Some of our works begin with the blessing of the pastor and the community of believers. Ordination of a minister or elder, commissioning of missionaries, marriage, dedication or baptism of a baby, adult baptism marking the individual's decision to follow Christ, entrance into a monastic order: all these involve a public blessing from the Body of Christ. Once you are "in," though, you are done. You have received your ordination and official appointment. No more ceremonies of blessing for you!
Consecrate your new job
Some people, like me, take one job and stick with it for their whole working life. I was commissioned from Trinity Baptist Church in Vancouver, BC, when I started my missionary journey in 1981. The pastor and community laid hands on me. They sent me to my calling in Japan with their blessing, and I am still here (and blessed.) However, not all singles have the opportunity to be blessed and sent, ever. Married people may have received a public blessing on their new family, but do they receive a blessing for their secular job? What if we had a public blessing for each worker as they begin a new job? What if we, the Body of Christ, consecrated and sent each member out as they begin each new job
Think how our sense of calling would change if the Church "sent us out" as an elementary teacher, an engineer, a waitress or cashier or chef or plumber! Perhaps if we had individual prayer and laying on of hands by the pastor and church, just as ministers, missionaries, elders and deacons receive for their calling within the church, we would know our secular job to be God's place for us and would "go out" backed by prayer. People who change jobs could be blessed for their new calling. What would we have? Consecrated electricians, nurses, computer technicians, dry cleaners, pizza delivery people. A people belonging to God, fulfilling their priestly calling in the world (1 Peter 2:9) and hallowing all of creation.
Accept the blessings given
Even if individual blessing services for jobs out in the world are not a part of your church tradition (and likely they are not,) every week you receive a pastoral blessing as a congregation at the end of the service. Own that blessing. It is for all and especially for you. For you who have never received the laying on of hands for any church position. For you who were baptized or confirmed or commissioned or ordained years ago. It is new for you, this Sunday, this week, as you are sent out into God's world as His priests and caretakers of creation.
Bless your co-workers and yourself
We can bless each other during the week, too. Assuming that we pray for one another, how would our awareness of our work change if we greet one another with a blessing? What if we encounter a brother or sister co-worker whom we know is going into a difficult half-hour, and bless them with "The Lord be with you" or "God bless your next class" or whatever would be appropriate? Bless yourself too, of course. Ask the Lord, your High Priest, who is always with you, for a blessing for your next ensemble practice, your next painting job, your next meal that you cook. In the book Pilgrimage to Dzhvari by Valeria Alfeyeva, a novice monk goes out to trim some grass, somewhat unsuccessfully. The older monk asks him to think about why his work was not as good as he had expected. The young monk replies that perhaps he should have picked another tool. The older monk says, "No, it is because you did not ask for a blessing before beginning."
I leave you with this blessing:
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2 Corinthians 13:14 NIV)
