Tim Keller - Why Work Matters

Summary

The speaker explores the Christian perspective on work and vocation, emphasizing that all work matters to God and that God's influence is essential in our work. Drawing from Martin Luther's teachings, they argue against the division of spiritual and secular work, advocating for a holistic approach where every Christian's work is sacred. The talk also addresses balancing one's faith with their professional life, avoiding both triumphalism and withdrawal, and encourages community discussion to integrate faith into all aspects of work.

Takeaways

• 😀 Work is a matter of divine concern and has spiritual significance according to Christian beliefs.
• 🏛️ The medieval church and the radical Reformation both incorrectly divided work into 'spiritual' and 'secular' categories, suggesting only church work was holy.
• 🔄 Martin Luther proposed a middle way, emphasizing that all believers are priests and all work is sacred, a concept known as the 'priesthood of all believers'.
• 🌾 Luther highlighted that God could provide for humanity without human work but chose to involve people in the process, using work as a way to bless and involve them.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 God works through everyday tasks and professions, using human work as a means to provide for and care for humanity.
• 🛠️ All work, regardless of its nature or status in society, is dignified and valuable because it is a way of participating in God's work in the world.
• 🌐 The Christian faith should influence how individuals approach their work, affecting their motivation, relationships, and possibly even the nature of their work itself.
• ⚖️ There is a balance to be struck between 'triumphalism', where Christians aim to dominate society, and 'withdrawal', where they disengage from the world.
• 🎭 The impact of Christianity on work varies by field; it deeply affects some professions like writing or art, but may have less direct influence on others like manual labor.
• 🙏 The church should support and pray for all Christians in their work, not just those in traditional religious roles, recognizing the sacredness of all professions.

Q & A

What are the two main headings that help understand the Christian perspective on work and vocation?

The two main headings are: 'Why work matters to God' and 'Why God matters to your work'.

What was the medieval church's view on work and society?

The medieval church dominated society and created a Christian society, believing that true God's work was done inside the church.

How did the radical Reformation differ from the medieval approach to work and society?

The radical Reformation believed in withdrawal from society, suggesting that Christians should not engage in worldly activities such as voting or serving in the military, as the world was seen as Satan's domain.

What was Martin Luther's stance on the division of Christian work into spiritual and secular?

Martin Luther opposed the division of Christian work into spiritual and secular, arguing that all Christians are part of the spiritual estate and all work is God's work.

What does the term 'priesthood of all believers' signify according to Martin Luther?

The 'priesthood of all believers' signifies that all Christians are considered spiritual and there is no distinction between the clergy and the laity in terms of doing God's work.

How did Martin Luther interpret Psalm 147:13 in relation to work?

Luther interpreted Psalm 147:13 to mean that God involves humans in His work, similar to how a parent might involve a child in tasks to teach them responsibility and to be part of the family.

What does Luther mean when he says that work is a 'mask of God'?

Luther suggests that work is a 'mask of God' because it is through our work that God disguises Himself to provide for and love people.

How does belief in God affect how one works according to the script?

Belief in God affects one's work by influencing motivation, the way one deals with others, and often the manner in which work is performed.

What is the balance that the Redeemer Center for Faith and Work tries to strike?

The Redeemer Center for Faith and Work tries to strike a balance between triumphalism and withdrawal, ensuring that faith positively influences work without dominating society or withdrawing from it.

What is the significance of the statement 'God is loving you and distributing His gifts through work'?

This statement emphasizes that all work has divine significance and that God uses the work of humans to provide for and show love to others.

Why is community important in understanding what it means to be a Christian in one's work?

Community is important because it allows for the accumulation of wisdom and practical insights on how faith should influence work in various fields.

Outlines

00:00

🔨 The Significance of Work in Christianity

The paragraph discusses the importance of work from a Christian perspective, emphasizing that it is not just about secular tasks but a calling from God. It contrasts the medieval church's view of work, which focused on church-related activities, with the teachings of Martin Luther during the Reformation. Luther argued against the division of work into 'spiritual' and 'secular' categories, advocating for the 'priesthood of all believers.' He believed that all work done by Christians is sacred and part of God's plan, whether it's within the church or in the world.

05:01

🌾 Martin Luther's View on Work

This section delves deeper into Martin Luther's teachings on work, highlighting his belief that God works through the labor of people in all professions. Luther saw work as a way for God to provide for humanity and for people to express their faith. He gave examples from Psalms to illustrate how God could have provided for humans without requiring work but chose not to, implying that work is a part of God's plan for human involvement and growth. Luther's views suggest that all work, regardless of its nature, is a form of service to God and others.

10:01

⚖️ Balancing Faith and Work

The speaker discusses the challenge of integrating faith and work, cautioning against both triumphalism, where Christians attempt to dominate society with their work, and withdrawal, where they disengage from the world. The paragraph stresses the need to find a balance where Christians can work in the world while remaining true to their faith. It also touches on the idea that not all work is directly influenced by faith, and that the impact of faith on one's work can vary depending on the field.

15:03

🤝 The Community Approach to Faith and Work

In this section, the speaker talks about the importance of community in understanding and living out one's faith in the context of work. He emphasizes that no one has all the answers and that wisdom is accumulated through collective discussion, prayer, and work. The speaker advocates for a collaborative approach to discern how faith should influence one's work, recognizing the diversity of professions and the unique ways in which faith can be integrated into each.

20:03

🙏 Praying for All Professions

The final paragraph focuses on the idea that all professions are important in the eyes of God and should be supported by the church. The speaker challenges the traditional view that only religious vocations are worthy of prayer and support, arguing that Christians in all fields should be encouraged and prayed for. He calls for a shift in perspective to recognize the sacredness of all work and to pray for those in various professions, just as they would for those entering ministry.

Keywords

💡Vocation

Vocation refers to a person's calling or career in the context of their life's purpose. In the video, the Christian understanding of work and vocation is explored as a central theme, emphasizing that all work has meaning and is a way to serve God. The script discusses how both spiritual and secular work are important and that every Christian is considered a priest, indicating that all work is sacred.

💡Work

Work, in the video, is presented as a broad concept encompassing all forms of labor, not just within the church but also in secular society. It is highlighted that work matters to God and is a way through which God expresses love and provides for people's needs. The script uses examples such as farming, baking, and governance to illustrate the divine presence in everyday work.

💡Christianity

Christianity is the belief system that serves as the foundation for the discussion on work and vocation in the video. It is used to explain how faith can influence one's approach to work and how work can be a reflection of one's Christian values. The script contrasts different historical Christian perspectives on work, such as the medieval church's dominance and the radical Reformation's withdrawal.

💡Martin Luther

Martin Luther is a central figure in the Protestant Reformation and his views on work are discussed extensively in the video. Luther's teachings reject the division between spiritual and secular work, advocating for the 'priesthood of all believers' and suggesting that all work done by Christians is sacred and an act of worship.

💡Reformation

The Reformation refers to the 16th-century religious movement that sought to reform the Catholic Church, leading to the establishment of Protestantism. The video discusses how the Reformation period influenced views on work, with Luther and other reformers proposing a middle ground between the church's dominance and the radical Reformation's withdrawal from society.

💡Priesthood of All Believers

This concept, introduced by Martin Luther, suggests that all Christians have equal access to God and can serve God in their daily work. The video uses this concept to argue that there is no division between spiritual and secular work, and that all Christians are priests in their own right, serving God through their work.

💡Triumphalism

Triumphalism, as discussed in the video, refers to the belief that Christians should dominate society and culture. This is contrasted with the idea that work in the church is the only true work that pleases God. The video advocates for a balanced view that avoids both triumphalism and withdrawal from society.

💡Withdrawal

Withdrawal, in the context of the video, refers to the approach of some radical reformers who believed Christians should not engage with society or secular work. This is presented as an extreme view that the video seeks to counter by emphasizing the importance of all work in the eyes of God.

💡Secular Work

Secular work is work that is not explicitly religious or church-related. The video argues against the notion that only work within the church has spiritual value, stating that all work, including secular work, is a form of service to God and can be an expression of one's faith.

💡Good Neighbor

Being a 'good neighbor' is used in the video as an example of how Christians can live out their faith in the secular world. It encompasses actions such as voting, caring for the elderly, and contributing to community well-being. The video suggests that these actions are a form of worship and service to God.

💡Center for Faith and Work

The Center for Faith and Work is mentioned as an institution that helps people understand how their faith can influence their work. The video suggests that such centers provide a space for Christians to explore and discuss the integration of faith and work in practical ways.

Highlights

Work matters to God and God matters to your work.

Christianity's view on work can be understood under two headings.

Martin Luther's views on work provide a balanced approach between medieval and radical reformation views.

Luther argued against dividing work into spiritual and secular categories.

The concept of the priesthood of all believers implies all Christians do God's work.

God uses our work as a means to provide for and love humanity.

Luther saw all work as a form of service to God and humanity.

Work is not just what happens within the church; it's everywhere we contribute to society.

God's work is not limited to the church but extends to all aspects of life.

Luther's interpretation of Psalms highlights God's involvement in everyday work.

Christians are called to see their work as a way to reflect God's love and care.

Work is a way for Christians to be priests, serving others and representing God.

The kingdom of God is both present and future, impacting how we view our work.

Avoiding triumphalism and withdrawal, finding a balanced Christian approach to work.

Different fields may require different considerations of how faith influences work.

Christianity should not dominate society with work but should influence it positively.

The importance of community in understanding and living out a Christian approach to work.

The Center for Faith and Work helps Christians integrate their faith into their work.

Praying for all Christians in their work, not just those in traditional ministry.

Being a Christian calls us to be prophets, priests, and kings in our work.

Transcripts

the topic is why work matters and I've

often thought that the the Christian

understanding of work and vocation can

fairly well be grasped under two

headings that have to do with that I'd

like to tell you why your work matters

to God and why God matters to your work

if you understand both of those I think

you have a pretty good picture what the

Bible says about work that work matters

to God and that God matters to work

let's get going from this recently I've

done some more study on Martin Luther

and his views of work and during the

time of the Reformation of course it was

a time of great upheaval and there was

really a Christianity in many bad and

good ways

divided in ways that are we still with

us the medieval church was a church that

dominated society it just dominated it

it created as it were Christian society

another form of the wrath a Reformation

was called a radical work Reformation

the Anabaptist by the way not to be

mistaken necessarily with Baptists but

it was a it was a wing of the Protestant

Reformation that said it was the

opposite of the medieval approach which

is to say that we should have nothing to

do with trying to engage society many

other people the radical Reformation

said that you shouldn't vote that you

certainly shouldn't serve in the

military that wasn't our job that the

world was actually a sort of Satan's

world and it's only inside the Christian

community that you you can do God's work

and so on the one hand you had the the

triumph allistic approach that talked

about Christianity dominating society

and then you had the withdrawal approach

that we have nothing to do with it

interestingly both the medieval church

and the radical Reformation both had a

tendency to say that work out there in

the world isn't really God's work what's

really God's work is work inside the

church now along comes Martin Luther and

actually wasn't the only one in both the

Lutheran and Reformed churches were good

at this they they came up with a middle

way recently I've been doing some

reading there that that shows a

wonderful approach to and a very

biblical approach to work especially

Luther came up with first of all Luther

in his famous address to the to the

Christian nobility of the German nation

talks about how wrong it is to think of

dividing Christianity Christian work

into spiritual work and secular worldly

work and in that place he talks about

the priesthood of all believers he says

this he says there has been a fiction by

which bishops priests and monks are

called the spiritual estate quote

unquote

well while princes Lords and artisans

and peasants are considered the temporal

estate this is an artful lie and a

hypocritical invention never minced

words but let no one be made afraid of

it and that for this reason that all

Christians are truly the spiritual state

and there is no difference among them

thus we are all consecrated as priests

by baptism as st. Peter says you are a

royal priesthood a holy nation and the

book of Revelation says and thou hast

made us unto our God by thy blood kings

and priests so first of all he says hey

it's not a spirit you don't do not say

well only the people inside the church

are doing God's work oh no we're all

priests every Christian therefore we're

all doing God's work or what does that

mean

all right in his expositions of some of

the Psalms especially Psalm 145 147 if

you read those Psalms they're wonderful

Psalms in which it talks about how God

feeds every living thing

God gives food to every living thing he

feeds the and he loves everything that

he is made and it also says it's just

it's you know when you read it you don't

think of the implications the way I got

like Martin Luther did it says for

example in first in Psalm 147 verse 13

God strengthens the bars of your gates

he gives your cities security he gives

you food to eat and you sit there and

say yes yes but Martin Luther then

thought this out and he said some

interesting things actually some amazing

things here's one of the things he says

he says God could easily have given you

grain and fruit without plowing and

planting but he does not want to do so

then he gives an illustration

he says when christmas is coming you

know you're gonna give your kids gifts

anyway but what you tell them is st.

Nicholas will not give you gifts unless

you're very good and you work very hard

and so you get your kids to be really

good and really hard even though you're

gonna give them gifts anywhere I can

think of a slightly better illustration

actually though I get the point

let's just say you go to a cabin with

your son which I used to do very cold

taking them out when they're little and

camping and then use it's very very cold

you say you know what we're gonna freeze

to death unless we keep a fire going in

the stove or the whole weekend and it

says I want you you have to cut the wood

I'm going to show you how to chop the

wood it's up to you to keep it chopped

it's up to you to keep the fire stoked

and why do you say that to a 9 year old

boy you know you're not gonna let him

freeze you know if he doesn't do the

work you're gonna you're gonna keep him

with warm anyway what are you doing you

want to involve him you know it's it's a

you want to you want to train him you

want him to be part of the family you

want to be part of doing the work that

we do now that's that's Luther's idea

then listen to this he says what else

then is all of our work to God whether

in the fields in the garden in the city

in the house in war or in government but

such child's performance by which he

wants to give us his gifts therefore

our work these are the masks of God

behind which he wants to remain

concealed and do all things did he get

that he goes on to say when the farm

girl milks the cow to give you milk

that's God milking the cats with God's

Way of giving you milk he didn't have to

use her but he does when the farmer

grows it when the Baker bakes it when

the transport transports it when the

grocer sells it what is that

God doesn't have to do it that way but

he is and what he's actually doing he's

loving you through the other people's

work in which case he actually goes so

far as to say the baker the farmer in

work it's God in disguise

these are the masks of God God is loving

you and distributing his gifts through

work therefore you really in the place

of God he actually goes on a little

further he actually says for example he

says you know what he goes this is

Luther going on saying when it says God

strengthens the bars of your gates and

Luther goes a little further and says

well now bars means the gates but he

says what makes a city secure is not

just bar it's not just gates or hiring

bars he said what makes what makes a

city secure and this is his list he says

wherever there's protection and security

it's not by it's a gift of God why it

says whenever there what you missing it

yes he says good whenever there's good

order faithful and wise rulers good

government good city ordinances good

city planning he also says God could

bring babies up out of the dust after

all I did it in the beginning but

instead he his fathers and mothers and

childbearing and so here's his

conclusion he says when you marry and

bear children

that's a calling of God this is God's

Way of bringing life into the world you

are God in disguise when you work when

you bake when you dig a ditch when you

build a bridge when you write a play

this is God distributing his gifts God

giving people what they need to flourish

through the work of other people when

you simply are a good neighbor

the way he just says you know what makes

cities secure what makes it how does God

keep the bars of the city how does how

does God make cities secure this Luther

says he says there it says when you're a

good neighbor when you vote when you

knock on doors to see if the older

people are okay he goes on and says by

being a good neighbor you are giving

God's gift of security to your city he

says among the Jews there is a curse may

God give you a bad neighbor he says the

peace God gives is a gift of His grace

but comes through ordinary Civic Duty's

being a good neighbor living in the

community being involved voting involved

in public institutions so on so over and

over he says does your work matter to

God absolutely there is no work that's

menial Jesus came not as a philosopher

not as a general he came as a carpenter

and therefore by this this understanding

that God is distributing his gifts

through our work the Bible says all work

matters all work is dignity all work not

just work that pays a lot in our economy

all work so that's why our work matters

to God now the second thing and this

isn't enough on the other hand you have

to understand that God matters to our

work and what that means is belief in

God belief in the scriptures belief in

the gospel affects how you do your work

let me strike a couple balances here

because this is actually the balance

we've been trying to strike at Redeemer

and center for faith and work and it's

not an easy balance actually to strike

I'll tell you why in a second there's

triumphalism and there's withdrawal

remember we said that that was the thing

that Luther and Calvin and the river you

know the Magisterial reformers were

trying to avoid there's the triumphalism

it says we're it's a very negative view

of the world a very negative view of

society we're gonna take over it's a

terrible place we're gonna we're going

to take it back

you know the medieval view dominate the

other approach is that the world is just

sort of that's a worldly thing and here

is the Christian Church and

is where we do God's work and you're

schizophrenic you don't really think

that your faith has anything to do with

how you do your work you just do your

work because you have to because you got

to make a living

it's a very very it's also a very

negative approach we the point is

according to the Bible when Jesus Christ

came he brought the kingdom the kingdom

is a healing power of God in the way in

the world but when Jesus Christ came the

first time he didn't bring the kingdom

fully sometimes around Redeemer we say

if you would understand the biblical

understanding of the kingdom and the

kingdom of God is already but not yet

it's already here partly but it's not

yet here fully and what that means is

the power that's in within us as

Christians if you're priests a royal

priesthood which means you're out there

representing the values of the king you

go out into the world to say how does

Christianity affect how does Jesus

values affect the way in which I work if

I do that I'm gonna make a better

society but not a perfect society

it's things are gonna get better because

the kingdoms partly here but it's not

gonna be perfect you're not gonna take

over you're not gonna give a Christian

society because God Jesus isn't fully

here that balance avoiding triumphalism

or on the other hand the pessimistic

withdrawal is what we try to strike

however and I know here's another part

of the balance not every field is the

same when it comes to thinking out how

God matters to your work I mean how does

my Christianity affect the way which I

work think for a minute even just of art

here's instrumental musicians are you

artist yes you are and here's a

playwright you're right plays are you an

artist yes you are on the one hand is

there a Christian way to perform that

violin concerto no there's probably just

a good way or a bad way right now you

could say whoever composed the violin

concerto we can talk about the fact that

different cultures Christianity Buddhism

Hinduism do create different kinds of

music and there's an interesting

question there but in general if you're

a Christian instrumentalist you're not

sitting around saying what is the

Christian way to perform this concerto

no you're not on the you certainly ought

to be Christian in your motivation

you're certainly gonna hear Christianity

is going to affect why you do what you

do and how you treat your relative

success or failure and and how you treat

the people around you it's gonna affect

the way in which you do your work but in

some ways it's not gonna actually shape

what you do on the other hand if you're

a playwright you're all about values and

right and wrong and truth and the human

nature and what's the meaning of life

and you know your Christianity

profoundly affects everything you do

it's just exactly what you're doing you

see the complexity of this I'm trying to

avoid the triumphalism that says we

dominate the society with our work or

the withdrawal it says you know there's

nothing you can do it's a wicked place

out there I'm trying to avoid the

simplicity of saying that there is a

Christian way to do everything I'm sorry

there's probably not a Christian way to

bake bread if you are a baker you're

probably going to treat your employees

differently and maybe the maybe your

price points will be a little different

and maybe how you treat your customers

but basically they've got to make the

break that you're gonna bake bread

pretty much the way an atheist is on the

other hand well I hope on the other hand

you're not going to right place like an

atheist will and therefore you have to

get rid of the simplicity we have to get

rid of triumphalism we have to get rid

of the that with with the the negativism

and pessimism and say however

nevertheless to be a Christian is to

always say how does God matter to my

work if you're in the business world you

know profit is an idol which means

profit is an ultimate and profit is more

important than a whole lot of other

things that are good and therefore

there's a distortion in the business

world if in the art world

self-expression is an ultimate it's an

idol what really matters is that I'm

true to myself and I'm expressing myself

and of course that creates distortions

if you're a Christian in any field you

ask yourself how does God matter to my

work and it will matter but the way in

which we work those things out often say

this is when it comes to evangelism

if you want to learn how to evangelize

people come to me I got the answers in a

way you know I got the illogical

training I've been doing this for years

you know and you can come you're the

student and I'm the expert and I can

tell you when it comes to thinking out

what does it mean to be a Christian

hedge fund manager what does it mean to

be a Christian visual artist what does

it mean to be a Christian

journalist what does it mean to be

Christian we're equal I've got some

knowledge you've got some knowledge I

got the Bible there's certain things

that bear on it

you've got the questions and we need to

come together and as a community

accumulate wisdom as we think and as we

talk and as we pray and as we work it

out avoiding falling off the cliffs over

in these other directions avoiding

falling off the cliff of triumphalism or

pessimism you know or simplest you know

simplistic ism made that up and that is

there it is

do you want to have a Christian

understanding of work on the one hand

that's why work matters to God because

by it you're loving the human race and

letting God's loving gifts come to them

to the human race on the other hand you

have to not only see that work matters

to God but that God matters to you work

in will shape and affect your motivation

your way of dealing with other people

your and very often the very way in

which you do your work and we're as a

church trying to on the one hand say

your work matters that's why we have

this the center for faith at work that's

the reason why we preach about it that's

reason why we do not ignore people's

work lives how crazy it is since most of

you spend 90 percent of your time in the

work place for us to say that you know

Christianity has nothing to do with that

it has everything to do with that on the

other hand we also are saying come

together and only in the church can you

really do this only within Christian

community can you really do this to

think out what it means to be a

Christian in my work and do it when

you're young if possible because as you

going on and on and on older and older

very often you get locked into your

career gets very often locked in to

certain values that you know and your

head is a Christian I shouldn't be

really doing it like that but I don't

know what to do now because

the way I make my money and it's very

very important so I've already started

to mention this but let me just say at

Redeemer this view of work is a

challenge if you come here from another

Church or in other places in the country

you usually will have either experience

places where work is ignored by the

church or work is seen in almost

completely political ways saying we're

going to take back the culture if you

come from other places you might either

have a more pietistic you might say

approach to work which is all work is as

a place to win other people to faith in

Christ that's it you may have maybe come

from a place where there was a little

bit more of an intellectual istic

approach to work which is to say you

have to figure out what the how the what

it means to be working in your areas of

Christian worldview this Center faith in

work and I know I I know I created the

atmosphere for it so I'm very happy

whenever they say oh thank you Tim but

the center faith at work is really the

the creation of a very talented group of

leaders who took a lot of my basic ideas

and just ran with them so that they're

much more frankly cogent than and

they're and they're being worked out

practically and in all sorts of ways

that I could never have envisioned and I

appreciate it

so so much I also would like to take a

minute to read you something that a guy

named Bobby might because they might be

brighter or Brynner I don't know I've

never known it's Bri NER wrote a book

some years ago called roaring lambs a

gentle plan to radically change your

world and in it he said something that

struck me years ago and always thought

we should do this and actually Katherine

and which Katherine told me let's do it

at the end of your lecture here today I

said it's a great this is what he says

he's talking about the fact that

whenever people go off in mission trips

people get up and pray for them whenever

somebody's going off to seminary you

know to study for the ministry people

will get you get up and charge them and

pray for them and of course that's

completely against Luther's idea that

we're all priests

and that all work matters to God and

it's all ways in which God is actually

loving the human race through your work

and so a Bob Reiner says this quote

there should be no less support or

attention for an earnest Christian young

person who has been accepted to the

Juilliard School of Music than for one

going off to a Theological Seminary the

church needs writers performers artists

speakers politicians businessmen and

businesswomen and workers in every craft

and trade in God's eyes there should be

no hierarchy there certainly should not

be in ours so what I'm gonna do is I'm

gonna have Katherine come up here and

she is going to have you stand by your

profession I'm going to read you a

couple of verses and charge you and pray

for you the way you see people who are

ministers being charged and prayed

because we're going to do that for you

too you know since we're going to be

trying to live out what I just said

Martin Luther says and the Bible says

about work let me read you these two

passages of Scripture Colossians 1:16 18

for by him all things were created

things in heaven and earth visible and

invisible whether Thrones or powers or

rulers or authorities all things were

created by him and for him he is before

all things and in him all things hold

together and he is the head of the body

the church he is the beginning in the

firstborn from the dead so that in

everything he might have the preeminence

in every area of life he might have

preeminence and first Peter 2:9 but you

are a Chosen People a royal priesthood a

holy nation a people belonging to God

that you may declare the praises of him

who called you out of darkness into his

wonderful light did you hear that

declare is a work of a prophet

priesthood is a priest royal as king if

you are that you live right now you're

in a very big City New York

it is an exhausting City it's a very

hard place to work because of the pace

of things

it is a secular City it's very hard to

bring your values to bear on the way in

which you do your work and therefore

because of the power

the gospel I call you to think like a

prophet serve like a priest and plan

like a king it means getting together to

think think how does he have preeminence

in my my field it means to come together

and serve each other and to serve the

people around you in the city I mean the

gospel gives you the humility to

appreciate what's already happening in

the city so you don't have to look down

at it but at the same time it gives you

the courage of a king it gives you the

courage to get out and declare the the

wonders of the one who called you out of

darkness into his marvelous light

and show the world how God matters to

your work

let's pray our Father we do ask that

you'd make us as wise as prophets as

humble as priests and as bold as kings

in our work we ask that you would help

us to come together to nurture and

support each other because it's a very

hard place to work we ask that you would

help us to come together to think out

the implications of your word and the

gospel on in our work because it's a

very secular and difficult place to work

in that sense but most of all Father we

sometimes feel intimidated by this huge

city and we pray that you would make us

Kings a royal priesthood because we know

who we are in Christ the strength of the

gospel the humility of the gospel and

the wisdom of the gospel we need so we

might be prophets and priests and kings

in this city

we pray this in Jesus name Amen

you