Essential Work

prepared for presentation September 6, 2020 

Video Link: https://youtu.be/Khxq6FkH3Q8

Welcome/Announcements

Welcome Friends, to worship with Trinity United Methodist Church in Lenoir City, TN. - wherever and whenever you are listening. I am Jane Whitaker, Lay Leader of Trinity, filling in for our Pastor, Kristie Banes. Thank you, Walter, for that beautiful rendition of “Blessed Assurance.” I hope you use the musical interludes as a time of personal reflection. The prelude offers an opportunity for us to still our mind and body so that we are ready to receive whatever God may have in store for us. The “Special Music” in the middle is a time for personal prayer, reflection and worship. The postlude sets us on our outward journey refreshed in mind, body and spirit. I am ever-grateful for our musicians and the gifts they bring to worship.

Call to Worship: Psalm 119:33-40

Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes, and I will observe it to the end.
Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart.
Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it.
Turn my heart to your decrees, and not to selfish gain.
Turn my eyes from looking at vanities; give me life in your ways.

Scripture: Romans 13: 8-14

8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

11 And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

Morning Prayer/Lord's Prayer

During our time of prayer this morning, I ask that you spend a few minutes reflecting on those people and situations that have touched your heart this week, and think on those moments that have brought you joy. You may want to pause the recording here and take as much time as you like for reflection.

Gracious God:

You have heard the names and needs we have spoken and the unspoken as well. We know you have heard the murmuring of our hearts. You know our need even before we speak it. We have spoken the names of a few of our family. In our hearts we have named others that we lift to your unending mercy. Hear our prayer, O Lord.

We pray without ceasing for our neighborhoods, here and all over this country, who are fighting injustice and inequality. Let us join voice with them to say, How Long? Oh Lord. Guide our leaders in finding the path of righteousness and peace in accordance with your Holy will, for we know that you desire only good for your children, and that we, your children, live in peace with one another, loving one another as you first loved us. Hear our prayer, O Lord.

We give thanks for your presence in our lives. When we call your name, you are always there, ready to meet us wherever and in whatever circumstance we find ourselves; ready to love, to comfort, to encourage, to empower, to heal. We seek your touch to heal our brokenness, whether of body or of mind or of spirit. We seek your touch to restore us to the wholeness for which we have been created. We seek your guidance to light our way along the path of life. We seek your mercy to forgive us when we have wronged another of your children. We seek your power to encourage and empower us to do the hard work of bringing forth your kingdom on earth. Hear our prayer, O Lord.

We pray for all this and more as we pray together the words Jesus taught us:

Lord's Prayer:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. An lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, AMEN.

Message:

This is Labor Day weekend so I would like to talk about labor and how the unusual circumstances surrounding the coronavirus pandemic have caused us to think about “Essential Work.” Labor Day is a civic holiday, like July 4, not a religious holiday, so there is no official liturgical recognition of the day.

However, the Bible has quite a bit to say about labor and laborers, work and workers, from beginning to end. From Genesis (2: 1-3) Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. to Revelation (14:13) Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.” There are several variations of Exodus (20:9-10) Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns.

In the New Testament, both Jesus and Paul had quite a bit to say about labor. A favorite teaching of Jesus is found in Matthew (6:25-34). It is the “Lily of the Valley” lesson and begins “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Jesus is not telling his followers that they shouldn't work, but that they shouldn't make working for material things their first priority. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Jesus spoke about common working people in many of his teachings and parables. His disciples were working people. Jesus himself was a carpenter and no doubt knew the weariness and burdens of long days of hard work. Maybe that is why he could say to his followers: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

Now all those references may be interesting to you, or not, but I have laid them out a few of them to say that how we, as Christians, think and feel about work and workers is scriptural. There is such a thing as a Theology of Work. This time of coronavirus has forced us to re-examine what we consider essential work and who we consider the essential workers.

We have been starkly reminded that the essential workers in our society are not the executives at the top echelons of corporations, not the politicians, not the Wall Street investors and bankers, not even the upper management of most businesses.

No, we learned that the utility linemen and women are essential. They have to show up and keep working to keep our power running. Gas stations have to stay open so goods can move from producer to consumer and so other essential workers can get to work. Grocery store workers, stockers, cashiers, bakers, meat cutters and, of course, farmers are essential to keep our food supply flowing.

We found out that we could get along fine for a few weeks without going out to eat or shopping for more stuff we probably didn't really need, but the workers in those businesses, and the owners of small businesses cannot get along so well without our spending. We have been reminded that health care workers, just like police, firemen and first-responders, step into the breach to save lives at the risk of their own. And the orderlies and custodians who clean up our messes. They can't work from home.

We have been reminded that schools are essential in our society. Teaching your own children at home is not so easy. Many families are led by a single parent who does not have the luxury of staying home and monitoring their child's internet learning. We have been reminded that not all families have the technology for on-line learning. We have been reminded that not all children live in households that are safe, or that have enough food on the table and that schools provide much more than book-learning.

We have learned that those workers that we have always taken for granted were and are doing the the truly essential work, often for low wages and under hazardous conditions. This pandemic has laid bare the staggering economic inequities in our society.

All of this evidence has been thrust into our faces, entered our consciousness through TV and social media. It has been exhausting, even for those of us who have only been inconvenienced. Imagine how hard it is for individuals and families when lives have been completely upended by death, disease and economic disaster.

We are tired and want to rest. Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30). Is it really? Is his yoke really easy and his burden light? What does Jesus ask of us?

Over the past few weeks, we have looked deeply into Paul's response to that question. In today's selection (from Romans 13, in verses 8-10) Paul writes: Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

“Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor. Loving our neighbor really isn't easy work, but it is essential work. Causing no harm to a neighbor is pretty complicated when we consider Jesus's teaching about who is our neighbor. When we consider his teaching about loving even our 'enemy' with whom we fiercely disagree the work seems very hard indeed, but it is essential work.

Jesus said also (Matthew 9:37-38): “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Jesus is referring here to a spiritual harvest, not a farm harvest. He recognized that there were not enough disciples to meet all the spiritual needs of the people around him. Almost all of Paul's references to work in his letters are about the work of sharing the good news of Jesus, the message of love that Jesus taught and lived, the good news that we are all equal and beloved before God. That is the essential work that Jesus wanted his followers to do

So what is my essential work as a Jesus-follower. First, to know Jesus myself, so that I can share his message. Second, to recognize all my fellow humans are of ultimate worth before God and to value the gifts that each of them has to share, no matter what their station. Third, to recognize the ways in which I, my community, our society fail to love by devaluing others or demeaning the their work; and not just recognize, but to root out these attitudes. Finally, to ACTIVELY and intentionally resist evil, injustice and oppression where-ever I find them, because these are the forces in our culture which cause harm to my neighbor.

Likewise, the essential work of the church is similar: to know Jesus in order to share his message; to value our neighbors as children of God and to appreciate their contributions to our common good; to root out ways in which we are part of the problem, and to ACT in our community to resist evil, injustice and oppression. We, as a local church, as a district and conference of the United Methodist Church have a lot of essential work that desperately needs doing! I pray we may take that charge seriously.

We at Trinity are not doing nothing, however. We are doing something. I would like to highlight just a few of our brothers and sisters who are doing essential work so Trinity continues to be a presence sharing Jesus love in our community. It is dangerous to start naming names because someone is inevitably left out, so I hereby disclaim that this is not a complete list but a highlight of Trinity's essential workers.

Sitting here today operating a camera is Sandra, who as Treasurer spends countless hours making sure that our church remains fiscally sound and accountable and who gives many more hours visiting and calling members who cannot get out.

Ed, whose technology, music and video editing enable us to share our worship with our neighbors. Joel, who show us faithfully every week to read scripture.

Bob, who is a gifted Bible scholar and teacher, and Ann who works behind the scenes caring in so many ways for the needs of others.

Gwen, who is devoted to the work of the United Methodist Women and Sunday School teacher, and Mickey who oversees the Finance Committee and offers us gifts of song. And the two of them together who have made our fellowship meals great fun affairs.

Terri Pearce, a relative newcomer, who leads the UMW and does so much more.

Dennis, who shows up willing to work when works needs to be done and Margaret who has worked diligently with the UMW and has served in many leadership areas.

Bill Harris, who we miss dearly, always showed up with a smile and a corny joke to labor for his church in serving our neighbors, or to with his family feed us ice-cream and make us smile, too.

JoAlison,who spearheads our Mission efforts, who developed our unique Mattress Ministry and who keeps us always focused ways we can love our neighbor by meeting their very earthly needs.

Joe, and Charlotte and the Alter Guild, and all the choir members who are essential to our way of worship.

Bob, who chairs our Administrative Board and always encourages us to reach out to others, and Amanda who leads the Trustees.

I want to honor all those who have said yes to serving on the boards and committees and do the work of the church. I know I can't name each one. I hope these examples give you the idea that there is essential work within the church and essential work for the church out in the world that is being done. Every member who attends and even some who can't make a contribution as they are able.

I can't complete my list without including our staff – Warren , Cindy and Stephanie who go above and beyond duty in their filling their essential roles.

Of course, Walter. You didn't think I would leave him out. As sexton he keeps our property in the best condition that it can be for an old building. As organist, he lifts our spirits to God every week. His passion for Trinity is a big part of the glue that holds us together.

And our Pastor Kristie Banes, who challenges us and equips us to be disciples of Jesus and who loves us unconditionally.

Together, we are doing the essential work of keeping our church going. Now, my prayer is that we challenge ourselves to go beyond maintaining the status quo and do the essential work of loving our neighbor and doing no harm. In this, lies our hope. May God Bless and Keep us All.

Benediction

Sisters and Brothers, Go now in peace, to do the essential work of loving others, as Jesus would have you do. AMEN.