruit to one another here, and outward to those whom we will be in contact with.

I guess this can sound kinda corny – and ‘feel goody’ or pietistic but I think it really depends on how we understand the Kingdom to God. Is it something we move in and out of – or is it the very existence of our collective beings.

Anyway, I was just thinking,

Neil

Give each other a 'lift'

Prayer of Jerome (342)

Lord, thou hast given us thy Word for a light to shine upon our path;
grant us so to meditate on that Word, and to follow its teaching,
that we may find in it the light that shines more and more until the perfect day;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalms
Chapter 113

1

Hallelujah! ¹ Praise, you servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD.

2

Blessed be the name of the LORD both now and forever.

3

From the rising of the sun to its setting let the name of the LORD be praised.

4

High above all nations is the LORD; above the heavens God's glory.

5

Who is like the LORD, our God enthroned on high,

6

looking down on heaven and earth?

7

The LORD raises the needy from the dust, lifts the poor from the ash heap,

8

Seats them with princes, the princes of the people,

Acts
Chapter 1

15

During those days Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers (there was a group of about one hundred and twenty persons in the one place). He said,

16

"My brothers, the scripture had to be fulfilled which the holy Spirit spoke beforehand through the mouth of David, concerning Judas, who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus.

17

He was numbered among us and was allotted a share in this ministry.

20

For it is written in the Book of Psalms: 'Let his encampment become desolate, and may no one dwell in it.' And: 'May another take his office.'

21

Therefore, it is necessary that one of the men who accompanied us the whole time the Lord Jesus came and went among us,

22

beginning from the baptism of John until the day on which he was taken up from us, become with us a witness to his resurrection."

23

So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias.

24

Then they prayed, "You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen

25

to take the place in this apostolic ministry from which Judas turned away to go to his own place."

26

¹ Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was counted with the eleven apostles.

John
Chapter 15

9

As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love.

10

If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love.

11

"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.

12

This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.

13

¹ No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends.

14

You are my friends if you do what I command you.

15

I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, ² because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.

16

It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.

17

This I command you: love one another.

 Reflection:

All our being is in the hands of God.  “From the rising of the sun, till its setting” and the whole night as well.  Whether He is acknowledged or not, he is at the forefront of all we do.   We often think of those that are called in a special service (pastor, missionary, theologian) in the kingdom of God as being the set apart ones, but the truth is, each one of us has been called by God.  Consider how much the Father loves the Son – Jesus says that as deeply as God loves Him, so He (Christ) loves us. It fully demonstrated in that Christ laid down His own life for us.  His call to us is that we would love one another in the same way.  “You are my friends if you do what I command” – and this is the command: “Love one another”.  This is a love that is founded in the Glory of God.  Our Psalm reading stated:

 “The LORD raises the needy from the dust, lifts the poor from the ash heap, Seats them with princes, the princes of the people”.

Now when we look at each other, we might not see each other as the “needy from the dust, or the poor from the ash heap” – But the Psalmist is pointing out, that God who is all powerful and the Lord of Creation itself enters into the lives of His people in grace, mercy and compassion.  When he enters that relationship the rest of that encounter with him is that he ‘raises’ the person up – takes them from a low place and leaves them in a high place.

Likewise, our encounters with each other - when I engage you do I raise you up to a higher place – do you feel lifted, stronger, encouraged? Or, do I knock you down so that you feel like you’re in the dust and just been dumped into a burning ash heap?  This is part of the command of Love that Jesus gives us “As the Father loves me, so I you…”

By which ever manner we have come to be in this place working together … you have been “allocated to share in this ministry”.   It may not have fallen to you by the casting of lots, as with Mattias, but never the less, you have been chosen – how do you know? Well, for starters, you are here. We don’t know a lot about Mattias, other than he was one of the people that had been following the disciples from the time of the baptism of Christ. He “had accompanied Christ the whole time”.   We know nothing about him from before – or after, other than he was faithful person who was trusted enough to have his name forwarded as a replacement apostle, - his primary claim to fame is “the guy who replaced Judas” – that’s some shoes to follow.  Christian tradition reports that he faithfully and consistently preaches and advanced the gospel to his death. 

Our call is in the task that we have before us, whatever it might be, is to do our ministry  in a way that “accompanies Christ the whole time”.   Let us too seek to remain in Christ’s love in all we do.  In our conversations together, in the work that he has called to be in our hands let us be part of raising one another up.  

May those we encounter, whether by phone or in meetings, or support, or work with,  be lifted to a higher place because of their encounter with us- because Christ himself loves us with an unfailing love.

This command I give to you “That you love one another”.

  A Prayer of St. Clements

You, Lord, through your works have revealed the everlasting structure of the world. You, Lord, created the earth. You are faithful throughout all generations, righteous in your judgments, marvelous in strength and majesty, wise in creating and prudent in establishing what exists, good in all that is observed and faithful to those who trust in you, merciful and compassionate; forgive us our sins and our injustices, our transgressions and our shortcomings.

Do not take into account every sin of your servants, but cleanse us with the cleansing of your truth, and "direct our steps to walk in holiness and righteousness and purity of heart," and "to do what is good and pleasing in your sight" and in the sight of our rulers. Yes, Lord, "let your face shine upon us" in peace "for our good," that we may be sheltered "by your mighty hand" and delivered from every sin "by your uplifted arm"; deliver us as well from those who hate us unjustly.

Give harmony and peace to us and to all who dwell on the earth, just as you did to our fathers when they reverently "called upon you in faith and trust," that we may be saved, while we render obedience to your almighty and most excellent name, and give harmony and peace to our rulers and governors on earth.  Amen. 

Anyway, I was just thinking

Neil  

This years "eureka" moment

Most pastors, at least those who are honest, will tell you that preparing sermons for Christmas and Easter is challenging because everyone knows the facts and it is difficult to make it “new” each year. Perhaps that is why pastors change churches so they can reuse material.

I find the same holds true for me as a maturing Christian. I don’t want these significant events to come and go and become “routine” for me. I make an effort to read the Scripture passages and listen to the sermons at these times to find something new, some new interpretation or something I just have not seen or heard before.

This past Easter as I read through the familiar Easter passages nothing was becoming this year’s “eureka” moment. Then I read again one of the “last words of Christ” from the cross. “Father forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing”.

At first I agreed that this was true. They didn’t really understand what they were doing. They did not understand who Jesus was and the significance of what was happing, the moment of salvation for the whole world. But, then again, they did know what they were doing. Some were simply following the crowd “if these people are so worked up about this then I am in”. Others were following the religious leaders, their pastors, and understood at least that this man was a threat to their faith and the practices and they had to unite with their leaders to stop him. Some, the religious leaders, knew that there traditions and their positions were being threatened and they had to get rid of this troublemaker.

Yet, from the cross Jesus asked for their forgiveness because of their lack of understanding. Of course if it were me on that cross I highly doubt that I would have been saying these words. I am quite sure that other things would have been on my lips, perhaps defending myself, probably complaining, and likely blaming.

So, what about me, now in 2010? This same Jesus stands at the side of His Father, the God of Heaven, and says when I fail “Father forgive Him, he is one of mine, one of those you have given me.” Most times I know what I am doing when I sin. I have been a follower of Christ for a long time and I know hat the Scriptures teach about right and wrong, about sin. Yet there are times when I don’t yet really understand what I am doing. In either case, whether I acknowledge my sin because I know I sinned and ask forgiveness or I carry on in ignorance or in rebelliousness He is there saying to the father “Forgive Him”.

I am so glad that Jesus was able to plead for forgiveness those around Him at the cross because it gives me confidence to know that in the same way He pleads for my forgiveness. When I stand at Heavens door in His good time I will hear Him say “Forgive Him, He is one of mine.”

Ted Robbins
 
Ted is the Director of Property for Christian Horizons.

A step on the right path?

I was reflecting on Proverbs 16:9, ‘a man’s heart plans his steps, but God directs his paths’ on the drive into work this morning. There are a couple of personal things – rather significant in terms of the ‘path’ directions that I’m trying to determine what the right step is. Finding those steps can be tough. In one decision in particular, the ‘wrong’ step could have serious implications, not just for me, but significantly for others – the ‘right’ step however could open up exciting doors of new opportunities and growth. But which one? Neither step is a question of sin, but the choosing of that step is critical regarding potential outcome.

How do you know then what is the ‘right’ step? Wow, if I could get that nailed down, I truly would have a best seller on my hands. But then, I suppose it would remove the element of stepping out in the adventure of faith.

Over the years, I have developed 4 basic questions that I try to answer to get at my heart when wrestling with what step to take . Now first off, if the step in question is clearly a sin, putting that 'step' through this questioning process is moot. In this case, I simply declaring I chose my way over God’s and He’ll have to deal. That is outside of the realm of this conversation. These questions are for those steps that are more ambiguous in nature and I truly desire to stay firmly on God’s path.

1) Does this step cause me in anyway to compromise or violate the Word and purpose of God, or jeopardize my own person integrity? If the answer is yes, I have my answer. Too many times, I, and perhaps you, have yelled at God for ‘not being there’ when His response is “I didn’t want you there in the first place”. Thank God, literally, that His grace is sufficient, that there is repentance and forgiveness available. Now, I may need to bear the consequences of this decision for sometime – maybe even the rest of my life, I am forgiven. I know this may not sound fair, but, I did make the decision and set a host of realities into being. They don’t evaporate just because I am forgiven. Some of the other related questions I may ask are: Do I have to fudge the truth to make it happen? Do I have to justify to myself why this relationship or behaviour is okay? Does it move me closer to His image or further away?

2) Is the primary intent of this step to elevate, advance or make things ‘happier’ for myself? Or is my intent, to further the Kingdom of God in my life and the lives of others? It is not wrong to desire to move ahead or even be profitable. But if my advancement or profit is at the expensive of my relationship with God or at the expense of another person – again I have my answer. Some decisions do not necessarily fall into this realm; Tim Horton’s or MacDonald’s for lunch. While neither may be a great decision, they are not path altering decisions. Other decisions are path setting – a big part of challenge is recognizing these small steps for what they are or could be. How often I am short sighted regarding the importance of a particular step. I think this one reason the Apostle Paul warns us to take every thought captive. In light our recent learning, this might be similar to the idea of ‘interrogating reality’.

3) Is this step done in ‘faith’ or ‘wish’? I mean, is it a step that God would have me take at all? I’m afraid that many times, my decisions are based on my wishes, desires, and wants rather than on His purpose and Will. This one I find the most difficult to unravel and the easiest to rationalize. My ego can be very tricky – the only solution is diligent prayer and honest self examination of my motivation (search me, try me, examine me to see if there is any wicked way Psa 139:23). ‘What I want’ is an extremely powerful force in our lives. To crucifying the flesh is a difficult and continual death. We have confused personal happiness with faithful discipleship as the chief guide in our lives. God’s way is often the more difficult, and road less traveled. It is one, perhaps, I’d rather avoid because of the cost to my personal happiness. What is at the source of this weakness is my inability to see beyond the ‘now’ and physical into the eternal and spiritual. (I am intrigued by thought of the ‘eternal now’, but that is for another blog)

4) What is the counsel I received from mature Christians. Outside perspective and challenge is vital to choosing the right step. In many counselors, there is wisdom (Proverbs. 24:6). What I generally do is seek out those who tell me what I want to hear. I prefer those that will support the decision that I have already determined is the ‘right’ one for me. This is known as ‘the blind leading the blind’, and both eventually fall into the ditch. I need to hear the voices of those that would hold me accountable to God, purity, integrity and holiness. I may not like what I hear, but I need to listen to it, ponder it, and consider that counsel prayerful. If I chose not to heed it, I take the step at least with my eyes wide open.

If I get green lights on all four, I’m pretty confident to take that step. Experience has taught me however, that just because they all line up, it still doesn’t guarantee ‘successes. I quantify the idea of success because, how I gage success and how God gages success is not always (often?) the same. What seems to be a set back for me, may in fact be a reproving and a strengthening of my faith (read James 1). Even in these times of apparent setbacks and failure, if I know that I have held true to these four questions – I still have retained my integrity and I find that God still keeps me on the path. Frequently, I discover that I come to wonderful unexpected road stops

I wish I was always so careful with all the steps that I take – I seem to retain these questions just for the big ones. But this is a mistake. It is very easy to inadvertently wander off the path and find myself pondering a ‘big’ step on a path that God would have never had me travel. The truth is, it is the many small steps that determine my direction – it is the moment to moment decisions that I seek to yield to God that set the stage for that big step.

Anyway I was just thinking…..

Neil

Ants could be dangerous!

“Without purpose, life becomes meaningless and people experience a sense of alienation and angst.” – Jean Paul Sarte

I came across this quote a couple of weeks of go.  It sounded smart, inspiring and impressive (even though I had no idea what it meant), so I made a little half sheet poster and tapped it on my wall, so that when someone came in to my office and saw it, they’d think – “Hey that sounds smart and cool” and thereby, by inference, assume that therefore I must be smart and cool.  It’s a cheap ploy, but hey, it’s worth a shot.   I mean, how often do you get to use the word ‘angst’ in a sentence?  It’s just one of those words that intimidates people when you use it because its all existential sounding and it suggests, “I know what it means” when really you have had to look up the spelling.  But the other person doesn’t know that – well at least the few that don’t read this blog – and they obviously suffer from agsnt, um angtns, you know,  - “an intense feeling of non-directional anxiety and strife” – (it’s amazing how intelligent one sounds when quoting Wikipedia). 

Anyway, all that aside – my little sign has given me something to stare at for the last few weeks other than that drywall nail pock hole that is the usual  focus of my attention causing me to reflect on such things as “why was that drywaller in such a hurry at that moment?”  “Did his phone ring and he got a call from his wife telling him he forgot that it was her birthday and if he wanted supper, there had better be a card and flowers on the way?” Or perhaps, he was overcome by that sudden non-directional sense of anxiety and strife that momentarily distracted him with a keen yet unusual awareness of life so that he questioned “what meaning and purpose is there to my life and why do I feel suddenly alone in the universe?” – voila!- angst! - which was different from his usual thought of “mud is squishy when it’s wet”.    (It is a wonder I get any work done at all.  Please don’t forward this to my supervisor!  By the way, there’s also a small rip in my carpet, which is the focus of much ‘angst’ at the moment as I’m thinking it actually may be a breech in the space time continuum occurring directly under my feet and one day I will fall into it and disappear and people will eventually wonder “where did he go?”, or will they know that I existed at all -- but then I will  re-appear in a parallel universe where my wall is perfectly smooth and does not distract me!” For those who may not know, I actually was diagnosed with Dyslexia with ADDHD – and no, I have never done drugs on purpose, which is another story entirely.

All that being what it is, I’m actually being increasingly challenged by the depth of this thought.  Simply put, I feel better about myself when what I do makes a difference to someone else.  There is a satisfaction that comes from the awareness, “I matter to someone – I am noticed”.  Now, before you think that’s a narcissist deal, hang with me.   The energy that I receive as a result of my involvement, no matter how small a difference is made, is ‘food for my soul’.   If we’re honest, we’re all wired that same way.  Even God, when He finished creating the world stepped back from it, looked at all He had done and declared, “It is good”.  Now, for God it was more the enjoyment of the thing, rather than the necessity -- God has created within us, a desire for purposeful and meaningful work beyond the 8 hour pay cheque thing - rather the sum of our life direction and activity.  I don’t think that was a pride thing.  Or, that it is wrong when we have been apart of something that makes a difference to step back and survey what we have done and say, “It is good”.  I believe the error is when it causes me to say, “Man, look at me, I’m good!” - the real source of many my problem.  I am convinced that part of the Image of God is the desire and capacity to engage in on going unfolding of ‘Creation’.   God has hardwired us to want to step back from what we ‘create’ and experience ‘it is good’.  Now, if you accept that, I want to push us one step further, and this is where my thinking has been recently (so I do think more than just about that poor drywall guy or the space time continuum). How much opportunity do we give, permit, enable, open up (pick your word) for those that we support to experience and connect with a meaningful purpose and thereby experience community, connectedness and  a real sense of belonging?  This is more than receiving a pay cheque – although this is an important component.  I believe however, there is a deeper quality that is missing other than the money.  It is: what I do really makes a difference; it contributes to the whole; I am not alone, but a contributing part of my community.  My personal belief is that many whom we support long at some level to step back and look at what they have ‘created’ and equally be able to say “it is good”.  I wonder if this is part that transforms what we do in CH from good ‘social’ work (which I respect greatly), i.e. the cup of cold water, into ‘Ministry Work’ “in His name”.  The challenge before us is the recognition that ‘serving the person with exceptional needs’ goes beyond ‘doing for’ and means helping people connect with the purpose for which God created us – to make a difference, and to belong to a caring community.  Now that is an awesome purpose for us.  Imagine stepping back and seeing that because of your small part, the person whom you are supporting is connected to purpose, meaning and is able to step back and say “it is good”.  Now that’s good Work!

An ant has just begun to cross my office floor angling toward me.  Suddenly I feel a sense of angst setting in wondering if he/she/it is really an agent sent from that parallel universe to stun me with its stinger and drag me with its pinchers into that rip in the fabric of time…  I gotta go.

Anyway, I was just thinking.

Neil

Living the Lord's Prayer "Our Father"

– Matthew 6
9"Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father, who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10'Your kingdom come Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11'Give us this day our daily bread. 12 'And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13'And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.'

I am old enough to remember when we started our school day with the “God Save the Queen”, and the Lord’s Prayer. Yup, as my adult children constantly remind me, I’m old. Growing up in the church, the Lord’s Prayer was recited on a somewhat regular bases. Enough that I can recite it without much thought –therein lays the problem. Recent events have brought the Lord’s Prayer into a new perspective and priority for me. A number of those events I have already shared with you in the Haiti reflections. The young children begging for a dollar, and being told that do not worry, you will become immune; the drive through Citie Soleil thinking “God you have forgotten this place” – and hearing the answer in my heart “I have not forgotten, Neil you have”. Over the next week, I want to share with you some of the wrestling of my soul as they pertain to the Lord’s Prayer.

If we read the preceding account of the disciples asking, “teach us to pray”, we will discover that Jesus sets out the Lord’s Prayer as a pattern for how we pray in general. The prayer positions us in the following:
o Orienting ourselves in the universe
o Orienting ourselves in society
o Orienting ourselves in our responsibility to God, each other, the world, ourselves
Reading, studying, and slowly praying through the prayer I am increasingly struck by its radical, subversive nature. The Social/political/economic/ spiritual implications of this prayer are both profound and life altering. So, let us journey through the words of this prayer to discover ‘why’ Jesus set this out as a pattern for all prayer.

Our Father –
God is our complete source. Our existence is found only in Him. He is the seed of life, awareness – of all things. He is Creator God, but more, He is Father God. Here we find a deep personal relational God. You have heard sermons, I am sure, before describing that the word Father here translates “Abba” – which is not a formal address but a very personal endearing name given. Our closest association would be “daddy”. It denotes a complete dependency and trust – of innocent and devoted trust. God is not far away, but close and aware - accessible.

It is a unifying word. The prayer is not ‘my Father’ but ‘our Father’. It is like when my sisters and brother visit my parent’s farm and each of us are aware that he is not simply ‘my’ father – but he is our father and although I am my own person, my existence, our existence, to borrow a Biblical reference is from his loins. Our Western sensibilities shy away from such language or imaginary. When I was attempting to remind my children that this was why I could make the decision as ‘dad’ their response was “ew gross”. However, it is true.

We have lost an important traditional sense of reliance, dependency and thankfulness for the life that has been passed on to us from our parents. Yes, I am my own person, but I did not do anything nor could do anything to bring this to pass.
Likewise, all of us have a common parentage. Not only us here, but every person that draws breath on this small rotating ball of dirt, suspended in an, as far as we know, endless universe. We are all intimately connected. Therefore, from the very first words of this prayer both relationship and responsibility are established. That little Haitian boy that pushed his hand through the window and asked “Dollar minister?” is in fact…my brother. The man dying of AIDS laying on a mat in Sudan is …my brother. Those young Nicaraguan girls that are forced to prostitute themselves in order to gain food for themselves and their families are my sisters. I think you get the picture.

If I am to pray the Lord’s Prayer and begin with “Our Father”, I must see, accept and embrace the solidarity of those words. We are not North American, Baptist, Pentecostal or Anglican – we are children born of the Spirit and Our Father is God.

Anyway, I was just thinking.


Neil

“Let this thing you have said happen to me” (Luke 1: 26-56)

There is little doubt that this is one of the most powerful prayers in all of Scripture. We have few recorded words from Mary. Most of those words are “What does this mean?” “How can this happen?” and then that great and wondrous line “With man all things are impossible, but with God all things are possible. I am a servant of the Lord God. Let this thing you have said happen to me!”. This revelation leads her to bust out in an uncontrollable and dangerous prayer. The other recurring phrase that is so admirable is “and Mary pondered all these things in her heart”.

When I reflect on my own life, I must admit much of my conversation with God revolves around “What does this mean? How can this happen”. I wish I could say it always resulted in me exclaiming with the confidence of Mary “with God all things are possible”. Situations and events come into our lives that cause us to be ‘confused and very afraid’. Standing from our side we see the impossibilities – of what can go wrong. We see the looming ‘reality’ of immanent disaster or failure. This is devastating to the soul. It threatens to extinguish hope; it imprisons joy and enshrouds us in a heavy curtain of darkness.

Mary was not a great theologian. As a young girl that was not her lot. Her lot was to be a wife and mother. Girls were thought not able to learn or participate in religious activity without their fathers or husbands. She did not have a lot of life history to draw from. It is believed that Mary would have been between 13 to 15 years of age. However, a lot of wisdom and faith poured out of that young life. What is the secret of this kind of faith and walk? It is not a secret at all. It all sits in the statement “I am a servant of the Lord, let this thing you have said happen”. This is not a statement of passive resignation, but a declaration of active yielding.
The key in our life is this posture of active yielding. We actually share something powerfully in common with Mary. We carry the presence of God within. Although she was indwelt with the incarnation of Christ, we are indwelt with the person of Christ in the Holy Spirit. This is no less significant. Here is the deal: even with the fact that Mary bore the seed of God and gave birth to the babe, she still needed the death and resurrection of Christ to be her cover as well. In that, we too are recipients of the Angel’s message “Greetings, the Lord is with you; you are very special to him”.

Mary's Song
46And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord 47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, 49for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. 50His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. 51He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. 52He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. 53He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. 54He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful 55to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers."

What are you facing? What causes you to be afraid, to be confused, to question “how can this be happening”? God’s presence is as real and tangible to you as it was that day to a young frightened girl. His answer is the same to you as it was to her so long ago: “Greetings, the Lord is with you; you are very special to him”.

Let us pray, With man all things are impossible, but with God all things are possible, I am a servant of the Lord God. Let this thing you have said happen to me!”

Anyway, I was just thinking…

Neil

Our Faith @ Work: Work, Leaders & God Part 6

Introduction: The following is number 6 of 6 blog postings entitled Our faith @ work that are part of the keynote address given at the CH Leaders conference in Nov 2009 in Orillia.

Responding to the Call

As we consider the challenges that we have before us as a ministry that seeks to follow Christ in an increasingly secular, pluralistic society, it is causing us closely examine: who we are; why we exist; what is our core; who we will become. These questions are not all bad. It has forced us to grapple with important issues of what makes us a ministry, why a ministry, and how does a ministry behave? And when do we stop being a ministry? These are all questions that can make us stronger, but they are certainly no easy answers. And they are not answers that everyone will necessarily agree upon. I do believe it is possible to be followers of Christ and do God’s Work in our society. Much wisdom is required, and it is not as black and white as we’d like to make it sometimes or believe it should be. One only needs to closely study the accounts of Joseph, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abendigo and Nehemiah for starters. It would be insightful if we had the time to look at all the decisions, compromises and the absolute non-negotiables that resulted in those leaders, who lived in highly religiously and politically polarized societies, being imprisoned, thrown into lions den’s and furnaces – a talk for another day. It is sufficient to stay at this moment - it was far more complex and difficult than a quick read on the surface indicates or allows.

What we have prayerfully attempted to do, and please realize that this is still in a growing and learning process, is to bring some definition and clarity to what we do and who we are looking for when we invite people to join with us toward God in this ministry, and how to have it continually inform all our behaviour as we do our work through Christian Horizons. We believe that our Vision and Mission statements are as a solid foundation as the day they were birthed. Also, what we’re wanting to create is a much more ‘robust’ communication strategy that is reinforced at multiple points; from recruitment to point of hire, the courses and training that we offer, to our leadership development, to how every level and position in Christian Horizons is connected to and reinforcing of our Key Values and principles. What does it mean for us to say that We will "Honour God, and value people in all we do and with all our resources?" And to "serve the person with exceptional needs"? We are seeking to flesh that out by identifying the four or five key organizational culture points that we have championing over the past 45 years. At the moment we’ve identified these 4 as possible candidates:

1. Christ Centred (everything we do is rooted here)
2. Person Directed (Inclusion) -- fully partner
3. Servant hood (work/serve): servant leaders, situational leadership, self leadership

Mark 10:40-45

40 "But to sit on My right or on My left, this is not Mine to give; but it is for those for whom it has been prepared."
41 Hearing this, the ten began to feel indignant with James and John.
42 Calling them to Himself, Jesus *said to them, "You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them.
43 "But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant;
44 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all.
45 "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

4. And Stewardship (integrity, excellence and wisdom)
As we look at these four potential points, I think we’d all see and acknowledge that we’ve excelled at some, done well in others, satisfactory in a few, okay with others, and we would have a list that falls into the ‘needs improvement’ category.
What does that mean for us individually and as organization that seeks to be a ministry?

1. It means that a growing passionate relationship with Christ is an essential foundation
a. Because it affects everything we are about and seek to accomplish and how we do it.
b. We want our work to be God work; creative, empowering, enabling, bringing light and meaning. It’s not just providing for the body, but feeding and freeing the soul.
c. We want together to be able to stand back and look, and say “it is good.” But just as important, we want to find ways for persons with exceptional needs to find their voice and place in that work so they are able to say that as well.
d. We want to go beyond with, and not for, and invite to be ‘toward’ God – more than inclusion – but full partners.
e. We what our work to be redemptive - this effects everything from how come work together along side people, to how we see and treat the earth.

As Key ‘Workers’ in Christian Horizons the modeling and implementation rests with us, individually and collectively. What we are seeking to create is a clear identity that we all are passionate about, not as our job, but as our work. As leaders we need to get this figured out in our hearts and minds because it impacts the work that we have before us. It impacts the people that do their tasks for us. And above all, we want to Respond to the Call of God together as the ministry of Christian Horizons and join in the eternal sacred dance toward God.

Neil Cudney

Our Faith @ Work: Work, Leaders & God Part 5

Introduction: The following is number 5 of 6 blog postings entitled Our faith @ work that are part of the keynote address given at the CH Leaders conference in Nov 2009 in Orillia.

Our work is to be redemptive

a) Isa 65:17 -25We’re living in between two ultimate realities. The reality of what was and the ultimate reality of what ‘will be’. We have some information on what was, less on what will be, but we do know a lot of what is. However, there are some windows that we are able to peer through. Our image of what and how we are to be living today is both rooted in our past (creation) and our future (the coming kingdom). Jesus said that the “Kingdom of God is here.” We are to begin to live it now.

17 "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind.
18 "But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing And her people for gladness.
19 "I will also rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people; And there will no longer be heard in her The voice of weeping and the sound of crying.
20 "No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, Or an old man who does not live out his days; For the youth will die at the age of one hundred And the one who does not reach the age of one hundred Will be thought accursed.
21 "They will build houses and inhabit them; They will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 "They will not build and another inhabit, They will not plant and another eat; For as the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people, And My chosen ones will wear out the work of their hands.
23 "They will not labor in vain, Or bear children for calamity; For they are the offspring of those blessed by the LORD, And their descendants with them.
24 "It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear.
25 "The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent's food. They will do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain," says the LORD.


b) Rev 21:22

22 I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
23 And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.
24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.
25 In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed;
26 and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it;

Work is an important part of God’s original design, our lives now, and for the coming Kingdom. God’s purpose is to redeem His creation in the now, and Christ was sent to do that work of redemption. We were unable to come ‘toward’ God on our own. I think if we are able to catch a glimpse of this eternal ‘toward’ Sacred Dance of Father Son and Holy Spirit, we would see the gift of God, and the work of Christ with new eyes. The most well known most quoted verse of the Bible takes on new meaning “For God so love the world that He gave His only begotten Son”. For a period 33 years, Christ of His own volition stepped out of the sacred dance circle. We know so little about the cost of God sending His Son. We tend to mostly define Christian faith in relationship to the Cross, which is central, but, it is enveloped by the whole of God story, in which the Cross is the doorway. Christ steps out of absolute holiness, purity, life, love, goodness, mercy, grace, justice, light and is born as a vulnerable baby into the experience of sin, hate, injustice and death.

Php 2:4-8

4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

What Christ willingly stepped out of, and into, in order to redeem the work of Creation, is separated by a chasm only crossable by Christ Himself. Redemption was not Christ’s labour or job, it was his work; remember He was a carpenter for 30 of those years. His work of redemption which was not confined to His three years of ministry, but He lived it in His previous 30 years of ‘on the job’. How often have we thought of the purpose of our work to be redemption? When you walk into the office, or home, or program, are we thinking redemptively? When we are dealing with a difficult situation are we thinking redemptively? That does not mean that we are lax or excusing, sometimes the most redemptive thing we can do is let someone go. Christ’s work is not a job anyone of us would sign up for, especially knowing that crucifixion waited at the end. But Christ certainly saw this as His necessary work even knowing its cost. In Luke 2:49 we see that from a young boy He understood this as He said to His parents and those who were looking for him, “Did you not know I must be about my Father’s business (work)”? And then again as an adult in John 5:30

"I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. "

That work of the Father took him all the way to the Cross.

What does this have to do with us, our work and Christian Horizons?

Everything.

Recall the prayer of Christ in John 17:18, “As you have sent me (to work), so I send them”. We have been called by Christ Himself, to be a part of His creative, good redemptive work. Quite frankly, it doesn’t matter whether we are a plumber or doctor; factory worker or lawyer; relief worker or CEO, our call to work is the same. We have individual tasks and responsibilities, but that is not our work. We must never let our task take priority or control of our work. Our challenge is how we accomplish our work through the vehicle of our task or job, not in spite of our task. A big part of our role with one another is how we enable each other to participate and fulfill that call.

Our work impacts every avenue of our life, it not something we can take off after an eight hour shift. Our work comes with us in our relationships, boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, brother, sister, children, in private, in public. In relations to our work there is no “secular” – for all is in the realm of sacred.

Here’s the other crazy thing that turn it all upside down for us, we don’t get humanly paid for our work. In fact, it generally costs us to do it. Fortunately, we do get paid for our job. The downside is that we tend to judge importance and priority on what and who we get paid by. We judge each other by position, power and pay. Others judge us according to the same standards. But, we cannot let this limit our vision of the work that God has given us. What’s the benefit of God ordained work? Well, besides working for the best boss in the Universe with an eternal life plan, we are not living divided lives, our faith is at work, and our work takes on a new focus and purpose. Our work impacts and shapes our lives and how we do what we do.

All that said, I believe we have a unique opportunity as we come together united by Christ for a single cause under the banner of Christian Horizons.

Neil Cudney

Our Faith @ Work: Work, Leaders & God Part 4

Introduction: The following is number 4 of 6 blog postings entitled Our faith @ work that are part of the keynote address given at the CH Leaders conference in Nov 2009 in Orillia.

“It is Good” The idea that work is to be good is a powerful revelation of God’s intention for His people. God took pleasure in His work. God himself took time to step back and look at His work as a whole and proclaim that it was good. God wants us to take pleasure in our work. One of the reasons work becomes discouraging, stressful and life taking, rather than life giving, is that the labour of our hand appears, in fact becomes, fruitless because our work is tilling against, not cultivating with, God. We need to honestly face that this can be the result of two factors;
1) A limited or lost vision of our work. This is us personally. We have a personal responsibility that is firstly rooted in our vertical relationship and responsibility and obedience to God.
2) The environment that has been created in which we work. That is a system that has been created that doesn’t bring meaning, purpose and community, but isolation, frustration and wasted energy. A major part of our task as leaders in Christian Horizons is to:
i. Firstly, make sure that our personal lives are on track with God.
ii. And, secondly, make sure that the environments that we are creating, organizationally and corporately, and in the districts, and at the local level, are removing the barriers that frustrate the true calling of work.

Max Depree in his book ‘Leadership is an Art’ says:

“The art of leadership is liberating people to do what is required of them in the most effective and humane way possible, thus the leader is the servant of his followers, in that he/she removes the obstacles that prevent them from doing their jobs. In short, the true leader enables his or her followers to realize their full potential.” (Depree xxii)

There is no question this kind of leadership is an art. Work is not the result of the fall, but labour is. Sin is when we allow work to become labour. What images come to mind when we think of ‘labour’. I grew up with song in my house by Tennessee Ernie Ford – the song was called “Sixteen Tons.” This song had a habit of being played when my Dad had a really, really bad day and everything seemed to be crashing in.

Some people say a man is made outta mud

A poor man's made outta muscle and blood

Muscle and blood and skin and bones

A mind that's a-weak and a back that's strong

You load sixteen tons, what do you get

Another day older and deeper in debt

Saint Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go

I owe my soul to the company store

I was born one mornin' when the sun didn't shine

I picked up my shovel and I walked to the mine

I loaded sixteen tons of number nine coal

And the straw boss said "Well, a-bless my soul"

If you see me comin', better step aside

A lotta men didn't, a lotta men died

One fist of iron, the other of steel

If the right one don't a-get you

Then the left one will

We need re-cover God’s intention for our work, both as leaders and as followers. Work is not to be the use and abuse of people so that they feel they have lost their soul. Rather than destroying a person, our work itself needs to experience a salvation of sorts. You see God’s activity is concerned more than with just saving our individual soul, but in the redemption of Creation itself, which will remove the curse of futile labour from our work. Work is not the curse, but the toil and labour to gain fruit of our work is. Genesis 3:17-18:

17Then to Adam He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it';Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life. 18"Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field;

Work existed before creation; toil, thorns and thistles didn’t. It’s not that work is not sometimes hard and even back breaking. And doing ‘Good Work’ doesn’t guarantee that all will go well either. Consider the work of God – we’d say ‘it is good’. However, look at the effect of sin on God’s good work. There is a season in which God is looking at the work of hands and seeing how it was been distorted and misused. He is looking at the realities of poverty and war, of disease, death and destruction – of the greed and selfishness that drives sectarian violence and genocide and He is not saying “it is good”, because it is not good. But He knows that this is not the end of the story, good is being restored. Consider the story of Job, the work of His hands was good, and it made him target of the enemy. For a season, Job sat on the ashes of a garbage heap and wrestled with the question where is God? David wrote those Psalms in the early years of his life and asks the question “why is it that the wicked seem to prosper, and that the good man constantly loses”

1Surely God is good to Israel, To those who are pure in heart! 2But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling, My steps had almost slipped. 3For I was envious of the arrogant

As I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 4For there are no pains in their death, And their body is fat. 5They are not in trouble as other men, Nor are they plagued like mankind. 6Therefore pride is their necklace; The garment of violence covers them. 7Their eye bulges from fatness;

The imaginations of their heart run riot.

He laments later in verse 13: surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and washed my hands in innocence. Here is a guy that believes all his work has become useless. He pulls it around by the end and states,

25-28 whom have I in heaven but Thee? And besides, I desire nothing on earth, my flesh and heart my fail, but God is my strength and my portion… the nearness of God is my good.

We must have, and continue to seek, a high view of our work, because sometimes, the earthly evidence seems to deny its meaning and value. When work has Godly purpose, it has the potential of even transforming the simplest job of ditch digging to the position of participation with God. It is transformative because I know how I am connected with the rest of my community, that my work is valued beyond a hole that is dug in the ground, because of this hole, my community benefits. God is concerned with the restoration of healing communities in which all members are valued and participate.

Rom 8:18-24 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.
20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. 24 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?

God wants our work to be redeemed and saved. In the salvation of our work, we get our lives back – we are participating in something far greater than our jobs. Our work is for something, it brings us toward God. Out of that relationship with Him, and each other, we create a sacred space in which we invite each other, and persons with disabilities, to join in the dance toward God. Our work has divine meaning, purpose and life, and makes an eternal difference.

John Vanier had a significant impact on John Paul II, so much so that he wrote in On Human Work:

They too are fully human subjects with corresponding innate, sacred and inviolable rights, and, in spite of the limitations and sufferings affecting their bodies and facilities, they point up more clearly the dignity and greatness of man. Since disabled people are subjects with all their rights, they should be helped to participate in the life of society in all its aspects and at all the levels accessible to their capacities. The disabled person is one of us and participates fully in the same humanity that we possess. It would be radically unworthy of man, and a denial of our common humanity, to admit to the life of the community, and thus admit to work, only those who are fully functional. To do so would be to practice a serious form of discrimination, that of the strong and healthy against the weak and sick...Each community will be able to set up suitable structures for finding creating jobs for such people both in the usual public and private enterprises by offering them ordinary or suitably adapted jobs…( On Human Work p 52)

I think the hope and desire of most people is to be able to stop, and look at what they have created and say “it is good”. What I find insightful here is that God did not look at His work and say “Wow, I am good”, which He certainly had a right to do; He says ‘it is good’. We lose sight of the meaning and value of work when we look to the fruits of work for our own benefit only. Or we believe that it is because of our own brilliance and ability, both of which are highly fleeting. Earthly riches and fame is like trying to capture mist in a bottle, they disappear and, though for a moment appear to satisfy, leave the person feeling empty and worthless. Work must be, and is more.

What any of us want is to be able look at our work and say “it is good”. Rather than a frustrating realization that although we are busy and tired from doing ‘stuff’ we haven’t actually accomplished, contributed or gain much through all our labour. Isa 65:23 tells us of a time when the hope of fruitful work will be restored; "They will not labor in vain.”

Quick recap, so far we discover that work is creative, empowering, enabling, it is good. Work is not the ‘stuff’ we do, but how we participate with God in the purposes of Creation itself. But there something else that we need to uncover about work, it is to be redemptive.

Neil Cudney

Our Faith @ Work: Work, Leaders & God Part 3

Introduction: The following is number 3 of 6 blog postings entitled Our faith @ work that are part of the keynote address given at the CH Leaders conference in Nov 2009 in Orillia.

The problem: We have separated God’s Work, and Human Work

What is God’s Work?

1. It creates, it makes, it plants, it reproduces – it empowers the disempowered , engages the unengaged – it doesn’t subtract but adds

One of the things that we might recognize when we first read the creation account is that God does not create by and only for Himself. Firstly, He creates ‘in, for, through and by’ Sacred communing community. It is God/Father, Son/Word and Holy Spirit/Breath that is the communing community. God’s design for work is not that it should be done alone, and for self. In fact God says, “it’s not good for man to be alone.”

There is a very cool image in the Prologue of John. The Apostle John starts his Gospel in the same pattern as opening verse of Genesis 1 – this is by design. “In the Beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God.” It would have brought an immediate reaction from the Jewish readers “Wait a minute, I thought ‘in the beginning God!” This of course is John’s whole point. The Greek word that is translated ‘with’ is actually far more profound and interesting than it first seems. The word in Greek is pros, which may better represented by the word ‘toward’. It could equally read “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was toward God”. Picture this, at creation Jesus and the Holy Spirit are not only with God, but they are constantly and eternally facing toward each other in this indescribable, infinite Sacred Dance (Migloire 69). Out of that dance the work of creation unfolds - explodes – out of divine, pure and holy love. Out of eternal good hope the God-head extends His hand in invitation for us to join in that Sacred Dance of not just working with God, but the opportunity to be toward God, in the eternal Now (our past, present and future expressed in our experience this second). The intimacy of that invitation is profound. As we come toward God with our work, we join in the dance of creation, empowerment, light; of adding to and bringing meaning and order out formlessness and chaos. Our Work is bringing God’s presence into the Now. That Now could be with our spouse, family, on the freeway, on the street corner, or even at our job.

Consider the implications about what our work really is; what it means to do God’s Work; what it means to be in community together doing that work and the knowledge that our work really matters to God. It is highly important for us to both realize and join with God as He extends His hand inviting us to participate in His Work. But that invitation opens the opportunity for another invitation in the image of God, we extend our hands to each other and especially toward those who have exceptional needs. For God has created all to be equal and valued participants. If Pope John Paul is right about Work being an essential key to the social questions we need to wrestle with, the fact is that many of those who are labeled disabled are not permitted to participate in this life giving work. Therefore a significant part of our Work with our individual jobs here at Christian Horizons is to work to bring this about. This idea, along with the Ottawa employment event in October, has got me thinking about how we go beyond inclusion – to partners, to the embracing of full partnership. Is that possible, is it reasonable, is it just, and is it the intention of God’s heart?

Neil Cudney

Our Faith @ Work: Work, Leaders & God Part 2

Introduction: The following is number 2 of 6 blog postings entitled Our faith @ work that are part of the keynote address given at the CH Leaders conference in Nov 2009 in Orillia.

The problem is our understanding of our work – Work is not a ‘necessary evil’, it is not a result of the fall but the result of the curse given to Adam “by the sweat of your face You shall eat bread.” But obviousily the curse does impact the results of our labour. If we look at the idea of work through Scripture, we discover that work existed before the creation of humanity, and maybe this is bad news for some. It seems that work is an essential component in the New Heavens and Earth – and it is God’s purpose that we will be participants in that new infinite, universal work program; so much for the harp playing, cloud sitting retirement program.

In the first line of Genesis, after the initial shocking discovery of “In the beginning God…” is the revelation that God works: He creates, moves, speaks, makes, calls into place and He breathes. He took great pleasure and delights in the results of His work, causing Him to regularly step back and pronounces “It is good”. In fact in Genesis 1 God says “It is good” 7 times. ‘It is Good’ isn’t a phrase that is repeated over and over again because in order to pass the course Moses had to submit an Old Testament Theology paper with a certain number count. It’s a strategy that works; any of you that have kids know that repeating things over and over work, “dad, Dad, DAD, DAD!”, finally results in a ‘WHAT DO YOU WANT?” It is something that is supposed to draw our attention, it stands out and we are to take notice of something vitally important to God, it raises the question “okay, okay what is good”? The good news is that the result of work can be good. Work is not supposed to be the death of us, but life giving and a passion of our existence. And it can be a passionate life giving force when we are orienting the goals of our work toward purposes for which God created us. The closing line of that chapter first chapter says, "God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. "

Gen 2:1-3

1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts.
2 By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.
3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

Did you get the point, God worked!

Creation of Humanity:

Gen 2:5
Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the LORD God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate (work) the ground

Gen 1:26-28

26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
28 God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

The next amazing discovery after, there is God and He works, is this, He personally and uniquely made us. God creates the animals and calls them all to multiply after their own kind. – However, He does something different in His creation of Humanity that both connects humanity with the earthly created order, and the image of the infinite God. We are not just called to be fruitful and multiply after our own kind, but also to be bearers of God’s image, and to reflect that image to others (Heb 1:3). Humanity is also uniquely called to ‘work’ with God which is distinct from the mandate He give the rest of Creation.

Gen 2:7 Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

Gen 2:15 Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate (work/serve) it and keep it.

Of additional note is that the Hebrew word for cultivate also is rooted in two words work and serve. This linkage between ‘to work’ and ‘to serve’ here is intentional. Godly work serves, therefore work that reflects God’s image, must also serve. There is no other creature on earth that God has called to work or is able to rest and take joy in their work, by looking at it saying “It is good”. There is another thing to notice here, there is another word shift, from the original call to cultivate (work/serve) the ground, to ‘you will ‘sweat’ to gain fruit.’ The implication is that conflict of interest, selfish ambition has entered into the equation – So rather than work ‘working for us’, it can work against us, and you will strive against it and force it to produce. I want to suggest to us that our work can be redeemed.

Pope John Paul II wrote a small but important book called "Laborem Exercens: On Human Work". In that book he encourages the reader to rethink what it means to work. In it he says this, “In fact human work is a key, probably the essential key, to the whole social question…” (On Human Work p. 10). The social question is how does a just society engage with its citizens in the work of God, spiritually, economically, politically and socially? How do we ensure that work does not destroy people and the environment, but empowers and heals and reflects the nature and purposes of God for all people? What would that society look like from a Kingdom of God perspective? The point of all this is that God has created work for us – He has not created us for work. But not all work that we do is the work that God created for us. All we need to do is look around the world and we know that. Quite frankly most of work is really messed up. Much of work is sweating against God – but the results of this working against God is stress, depression, greed, pride, selfishness, domination, control, poverty, war, destruction of people and earth, injustice and death emotionally, psychologically, socially and physically. God’s purpose is that we would work with Him in Creation and not against Him. The Work of Creation is ongoing, bringing light into darkness, bringing order to chaos, bringing the Good News that He has created us in His image to be in a knowing, loving co-loving relationships with Him.
The idea of doing ‘God’s Work’ has been confused. “I do God’s Work” tends to mean, I’m a Pastor, Missionary, religious fanatic. So, many feel they can’t do it, or do not want to it because they’re not qualified, or don’t want to because it is not relevant to real life. If we took that line of reasoning, we’d have to say that farmers really do God’s Work, because the first job was not preaching, but tending to the land and animals. Our task or our eight hour ‘job’ is actually secondary, at best, to our Work. What then is work? Rather than going to work, we take our work to our job. God tells us very directly what He wants from us. In Micah 6 we read:

"He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?"

Our work is far bigger than what it is we answer when someone asks, “What do you do for a living?” The next time someone asks you what you do for work, tell them “I’m a co-creator in the universe; I advance justice, deliver kindness and walk with God.” I bet that will open up some interesting discussion for you.

Neil Cudney