Matthew 9:35-38 Jesus traveled among all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, announcing the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness. 36 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were troubled and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The size of the harvest is bigger than you can imagine, but there are few workers. 38 Therefore, plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out workers for his harvest.” Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, do it from the heart for the Lord and not for people. On this Labor Day 2020, we celebrate the labors of all. We benefit so much from others. Those who provide goods and services are the backbone of our society. As we celebrate others in their work, we also recognize that we add value to so many others through what we do or have done in our lifetime. One constant that I have seen is that we seek to do our work well, no matter the profession. There is a wonderful story I discovered about the rewards of doing a job well.
The U.S.S. Astoria was the first U.S. cruiser ship to engage the Japanese during the Battle of Savo Island in World War II. It was a night action fought August 8th and 9th in 1942. Although the Astoria scored two hits on the Imperial flagship Chokai, she was badly damaged and sank shortly after noon on August 9th. About 2:00 that morning, a young Midwesterner, Signalman 3rd Class Elgin Staples, was swept overboard by the blast when the Astoria’s number one eight-inch gun turret exploded. Wounded in both legs by shrapnel and in semi-shock, Staples was kept afloat by a narrow life belt that he managed to activate with a simple trigger mechanism. So there are rewards for doing a good job! Given home leave, Navy seaman Staples told his story and asked his mother, who worked for Firestone, about the purpose of the number on the belt. She replied that the company insisted on personal responsibility for the war effort, and that the number was unique and assigned to only one inspector. Staples remembered everything about the lifebelt, and quoted the number. It was his mother’s personal code and affixed to every item she was responsible for approving. Do you suppose Mrs. Staples was glad that she had performed well on the job? Paul, in Colossians 3:23, puts it this way, “Whatever you do, do it from the heart for the Lord and not for people.” That’s good advice for all of us. We dedicate our work to the Lord, and with that conviction, our work will satisfy those we serve. In our passage this morning, I detect two directions: First, is our labors within the ministries of the church. And, the second is our labors in the world. Let’s look first at the background of Matthew 9:35-38. This is a transition section. It stands between the first major section of Jesus’ ministry (teaching, healing) and the second major section which is Jesus’ missionary discourse. The first section is chapters 5-9. Chapters 5-7 are the Sermon on the Mount – practical teaching of a way of life. Then, chapters 8-9 are a collection of miracle stories. I would call your attention to the “book ends” of verses 4:23 and 9:35. They are almost identical and binds the unit together. “Jesus traveled throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues. He announced the good news of the kingdom and healed every disease and sickness among the people.” Up to this point Jesus has been the sole missionary. In the next chapter he makes his disciples partners in the work of preaching and healing. Out of compassion, Jesus sets up this transition by identifying the plentiful harvest and the need for workers. The church has long recognized the need for reaching out in ministry to the Body of Christ. It is a ministry of discipling – inspiring, instructing, and sending out. It is compassion that drives our ministries. There is the need for a huge variety of talents and gifts to accomplish this ministry within the church. The harvest is indeed great. We all have much to learn, and we all have much to offer. There is the collective wisdom of groups that is so powerful. There are the creative talents, organizational talents, inspirational talents that fuel our ministry. From music to teaching, Youth to feeding the hungry, and so many more. There are foundational talents as well that fuel our ministry. There are those with skills from computers to recycling, advertising to yard work, motivating to cleaning bathrooms. The ministries in this church run on the passion and talents of all of us. And we do it for the glory of God. But everyday life is also a prolific harvest field. That’s where we spend so much of our lives – our “work.” Whether it is work in the home or work out in the world makes no difference. Out in the community, we have a unique opening. We have access to the world through our work. Our demeanor, integrity, attitude, willingness to work – all can shine our inner spiritual life to the world in need. John Mitchell Jr. wrote a piece about Christianity and business mixing: “Is God interested in the way we do our work? Is He interested in a lathe operator and in the quantity and quality of their output? Is He interested in a watchman as they make rounds through the warehouse in the darkness and silence of the night? Is He interested in a stenographer; in the way they type their letters? Is He interested in a sales¬man and what is said to a prospect? Is God concerned about a business owner’s business? Is God there when they make out their income tax return or expense account? Does He take an interest in the company's advertising campaign and the claims made for the company's product? Is He present at personal inter-views, at conferences, director's meetings, labor union negotiations, trade con¬ventions, business luncheons, and black-tie banquets? When a person in business succeeds or fails, is God interested? To say No to these questions is to relegate God to a place of no importance in the very area of a person's life where they spend most of their waking hours. On the other hand, the one who answers Yes to these questions, whether they be a supreme court justice or a garbage collector, transforms their career into a thing of dignity, high purpose, satisfaction, and excitement.” We may never have the opportunity to speak of faith in our jobs in the world, but if we create relationships out in that working world, we can make a huge difference. Recently, Janna and I went to Taco Johns in Cody on our way back from Yellowstone. The inside dining room was closed, and you couldn’t get to the restrooms. But the demeanor of the person who took our order was stellar. He congratulated us on choosing Taco Johns for our meal! You almost felt like the person knew you and really cared that you had blessed the store by coming by for dinner. There have been other drive-thru fast food places where I kind of felt I was interrupting the person by coming to the store. Attitude makes a huge difference. Then again, the light that shines out through us in our work may invite deeper conversation. We may indeed be able to witness to our faith in caring and compassionate ways as we share life with our coworkers or customers. Creating relationships we become workers in the field of great harvest. One of the things that separates God’s workers from all others is doing our work to the glory of God. My father worked in aerospace for his career. He started with Martin Marietta in 1957 and worked there until his retirement. All too often he noticed that people came into positions of power and leadership did so by the standing on the backs of others, and by who they dispensed with on their way up the ladder. It was a dog-eat-dog environment. Those leaders were in it for their own glory – another notch in their belt. In our working world, our success should be to the glory of God, not our own glory. As Jesus invited the disciples to join him in the harvest field of grand missionary work, he invites us to work in the church and in our fields of daily endeavor. May our labors shine, and if the Lord were the recipient of our labors, may those labors bring him glory. Here is a Labor Day litany we used in various forms this morning. Litany of Labor Leader: Let us pray to the Lord of all creation, from who comes life, work and purpose. Almighty God, when you lovingly formed us out of the dust of the earth, you breathed into us the breath of life and gave us work and purpose for living. C. You placed Adam in the garden of Eden to till and keep it. L: Through our work, you make us co-creators with you, shaping the world in which we live. C. You gave dignity to our labor by sending your Son to labor with us. L. By our labor, the world is enriched. C. By our labor, we enjoy the fruits of creation. L. For providing varieties of work and for blessing us by our labor: C. We give you thanks, O Lord. L. For those who plow the field; for ranchers, farmers and farm workers, for those who work with their hands and those who move the earth, for all who provide food for others: C. We give you thanks, O Lord. L. For those who tend the sick and those who seek new cures; for doctors and nurses, for scientists and technicians; for all who work to care for the sick: C. We give you thanks, O Lord. L. For those who design and create; for inventors and explorers, for artists and musicians; for those who write books and those who entertain; for all who open windows on their world through art and music: C. We give you thanks, O Lord. L. For those who work in offices and those who work in warehouses; for secretaries and receptionists, for stockers and bookkeepers; for those who market products and for those who move them; for all who serve others through administration: C. We give you thanks, O Lord. L. For those who inspire our minds and those who motivate us; for teachers and preachers, for public servants and religious servants; those who help the poor and those who work with our children; for all who encourage us to learn: C. We give you thanks, O Lord. L. For those whose labor is tidiness and cleanliness; for janitors and sanitary workers, for drycleaners and maids; for those who produce cleaning products and those who use them; for all those who add beauty and cleanliness to your world: C. We give you thanks, O Lord. L. For those who sail the waves and those who fly the skies; for captains and attendants, for astronauts and deep sea divers; for those who chart and those who navigate: C. We give you thanks, O Lord. L. For those who serve in the armed forces; for soldiers and airmen; sailors and marines; for all those who put themselves in harm’s way to protect others: C: We give you thanks, O Lord. L. You bless us all with skills and gifts for labor. C. You provide us opportunities to use them, for the benefit of others as well as ourselves and the growth of your Kingdom on earth. L. Guard and protect those who labor in the world. C. Bless the work of our hands, O Lord.
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