Update: Evidently the source of this quote can’t be found because Martin Luther didn’t really say it! Please see the links in the Vanessa’s comments below.
I’ve posted this quote before, but here’s another sentence to add. And, frankly, I need the reminder. I still don’t know the source of this quote, other than Martin Luther. This quote is found in Mark Buchanan’s book The Rest of God
The maid who sweeps her kitchen
is doing the will of God just as much as the monk who prays–
not because she may sing a Christian hymn as she sweeps
but because God loves clean floors.
The Christian shoemaker does his Christian duty
not by putting little crosses on the shoes,
but by making good shoes,
because God is interested in good craftmanship.~ Martin Luther
is doing the will of God just as much as the monk who prays–
not because she may sing a Christian hymn as she sweeps
but because God loves clean floors.
The Christian shoemaker does his Christian duty
not by putting little crosses on the shoes,
but by making good shoes,
because God is interested in good craftmanship.~ Martin Luther
A Living Pencil 
So, does this mean that you’re mopping this morning – or perhaps on your hands and knees scrubbing?I love quotes…but I like to know where to find them. I’m assuming you’re the same way :)”Martin Luther on work in the mid-1500s: ‘Your work is a very sacred matter. God delights in it, and through it he wants to bestow his blessing on you.’“By: Martin LutherSource: Luther in 1493 Exposition of Ps. 128:2, as cited in Ewald M. Plass, ed. What Luther Says: An Anthology, 3 vols, Concordia, 1959
Oh! You are a dear. Yes, I am the same way. Does the quote I posted follow the one you included, or are they separate? There is scrubbing going on here. Needful, ahem, scrubbing.I am also preparing to teach for a women’s weekend on rest and work.
Good question, Carol. I.dont.know :)While I dont own those Concordia books, I did find a webpage with source citations. It started with reading a quote by Calvin on *work* but the person didnt say where it came from…..so I googled. Way too easy.
Excellent!
My mother and I have decided that you should read Body and Soul by Frank Conroy. This has nothing whatsoever to do with your quote, but I did mop mom’s floor today, if that counts!
I need to hear that every now and again. Perhaps it is partially because I did have to work before I got married, but I often end a day feeling as though I accomplished nothing. My dear husband has to point out that the house is clean and I got some other project done or going to boot, and that that most certainly isn’t “nothing.”
Wildfoersp, our local library didn’t have it, so I ordered it from PaperbackSwap. I’ll try to remembe to let you know what I think. Sometimes by the time I read down in my pile I forget who recommended it. So don’t hesitate to ask me later. Would you like to come by my house and mop my floors, too? (wicked grin)Pianorose, I’m so thankful for your husband. What a gift he is! Can’t wait for your baby to arrive.
That would be Wilflowersp.
I loved Buchanan’s book. I like all books that teach us to appreciate the Sabbath. It’s the least obeyed commandment, but one that has so much pleasure at its heart. Receiving the Day by Dorothy Bass was another good book on the gift of time as perceived/received through the church calendar.
A sweet memory flew into my head as I read this. When we were in our hotel room in Kigali, Rwanda, a little maid was cleaning the hall floors just outside and singing hymns and praise songs in the most beautiful voice. Her voice echoed down the halls and filled the place with the love of God. What a blessing it was to hear. Her floors were the shiniest. Thanks for the great quote! blessings and hugs in SC
Respectfully, I offer these articles regarding the authenticity of this quote and each offers alternative quotes from Herr M. Luther on vocation: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justin-taylor/5-quotes-that-luther-didnt-actually-say/ and https://wordandworld.luthersem.edu/content/pdfs/25-4_Work_and_Witness/25-4_Editorial.pdf
Thank you for the correction. I will note it in the post.