Readings

FIRST LESSON

The first lesson is from A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson

Knowing who you are and why you came here – that you are a child of God and that you came here to heal and be healed – is more important than knowing what you want to do. What you want to do is not the important question. The question to ask is, “When I do anything, how should I do it?” And the answer is, “Kindly.” People don’t normally associate business with kindness, because business has come to be regarded as simply a tool for making money. Miracle-workers are not in business only to make money; they’re in business to inject love into the world.

Each of us has a particular part to play in God’s plan for salvation. The Holy Spirit’s job is to reveal to us our function and to help us perform it. The Holy Spirit asks us if it’s reasonable to assume that God would assign us a task, and then not provide us with the means of its accomplishment.
Once again, we’re not deciding for ourselves what part to play in life, but rather asking that it be revealed to us where God would have us go and what God would have us do. We surrender our careers to God.

We might not know how or where our talents would best be put to use, but the Holy Spirit does. We must avoid self-initiated plans, and instead surrender our plans to God.

Some people have said, “But I’m afraid to surrender my career to God. I’m a musician – what if God wants me to be an accountant?” My answer to that is, why would God do that? Wouldn’t God rather have someone who understands numbers do that job?

If you’re talented at music, that talent is of God. If something makes your heart sing, that’s God’s way of telling you it’s a contribution God wants you to make. Sharing our gifts is what makes us happy. We’re most powerful, and God’s power is most apparent on earth, when we’re happy.

SECOND LESSON

The second lesson is from the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 13, verses 31 through 35

At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to Jesus, ‘Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Go and tell that fox for me, “Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed away from Jerusalem.” Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of God.”’

This Week's Sermon

Date: February 28, 2010

Title: What God Wants: Work

Message Delivered By: Rev. Dr. Joe McMurray

There’s a place in the countryside with a field that has two horses. From a distance, each horse looks like any other horse. But if you stop your car, or are walking by, you will notice something quite amazing. Looking into the eyes of one horse, you will discover that he’s blind. His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but instead has made a good home for him.

This alone is amazing. If you stand nearby and listen, you’ll hear the sound of a bell. Looking around for the source of the sound, you’ll see that it is coming from the smaller horse in the field. Attached to the horse's halter is a small bell. It lets the blind friend know where the other horse is, so he can follow.

If you stand and watch these two friends, you'll see that the horse with the bell is always checking on the blind horse, and the blind horse will listen for the bell and then slowly walk to where the other horse is, trusting that he won’t be led astray.

When the horse with the bell returns to the shelter of the barn each evening,
it stops occasionally and looks back, making sure that the blind friend isn't too far behind to hear the bell.

Like the owners of these two horses, God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges.

God watches over us and sometimes brings others into our lives to help us when we’re in need. Sometimes we’re the blind horse being guided by the little ringing bell of those who God places in our lives. Other times we are the guide horse, helping others to find their way.

Good friends are like that. You may not always see them, but you know they are always there. Please listen for my bell and I'll listen for yours. And remember—be kinder than necessary—everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly and leave the rest to God.

_____________________________________________________________

Will you pray with me? God you have known us before we were in our mother’s womb; you know our successes and our failures; you have witnessed our hopes and our dreams. And despite our shortcomings, you continue to love us unconditionally. Give us this same gift, so that no matter our situation in life, we may be the leader of others when they need us, and we may allow others to lead us when we need them. And may my words and all of our thoughts be filled with honor and praise to you. Amen.

The following is from Genesis 3:

God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,
cursed are you among all cattle and above all wild animals;
upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and
her seed; they will bruise your head, and you shall bruise their heel.”

To the woman God said, “I will greatly multiply your labor in childbearing;
in labor you shall bring forth children, yet your desire shall be for your
mate, who shall rule over you.’

And to the man God said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your
mate, and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall
not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in labor you shall eat of it
all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth to you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.

By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

We harken back this morning with this ancient text from the Genesis account of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. We do so not so much as a symbolic reminder of how evil, in the guise of a serpent, changed forever the nature of humanity’s relationship with God, but as a precursor to the degree with which humanity values work in its life today.

We must be cautious, however, when holding up this story of the expulsion from the Garden. Though most religious scholars now view the biblical creation story as a mythical account that charts the beginning of the human journey on earth, for others it still wields indescribable power.

The story is often portrayed as a cornerstone of the Judeo-Christian faith, and at the same time, as a lesson of the propensity of humankind always to drift toward sinfulness. Yet the story of the “fall” paints a distorted picture of work as punishment, which has become a reality for too many. In some ways, it equates employment, responsibility, and duty as hardship for sins committed rather than as an answer to a passion or calling.

As the Scriptures tell it, Adam and Eve had it made; that is, until the serpent tempted Eve so successfully, that she was blamed for everything for all of eternity. And the reputation of snakes has never been the same, either.

And Adam—did he ruin a perfect life or what? He had everything anyone could possibly want until he listened to Eve. And suddenly, the lives of all humanity changed because of a piece of fruit.

I raise the example of this story in contrast to how some view the nature of work: as an admonition, a punishment, a retribution against humanity from God for being lacking in faith, honesty, and obedience.

Let’s face it, expulsion from the Garden was bad enough, but the institution of work was the worst sentence God could impose as a punishment for misdeeds. Work was a sentence worse than death itself, although death was also part of the severance package Adam and Eve received when they were laid off as caretakers of Eden. But death would not come until they had lived long lives of toil, sweat and hard labor.

And isn’t that pretty much how many of us view work today? How many times have we uttered the phrase, “I hate my job,” or “I wish I could do that, but I have to go to work today,” a phrase uttered with the resignation that we must deny ourselves the pleasures of life. Our mantra is “TGIF—thank God it’s Friday!” We’re forced to bypass frolic and fun because we’re forever obliged to put food on the table, pay the rent or mortgage, and commit the bulk of our time toward those things annoying things that lend themselves to our very survival.

How many of us dread the beginning of the new work week? The Carpenter’s song is still sung by many of us, “Rainy days and Mondays always get me down.” For years, I dreaded Sundays because it was the day before I had to go back to work. I lost the experience of a restful day because I fretted about what was going to come the day after. I almost enjoyed Fridays—a work day—more because of the fact that I would be free on the weekend.

People still call Wednesday “hump day”—and though I know there are some variations on what that description might mean for different folks—for the most part, it’s an acknowledgment of the passage of the middle of the week, which means we will soon have a brief but blessed respite from struggling in the workplace.

And as if going to the office 40 hours per week isn’t enough, many of us bring our work home with us every day—literally and figuratively. Too often we burden our partners and friends with details about the job that they probably have little or no interest in. In fact, some of us can’t talk about anything except work, or our work relationships, or how disrespectfully our boss treats us or how unfair the company’s policies are or how underpaid and overworked we are.

Work is very important. It takes up nearly 33% of our lives, which is a lot of precious time. And when we add all the other things that constitute work that don’t happen on the job but at home—things that we’re not even paid for, it’s much, much more.

The point is – it’s a lot of time to spend if we spend it unhappily or being unfulfilled. I don’t mean to suggest that every person hates work or dislikes what they do in life. But for the purpose of argument, I’m trying to emphasize the massive amount of time we spend on this one thing, on this one aspect of life, particularly if it’s not something enjoyed. If you think of that time as punishment, it’s a fairly hefty punishment.

Instead of this pejorative view of work, let’s focus on the nature of work as something different from the scourge it became in the Genesis story: let’s examine work as a life-giving endeavor, as an opportunity for personal and spiritual growth, and as an invitation to us to spread the good news to all quarters of the world.

According to Luke, Jesus understood what his work was about. If anyone had a thankless job, it was Jesus. Fulfilling his calling, his ministry had to be very difficult, if not impossible.

Jesus was challenged by those who wanted to reap the benefits of his work—the throngs of people who followed him, who longed to touch him and be touched by him, and who desperately wanted to be healed. Yet he was equally challenged by others who thought his work represented evil because he did not subscribe to their narrow definition of how to live and practice a strict orthodoxy. He did not share in their narrow interpretation of the face of God in the world.

Jesus said: “I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way …”

Jesus went from place to place, town to town, all with the goal of finishing his work when he arrived in Jerusalem. Yet with all the pressures he faced, he never strayed from his duty. John the Baptist was dead. It was rumored that the Roman authorities sought Jesus out—Jesus, the rabble-rouser who sewed seeds of discontent among the population at a time when unrest was not to be tolerated.

Jesus spoke of things the leaders of his day did not understand: peace, harmony, setting the captives free, an inherent sense of faith and trust, and a oneness with God. Time hasn’t changed things much. Those who do the work of peace are always criticized. And from within that criticism, they are ridiculed or discredited, as were the Peaceniks of the 50s and 60s, the hippies and radicals who advocated an end to war in the 70s, and those today who feel that if we are not at war somewhere in the world, then we are weak and deserve to be dominated.

Jesus, with peace as only one of his objectives, was undaunted, and his work, still unfinished, continues on. Though no one fully appreciated the work Jesus had to do, especially in his time, he persevered: not because he had to, but because his work was his calling and his intention was to complete it.

Bringing our work to the world to glorify God should be a huge part of life for us. We each have a role to play, but each role is connected to other players. And no role is insignificant. Each is meaningful and serves a purpose. As is often said in theatre, “There are no small parts.”

God did not create us to play small or to work small. God invited us to do big things. And it’s up to us to listen to how the Holy Spirit guides us to do that work. It’s way too tempting to let things go and let the universe unfold around us—so that we become reactive, rather than proactive—about the role God has chosen for us.

Instead, God wants us to take risks and to be bold in our work. “How dare we not be bold?” as Marianne Williamson says. Listen to your heart. Listen to your passion. Act on that and be true to your calling.

Our work may be more important than we think; but it may also be unappreciated. We may have detractors who ridicule us, or those who try to undermine what we’re trying to accomplish. Remaining focused on the work at hand is key.

When our work is tied to life-giving productivity, with programs that educate and benefit people, providing the means to help those who have difficulty helping themselves, our work is on track; our work is the work of God.

When our attitudes consist of empathy and compassion, embodying the unconditional love of God and the accessibility of Jesus, then our work is blessed and holy. It’s work that’s on track; it is the work of God.

When we celebrate with thanksgiving all that God has given, when we rejoice at our abundance and share our abundance with others, when we find a way when others say there is no way, then it’s work that’s on track, and work that is of God.

Above all, we are meant to love our work. My father worked for the same company for 45 years. I used to think, “How boring that must have been.” I never gave my dad the credit that he probably loved what he did.

God gave us work, not as a punishment, but as a gift. Work is a way of expressing our desire, our passion, and God’s movement in our lives. It is a way of fulfilling our responsibility to the earth and to all creation.

We were built to put our hearts and souls into our work—and if we can’t, it seems we’re either doing the wrong work or devaluing our own sense of worth and accomplishment. In such cases, a spiritual adjustment of some kind is likely required.

Many people with fewer opportunities than we enjoy have struggled with these issues and have ultimately come to an understanding of what God wants from them—how God has somehow put passion in their labor.

May we each seek to fulfill the contribution God asks from us, and offer it back to God and to one other with the whole of our being. And may we continue to follow where God is leading. Amen.