09/01/2024
Colossians 3:23-24
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
Tomorrow is Labor Day, a national holiday devoid of the cultural traditions of Thanksgiving, Easter, or Christmas. It is not an amalgamation of religious and social viewpoints. It is a secular holiday; a day off from work, and we each have carved out our own traditions for this day. There are no standard activities or customs. So, we vacation, barbeque, watch sports and movies, buy stuff, go on picnics, attend parties, and spend quiet time away from all that I just mentioned. It is the unofficial farewell to Summer, and when we say good-bye to wearing white and say hello to yellow flags of the football season.
Although the beginnings of Labor Day are ambiguous, the first Labor Day was celebrated in New York on Tuesday, September 5,1882, with a strike, followed by a large parade organized by the Central Labor Union. It was created to honor the working class and their social and economic achievements and signed into law as a federal holiday on June 28, 1894 by Grover Cleveland.
There continues to be animosity and resentments between large corporations and their employees, as well as with laborers and management. Businesses and services of all kinds and sizes since the beginning of time, need people, and people need jobs and security, so you would think there would be a mutually beneficially symbiotic relationship. But, we still struggle regarding the amount of profit necessary for the business owner, CEO and shareholders and the wages and respect required by the workers.
Wise business owners realize that happy, well-trained employees result in greater efficiency, greater productivity, and therefore greater profits or results. But there is always a balance required. The company needs employees, and the employees need the company. What the employee must realize is that the company does not exist so they can have a job; they exist to create a profit through offering a product or service. What the company must realize is that without employees they cannot successfully create the product or offer the service to generate a profit.
It is about balance and respect. In the laborer-management scenario, what the laborer must realize is that the owner and manager also work. Their purpose and function are different. What the manager-owner must realize is that the value of the laborer as a human being is the same as their own. They may have a different function, but they are of the same value at the human level as everyone else; they deserve the same respect and consideration as everyone else. In God’s eyes there is no difference in value between the laborer, volunteer, manager, CEO or owner. That distinction is created by human beings, not God.
The importance of a job or position is something that human beings create, not God. God considers all work important. No matter where the job lies on the laborer-owner scale, every job is important, every job has its place. They all matter. Ephesians 4:28 tells us: Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.
The Bible differentiates between work and labor. I Thessalonians 1:3 advises: “Remember without ceasing your work of faith, and labor of love…” Clearly, they are two separate activities. To a Jew such as Paul, there was an important distinction between the two. Work is the process by which things are created or changed. Labor is the effort to maintain those same things without altering them. Under the old covenant, to work on the sabbath was forbidden, but not to labor. Anything that had to be created in the tabernacle was an example of work. The effort necessary to maintain those same things was not work and was not forbidden under the Old Testament sabbath. A man could not make a candle stick on the Sabbath, but he could dust it.
Today, we use those words interchangeably. We are here to work, labor, to serve, to have purpose. And since we have been discussing virtues, yes, labor can be considered a virtue, particularly when viewed through the lens of work ethic. A strong work ethic is often seen as a moral benefit that strengthens character and individual abilities. In many philosophical and religious traditions, labor is valued for its role in personal development and societal contribution. In Genesis 3:19 the Bible reflects on labor as a necessary part of life: “By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.”
From the very beginning, God designed work as a fundamental part of human life. In Genesis 2:15, we read, “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. Work is not a punishment but a divine mandate, a way for us to participate in God’s creation and stewardship.
As our opening Bible verse teaches, whatever we do we are to do it with all our hearts because it is Christ we are serving. Labor is a pathway of love and worship. Our work of faith and labor of love is a love that requires effort, dedication, and perseverance. Laborious love is the kind of love that Jesus demonstrated through His sacrifice on the cross. As we labor in our various roles—whether as parents, employees, volunteers, or friends—we are called to embody this laborious love. Hebrews 6:10 tells us – “For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name….” We are urged to maintain those efforts in Galatians 6:9 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
We are here to work, laboriously love, to do good, so that we can take care of our families and share with those in need. As a man, a husband and father, I am motivated to work because I have a family – kids and a wife – who have needed help. I have a heart and a conscience, so I give to others in need. If we don’t work, how can we take care of our loved ones or help others? We are obliged to work, or else we become the one in need.
To me this is simple, clear, and logical. I went through a time, after earning a master’s degree, when I couldn’t find a job that I wanted in Music. So, I took a job outside of music in the dental field. Mary was working, but we needed an income from me to support the family. It was a new industry to me, a new position, but over these 33 years I have made an income, learned new things, and have helped meet our household needs.
I still get to use my musical education here in church when I play the guitar, the piano, write songs, and sing. I don’t make a living with music, but I serve God with it, and I am blessed. We are told in Ecclesiastes 3:22 – “There is nothing better for people than to be happy in their work. That is our lot in life.”
While work is important, so is rest. God Himself rested on the seventh day, setting an example for us. Labor Day is a reminder to balance our work with rest, to take time to rejuvenate and reflect. Jesus invites us in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Let us find our rest in Christ, knowing that our worth is not solely in our labor but in our identity as a child of God.
Labor Day is a day we set aside for special recognition of the people whose work makes life healthier, more enjoyable, comfortable, and secure. May our thoughts and prayers bless the vast network of people working throughout our land.
It is my prayer that we honor the gift of labor and give thanks for those whose labor benefits and nourishes us. We ask God’s blessings for those who own the lands and companies, and to those who plant and harvest food, transport products and people, provide health care, work in schools, plants, homes, and offices everywhere.
Labor Day is also a day of rest, a well-earned respite from our labors, either on a job or in life. It is a time for us to ‘re-energize’, relax, be grateful, and enjoy all the good that God has sent our way. So, however you choose to spend your Labor Day, I pray that you find contentment and reprieve from your toils.
Comentários