“A new sense of purpose, pride, and unity… the harvest that sustains, and the loyal citizens who serve… Love your labor. Take pride in your tasks.”
The new promotional video for Mockingjay streams like an inspiring short film from The High Calling. It celebrates the work of a variety of industries—technology, fashion design, textiles, farming, energy, police work. The only problem? Those familiar with the fictional world of the Hunger Games know that all of these people are enslaved by their work.
The video is a profound reminder that words and inspiration are not the same as action and application.
Applying our faith in our daily lives is one of the primary concerns this weekend in Boston where several hundred folks have gathered for the Faith@Work Summit. Conference organizers Al Erisman, David Gill, and Bill Peel, structured the conversation around technology, ethics, evangelism, and discipleship.
The Hunger Games and its recent send up of inspirational material is a warning of what we can become when we use words of redemption to cover up brokenness and selfishness and hypocrisy. Despite inefficiencies and inequalities in the world, American business and government are not yet as corrupt as Capital of Panem in the Hunger Games. We do not actively seek to make the world into our slaves.
Yet, we can do more, and we must do more. Living for Christ in our daily lives is not a matter of our own prosperity, but the prosperity of God’s entire creation.
No matter how much Christian talk we spew, no matter how many Biblical aphorisms we tweet or post or pin, we are the worst kinds of hypocrites if we do not honor God with every action. An openly Christian teacher must be the hardest working, the kindest with students. Openly Christian managers must be the most focused on the job, the most gracious with employees in service of their employer. The same for machinists, lawyers, engineers, teachers, wait staff, mechanics, maintenance guys, officers, clerks, hair dressers, farmers, doctors, bakers, marketers, housing contractors, musicians, creative consultants, executives, presidents, authors.
And you. Your actions give credibility to your words and point to the credibility of the Word.
Let us apply our faith to every task, relying on the Spirit to guide us and sustain us for the glory of God and to the honor of Christ. Amen.
This post is part of a series on Applications of Faith at Work, covering session 3 at the Faith@Work Summit in Boston:
Part 1: Mockingjay Promo Satirizes Faith and Work Movement in CapitalTV’s District Voices
Part 2: John Dyer on Technology, Faith, and Work
Part 3: David Gill on Workplace Ethics
Part 4: Bill Peel, Randy Kilgore on Evangelism and Discipleship in the Workplace
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