Shoemakers, Earthquakes and Work
What does it mean to be a Christian shoemaker? To put crosses all over the shoes? No, a Christian shoemaker makes good shoes!
This was the answer Martin Luther gave to a question he was asked hundreds of years ago, and it still bears pondering today.
What does it mean to be a Christian worker?
If I am a lawyer, plumber, marketer, designer, or landscaper, what does God require of me? Do I wear Christian tee shirts? Make cross-shaped trees? Leave my Bible on my desk? What about being a mom or dad, husband or wife, teacher, friend or neighbor? What does God want from me. He wants us to do our work well and to be known for our good works!!!
This was the Puritan work ethic.
It was a work ethic rooted in biblical truth emphasizing hard work, frugality, self-discipline, responsibility and diligence. This goes all the way back to the 16th and 17th century Protestant beliefs and the Scriptures. Eph. 2:8-10; Col. 3:23
It was not about working for wealth, but in seeing work as a divine calling and a way to serve God and humanity.
According to Puritan theology, every person has a “vocation”, a calling from God and fulfilling that role with diligence and integrity was a form of worship.
Years ago, there was an earthquake in Oklahoma. I don’t remember what it was on the Richter Scale, but it was more than an earthquake that had occurred in India. Buildings collapsed and hundreds of people died and not a soul perished in Oklahoma. Nor did any buildings collapse.
I remember asking myself, why did those buildings fall? And why were so many killed?
After a bit of research, I found out that in the U.S. we make better buildings, buildings that can withstand minor earthquakes. There are safety codes and building standards. No passing the buck under the table! (Not to say, there probably hasn’t been a few bucks passed under the table here and there☺) But as a general rule, codes must be followed.
Where does this come from, this idea of safety codes and building good structures? It comes from a biblical work ethic. Though today, why we do what we do may be lost, the codes still exist. But we have forgotten the “why” and if we’re not careful, the quality of work may dissipate as well.
This is what happened to the Israelites.
After they had moved into the land God promised them, a new generation rose up that did not know God nor the works that He had done. They went through the motions of worship and work but forgot the “why”. Eventually, this impacted their worship and their work!!
They did not drive out the inhabitants of the land who worshipped other gods.
The Israelites disobeyed God’s commands. So, God left them in the land, and the worshippers of other gods became a snare to them. As a result, we see a sharp decline in the leaders of Israel and eventually the people. By the end of the book of Judges, they become just like the nations they were to drive out.
God had given the Israelites a system of worship and a work ethic which they had forgotten.
This system of worship included corporate gatherings, family worship and individual worship. Feasts, singing, readings of the Scripture, and teachings at home as the family and children lived life. Some of it formal and some informal as life happens. Deut. 6:4-9
God also gave them good laws which includes a good work ethic. Our work can be a means of worship!! With our work we contribute to human flourishing whether in the home, in the office or out in the fields.
Our work is a way of loving God and serving one another!!
Do you find yourself going through the motions? Have you lost the purpose of wiping those drippy noses, washing those dirty dishes, fixing meals, or going to the office every day?
May the LORD light a fire beneath us and remind us once again, that our work has meaning. With it we worship God and serve others!!!
As we are reminded every Sunday, this is the day the LORD has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it…and whatever is in our hands to do, let’s do it well and unto the glory of God.
Who knows, there might be another earthquake. ☺