Wake to Love and Work

Dear Friends,

One of my favorite hymns in the 1982 Hymnal has as its third verse these words:



Awake, awake to love and work! The lark is in the sky,

the fields are wet with diamond dew, the world’s awake

to cry their blessings on the Lord of life, as he walks meekly by.

The hymn ends with the words, “to give and give, and give again, what God hath given thee”. It is hymn for morning that speaks to the value of our work as human beings in the eyes of God. As we draw near to an early Labor Day it seems right to say a few words about how much this church in prayer values human labor.

One of the mistaken notions about the Garden of Eden was that Adam and Eve did not work. They did, joyfully and contentedly so. What changes after those fateful bites of the fruit of the Tree of Good and Evil is that human work becomes toil, a burden to our bodies, hearts, and souls. Jesus reframes work by engaging in the work of God as fully human, showing us how our work can bring healing, love, joy, reconciliation, and hope to the world, especially its human workers.

Of course, lots of people do work that is hard, and brings little consolation more than a paycheck. I count myself among the lucky ones who is called to work, even in retirement, that satisfies and delights, although its not without its days of forgotten coffee mugs and the phone, and the one too many things on the “To Do” list, due yesterday, and demands that I know I will not fulfil.

On this Labor Day, I invite us to pray for one another and our work, for safety for workers who venture much to keep us safe and secure, a list that ranges from the garbage workers to the fire fighters to the members of the military, to nurses and doctors. You can create your own list. This time of year, I pray especially for teachers and childcare workers. I began life as an English teacher and left the field because I drew a line at a salary that barely covered my living expenses and student loans, and required that I provide basic supplies for children who couldn’t afford them. Jesus showed us all the ways we can work as humans and bring about the rule of God’s love, and in doing so experience great hope and joy. Let us pray for that for all who have jobs, and those who seek them. Barring a job that delivers little more than a paycheck, let us be the community of love where those who work can find the joy they need to sustain them in their labor.

God’s peace and keeping,

Mary+