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Home Page
The Rector's Welcome
Worship
Sermons
Music & the Organ
Newsletter
Schedule & Events
History
Programs & Ministries
Tour the Building
Links
Map & Directions
Monthly Calendar
Home Page
The Rector's Welcome
Worship
Sermons
Music & the Organ
Newsletter
Schedule & Events
History
Programs & Ministries
Tour the Building
Links
Map & Directions
Monthly Calendar
Fr. J. D. Ousley
5 September 2004“Back to Work”
In the Name of God: Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier. Amen.
Labor Day. A celebration of American workers.
This holiday seems intended especially for those who have grueling jobs — those who perform manual labor, those who may need to join unions to protect them from exploitation by their bosses.
The holiday was proposed by Matthew Maguire, a member of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists of Paterson, New Jersey. The first Labor Day was celebrated on September 5, 1882, in New York City, following plans drawn up by the Central Labor Union.
Thus Labor Day honors those who do tough jobs so that the rest of us can have it easier.
No doubt about it — these workers deserve to be honored. It's hard, by contrast, to imagine a demand for a "Professional Athletes Day." People in pro sports do work up a sweat-but they receive more than enough recognition and compensation for their achievements. These athletes don't require a holiday.
By the same token, America isn't likely to set aside a "Film Actors Day." Although acting demands discipline and energy, movie stars get plenty of recognition for their accomplishments.
So it's right that Labor Day honors those who bear the drudgery of work without getting a lot in return. A few weeks ago, I spoke about the difficulties of work; in that sermon, I tried to suggest ways that Christians find spiritual purpose in their labors.
Today, I want to start with the more positive side of work; I would like to propose a comparison between work and faith: I want to suggest that when we see the good side of tough labor, we are also helped to perceive the good side of religious discipline.
Earlier in the service we recited a Psalm that talks about righteous people: righteous people "who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked, nor lingered in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seats of the scornful."
Psalm 1 calls these religious people, "Happy." And the Psalm contends that "Their delight is in the law of the Lord." The law of the Lord makes them so happy that they "meditate on [God's] law day and night."
Now this is not the usual view of religious rules. Even those of us who consider ourselves religious don't normally associate "the law of the Lord" with "delight!"
Rules are rules; laws are laws. Like work rules and company policies — like dressing up and punching the time clock and being nice to the boss — ethical codes have to be followed whether we like them or not.
So like laborers, religious people try to love God and their neighbors; they attend church; they don't lie. We try to do these things in order to be faithful — but rarely do we think of these duties as pleasures!
What, then, is the Psalmist talking about? Well, perhaps he's pointing to where religion takes us: the final goal of the religious quest.
"Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked ..." Religion brings us happiness.
In the First Lesson we heard this morning, Moses is facing the Promised Land, and is about to die. In this poignant moment, he tells the people of Israel "choose life." The last words of Moses couldn't be truer. Religion that isn't life-affirming isn't true religion.
And, the positive side of spiritual duties is that they enable us to rejoice in the life God has given us.
Take again the analogy of work. Although people in this parish hold all sorts of different jobs, from laborers to teachers to bankers — most of us have had the experience of returning to work after a holiday.
While such times can be hectic, they serve to remind us what our vocations mean.
For me, the first day back after a vacation begins when I enter the office; turn on the computer; skim through my email; check the regular mail and official notices that have come in; and return phone calls. I also meet with staff; dictate letters; and work on my next sermon.
In the afternoon of that first day, I might go off to visit the sick, and in the evening, I could attend a meeting.
These are the same tasks I perform, day in and day out. But on the first day back, somehow they're different. When I'm away from the job for awhile, I appreciate the routine. I'm able to see that even the simple, mechanical parts of my job are part of the vocation God has given me.
I suspect that those in other occupations get a similar thrill: like the freshness a builder feels on the first day of work on a new house. Or the excitement of a writer beginning a new book. Or the curiosity a healthcare worker feels when meeting a new patient.
In these cases, the "grind" ahead is momentarily forgotten. The chains of duty are set aside. Foremost in the worker's mind is the challenge of the task ahead.
Now, to "delight in the law of the Lord" is to re-capture this same freshness in religion. It is to rejoice in the familiar worship and music; it is to be grateful for the opportunities we're given to serve God; it is to savor the "daily-ness" of religion.
That doesn't mean we minimize the difficulties of these tasks. As Jesus says in the Gospel for today, "Which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it?"
Whether our labor is secular or sacred, it forces us to marshal our resources and apply them to the work ahead.
And as there are joys in work, so there are joys in religion. Psalm 1 goes on to say that those who delight in God's law "are like trees planted by streams of water."
Like the trees growing near the water they depend on for life, religious men and women draw on spiritual "living water" that we need to survive.
So here's an idea for us as we approach the fall season. Instead of looking at this return to work as a grim necessity, perhaps we can see both our secular and our religious vocations in a new way.
We can see the positive sides of our jobs: they structure our lives and they give us money. So too with religion: it also gives us structure, a comforting pattern of prayer and worship and service to others.
We can see how our faith pays us spiritual "wages." Our faith grants times of inner peace and delight in God's law and joy in the vocations he has called us to.
And now unto that same God Father, Son, and Holy Spirit be ascribed as is most justly due all might, majesty, power, dominion and praise, now and forever, Amen.