Labor Day

This summer the Estelline (S.D.) High School class of ’62 celebrated its 50th anniversary.  Time flies.  Twenty of the 23 living graduates attended the event.  We are scattered from California and British Columbia to Virginia and North Carolina and from North Dakota and Northern Minnesota  to Texas.  We are teachers and nurses, college professors and tool and die makers, engineers and farmers, co-op managers and landfill managers, business people and financiers.

After the reunion one classmate wrote an email telling about her daughter sho is mmaried to an Assembly of God minister, another son and his wife who are missionaries.  She is very proud of them and of  how they do the Lord’s work.  She also mentioned that her youngest son farms with them in North Dakota. 

When I wrote back to her I congratulated her on all her children.  I also noted that the son who was farming was also doing God’s work.  Any work that is creative, that preserves, protects and provides for this world that God loves so dearly is God’s work.  She wrote again saying that , of course, their youngest was involved in their church, teaching Sunday School, helping with the youth, etc.

As a retired parish pastor, I remember how this time of year we often desperately searched for Sunday School teachers and confirmation guides.  Who was God calling people to do this important church work? We couldn’t maintain a community of faith without those volunteers and many others.

I’m afraid though that it’s easy to lose sight of how most everyone is already doing God’s work with their hands in some way.  Take a look on this Labor Day at what you do daily to join in God’s work of preserving, protecting, providing in God’s world.  How are you also joining in God’s work of redeeming the world from sin and death?  How is God filling you with the power of God’s Holy Spirit as you love this world because God loves this world dearly?

ON this Labor Day rejoice in the opportunity to serve God in your work.  Pray for those who do not have meaningful work.  Pray for leaders who will enact policies that make it possible for all to the blessing of work..