“Building Up the Body: Worker-to-Worker” is a series of church worker wellness devotions. Visit lcms.org/wellness for more resources.
by Mary Moerbe, Lutheran author and pastor’s wife
Good News
We are good news people, as church workers, aren’t we?
We know about the baptisms, confirmations and weddings. We know about Christ and sharing Easter joy.
Still, there are a lot of other things we deal with that rarely feel like such good news — and I don’t just mean the divorces, diagnoses, deaths, etc.
Work can be hard. And, even when it isn’t hard, it can be so tedious. The same things over and over again, punctuated by crises and problems.
Good thing there is still good news for us.
There is one body and one Spirit — just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call — one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Eph. 4:4–6 ESV)
There is one Savior from sin, death and the power of the devil, and that Savior is active in our work and family life, too.
Your vocation is not chaos control. You are not the problem solver. You are not the Savior of any single being, including household appliances.
You are a baptized child of God. You are a forgiven sinner and a saint who will rest in eternity without a single debt, ill-assigned task or broken anything.
Burdens can pile up in our minds, on our calendars and even self-evolving job descriptions. Sometimes those burdens are immediate and will not even allow for rest.
But thanks be to God that you, your family and your situation rests in His hands.
There is only one you. And, each of your neighbors is uniquely in need.
Still, God takes the weight of our sins, struggles and weaknesses. He asks us to bear one another’s burdens, but He does so in the context of His only begotten Son.
Vocations rarely get the appreciation they deserve. You rarely get the appreciation — or even attention — that you need.
Still, you have help, too. God does have people in your life.
There are resources out there, and, most importantly of all, our risen Lord and Savior is coming back and He will set all things right. Perfectly!
He will rightly divide Law from Gospel. He will administer His own gifts to each one of us as we finally realize the hope only hinted at in our mundane little timetables.
Thank you, Lord, and hurry back! There is so much, just so much, that I cannot get to. Guide me and help me so that I am not distracted from You and Your Good News and gifts to me. Continue to send me Your Spirit so that I may walk through this life by faith, trusting You to complete the good work you began in me, my family and my congregation. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
“Building Up the Body: Worker-to-Worker” devotions and prayers will be released Monday mornings on the LCMS Facebook and Twitter pages. Church Worker Wellness devotions will also be archived online.