1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others…
Philippians 2:1-4
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You are not “just a church tech,” and what you do is not “just tech.”
You have an offering to bring to the Lord, a ministry to the body of Christ, and it is no less an offering than any sermon, any song, any baptism, or any sacrament. Each of those spiritual acts has its place, but you, my fellow church tech, bring a worthy offering that pleases the Lord, and you are just as important as any pastor, deacon, or bishop.
The Lord cares deeply about details and excellence, which we see in the intricate plans he gave the Israelites for construction of the Tabernacle, specifying materials to be used, fabric colors, widths, and lengths. In your present context, you are the keeper of many important details and the steward of excellence, and so your heart is aligned with God’s heart.
The Lord sees your offering, friend, and it pleases his heart.
He gave you these passions and gifts for a reason—seeing you thrive and grow brings him joy and glory. Your thriving is his thriving. Your joy is his joy. And, most importantly, your love is his love.
Wait, I thought we were talking about tech skills?
Well, yes, but that’s actually the second most important thing you do, the second-best offering you bring. What the Lord wants more than any one thing is your love—love for your neighbor and love for himself. When we are loving, then we are most like him and becoming more like him. He is the very essence of love, so there is nothing more Christ-like or godly that we can do. '
Tech leader, love needs to be the deep well that we’re drawing from. The truth is, if we only rely on our passions and enjoyment, those motivators will eventually fail us. One day, we won’t want to show up to work for whatever reason. I know that I certainly get bored of my job from time to time, and it’s human nature to start looking at the green grass on the other side after the novelty of our new grass wears off. Other days, this job is really hard because your pastor was in a bad mood and wasn’t nice to you or one of your team members decided to suddenly quit or maybe a key piece of your broadcast system malfunctioned. It’s in moments like that when we have to sit and remember the deep why behind what we do—the body of Christ needs to be loved and the Lord is longing for an offering of love, so we give freely of our talents and gifts because that’s the loving thing to do.
We worship a king that washed the dirty feet of closest friends on the toughest night of his life, and that king asked us to do the same thing to our friends.
Some days this job is a lot of fun; other days it feels like we’re washing stubborn rot and mud from underneath cracked toenails. But love prevails over our little tides of satisfaction or disgust, and we must lean into it.
Lord, may we love like you.
Thank you for the joy of our work. Help us in the hard times when they do come. May love be the deep well of our joy and fulfillment. Accept our offering, this quiet praise of our attention to detail and excellence. You gave it to us, and we gratefully give it back to you for your joy and your glory.
Amen.
