A friend of mine had a baby recently – and her husband took a week or so off before heading back to work. I asked him how it was going.
He said, work is alright, but it’s different now . I just don’t find it matters as much as it used to. I won’t quit or anything, but it just seems less important to me.
True enough. My friend still needs to work, but there is a new member of his family who is far more important than every possible promotion, raise or accolade.
We all need this kind of shift in perspective – not by all going and having a kid – but by inviting God to be at the center of our lives.
When there is no ultimate goal or concern in our lives, or that varies day to day, or simply becomes whatever is most urgent, busyness consumes us. We can’t stop it or get away from it.
If God is the ultimate center of our lives, then everything else falls into place around Him. James, who we interviewed a couple weeks ago was consumed by the lifestyle his lucrative career could buy, and lost himself. In the end, he quit, took a break, and eventually came back – but able to see that work wasn’t everything. You can watch the interview again here: https://vimeo.com/72458543
He and my friend with the baby both realized they were enslaved to their work, sometimes without even realizing it.
This kind of slavery to work is something God wanted to prevent Israel from ever experiencing again, or inflicting on anyone else. In Deuteronomy 15:1-2 and Deuteronomy 15:12-15:
“At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release. And this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release what he has lent to his neighbor.”
“If your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you, he shall serve you six years, and in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. And when you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty-handed. You shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, out of your threshing floor, and out of your winepress. As the LORD your God has blessed you, you shall give to him. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this today.
We’ve heard a lot about the Sabbath day so far, but this introduces the idea of the Sabbath year where Israel was meant to release every debt, and release every person who was so indebted they had sold themselves into slavery.
Why? Because God had released their nation from slavery, and this would be a constant reminder. Every week, a day off, and every 6 years, a year off for crops and for the lowest servants. This would be a clear sign they were not worshipping work, but worshipping God.
That same act of liberation needs to be in our rest. We need to tell ourselves we are resting to prove we are not slaves to our employers, to our bank accounts, to our pride or anything else. We are children of God, not defined by work.
There is more to me than my work.
This inner shift has to come before we try making outer, structural changes to our weeks and years, like we’ll discuss next week.
Question: What would it take for you to see your work differently? What could change for a year, or what life event, would break the cycle?
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Remember what we studied last week? After the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came to Jesus’ followers and enabled them to do their mission, we heard about Peter preaching to crowds, and 3000 deciding to follow Jesus at once.
With 3000 people joining, they shifted instantly from a handful of people to a crowd, and needed to institutionalize a bit. That’s not a bad thing, it’s necessary with large groups. Otherwise, it’s too easy to lose sight of the group’s values, stories, etc. A group that large needs some practices to help.
Listen to how their first communities were described by Luke in the book of Acts:
And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
(Acts 2:42-47 ESV)
The Apostle’s Teaching and Fellowship
This refers to continuity with those who knew Jesus, and learned directly from him. They were devoted to learning Jesus’ original teaching, not changing it.
In addition, they were not just isolated individuals, but a group…a community who spent time together around Jesus, and then in the upper room after that.
These same activities spread to others who decided to follow Jesus. They had something to learn, and a community in which to learn it. Classrooms are important opportunities to discuss, refine, argue, and ultimately learn better than simply by reading alone, and a community was important here as well.
Breaking of the Bread
At first glance, this might just sound like they ate together. They probably did. Letters in the Bible written by one church leader, Paul, describe some feasts when Christians gathered. Many cultures gather around food, Christians are the same. But there is probably more to it than just a meal.
The night before he died, Jesus gathered his disciples for a Passover meal. He took bread, broke it and said this is my body broken for you. He took a cup of wine, and said this is my blood shed for you. Whenever you do this, do it in remembrance of me.
With shorthand like “the bread and wine”, it seems pretty likely Luke, the author of Acts, was referring to this practice we now know as “communion” or the Eucharist as well as or instead of a meal. They’d gathered, so it seems entirely appropriate they might have done what |Jesus told them to do whenever they gathered.
Many years have passed since apostles taught and gathered, but these two practices would have helped. We’ll see two more tomorrow, but in the meantime,
Question: What is our connection to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship today? In what ways is fellowship distinct from socializing?
