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WORK
& JOY
The below article, making such a great commentary
as usual, is borrowed from Chuck Colson's 9/3/07 "BreakPoint" on-line e-mail commentaries
about the Christian "worldview". What "worldview" do you live by? Consider his organization's teaching ministry materials & supporting this ministry with
an on-line contribution.
Recent news articles have noted that significant
numbers of USA retirees are continuing to work into old age. Especially if lived according to
the following Christian view of "work", much of a person's value & self-identification in
life is through his/her work.
In
Celebration of Labor
The Value of a Good Day's Work
"What does Labor Day mean? For most of us, it's
nothing more than a welcome break from what we tend to see as "the daily grind." Work to so
many people is simply a necessary evil. The goal in life is putting in enough time to retire
and relax.
"But that attitude and that goal is contrary to a
Christian worldview perspective on work.
"Christians have a special reason to celebrate
Labor Day, which honors the fundamental dignity of workers, because we worship a God Who
labored to make the world—and Who created human beings in His image to be His workers. When
God made Adam and Eve, He gave them work to d cultivating and caring for the
earth.
"In the ancient world, the Greeks and Romans
looked upon manual work as a curse, something for lower classes and slaves. But Christianity
changed all of that. Christians viewed work as a high calling—a calling to be co-workers with
God in unfolding the rich potential of His creation.
"This high view of work can be traced throughout
the history of the Church. In the Middle Ages, the guild movement grew out of the Church. It
set standards for good workmanship and encouraged members to take satisfaction in the results
of their labor. The guilds became the forerunner of the modern labor
movement.
"Later, during the Reformation, Martin Luther
preached that all work should be done to the glory of God. Whether ministering the Gospel or
scrubbing floors, any honest work is pleasing to the Lord. Out of this conviction grew the
Protestant work ethic.
"Christians were also active on behalf of workers
in the early days of the industrial revolution, when factories were "dark satanic mills," to
borrow a phrase from Sir William Blake. In those days, work in factories and coal mines was
hard and dangerous. Men, women, and children were practically slaves—sometimes even chained
to machines.
"Then John Wesley came preaching and teaching the
Gospel throughout England. He came not to the upper classes, but to the laboring classes—to
men whose faces were black with coal dust, women whose dresses were patched and
faded.
"John Wesley preached to them—and in the process,
he pricked the conscience of the whole nation.
"Two of Wesley's disciples, William Wilberforce
and Lord Shaftesbury, were inspired to work for legislation that would clean up abuses in the
workplace. At their urging, the British parliament passed child-labor laws, safety laws, and
minimum-wage laws.
"But here in America we've lost the Christian
connection with the labor movement. In many countries, however, from Canada to Poland, that
tradition still remains strong.
"Much of our culture has a distinctly Greek view
of work: We work out of necessity. But, you see, we are made in the image of God and as such
we are made to work—to create, to shape, to bring order out of disorder.
"So this Labor Day, remember that all labor
derives its true dignity as a reflection of the Creator. And that whatever we do, in word or
deed, we should do all to the glory of God."
[This one of Chuck's commentaries first aired on
September 1, 2003]
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(posted
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