Theology of Faith: The Place of Work in the Story of the World
We asked some of our recent Equipping The Church (ETC) class participants to share their reflections after a 4 week study on “The Place of Work in the Story of the World.” We hope this will help encourage you, connect you with else has been going on at King’s Cross, and help you consider if you’d want to take the next round of classes when we offer them again in the near future!
“Prior to the Theology of Work class, my view of work was something that was necessary to complete, and to complete well. There always seem to be hurdles to pass when it comes to work satisfaction, employee fulfillment, and professional relationships that prevent us from enjoying work. A study of Genesis 1 and 2 presented work in a new light, and revealed the original intention of work and for people created in the image of God. Work in the context of the Gospel was meant to be good and sacred; a view that I had not thought of before for my own work. When the purpose of work is detached from God, work transforms from a sacred act into toil. Reflecting on this the past month, I realize that work is performed in a way which often glorifies people over working for Christ. While we are not able to ourselves make work good as it was originally intended, our posture and purpose working for Christ is what we need to re-focus ourselves on.”
-Belinda Leung
“It was a treat for me to share what I’ve learned about the theology of work and facilitate an insightful, informed, and passionate group in exploring these truths. I found the group’s hunger to learn about our Father’s world and its faith in the goodness of knowing his ways to be inspiring. Lastly, thanks to this time together, I gained a clearer picture of the gaps in my own understanding and faith, and how necessary it is to see and practice the rituals which will connect the knowledge of the Kingdom to our lived lives.”
-Ben Nicka
“Taking this class laid an exciting ground work for me to have a little more clarity in regards to what it means to ‘glorify God in our eating and drinking.’ I appreciated the time used for us to connect and share one another’s hearts through the unique work that God has given each of us, and the careful time spent as we worshiped, prayed and repented together. My heart felt so full after each Sunday, and I feel I am leaving, better equipped to discern how my own heart has viewed my work and world.”
-Robert Calabretta
“I was thankful to learn that work was not meant to be crushing, as a means to survive, or a way to make money. It was refreshing and gave me a shift in perspective to see work in light of God’s story. It was also immensely empowering to be reminded who we are in the grand story with Him as our Father and King (even in work)!”
-Rebecca Park
“What does ‘work’ mean in this temporary life on Earth and what role does it play in my walk with God? For a while, I’ve been struggling with how to view ‘work’ as a Christian. I don’t think I realized that I had an unhealthy view of work until I took this class. I realized that the reason for my repeated cycle of being disappointed, let down, and frustrated by my job/work was because I was idealizing work over and over again. My job/work never meet the standard I had. I was wanting a job/work/career that fueled my purpose in life. I was longing for the next job to fulfill the deepest passion and joy I was missing in my current job. In a way, I was idolizing work as my personal savior. I wanted work to fill the void I constantly felt. What I was missing was not the ‘perfect job’ that fulfilled my purpose in life. What I was missing was realizing that this kind of ‘perfect job’ does not exist. God has already fulfilled my purpose in life already. I don’t need to have a job/work that proves my worth or fuels my joy constantly. This class reminded me that God is the first and foremost source of joy simply for who He is, and nothing on this earth will satisfy me more than Him. Once I have that straight, I can start having a healthy view of work.”
-Stella Choi
