What do you think of when I mention a Carpenter? Male / Female? Strong / Weak?

1. What do you think of when I mention a Carpenter? Male / Female? Strong / Weak? What does he /she look like? How does he/she relate? What other impressions do you have?

2. SECULAR VS SACRED What is work? Is work merely Human activity that generates income? Work in the Spirit entails cooperation with God in the transformation of the world. Miroslav Volf

4. SHALOM • Peace • Flourishing of all things through right relationship with God, oneself, each other and the rest of creation.

6. Creation: We are God’s regents, assigned to care and work Protect creation and benefit from it’s bounty. Work was a form of worship, co-workers / co-creators of cultivating creation with God Working in sync and harmony with God’s desires Result was joy and peace and satisfaction Sin entered world Work is impacted Power struggles instead of working together Exclusion, exploitation, oppression (Cain and Abel) Gods image is defaced when we treat other human beings cruelly, unjustly or coercively

7. Resulting Work: Work becomes unfruitful, doesn’t endure, we lose connection with creation. People get hurt Romans 8:22-25 Creation groans … The Law: God provides the law for Israel Law defines work in terms of combating exclusion, staying free of debt, oppression, providing for the poor, attending to health and safety, respecting the dignity of the weak, being honest in trade and exchange. Israel ignored the law and fell into judgement. The law needed to be in men’s hearts and empowered by the holy Spirit

8. The world is broken and more often than not people are trying to make sense of their life. • We need to listen to people and hear their touch points. Work is a good place to do this. • In the work place how do we • Treat others • Work (work ethic) • Handle pressure • Handle success • Handle failure • What if we in the work place restored the sin gap or worked in a way that reflected Jesus desires for the workplace?

9. The Gap: • Pride that says we do not need God • The Gap between what we are designed for, what we long for and what we are actually capable of on our own. • We fill the Gap with • Selfishness • Injustice • evil • Thus the best workplaces reflect self advancement, hurt and used people, unsatisfied people.

10. Luke 4:14-30 (Jesus states his Mission) Jesus comes to bridge the gap • Other proclaimed that Kingdom of God was near (John the Baptist claimed) Jesus says he fulfils this passage today. (Reading from Isaiah 61:1-2a) • To proclaim good news to the poor • Proclaim freedom • Sight to blind • Set the oppressed free • Proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour ….. and the day of vengeance of our God

11. Jubilee (Lev 25) - The year of the Lord’s favour A system of grace where • The land was rested – environmental care • Land was returned to the original family • Allowing people to start again • Overcoming mistakes that people may have made. Who does Jesus suggest would benefit from this grace? (Luke 4:23-27) • A gentile woman (poverty) • A gentile man with leprosy (oppression and prisoner)

12. If we are to be God’s co-workers We are to • Be like Jesus applying grace in our workplace and neighbourhoods. • This may cost us as we will be going against the status quo. So who are the • Poor: • Prisoners: • Blind: • Oppressed:

14. Suggestions to consider If we are God’s Co-workers, bridging the gap, may be we should • Look to see where God is working • Pray for wisdom on how we can be involved in peoples lives • Use our influence to help people and re orient things to God’s will Remember that it is the Holy Spirit’s job to convict people not ours(John 16:8-9) Remember it is Jesus role to build the church (Matthew 16:18) Remember our role is to tell people the good news. (Signpost) (Rom 10:14-15)