Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Marketplace Faith

Home
Careers, Workplace and Religion
Happy “Work-Day”

Happy “Work-Day”

Last updated on: September 24, 2015 at 9:33 pm by Dr. Chip Roper

Happy “Work-Day” 2015-09-24T21:33:39-05:00 Dr. Chip Roper

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Question: What thoughts about work does Labor Day stir in you?

Labor Day A Celebration of Work

The first Labor Day was held in the place where I live: New York City. It was September 1882. The impetus behind Labor Day was to guarantee an extra day off and to champion the rights of workers. The emphasis was necessary because of the exploitative practices of business owners. Yet, as the Department of Labor states on their website, Labor Day also “constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.” [1]

With this in mind, I’d like expend this post on a Labor Day celebration of work: the work we do, the work of others, each as an expression of a God who is ultimately at work in our world. There are many problems with the world of work, exploitation, extreme income inequality, lack of engagement, increasing fragmentation of the workplace community, decreasing margins/increasing demands, etc. These challenges are to be expected and attacked in a post-eden world. But dark as the difficulties may be, they need not eclipse the goodness of work.

Celebrate the Work You Do.

What is work? Tim Keller and others suggest that work is exerting energy, influence, and skill to transform the raw materials of creation (commodities, talent, time, ideas, people) into something (product, service, experience) useful for the common good. Work is moving something (or someone) from chaos to order for the good of all.

Four things are powerful about this definition.

It applies in some way or another to just about every job.
It does not confine “work” to a paid job. Work is bigger.
It mirrors the activity of God in creating the cosmos (Genesis 1 & 2).
It establishes the fundamental goodness of work, a goodness that transcends the evils of the labor market and the challenges of the daily “job.”

And so we are free to celebrate our work

Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life. (Ecclesiastes 5:18)

But it’s not just the good work we do, for which we should be thankful.

Celebrate the Work of Others

One of the striking things about city life (My family and I moved to NYC in January) is the massive number of people here whose work is to serve others. Equally striking is how impossible life would be if they weren’t at work. Every day the doorman greets us as we leave for work, the delivery personnel who are constantly coming and going from our building, the shuttle driver takes us to the subway, the subway engineers keep the train moving and safe, police direct traffic, vendors and shop owners sell everything we need (and want and don’t need and don’t want). People are always working, taking the chaos out of city life for other people, in ways small and large.

As we see the multiplication of specialized work place roles: shepherds, musicians, and metal workers (Genesis 4:21-23) we see God providing for us through the work of others. Suburban life (where I have spent the majority of my years) encourages independence and may diminish our awareness of the good we derive from the work of others. One fills his house with all the tools and provisions to survive independently. You venture out of your cul-de-sac castle only for transactional interactions and then retreat back to your fortress. In the city, we are constantly presented with the work of others, work on which we depend to do life in this incredibly densely populated space where we literally live on top of each other. No matter where we live, the work of others all around us. Even in our islands of suburban independence we wouldn’t last long without the skills and products of others.

So we celebrate the work of others on Labor Day. And still take a moment to speak of the most important player in the “other” category.

Celebrate the Work of God.

Criticized for healing a lame man on a Sabbath Day, Jesus responded: “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working. (John 5:18). Jesus saw himself as always engaged in work to rescue people from the crippling affects of sin: a work mission that drove him to the cross and to the ultimate sacrifice. This is God’s work on our behalf, the most monumental movement from chaos to order for good.

So I suggest you take a moment to be thankful for the capacity to work, the work of others, and the work of God on your behalf.

Have a happy “Work Day.”

How About You?

What could you celebrate more about work?

What are appropriate ways to express your joy?

_____

[1] http://www.dol.gov/laborday/history.htm

http://blogs.imediaconnection.com/files/2014/02/Social-Media-Isn’t-Magic-It’s-Hard-Work.jpg

Uncategorized

Previous Post

September 2, 2015

Living Your Faith and Work: Asset or Liability? (Part 1)

Next Post

September 7, 2015 Living Your Faith At Work-Asset or Liability (Part 2)

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category A Deeper Understanding of Faith Ambition Bridging the Vocational Divide Calling Faith & Work Application Illness and Work Medince Networking Purpose of Work Secular Work Stress Uncategorized Video Talks Work Skills

Select a Month October 2023 August 2023 July 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 November 2020 May 2020 February 2020 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 June 2019 May 2019 March 2019 February 2019 December 2018 October 2018 February 2018 January 2018 September 2017 July 2017 May 2017 April 2017 December 2016 November 2016 September 2016 August 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: Jude quotes from the Book of Enoch in his epistle.

Select your answer to see how you score.

FALSE TRUE