Faith and Work Sermon Series

My church, Harbor Presbyterian, just finished up a sermon series on faith and work.

Topics were:

The Gospel Reverses the Curse on Work

I Hate My Job

I Hate the People I Work With!

Listen Here

Prayer for military, police, and fire fighters

The latest industry prayer we prayed during our church service:

Father in heaven, we offer thanksgiving for our military, police, and fire fighters. Those in these fields fight crime and fires here… and enemies abroad. From the desk to the front lines—logistics and communications, military doctors and lawyers, administrative support and strategy planning—thank you for these men and women. They serve and protect us, maintaining peace in our communities and around the world. Lord, you are our ultimate protector, and these men and women are blessed to partner with you. Your protection often comes through those you have placed in these roles.

We are humbled by the sacrifices made by these men and women and their families—sacrifices sometimes beyond what any of us could imagine. What an amazing picture of your sacrifice to save and protect us all, Lord! Please protect them as they serve—emotionally, mentally and physically. Strengthen their marriages and their relationships with their children. Grant peace amidst the uncertainty of where and what their next orders or call will be. Help them find a community of Christian support wherever they go. Comfort them when they are lonely.

Lord, when the tasks feel mundane, help them remember the honor in their work. Help them resist mediocrity and strive to work with excellence. Inspire them to take initiative despite inefficiencies—and let their initiative be recognized and rewarded. Open to them opportunities to serve in ways that use their talents and passions.

For those in command, we pray that they would be wise and just. For those lower on the chain, help them model Christ’s humility. Help all to remember that ultimately they are serving you.

And we pray for our veterans, many who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder from seeing unthinkable things. Others have severe physical and mental injuries. Give them an extra measure of your grace and hope.

Remind us all to express gratitude to the men and women who serve so faithfully. Thank you, Lord, for your protection and your unfailing love. May we be inspired to love and fight for justice in our own areas of influence because we have seen the love you and these folks have shown us.

We pray these things in Jesus’ name.

Prayer for the science, engineering and technology industries

My church is praying during the service for different industries. The latest was science, engineering and technology. Here it is. I encourage you to do this in your church. It’s been really powerful!

Lord Jesus, in prayer we lift up the industries of science, engineering, and technology and all the people who work in these fields. Those working in these industries work in fields that reflect your very nature: from the administrative assistant keeping the office or finances in order, to the scientist in the lab, to the repair person who maintains the equipment.

You were the original creator of this complex and beautiful world, and you provide healing and restoring solution to problems. We are following in your footsteps. You gave us the raw materials for discovery, and you gifted us with the skill to make scientific and technological advances that contribute to the betterment of humanity.

We pray that those working in these fields would connect their work with your desire for your Kingdom to grow. May their work serve others and bring redemption – not lead to the destruction that sometimes comes with so-called “advances” in society. Guide us to find more and better ways to use technology and discovery to connect, guide, heal, and help people. Grant solutions to problems for which we still have no answers.

Encourage those in these fields when a solution they have been working toward does not work. Sustain them when work becomes tedious. Inspire them when there does not seem to be a way through a complex problem. Help them to respond with love when faced with frustrated and demanding clients, bosses, and coworkers. Guide them to make ethical decisions when confronted with unbridled possibilities.

Lord, we pray that those who have multiplied your wonders by use of their skills will not fall in love with their own glory, not compromise your values or misrepresent your truths. Let them seek advancement and progress not for riches but for your glory. Forgive them for lacking humility. Save them from making knowledge and discovery an idol. Let their growing knowledge grow their knowledge of YOU, pointing them and those around them to their need of salvation, and resulting in viewing their coworkers, neighbors and society with compassion. Focus their hearts on you, the author and perfecter of our faith.

Lord, we have all benefited from the discovery, inventiveness, and creativity of science, engineering and technology. Inspire us all by the vision of a better future that is revealed by the very nature of their work. Let these industries fill us with hope and joy because they remind us of your promise that one day this world will be made perfect. Remind us that our earthly lives have great significance in your Kingdom.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

A new faith and work tradition in our church service

Today, my pastor prayed for people in the legal field during the church services. It’s the beginning of a new tradition we are starting to support our attendees. There are so many needs and challenges at work that often get overlooked in a Sunday service. We learn on Sunday some nice Christian principles, but how do we apply them?

So often, we pray over missionaries as they are sent out to serve. What about everyone else? They are being sent, too. This new tradition sends workers into the marketplace to be transformational and redemptive in the city.

Below is the prayer for people in the legal profession. I will post the others as they are done. Feel free to share with people in the legal field and encourage your pastor to consider this type of commissioning. There was quite a buzz about it after the service. People felt validated and loved. They knew that the church cared about their lives Monday through Friday.

Prayer for the legal profession

Our Heavenly Father, we approach your throne today to pray for those of us who have been chosen by You to work in the legal field. You are the true defender of the oppressed and the defenseless, and you are the one who brings truth and justice to bear in all of life, so we pray that you will comfort the lawyers and those in the legal field as they are faced with difficult situations. Help them to imitate you to seek true justice for all.

In Isaiah 58, you called upon each of us to break the chains of injustice,
get rid of exploitation in the workplace, and to be generous.
If [we] get rid of unfair practices,
quit blaming victims, quit gossiping about other people’s sins,
and give ourselves to the down-and-out…
our lives will begin to shine in the darkness,
our workplaces will be bathed in the light of your Son, Jesus.

Help those in the legal field to work with local law enforcers to promote peace and to advocate on behalf of their clients.

Help them to be willing to identify improper conduct—in their own lives first, and then in their workplace—and give them the wisdom and courage to confront it and seek change. Help them to have the courage to remain independent, guided by Your value system and not turn away in order to generate additional fees or protect their jobs. Let your word be their unyielding moral compass.

Use them to decrease corruption and greed in both public and private sectors. Let their faith bless their clients and encourage them to trust You through the times of trial or difficulty.

Help them to understand that they reflect you, and that excellence in their work reflects on you. Day to day hard work, diligence to detail, creative thinking, intellectual energy, and an unwavering moral compass are essential. Help each of them to be such a person.

Keep them from the temptation to only seek their personal gain or status. Free them from slavery to money and power.

And, as a church, we ask that You provide renewal for them every day. And help us provide support, understanding, and hope to those standing today as they do this honorable work.

As they reflect you, Father, inspire us all to bring your justice and integrity into our workplaces and into our homes and neighborhoods.

In Jesus name,

Amen.

I love that I found my church

About two and a half years ago, I moved to a more urban area of San Diego and decided that I really wanted to find a new church, one that was engaged in the issues of my new neighborhood – homelessness, sex trafficking, AIDS to name a few. A few people pointed me in the direction of Harbor Presbyterian.

The second week I attended, I learned that they were starting a new Faith and Work Ministry. I couldn’t believe it!  I had found a church that valued something that had been a passion of mine for years – connecting what happens on Sunday with what we do 40-50 hours each week. The serendipity was uncanny.

I jumped into serving on the leadership team, and we built an exciting ministry. We offer seminars on life calling, leadership, job transitions, etc. We hold small groups on wisdom at work, the StrengthsFinder assessment, leading like Jesus.  We have Vocares (conversations on calling) for people who work in various disciplines like engineering, teaching, law. It has been a ministry that has really allowed me to use my own strengths and work within an area of passion.

This morning, I heard the pastor of the church I had previously attended for 10 years preaching on TV. While he is a gifted teacher, I was so sad to hear him essentially tell the congregation of more than 2,000 that the reason they work is to make money to support important mission work like Bible translation. Juxtapose that to the sermon my pastor gave last Sunday on how our work enables us to connect to and reveal God and His kingdom.

I am so blessed to have found my church. They don’t just give lip service to the fact that our work matters to God; they have a vision to transform the City of San Diego through mercy and marketplace ministries. This is a vision that connects to my own heart’s desires. I love my old church for many reasons, but I am disheartened in general by the fact that most churches (maybe because many pastors have never worked in the marketplace so they can’t relate) don’t help people make a connection between their faith and their work. It is such a missed opportunity.

Churches, Pastors, and the Marketplace

Yesterday, I attended a program offered by Faith and Work Life in Orange County. The guest speaker was Marketplace Ministry Mentor Paul Stevens. The primary audience was pastors. I want to share a few gems that might be helpful to pastors as they consider how to help their congregations think about issues of faith and work.

1. Use symbols from the work world in presenting our worship. For example, at Thanksgiving, in addition to the produce from the land that we bring to the alter, bring produce from the marketplace (a spreadsheet, a product, a lesson plan, an advertisement, etc.).

2. Interview people who work in the marketplace (anywhere exchange takes place) every week for 52 weeks. Churches that have done this have seen people’s lives transformed and people come to Christ by seeing the connection to God in their everyday lives. Ask them these simple questions (give them to the person in advance, of course):

     a. What do you do for a living?

     b. What is the biggest issue you face in your daily work?

     c. What difference does your faith make in how you deal with those issues?

     d. How can we pray for you and your ministry in the workplace?

3. Pray for and commission people for their service in the marketplace. For example, commission teachers, lawyers, farmers, service provides, etc.

4. Offer vocational counseling and discernment through the church.

5. Have marketplace Christians teach and preach.

6. Use marketplace terminology in sermons.

7. Teach the theology of calling. Integrate into small group curriculum.

8. Offer occupation related support and prayer groups.

9. Minimize church obligations so people are freed up for service in their home and communities.