Haiti Hangover Part 1: Back to the Daily Grind

I am writing a series of blog posts on what I call the "Haiti Hangover." Mission teams experience a let-down when they come back to the United States. One of the reasons for the doldrums is that they lose the excitement they have in Haiti because they are no longer on such a focused mission. On mission trips, God seems so real and daily activities seem so important. The discipleship teams focus especially on the mission: evangelism, soul care, discipleship and devotions. When they return home, their lives seem mundane and ordinary. They go back to their everyday jobs and their daily chores. They code programs, drive buses, paint houses, rake leaves, cook meals, do dishes or change diapers. These tasks seem so unimportant in progressing God's kingdom.

A quote by Os Guinness helps me sort through this issue. It concerns a theologian named Justin Martyr who lived in the 2nd century AD.

Justin Martyr
In the second century, Christian apologist, Justin Martyr grew up over the hill from Galilee. Interestingly, he notes that the plows made by Joseph and Jesus were still being used widely in his day. How intriguing to think of Jesus' plow rather than his cross -- to wonder what it was that made his plows and yokes last and stand out.(Os Guiness,The Call,p. 202)

The public ministry of Jesus probably lasted between 2 1/2 and 3 years. Luke recorded that Jesus started his public ministry when he was around 30 years old (Luke 3:23). If Justin Martyr was correct, then Jesus probably spent most of his professional life as a carpenter. Jesus claimed in John 5:19 that "He does nothing on his own accord." The author of Hebrews 1:3 described Christ as "the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature." Therefore, while He was incarnate, Jesus glorified God the Father through His "secular" work as a carpenter. Whether Jesus was making plows, preaching, performing miracles or dying on a cross, every moment of His incarnate life: Jesus glorified God.

 When we consider the life of Jesus, the dichotomy between sacred and secular work breaks down. As followers of Christ, we need to glorify God every moment of our lives. Paul argues in Colossians that our work can be sacred, if we do the task heartily as for the Lord.

Colossians 3:22-24 ESV
Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

The following commentary on this passage in Colossians emphasizes that no matter where we are or what we do in life as Christians, we are foremost servants of Christ.

F. F. Bruce
But Christian slaves--or Christian employees today--have the highest of all motives for faithful and conscientious performance of duty; they are above all else servants of Christ, and will work first and foremost so as to please him. Not fear of an earthly master, but reverance for their heavenly Lord, should be the primary motive with them. This would encourage Christian servants to work eagerly and zestfully even for a master who was harsh, unconscionable, and ungrateful; for they would receive their thanks not from him but from Christ. A rich recompense is the assured heritage of all who work for Christ; and the Christian servant can work for Christ by serving an earthly master in such a way as to "adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in everything" (Tit. 2:10). (pp.168-169, The Epistles to the Colossians to Philemon and the Ephesians)

The following three quotes emphasize different aspects of the same truth: our work matters to God. Tyndale is the first person to translate the majority of the Bible from the original Greek and Hebrew into English. He is one of the first of the English reformers and he gave his life so that the common person could have the Bible in his or her own tongue. The doctrine he is preaching is the "Priesthood of believers," which states that everyone, not only priests, are called into their position of life. God saves not only our souls but our lives. We are to minister where we are. We do not need a calling to be a monk or priest to serve God wholly, we can serve God in our station in life. We can worship God in our work.

William Tyndale
There is no work better than another to please God: to pour water, to wash dishes, to be a [cobbler], or an apostle, all are one; to wash dishes and to preach are all one, as touching the deed, to please God. (Parker Society, vol. 42, 102)

Francis Schaeffer is a 20th century apologist. His books, films and teachings try to demonstrate only the Christian worldview explains and gives meaning to culture and our lives.

Francis Schaeffer's View of Work
His [Schaeffer] view of death and his own death was having confidence that life matters and that the world matters, that life and existence is something real, true and eternal and is not going to just disappear into thin air. Because of that you fight to live, and because of that you need to go out and carry on the good fight. You do matter, and God does exist. So you put your hand to the plow, you work and you struggle—you do what you can in all different areas, with passion. You don’t sit in a corner somewhere and wait to die. You don’t embrace death. You see death as a terrible, terrible enemy. What you look forward to is not death, but the Second coming. You are longing and working for that. Contrary to what people say—that you can’t take anything with you—yes, you do take your work with you. It’s a biblical teaching, that what you do matters and will continue on into eternity—building houses, walls, and hiking paths and the whole of human existence. You live with energy. (Francis Schaeffer: An Authentic Life. p. 202)

McGrath is a living theologian and scholar. He is an expert on John Calvin and his biography on Calvin is very insightful.

Alistair McGrath
Whatever the precise relation between Calvinism and capitalism may prove to be, it may be said the one of Calvinism’s greatest legacies to western culture is a new attitude towards work, and, supremely, manual labour. Work, far from being merely an inevitable and somewhat tedious means of obtaining the basic necessities for existence, is perhaps the most praiseworthy of all human activities, surpassing all others in this respect. To be ‘called’ by God does not entail withdrawing from the world, but demands critical engagement with every sphere of worldly life… ‘Work’, it may be added, is not understood as ‘paid employment’, but as diligent and productive use of whatever resources and talents one has been given.

Work is thus viewed as a profoundly spiritual activity, a productive and socially beneficial form of prayer.(p. 245, A life of John Calvin)

The quote by McGrath is almost a commentary on Ephesians 2:20. Paul writes in Ephesians that "good works" are prepared beforehand. God is in control. He has placed us into our sphere of work and our home. He has pre-ordained our tasks list at work and our honey-do lists at home. He wants us to worship Him through the performance of these tasks.

Ephesians 2:10
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Short term missions are important, but we can serve God anywhere. We can combat the Haiti Hangover with joy. There is joy for us in each task because each task is given to us by God. Each task can be done by us with sincerity and heartily for and through Christ. When done this way, each task is worship and worship brings us joy. We can celebrate God through our work. No matter where we are, whether in Haiti or the United States, we can serve God joyfully through our work.