This coming Sunday (10th January) is ‘Plough Sunday’, when we will be thinking specifically about and praying for people’s work. Work is a time-consuming and often rewarding and sometimes draining, part of our lives and it is good to bring this important aspect of our lives to God and ask for His blessing and help.
In times past, people would bring a plough into the church building as a visual symbol of work, asking for God’s help with farming, the main source of work. Nowadays, there are many other areas of work and so we hope people will bring us symbols of their work (rather like a ‘show and tell’ session at school!) so that we can pray specifically for members of our congregation. We are very happy to pray for specifics, so please let us know what you would like prayer for. Maybe you hate your job and want a new job? Maybe you are looking for a move or promotion? Maybe you are involved in new training and want God’s help in that area? Maybe you need a job and want God’s guidance and help in finding the right one? Maybe your relationship with your boss or colleagues is not good and you want God to help you in those areas. At this present time, with so many people working from home and so much uncertainty about work, you might need prayer for God’s peace and provision. Please let us know how you would like us to pray and we will gladly do so on Sunday.
Work is not all about paid employment. Volunteering, working in the home and serving God in the local church are all aspects of work. (As some have said, there is no such thing as retirement in God’s kingdom!) So even if you don’t have a paid job, you can still share with us about what you do and how you find purpose and fulfilment in life.
Work is our ‘frontline’, the place where we spend a lot of time and where we are called to be witnesses to God. LICC give us some ideas about how to do this through their ‘6Ms’:
May all of us find meaning and fulfilment in our work and be effective witnesses in the workplace, modelling godly character, making good work, ministering grace and love, moulding culture, being a mouthpiece of truth and justice and being messengers of the gospel. Let’s not divide work into ‘sacred’ and ‘secular’, but understand that everything we do can be an offering to God: ‘And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.‘ (Col 3:17)
