After working with faith and work organizations, including IFWE, for the last decade, it’s tempting to think that there is nothing left for me to learn on the subject. But occasionally, I read something that surprises and refreshes my thinking and reminds me of how important it is to have a good theology of work as a Christian.
About six months ago, I read a book that did just that. Work and Worship: Reconnecting our Labor and Liturgy by Matthew Kaemingk and Cory B. Willson asked an interesting question. Instead of focusing on how Sunday’s sermons can better inform our weekday work, they asked how the work we do Monday through Friday better inform our worship on Sunday.
I’ve thought about that question, and the recommendations of the authors, several times since reading the book, and I’ve been pleased to see the conversation pop up in several other blogs and podcasts. As we start another work week, here are five resources that are engaging with this book and its central question.
Podcast: Faith + Work LA
Robert Covolo sits down for a conversation with Matthew Kaemingk & Cory B. Wilson, authors of the new book Work and Worship: Reconnecting Our Labor and Liturgy. In this episode, they discuss how and why the book came together, the intersection of work + worship, what we can learn from the Old Testament and the early church on the relationship between work + worship, and how to best respond in our lives today.
Listen to the podcast here.
Blog: Theology Isn’t Enough to Shape Workers
Worship services — not just our theology — should form workers to push against darkness in the broken areas of politics, manufacturing, art, finance, education, and all of the fields in which they engage.
Read more from Lauren Gill at Made To Flourish here.
Podcast: The Libertarian Christian Podcast
What is the connection between worship on Sunday and work on Monday? Why do ministers and worship leaders struggle to connect what they do on Sunday service with the lives of workers in the pews? Join Doug Stuart and guest host, Kerry Baldwin, as they interview Matthew Kaemingk on his book, Work and Worship: Reconnecting our Labor and Liturgy.
Listen to the podcast here.
Excerpt: Two Nurses, Two Pastors: A Modern Parable About Work & Worship
Walking into a sanctuary, many workers feel like they’re visiting another world, a world quite detached from their world of work. Sitting in their pews, workers feel as if an increasingly wide chasm has opened up between the rituals they’re being asked to perform in the liturgy and the rituals they perform in their daily work.
Read more from this excerpt here.
Excerpt: Riding Kenya’s Prayer Train to Work
In Western contexts haunted by the ghosts of Christendom, going public with Christian faith, let alone Christian worship, seems absurd and unthinkable. Attempts to repristinate ancient stational liturgies could appear foolish, impractical, and even offensive. But must we completely forfeit the public character of Christian faith and worship in our pluralistic cities?
Read more from this excerpt here.
Editor’s Note: You can learn more about this book and order copies from the publisher, Baker Publishing www.bakerpublishinggroup.com.
