The
Work We Do
Sermon preached by Rev. Patricia Farris
September 3, 2006
Scripture:
1 Corinthians 15:58
It’s
Labor Day weekend and time for us all to pause and reflect on work
–– the work we do, the work others do on our behalf, the
very public and well-compensated work of some and the invisible and
undervalued work of many. Since the first Labor Day in 1882, this
holiday has been set aside, as the original proclamation read, to
"mark the strides already made toward creating a better workplace
in America."
On this first weekend of September, we’ll observe the holiday
with a day off work and some last sorts of things –– the
last summer picnic, the last of our Summer Sunday worship services,
the last weekend of freedom before school starts. And if you’re
really old-fashioned, I remind you of the old rules of etiquette which
stipulated that this was the last weekend of the year for ladies to
wear white skirts or pants with matching white shoes and handbags
and for gentlemen to wear white jackets and straw hats.
It’s
time to get back to work for real. A lot of our kids will soon be
starting their school-work if they haven’t already, probably
feeling both excited and a little sad that summer is ending. Schedules
crank up and nerves do to. And as someone cruelly reminded me this
week, the holidays will soon be upon us! A magazine article I noticed
this week appropriately summed up all our feelings at this time of
year in its title, “Uh-oh. Here comes September!”
Actually,
on this Labor Day, I feel myself to be among the very fortunate, that
is, people who actually are paid to do the work they love. I know
that many of you feel the same way about the work you do and what
a blessing it is.
My
feelings about my job seem to fly in the face of a recently published
list of the 50 Best Jobs in America. I read down the long list and
“pastor” isn’t on it. I was perplexed until I checked
the criteria used to define “best” and it all became clear,
for only a couple of the criteria apply to the work I do and a couple
others clearly do not!: salary compensation, stress levels, flexibility
in hours, creativity, and how easy it is to enter and advance in the
field.
Fortunately,
I can happily report that #2 on the list of 50 is “college professor”
and luckily I’m married to one of those so at least one of us
has one of the so-called Best Jobs. Some of you out there might be
interested to know that “physician assistant” ranks #5,
but (continued...)
"The
Work We Do" by Rev. Patricia Farris, September 3, 2006
physician/surgeon comes in only in 30th place. Similarly, “paralegal”
ranks far above “lawyer,” all, I suppose, due to that “stress
level” factor. And, while “curriculum developer” and
“school administrator” are on the list, “teacher”
is not. Nor is farmer, nor parent, nor plumber, nor many of the truly
useful and necessary occupations that actually keep this world going.
Whatever
our work, it’s a good day to be in church and put it all in perspective.
It’s a good day in our worship, to remember that our work, all
our work, is of God. Whether it’s school work, or mission work,
or the job of our dreams….whether it’s the work of finding
a job, keeping a job, or growing on the job…whether it’s
the work of caring for a loved one, the work of prayer, or the work
of civic involvement…the work of being a student or the work of
garden and farm…the work of being a good friend, building a strong
marriage, or of being a great brother or sister or grandparent.the work
of creating beauty, or making music or striving for peace…the
work of doing our best and of
being
the best person we can be in whatever we do…whatever our work
in this season of our life, God is with us. Our Creator God, our Creating
God, works alongside and through us, to bring forth life and hope and
joy.
Our
Scripture today, Paul’s words to the early Christians in Corinth,
says, in the translation of the Revised English Bible: “My dear
friends, stand firm and immovable, and work for the Lord always, work
without limit, since you know that in the Lord your labor cannot be
lost.” In other words, in everything you do, work for the Lord.
Let your school work be God working in you to accomplish God’s
purposes on earth. In your job and your volunteer work and your church
work, let God be working in you. In the work of helping and caring for
another, let God be working in you. In your work of prayer and service
and mission, let God be working in you. In your work of friendships
and family and of all relationships, let God be working in you. In your
work of singing and writing and building and making, let God be working
in you. In your work of teaching and crafting and designing and planning,
let God be working in you. In your work of aging and beginning and loving
and hoping, let God be working in you.
In
this way, your labor cannot be lost. It accrues to the glory of God
and makes you a partner with God in the work of the kingdom. Every job
becomes the perfect job. All work, all kinds of work, everybody’s
work, becomes the creative energy of God at work in the world. (continued...)
"The
Work We Do" by Rev. Patricia Farris, September 3, 2006
As
we will hear in a few moments in our special Communion Prayer of Thanksgiving
for this Labor Day: “it is a good a fruitful work to give thanks
to you, Almighty God, in all places and at all times and in all our
tasks. In our cars, our homes, our offices, our fields, and our kitchens;
at our tables, our desks, our telephones, and computers; when we are
resting or waiting, laboring or supervising, following or leading…Holy
are you and holy is your work among us in Jesus Christ…who delegated
his ministry to his disciples and empowered all his followers to do
his divine work in this world.”
So,
let us give thanks, that at our life’s end we might share the
sentiment of the words on an old tombstone in Yorkshire, England.
It reads:
God
give me work
Till my life shall end
And life
Till my work is done.
And
may God bless the work of our hands, the work of our words, the work
of our hearts, that God may be glorified in all that we are and all
that we do.
AMEN.
Notes:
"Best Jobs in America" and "Uh Oh. Here Comes September!"
CNNMoney.com, April 12, 2006
©Patricia
Farris , 2006. Permission is given for brief quotation with attribution.
All other rights reserved.
|
