Working for the Wrong Things
by Beverly Marshall-Goodell
John 6:25-29
September 6, 2015
Some people say today is a bad day for the church,
because so many people travel out of town for the long weekend.
Labor Day is different things to different people.
Unlike some holidays, you don’t usually hear about people
decorating for Labor Day or sending out cards.
To the factory worker or office worker, tomorrow may be a day off.
For policemen, who have to deal with extra traffic and alcohol abuse, it’s a tough day.
For those who work in retail it means another day of crowds and long hours.
To ranchers and farmers, it’s often just another day to feed the livestock and work in the fields.
For preachers, it is an opportunity to share about the gift of work.
In our Scripture today, Jesus offered his insights on the meaning and purpose of work.
Please follow along on the screen as we hear from John 6:25-29.
Scripture-John 6:25-29
When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get
here?” Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the
signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that
spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him
God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” Then they asked him, “What must we do to do
the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has
sent.”
Prayer
God of labor and of rest, you created us with the capacity for performing meaningful work
so that we can sustain ourselves and provide for our families and the weak.
Help us to see our work as a privilege and not a burden or a punishment.
Teach us to work for peace and justice. Amen.
Message
In 1956, a commemorative Labor Day stamp was issued.
It featured a picture of a strong man holding a sledge hammer, a pick, a hoe,
and an ax over his shoulder.
His wife was seated by his side with a book in her lap showing a small child how to read.
In the lower left hand corner was a large block with words of Carlyle carved into it:
“Labor is Life.”
The meaning was clear and I think it is true: without industrious labor there will be no life—
no means to feed, clothe, house, and educate a family or oneself.
However, it is discomforting how a true statement like “Labor is Life,”
can mislead us when it is isolated from other truths.
Although our labor can be the means by which we obtain he things we need to sustain life:
food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and so on,
Jesus was very clear that our lives should be more than working for such things.
Today’s Scripture takes place on the day after Jesus’ miracle of feeding the 5000.
Those who had witnessed the miracle followed Jesus to the other side of the lake,
perhaps hoping for another spectacular show and another free lunch.
Jesus was clearly disappointed that the people were more interested in bread and fish
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Working for the Wrong Things
by Beverly Marshall-Goodell
John 6:25-29
September 6, 2015
than they were in the spiritual food he had to offer.
What did Jesus mean when he said,
“Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life”?
Well, I am pretty sure he did not mean it is not necessary to work for food.
Even in the paradise of the Garden of Eden,
Adam was given the task of tilling the soil and caring for what was growing
so that he could eat.
The early followers of Jesus, including the Apostle Paul, made a point of reporting
that they worked to supply their own needs and those of their companions.
Instead, I am pretty sure that Jesus was warning about the trap of working
solely for material things which don’t last and never fully satisfy.
All of us have a hunger inside that we are seeking to satisfy.
Our physical bodies crave water and food when our internal resources are depleted.
However, sometimes we feel a deeper sense of emptiness
that we try to satisfy with the things of this world.
In 1975, six armed gunmen broke into the safe deposit boxes in a London bank
and stole valuables worth more than $7 million.
One woman, whose jewelry was appraised at $500,000, wailed,
“Everything I had was in there. My whole life was in that box.”
What a sad commentary on her values!
Far too many people today work to support their habits of consumption.
They try to fill the emptiness inside of them with material things and entertainment,
only to come away without being satisfied.
This week I have been reading a book by Joan Chittister called,
“Wisdom Distilled from the Daily: Living the Rule of St. Benedict Today.”
In one chapter the author, a member and former prioress of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie,
reflected on work as our means of participating in creation.
In other words, work is not just a time-filler or a money-maker, it is a Christian duty.
Work is co-creative, and is what we do to continue what God has done.
In 2 Thessalonians 3:10, the Apostle Paul wrote “Those who would not work should not eat.”
Chittister describes monastics who are lazy or irresponsible as thieves.
Within Benedictine monasteries all but those who are seriously ill are expected to participate
in periods of manual labor as well as periods of prayerful reading.
In Benedictine spirituality, work is purposeful and perfecting and valuable.
It is part of our commitment to serving God by giving to others.
Christians work because work develops the worker.
The more we work at anything, the better we get at it,
and the better I get at something, the better I feel about myself.
Once when I was a teenager I brought home a big bag of shells from the beach
and asked my Dad to drill a hole in each one so I could hang them up.
I had seen him use a drill before, and I knew it would be a quick and easy job for him.
My Dad could have drilled those shells for me, but now I am grateful that he didn’t.
Instead of drilling the holes, he showed me how to drill one, and then left me to do the rest.
I got the basics of drilling and backing out the drill pretty quickly.
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Working for the Wrong Things
by Beverly Marshall-Goodell
John 6:25-29
September 6, 2015
I appreciated the fact that he gave me a block of wood to put under the shells,
so I didn’t wear out the drill bit tapping holes into the concrete patio.
But most of all, I appreciated that he trusted me to learn to use the drill,
because there have been many opportunities since then to apply that skill.
St. Benedict, author of the Rule of Benedict and founder of the Benedictine monastic movement,
understood that work is dignifying.
That is why, according to the Benedictine Rule,
even the “weak and delicate” are to be given some work or craft.
One of the earliest sayings of the Desert Monastics tells the story of a monk
who was walking to town to sell some small articles in order to buy food to live on.
On the way to the market he met a crippled man who asked the monk to carry him into town,
so he did.
After the monk had sold his first item,
the crippled man asked the monk to buy him some food, which he did.
When the market closed, the crippled man asked the monk to carry him back
to his place by the road where he had found him, and he did.
Once they arrived at the place where the monk had found the crippled man,
the cripple said to him, “You are filled with divine blessing, in heaven and earth,”
and he disappeared.
Then the monk realized that the cripple had really been an angel, sent to test both spirit and flesh.
This story and today’s Scripture reveal to us that while work is our Christian duty,
not everyone has the same capacity or gifts for work ,
and there will always be some who are simply unable to provide for themselves.
In such cases, work can be our gift to the world, a gift that supports our neighbors
and saves us from total self-centeredness.
Our work can not only provide for our own livelihood, it can also build community
and help redeem the world from its sin.
Using the gifts and talents we know we have to be of service to others,
can also lead to self-fulfillment as we discover and develop new gifts and talents.
Like the monk who meets the beggar on the way to the market,
the purpose of our labor is not just to provide for ourselves,
but also to carry others, to care for them, and see them safely home.
Prayer
Saving God, we are grateful for the gifts and talents you have given us
so that we can participate with you in your unfolding creation.
Inspire us to actively seek our neighbors and your children who are in need of our help
to carry them, to care for them, and to see them safely home. Amen.
Benediction
Some people see work as a burden or punishment,
but God intends our work to be a blessing to us and to others.
May we go forth on this Labor Day weekend claiming our place as a gifted servant of God.
Amen.
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