Ahhhh. Summer is here.
The chaos of “May-cember” has ended with the graduations, end of year activities, recognition Sundays, and volunteer thank yous. Attendance numbers are waning as people head to cabins, lakes, and family vacations. You’re settling in for a quiet(er) few months. It’s time to catch a few deep breaths, go on a vacation of your own, and….. Start planning for fall. These weeks will go by quickly and before you know it, the pace will increase, attendance will grow, the inbox will fill, and you’ll be off to the races again. As you consider your preaching schedule, maybe you’re thinking of doing something on work, vocation or calling. It might be a “one off” on Labor Day, a short series, or maybe an intentional “slow drip” of vocationally conversant sermons in the coming year. No matter where you’re headed, there are a wealth of preaching resources available for preaching to workers. We are blessed with wonderful colleagues and partner organizations who have thought deeply about vocational preaching and produced helpful resources for preachers just like you.
Preaching Series
Looking for a good series? Below are a few ideas ranging from fully formed 7-week series, to shorter 3-week, to creative ideas to get you started.
This 7-week series, preached by a pastoral team in Barrie, Ontario is called “work and worship.”
- Week 1: Creation and Work, Genesis 1:24–2:3
- Week 2: Work and Sin, Genesis 3:1–6
- Week 3: Trusting God’s Work, Ephesians 2:8–10
- Week 4: Jesus and Work, Mark 6:1–6
- Week 5: Work and Firstfruits, Deuteronomy 26:1–13
- Week 6: Bringing Work into Worship, Genesis 2:2–3
- Week 7: The Gospel at Work, Hebrews 3:15–4:16
The full series including preaching notes and worship resources can be found on the Reformed Worship website.
3-part series
3-part series
- Working in the Spirit (a three-part series by Tom Nelson): Work is More Than a Curse, More than a Carpenter but not Less, Introduction to Faith at Work
- Seeing and Reflecting God (a three-part series by Todd Bolsinger): God the Worker, God the Protector, God the Craftsman and Artist
- Monday Morning Faith (a three-part series by Bill Peel): Going to Work for God, A New Source of Power at Work, A New Career Objective
Thematic Starters
The following are curated resources from Kara Martin, author of Workship: How to Use your Work to Worship God. You will notice we don’t have accompanying Scripture texts for these. This is intentional to give you flexibility to incorporate pericopes of your choice. Use these as thematic frameworks to help you build a homiletical structure.
- Biblical theology of work: Creation (Good), Fall (Broken), Israel (Searching), Jesus (Redeemed), Church (Reconciling), Renewal (Restored)
- The aims of work: Money, Purpose, Dignity, Relationships, To Serve, Bearing Witness
- God the worker (Robert Banks: God the Worker): Composer, Potter, Garment Maker, Gardener, Farmer, Shepherd, Tentmaker, Architect
- Vocations as parables (John van Sloten: https://www.johnvansloten.com/work): HR, Plumber, Nursing, Geologist, Farmer, Mother/Father, Student, Accountant
- Spiritual disciplines for work (Kara: Workship): Holy working, Gospel working, Prayerful working, Incarnational working, Spirit-empowered working, Social Justice working
- Practical wisdom for work (Kara: Workship 2): Stress, Work-life balance, Bullying, Ambition, Ethical decision-making, Unemployment, Hospitality, Beauty
Preaching Aids
The Biblical Commentary on Work by the Theology of Work Project is a treasure trove for preachers. In it, you can search the whole of Scripture for references to, and connections to work and vocation. We highly recommend this (free!) resource to pastors.
- In their new book, Galvanizing Your Church for Everyday Impact, authors Missy Wallace and Lauren Gill include a helpful starting point for vocational preaching. Their chart invites the preacher to discover the connections between God’s work and the work of the people.
- Preaching with Cultural Intelligence: Understanding the People Who Hear Our Sermons by Matthew Kim. Offers resources for preachers to better connect their sermon texts with the complex stories and identities of their congregations.
- Kingdom Calling by Amy Sherman – An imaginative exploration into how your people’s diverse callings and careers can contribute to the justice and flourishing of your city and the larger reign of God.
- Blue Collar Resistance and the Politics of Jesus: Doing Ministry with Working Class Whites by Tex Sample. Even if you’re not doing ministry with “working class whites,” this book offers a compelling example of pastoral leadership and preaching that is truly and deeply present with workers.
- Sunday’s Sermon for Monday’s World: Preaching to Shape Daring Witness by Sally Brown. Explores the question of how a sermon might help congregants navigate everyday life with the courage and imagination required to testify to the mercy and justice of God.
- The Pastor as Minor Poet: Texts and Subtexts in the Ministerial Life by Craig Barnes. Guides readers to reimagine the pastor’s role as one who speaks and identifies the life experiences of the congregation through creativity and wonder.
Preaching Tools
The London Institute for Contemporary Christianity has a short, six-part video series called “Whole Life Preaching”. This series explores how a focus on whole-life disciplemaking can transform the way we preach. It comes with discussion guides and additional resources.
What can we add to our resources?
Do you have a sermon series you enjoyed and would be willing to share? Do you have a favorite book on preaching in a vocationally conversant way? Help us build and library to share! Email us: kathrynroelofs@fuller.edu
