WELCOME
Communion Worship Service
Good morning First Baptist. We welcome you to worship this morning. Be sure to remember your brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the week as you pray for them, and as the Holy Spirit brings their faces to your mind. Be sure to also connect with them in the ways that are possible. And if you have any questions or would like to talk to someone, please don’t hesitate to contact the church through the church telephone and leave a message. (519-733-4144)
Songs
Call to Worship
We gather as God’s beloved children
We find it easy to say, “Yes, we will follow Christ.”
But sometimes discipleship makes uncomfortable demands on us. Yet, in all of this, Jesus calls us continually to follow.
He is present with us at all times. Let us place our trust always in His guidance.
Let us open our hearts to His will and His ways.
Good morning FBK – and welcome to Worship!
Songs
Prayer
Prayer of Confession & Assurance
Forgiving God, we have messed up in so many ways.
You gave us a wonderful world, filled with beauty, power, and majesty, and we have ravaged it – tearing away at its gifts with our own greed and cowardice. We have not treated this world or one another with compassionate love.
We have turned our backs on situations of need in which we could have been instruments of help, healing, and peace.
We have neglected service to others and have focused our lives on accumulating things and status.
We have chased after false gods – greed, power, fame.
You are the potter, O Lord.
You fashioned us, but we focused on developing our flaws rather than working with our strengths.
Please forgive us, Lord.
Refashion us to be Your people, celebrating Your love in service to others.
For we ask this in the name of Jesus Christ.AMEN.
Words of Assurance
God’s loving choice for you is peace and hope.
God has fashioned you to be His people.
Rejoice! For God is with you, reaching out to heal and care for you.AMEN.
Labour Day
Does Your Work Matter to God?
Today's Message: Pastors Marlee Page and Dave Page
Ask yourself, “Does your ‘work’ matter to God?
This is Labour Day weekend and today, as summer comes to a close, we think about the annual cycle of a ‘working year’. I know for so many that this weekend somewhat marks the end of summer, a time to enjoy one final ‘break’ before we head back to the grind. Back to work, back to School – oh the cadence of it all.
Typically, this is the time of the year that we hit ‘reset’ and shift from ‘vacation’ to ‘vocation’.
Well, today we want to invite you, along with our friends at Canadian Baptist Ministries (who across the Baptist world have provided a lot of the music and message for Labour Day), to consider this question:
“Does your ‘work’ matter to God?
Or maybe more specifically, how does God’s calling in our life relate to our work?
“Does our ‘work’ really matter to God? – let’s find out!
We’ve listed some statements a bit farther down here for you to consider. Which of these statements best describes you?
- My work has special meaning because I have been called to do what I’m doing regardless of how much time it takes or how little money I earn; I was put on earth to do what I am doing.
- I am pursuing a lifelong career which I feel is important; I chose to do this kind of work throughout my life; I might change where I work, but I’m not likely to change the kind of work I do.
- I am paid to perform a service; I have been paid to do other things at other times, and I am willing to do other types of work in the future if the pay and security are better.
- I do not have paid employment at this time; I am uncertain about what sort of paid employment to seek, if any, but I find plenty of unpaid work to do.
- I have retired from permanent work and seeking meaningful ways to occupy my time.
Take a moment and circle one of those.
Work is one of the most significant parts of our lives. Of the 168 hours we are given each week, most of us will spend at least 35 – 40 of them at the workplace, and let’s clear something up at the outset here – if you are a parent choosing to stay home and raise your family, then home for you is certainly your workplace in this discussion. Some of you working at home to raise a family spend closer to 60 or 70 hours working and maybe some of you are doing both, sometimes juggling two jobs or more. Regardless of what your workplace is, one of the most pressing questions for a Christian to answer, then, is, “How do I think biblically about work?” Now some of you don’t necessarily face that question anymore, you might be retired from the workplace, but this question still applies to you in a manner of speaking because we all understand that deep down, we all long for some form of work, paid or unpaid, that is meaningful, that matches who we are at a season in life and is enriching, life-giving, something that fills us up. Do you know why that is? It’s because we were made for work. In Christian theology, this is referred to as the “cultural mandate,” the command given by God to the first human, recorded in Genesis 1:28-31.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground – everything that has the breath of life in it – I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning – the sixth day.
— Genesis 1:28–31.
Human beings were created in the image of God for the purpose of subduing the earth, ruling over the created order as agents of our Creator God. In the words of J. I. Packer, “Man was made to manage God’s world, and this stewardship is part of the human vocation in Christ. It calls for hard work, with God’s honour and the good of others as its goal.” – Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs.
Labour is one of the most important ways in which we bear God’s image, for God Himself is a God who works. (Gen. 2:2-3).
The Story of Daniel is a wonderful exemplar of taking faith to work. You will find over and over again, The Book of Daniel contains countless references and teachings about thinking biblically about our work, but today, we want to focus on just the first chapter. Our reading today is from Daniel 1:1-20.
Scripture Reading: Daniel 1:1-20
Daniel’s Training in Babylon
1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god.
3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility – 4 young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. 5 The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.
6 Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 7 The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.
8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. 9 Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel, 10 but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”
11 Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 12 “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” 14 So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.
15 At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. 16 So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.
17 To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.
18 At the end of the time set by the king to bring them into his service, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. 20 In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom
If you know about the background here, for the nation of Israel in Judah, seemingly, disaster has struck. The Babylonians conquer Judah and send the Jewish people there to Babylon, they are exiled from their home and for them, very quickly the key issue becomes where is Yahweh? Has God forgotten His people who have been taken into captivity?
The picture of “work” in this passage may echo with the experiences some of you feel when you go to work.
Babylon is a whole world unto itself, a culture, a government set up to run apart from the true and living God, it’s set up to run on idolatrous principles, in allegiance to false gods. Their ‘workplace’ is not neutral in religious terms – it is thoroughly, completely anti-Yahweh. We need to remember this, because it shows us that Daniel and his friends were able to be faithful in a very difficult environment, a place that was genuinely hostile to their faith in Yahweh.
Daniel is placed in a type of vocational training program – The goal of the education system: “after that they were to enter the king’s service.” God-given talents are nurtured through focused training, in preparation for service.
Daniel was what we would typically refer to as a lay person (not a member of the priestly class): Daniel and company are highly ranked laymen in the service of a pagan ruler and as such are forced into service of the pagan king of Babylon.
They are confronted with this very difficult question: How can they serve Yahweh and the pagan king simultaneously?
Daniel and his friends having been carefully selected for their “natural abilities” come across a key issue of their own – What God-given talents are necessary for the world’s success? How could they stay faithful to God and yet succeed in the world around them.
Look at some of the circumstances they face:
- They are assigned new names – can they maintain their distinct identity as servants of Yahweh under the pressures of an alien, hostile culture?
- They refuse the pagan food – integrity seen in refusal to compromise faithfulness to Torah, even at great risk.
What are the consequences of the ethical choices believers make in the workplace? How do they choose to live out their faith?
God gave both “natural” and “supernatural” understanding to Daniel: recognizing and nurturing natural talents, learned skills and spiritual gifts
What we see through this part of Daniels life is a powerful picture of God’s faithfulness in multiple way. Daniel and company were able to recognize God as the main actor in the workplace!
So, what do we take away from this lesson in Daniel this morning – 3 things:
- Even when our work is not what we might have preferred, and even when our workplace is not conducive to our faith, God is present there and actively at work in that context, and at work in the lives of His faithful people, and even working in and through the lives of people who do not recognize or honour Him.
- No matter where we are, no matter how “pagan” our surrounding environment in the workplace might be, we are called by God to trust in God, and to remain faithful to God’s revelation of what is acceptable to Him and morally right, even at risk to ourselves.
- God shows Himself to be the incomparable, faithful God, even in the small, daily matters of life and work. What concerns God most of all is displaying His own glory for all the world to see and experience.
So, this brings us back to our question, does our work matter to God – whatever it might be? The answer is YES and not just because our work provides us with a source of identity or a source of relationships, not because it is a source of income and control, not because it is a source of sense of purpose, our work matters to God because for each of us, in every stage of life, we can live out our calling and faithfulness to God in and through our work.
Consider this – Mission research shows us over and over again that the key element in most people’s conversion to following Jesus is a relationship with a person. In the workplace you have relationships – lots of them. And in the workplace people can see the difference that Jesus makes in your life because everything is the same – the boss, the corporate culture, the industry pressure – everything that is, except Jesus in you.
If you lose your temper people see it: Do you apologize, or don’t you apologize?
If you get promoted and you don’t deserve it; you get promoted and you do deserve it – how do you handle that?
In the workplace, this same research data tells us the average Christian knows 50 non-Christians. And so, in the workplace Christians spend a lot of time with non-Christians – far more time, perhaps, than they’ll spend with even their best friends and maybe even family. And they’ll spend time with people from all kinds of ethnic backgrounds and from different age groups. Sadly, many Christians have not seen the fantastic opportunity that God has for them. The fact that the average Christian spends 40 hours a week with about 50 people is hugely significant. Do you ever wonder if in your workplace you’re making a difference, I hear that time and time again – “I don’t know if I’m making a difference.”
If you’re living as a faithful follower of your God – just like Daniel and his friends – you are making an eternal difference – and you don’t have to get up on the lunch counter and give a sermon. Little things make a big difference – a note, a smile, a cup of coffee, a genuinely sympathetic ear.
The relationships Christians have with the people around them are key to reaching the world for Jesus.
Jesus said,
“The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough”
— Matthew 13:33, NIV
God transforms our will, our mind, our emotions, our body – everything. And He yearns to transform our society and our workplaces.
As you migrate back into your office, your classroom remember, we are called not just to be salt and light, which are essentially passive, but to be yeast – active agents of transformation. And God has purposely placed you in the right places to reach His people – and, indeed, the whole world.
Prayer
Lord, from the very beginning of Your creation, You breathed Your love into all that You made.
You gave us the breath of life and asked us to be good stewards of all creation.
You placed Your trust and love in us.
Help us to turn again with joyful hearts to You, placing our trust in all that You have done for us.
We are broken vessels, O God.
You have watched us.
You have called to us.
You have blessed us.
Throughout the ages You have sent Your prophets to help us return to You.
Some people heeded Your call and turned again to lives of love and witness. But others chose not to listen.
Please help us to tune our ears and our hearts to You, O God.
Help us to seek peace and justice rather than greed and complacency. As we have gathered here this morning to listen to Your word, to sing praise, to offer our prayers, help us to remember that You hold us dearly in Your hands.
You cherish our lives and listen to our cries.
You respond to our needs.
Enable us to place our trust in You totally, that we may faithfully serve You all of our days.
Let us be a blessing for You.
In Jesus’ Name, we pray.AMEN.
Communion
Come to the Table….
The Table is Ready. So come, you who have much faith and you who would like to have more; you who have been here often, and you who have not been for a long time; you who have tried to follow Jesus and you who have failed.
Come, because it is Christ who invites you to meet Him here.
Bread
Paul tells us “On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then He broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
Cup
25 In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people – an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.”
Prayer for the bread.
Thank You, Father, for this precious time of reflection on all that Christ did for us at Calvary. And as we partake of these hallowed symbols at this holy communion table, we humbly take this bread and bless it and break it, and eat it in remembrance of You, for Your own dear body was given for us. May we continue to walk worthy of our calling in Christ Jesus and live a life that is honouring You.
Prayer for the cup.
And Lord, may we also come to You today in grateful remembrance of what the Lord Jesus Christ achieved on Calvary’s cross for all of us, when He shed His precious blood on the cross, to pay the enormous price of our sin.
We thank You for Your sacrifice, knowing that as often we eat this bread and drink the cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until His coming again, in your name we pray…
“Through the broken bread we participate in His body, given for you. Through the cup of blessing, we participate in the new covenant Jesus gives.”
AMEN.
Take these elements and be thankful.
Song
Benediction
Let the joy and love of the Lord flood into your hearts and lives today. Let this day be a day of celebration as you go into the world to serve God.
Go forth in peace and joy in all that you do.
AMEN.