Pursuing Veritas

This post originally served as a message at Arise Church

Whether or not you’re an email hoarder, chances are that you have to deal with email—like, a lot of email. Since Ray Tomlinson sent first email in 1971, email has become a pervasive part of our lives. We use email for work, for personal correspondence, for bills, for reminders, for everything. If you’re sane, you’ve only got one email address that you use; or, if you’re like me, you’ve got multiple accounts that you keep track of. Did you know that the average American receives about 120 emails every day?

Think about that. 120 messages. Every day. Of your life. Until you die.

It’s unsurprising that many of us feel swamped by our email. Because writing and answering emails is a normal, everyday part of life—perhaps an even more of an important everyday part of our lives these past couple of years than before. And because of this, many of us now experience email anxiety: we feel the need to check our email constantly to make sure that we haven’t missed anything from anyone. According to Forbes, the average American checks their email about fifteen times per day—even on the weekends. (And that doesn’t include how often we check social media or pick up our phones—that’s just email.) I ran a little experiment on myself this past week and according to my phone, I checked my email on my phone an average of eleven times per day, not counting when I check on my computer. Checking email runs my life.

But have you ever wondered what checking your email has to do with your faith? What on earth could checking our email have to do with how we’re following God? Maybe you haven’t, and that’s okay. But I have. In fact, as we’ve been moving through our series on the Liturgy of the Ordinary here at Arise, I’ve been simultaneously dreading and looking forward to this week. Because as we think about how we can be intentional and grace-filled with our everyday habits and moments, how we check our emails matters. Not only because it’s something we do all the time, but also because it tells us a lot about ourselves: how we use technology, what our priorities are, and how we go about our daily work.

So how can we make checking our email a liturgy that directs us toward God?

In a word, I think the answer to that question is our orientation. How we orient ourselves—what early Christians would have called the ordering of our work, the way we approach it and how we think about what we do every day— how we orient ourselves to work like checking our email is central to making our work honoring to God. To say that another way, when it comes to our email and all the other tasks that make up our work, we need to orient the small, day-to-day parts of our work around the One who gives purpose to that work.

In Colossians 3(15-17), an early follower of Jesus named Paul wrote this: ¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

For Paul, the work we do is part of our worship of God. Whatever you do, whether in word or deed matters to God. Even the small, seemingly insignificant parts of our jobs should be oriented around this idea. We have work to do, so we should do it as if we’re doing it for God. Because, as Tish Harrison Warren reminds us, “Part of my sanctification and part of the world’s redemption is for me to learn to do my work well—or at least better than I currently do it.” (LitOrd, 97) So orient the small, day-to-day parts of your work—including checking your email or browsing social media—around the One who gives purpose to your work.

And here I want to be really clear: we’re not just talking about “church work.” The phrase Paul uses is pan ergo which means, “each and every part of your actions.” All of it—the totality of your deeds. So the scope here is limitless. Your work is whatever you do in your daily life. It’s your job. It’s going to school. It’s caring for your family. It’s enjoying retirement. It’s your chores. It’s your social media posts. It’s your errands. Your work is what you’re doing—whatever you’re doing. In the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, the Teacher puts it this way: This is the best way to live: Take care of yourself, have a good time, and make the most of whatever job you have for as long as God gives you life. That’s God’s gift to us. (Eccl. 5.18-20, para)

Our work is whatever we’re doing. And whatever [we] do, whether in word or deed, [we should] do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus. Now, there are a couple of other lessons from what Paul said in Colossians that are worth quickly noting.

First, he tells us that good work flows from peace. Look again at verse 15: Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.

This echoes what Pastor Kelsey was talking about last week. We’ve got to have a foundation of peace if we’re going to work well. We need to be seeking peace—with God, with ourselves, with our spouses, with our families with our church, with our bosses, with our coworkers, with our friends, with our neighbors, with everyone. We’re not going to be oriented properly, we’re not going to be able to do what we’re doing well, if we’re not seeking peace.

Look, you know Paul’s right here. You know how hard your work becomes when you’re in conflict with someone. You walk around on pins and needles, you’re stressed, you’re apprehensive about every email from that person. When I was working at SLU, there was a lot of conflict within the department. People were always sniping at one another, there was always clashes breaking out. The lack of peace made it a toxic place to work—and we never knew what was coming next. And many people ended up leaving because they couldn’t work well in a place there was no peace. Our good work flows from peace. So where do you need to pursue peace in your work?

Next, Paul tells us that good work flows from a thankful heart. Here’s Colossians again: And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. (Colossians 3.15b-16)

Be thankful. Approach God with gratitude. This posture of your heart sets you up for good work because thankfulness reminds us that none of us get to where we are on our own. We’re always indebted to those around us who’ve trained us and supported us and helped us get where we’re at—particularly the God who’s made all of that possible. Even if you own your own business and you’re the founder, CEO, CFO, COO, head of marketing, and facilities manager all on your own, there are still people to whom you can (and should) be thankful for your work.

One of the pastors at the first church I worked at was great at exhibiting this kind of thankfulness. He would go out of his way to thank people, to praise them publicly, and to remind them of his gratitude for all their help. He would even keep a box of thank you notes on his desk to remind him of his constant need to be showing thanks—not only to God, but to those he worked with and served with too. Our good work flows from our thankful hearts. So how can you be more thankful in your what you do?

Finally, Paul reminds us that good work flows into the entire world. You don’t just do good work for yourself or for one another (although that matters too). The direction of this work is for all, for everyone. In other words, you can hear what Paul is saying here as, And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all FOR the name of the Lord Jesus, SO THAT all may give thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3.17, para)

Our good work should be evident as good work, not just for our own praise or benefit, but so that others may praise God too. We work not just for ourselves, but for those around us as well. An early Christian named Augustine of Hippo gave this reminder: “Pray as if everything depended on God. Work as if everything depended on you.” Yes, the Christian perspective is that God controls all things. But that’s not an excuse for laziness or ignoring real problems. We’ve got work to do—work that can and should bless the world.

Theologian C.S. Lewis also pointed this reality when he wrote, “If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next.” Our work in this world matters—we’re part of God’s plan for the restoration of creation. And the means of that transformation is our daily work—including checking our email. Because our good work flows into the entire world.

So what does properly oriented work look like? What does a liturgy of ordinary daily tasks involve? How can we practically orient our work around the one who gives purpose to that work? Our work should be EMAIL. No, not literally email. Our work should be E.M.A.I.L.

Our work should be excellent. What we do should be done well, done purposefully, and done to the absolute best of our abilities. What we do should be excellent, it should be top notch, above reproach. People who are following Jesus should be best at what we do because we’re following Jesus. We should be the best doctors and nurses because we love those made in the image of God. We should be the best students because we seek honor God in our studies. We should be the best musicians because we’re the most creative. We should be the best scientists because we love to study God’s creation. We should be the best movie makers because we’re so imaginative. We should be the best stay at home moms because we know the vital importance of raising kids. We should be the best bankers because we’re so honest. We should be the best teachers because we love the One who created wisdom. We should be the best retirees because we know how to enjoy life. Our work—whatever it is—should be truly excellent. Is the work you’re doing in life excellent?

Our work should also be measured. We should work with appropriate boundaries, remembering that our work should be oriented toward the one who gives our work purpose. This means that our work won’t be the only thing that’s important to us—or the most important part of daily life. We can set boundaries for when and where we’ll work—and when and where we won’t work. This might mean committing to taking time off, it might mean leaving work at work and not bringing it home, it might mean turning off notifications on your phone so you’re not tempted to check your email or your social media for the fifteenth time each day while you’re eating dinner with your family. Is your work measured? Or does it consume? Can you put your work down and leave it behind?

Our work should also be assessed. When was the last time you stepped back from your work to reflect on whether it was good or not? Whether it was good work for your employer? Whether it was good work before God? Whether your work is purposeful? If it’s meaningful? If it brings glory to God? If it brings you joy? When was the last time you assessed what it is that you do every day? I’m not saying that your work should always make you happy and be enjoyable—it’s work. Going to the office, folding laundry, taking care of kids—it’s work It’ll be hard and frustrating and exhausting sometimes. But when we’re orienting our work toward God, that means taking time to assess and evaluate the offering of that work that we’re bringing to God.

If you haven’t reflected on your work recently, let me encourage you to set aside to time to do that soon. And here again, let me remind you that when I say work, I don’t just mean your employment—I mean whatever it is that you’re doing as you fill up daily life. When can you take some time to assess what you’re doing with the moments of your days?

Our work should also be intentional. Why do you work the way you work? Why do you check your email on your phone so frequently? Are you doing what you’re doing thoughtfully and intentionally? Or are you using your technology or doing your work thoughtlessly, just the way you’ve always done it? I ask because this is something I’ve been made painfully aware of in recent months. It’s easy for me to default to checking my messages without thinking—as if every spare moment of my day needs to be filled with email or texts or busywork of some kind. But it doesn’t. Technology should serve us—we shouldn’t be thoughtless slaves to unconsidered habits. So give some thought to how you can be more intentional with your work. Where can you eliminate thoughtlessness and pursue intentionally this week?

Finally, our work should be limited. I’ve got a friend from high school who owns a booming company in Texas and he’s all about working eighty hours a week and never giving up the grind. And so I pushed back a few weeks ago and said, “hey man, how are you limiting your work? When are you resting? When are you observing Sabbath?” Those are questions that each of us need to think about. How are we limiting our work? Because Scripture (and psychology and a whole host of other fields of study) make it clear that we’re not meant to work without ceasing. We need to experience rest—purposeful rest, as Jesus tells us when He talks about the importance of Sabbath in the gospels.

We’re going to spend a whole upcoming message talking about vital importance of Sabbath rest. But for now, know that you weren’t meant to work all the time—your work should be limited. Where do you need to limit your work? Where do you need to step back and rest from what you’re doing? Maybe this means you take a day and stay away from email—that’s what I try to do on Mondays. Maybe you take a day off social media on a regular basis—that’s what a couple of our elders do. Maybe it means fasting from email or social media for a longer period. Where do you need to limit what you’re doing?

Our work should be EMAIL: excellent, measured, assessed, intentional, and limited. Because whatever we do, we should do it for God. And we should do it within the parameters for how we’ve been made to work—and how we’ve been made to abstain from work.

And that’s it—that’s what the liturgy of checking your email can look like. Taking time to be purposefully intentional with one little (often) unthinking part of our day, something we (often) just do that can take on greater significance. God loves you and He’s always with you. And sometimes all we need to do in order to recognize His presence is to take note of the grace He offers us in the little, daily things of life—like checking email. God is forming you into a new people—and the place of that formation is in the small moments of your life. Are you ready to journey into the ordinary with Him?