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13 Jul
[17-01-11] Keep Loving Your Uni
It’s cliché, I know, but it only feels like yesterday when I stepped out into the sun at the end of my exams and into the recently graduated world.[23-11-10] 40 days until 2011
In 40 days time it will be a new year, two thousand and eleven.[13-07-10] Work Matters
Over the summer we're looking at a series called 'Work Matters'.[09-06-10] Why Does Everyone Need Their Own Lawn Mower?
This question prompted the idea of a database of the items people have available that they don't mind sharing with the rest of church.[04-05-10] Lobbying Andy Reed
On 1st March I joined around 100 members of the Speak Network, a Christian network of students and young adults who campaign and pray about issues of global injustice, to visit parliament to lobby our MPs about government support for the arms companies.[01-02-10] A New Year. A New Decade
At the start of a new year and a new decade Rich Wilson shares something of God's heart for Open Heaven.[04-12-09] Grace for Growth
Growth begins and ends with grace.[02-12-09] God and Dualisms
At the leaders' weekend earlier in the year, we heard quite a lot about how dualistic thinking works in our lives.[01-12-09] A Big Thank You
Over the last few weeks we referred to Nov 22nd 09 as the day we would come together to raise thousands and thousands of pounds.[06-05-09] Stories from Encounter
The Encounter Weekend continues to be one of my highlights in the year.
Work Matters
Over the summer we're looking at a series called 'Work Matters'. Our aims for this teaching series are twofold. Firstly, that we all gain a deep recognition that our work matters to God - that it is deeply spiritual, reflecting the image of God the Worker that is within us. Secondly that we'll know our work also matters to our church community at Open Heaven.
I began the series last Sunday by laying out the theology of work (hear the podcast). It's an important talk and worth listening to whether you are in paid or unpaid work (our students and parents) as it reflects the kind of church we want to be - one where work is highly esteemed as our worship and there is no gap between our faith and our work. Our vision statement is 'Making 21st century disciples' and whole life, holistic, 21st century discipleship must include the way we spend the 60-70% of our waking hours in our work. A discipling community that neglects work, communicates a dualism that is unbiblical. Once we find God’s perspective on work it can transform everything about how we think and feel about our work.
One of the things I’ve suggested to cell leaders is to use this summer to visit the workplaces of everyone in your cell. There is something powerful about people from your church community seeing the place where you spend the majority of your time. To have them pray with you in your work area, to have them speak the name of Jesus at your desk/seat/space/home and to have them mandate you to be an agent of God’s Kingdom in your sphere of work is a deeply shaping experience in seeing our work as God sees it.
Emil Brunner says "The Christian community has a specific task...to regain the lost sense of work as a divine calling". Open Heaven's history has been shaped by breaking the sacred-secular divide on a number of levels, recognising that the whole of life is spiritual because we are spiritual. In fact the only 'secular' thing is sin! So it follows that we refuse to see work as something secular, something other, something removed from God's presence, calling and involvement.
We are a community that honours work as the divine calling it was created to be.
Posted by: Ness Wilson on Tuesday Jul 13th, 2010
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