Laboring!

Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confidant that you will get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Colossians 3: 23-24 The Message

Today we celebrate Labor Day which is thought of as the unofficial beginning of fall. It’s a bit of a strange holiday because even though we call it “Labor Day”, it’s a day where people labor as little as possible and most working folks have the day off!

Labor Day was first celebrated in New York City in 1882 to honor the nation’s workers stemming from the 19th century labor movement and The Industrial Revolution. In 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed legislation establishing the first Monday in September as a federal holiday to acknowledge the contributions of workers.

The holiday is different for different people. For example, for the person who works each day, it’s a day off, but for a Mom it’s a day with the kids and the spouse, so it can be a difficult day rather than a holiday. For the policeman, it’s a day with extra heavy traffic and more alcohol abuse, but for the farmer and the rancher, it’s just another day to feed the cattle and work in the field.

As much as we sometimes dread going to work, work is good for us. It’s actually a healthy thing to do because it exercises both the body and the brain. Most poeople don’t die from hard work or being overworked, they die from doing nothing!

God was a worker! He set about creating the heavens and the earth. On the first day, He gave light. The second day, He created the sky. The third day, He labored to create the land, seas, and plants. The fourth day, He put in place the sun, moon, and stars. The fifth day was the day He created the sea creatures and the birds. The sixth day, He made the land animals and humans. The seventh day, He rested!

From the beginning, God gave the humans that he had created work to do. Adam and Eve were charged with working to tend the Garden of Eden. Shepherds labored to tend the sheep in their care. When Jesus came, He had the job of being a carpenter, and He worked with his hands in Joseph’s carpentry shop.

Andrew, Peter,James,and John labored as fishermen. Matthew worked as a tax collector. Jesus also worked at choosing His disciples, and He called the disciples from their jobs to a new job being “fishers of men.”

Paul says that we are to consider our labor as a service to God no matter what we do. Whatever we do, we are to do it to the glory of God and not just to gain status or power.

As Christians, we can labor for the Lord by serving those who need us. Last week, we witnessed yet another senseless tragedy at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis which resulted in the death of two children. No one is immune to the horrors that unfold before us, and it is our job to reach out to our fellow man with the love of Christ.

We can also labor with dignity and intelligence in our daily tasks by praying and living a life of obedience while serving in our community and church.

Ultimately, any labor that we do that is focused on God, rather than self, becomes a way to bring glory to Him and advance His kingdom.

The hymn When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder expresses our hope and belief in being present for “roll call” when the roll is called in heaven saying that our job here is done.

Let us labor for the Master from the dawn to setting sun, Let us talk of all His wondrous love and care. When the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore, and the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there! James M. Black

Happy Labor Day!