B, Labor Day
(Observed)
Matt. 6:19-24 A Labor Day Sermon
Prayer: In the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Good morning! This is
Labor Day weekend. When Labor Day
weekend rolls around every year, we are reminded that in one form or another work
is something that we all do. Many things
in life keep us busy. So, what is your
work? What are you involved in? How do you spend your energy, your time?
For many of us tomorrow is a national holiday. We are entering the fall season and so after a long summer, Labor Day is meant to be a national day of rest for us.
The history of Labor Day is quite interesting. Growing out of the Industrial revolution and
the Labor Movement, the first Labor Day was celebrated in
Of course, Labor Day is a secular holiday and not a church festival. We don’t really recognize Labor Day in our Church calendar as a day of celebration. But for us this morning there is an opportunity.
As hard working Christians …the opportunity for us this morning is this: to consider the work we do in light of our faith. What does our work mean for us as Christians? Whether or not the work we do is inside or outside the home and whether or not we are getting paid for the work we do: what does work mean for us in light of our faith? How does our work intersect with our spiritual lives?
The subject of work comes up early in the scriptures. You’ll remember that the scriptures begin in Genesis with God at work in creation. Upon completion, God steps back and surveys what God has made and reflects that God’s work was ‘good’ (Gen. 1:31) The people put in the Garden, Adam and Eve were charged with tending and caring for the Garden that God had made. After they ate of the forbidden fruit, they were expelled and they were told they would have to work for their food and earn a living working by the sweat of their brow (Gen. 3:17-19).
In the book of Ecclesiasticus this morning, we hear about a
number of tradesmen and artisans. In New
Testament scriptures, Paul writes to the Thessalonians about their work. Apparently, the underlying issue was their
lack of it. Paul encouraged them to not
be lazy, but rather follow his example and adopt Paul’s rule that ‘Anyone
who does not work does not eat’ (II Thess.
For us in our day, I think we are privileged to have different types of work that we do. Some work we do out of duty, some work (such as hobbies) we do out of choice and some work such as employment we might do out of necessity. Hopefully on some level we enjoy the various forms of work we do and find fulfillment in the work we have done in the past. As Christians we have choices about the work we do and how we will do it. One way of thinking about it: for us, work is an opportunity: an opportunity to put our God given talents and abilities to good use, a God given opportunity to serve others and a God given opportunity to provide for our families.
Theologian Martin Luther had an interesting take on labor and the work we do. Luther argued that the work we do is a part of our Christian life. I am not sure if you have thought of the work you do in those terms. Luther argued that the labor we do is a part of what he called our Christian vocation. Now, vocation isn’t a word we use very much today. Vocation literally means “calling.” Luther’s idea was this: the work we do is a part of God’s calling in our lives.
Prior to Luther, vocation typically referred to a special calling of someone to the religious life, such as an ordained person or someone living under vows such as a Monk in a Monastery. At the time, the popular idea was that the religious vocation was a higher calling when compared to work someone did in the home or work done in society. But Luther rejected this narrow view of vocation and calling and expanded it to describe the life and work of all Christians who seek to respond to God’s call in their lives. In one of his sermons, Luther insisted that “every occupation has its own honor before God, as well as its own requirements and duties.”[1] Luther’s idea was that Christians aren’t to be separated from the world (as some in his day wanted to be). Rather Christians are to be a part of the world and actively engaged in society, in the community, in politics and in the workplace. Through the work we do in our homes, in the workplace and in the community, we are a part of how God impacts and changes the world.
Luther went on to teach that as Christians there are a “plurality” of callings in our life. Simultaneously one can be called to be a parent, an employer or an employee, a citizen, and a member of the Christian community. Luther was clearly aware that as Christians we are called by God to a number of roles and responsibilities.
But as we know, the multiple roles that we have can at times be overwhelming. Between work, home, Church and community there are competing demands for our time and our energy. As one author said, “There are never enough hours in a day, even for a Christian” (Kleinhans, 400). Author and professor, Kathryn Kleinhans suggests that the important thing, is for us to not compartmentalize these different areas of our life. Rather, to integrate and view all of these roles and things we do as a part of our spiritual lives—as Luther suggested, part of our Christian vocation, God’s calling in our lives.
Kleinhans goes on to say, ‘If vocation is God’s call, there are too many Christians who expect that call to be difficult to understand. It is not uncommon to sometimes hear Christians assert that God has a ‘personal plan for my life.’ The individual’s responsibility, then, is then to find and to follow that unique mysterious plan. One almost conjures up images of God on a cell phone, trying to get in touch with us, hoping that the call is not lost. The person on the receiving end of the call is desperate to find the one right place where a clear signal is possible.[2]
As Episcopalians we don’t have this all or nothing, hit or miss theology. Rather we focus and we look for how God is already at work in our everyday life. God at work right here, right now. The incarnation of Jesus Christ and the giving of the Holy Spirit reveal that God is present any and every place that we Christians find ourselves. This means God is present in our workplace, present in our homes, present in this community in which we live and present in this place, our Church. Kleinhans goes on to say, one does not move farther away from God or closer to God depending on the choices one makes; rather [our] Christian task is to discern God’s will and to try to act responsibly in each role or situation” (Kleinhans, 401).
Part of God’s presence and activity in our lives can also mean that our callings can change. Many of us change jobs and even change or start new careers. The work we do and the roles we undertake can certainly change over a lifetime as we learn new things and as God leads us in new directions.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus encourages us not to ‘store up
treasures for ourselves on earth, where moth and rust consume and thieves break
in and steal;’ instead, he encourages us to store up ‘treasures in heaven.’ (Mk.
6:19-20). Jesus goes on to say that we
cannot serve two masters, that we cannot serve both God and wealth (Mt.
I think when we are at our best as Christians we don’t distinguish between the “spiritual work” we do at Church and then “other work” done in the home or our place of employment. The labor, the work we do in its various forms is a part of God’s calling in each of our lives.
When we have this perspective—that we are doing the work that
God has led us to do; When we carry out
that work, that activity, that task as if we are faithfully following and faithfully
working for God.. Then maybe as Jesus said, maybe we are storing up for ourselves what
Jesus called ‘Treasures in heaven.”
This Labor Day weekend, we stand on the brink of kicking off a new Church year next Sunday. Consider what work, new role or activity that God might be calling you to do. Work is an opportunity to put our God given talents and abilities to good use. Of the different types of work that you do, hopefully there are aspects that you can celebrate. As Christians in the world, remember that it is God that we are ultimately serving with all of the work that we do.
Amen.