As you (hopefully) find time to relax and enjoy this Labor Day, take a few minutes to read a little about Christian perspectives on work. EthicsDaily.com – a CBF partner – has an excellent post by managing editor Zach Dawes that offers 18 different resources for Labor Day reflection.
Via EthicsDaily.com:
Labor Day is an often-neglected holiday in the local church.
This is unfortunate as Labor Day weekend offers ministers an opportunity to discuss Christian perspectives on work.
For example, church leaders could explore the biblical teachings on work and help congregants develop a “marketplace theology” in which vocations are understood as the unique ways we help manifest the reign of God.
This approach is exemplified by R. Paul Stevens in “Doing God’s Business,” in which he asserts: “Normally God calls us to himself and leads us into particular expressions of service appropriate for our gifts and talents through our passions, abilities and opportunities.”
“And that work we do,” Stevens continues, “whether international business or graphic art, becomes part of the all-embracing summons of God to belong to him, to live in a suitable manner, and to ‘do the Lord’s work.'”
In order to help church leaders plan worship gatherings focused on labor during this upcoming holiday weekend, I’ve compiled articles that have appeared on EthicsDaily.com previously.
Over at the Department of Labor website, you can read about the fascinating history of Labor Day, how it came about and what it means. Check it out.