Rest for the Worker
For many of us Labor Day serves as the unofficial "end of summer" holiday. But where is the celebration in that? A little digging into the history of Labor Day will find that it arose in the late 1800's, near the height of the Industrial Revolution. The move from an agriculturally based society to a manufacturing based society saw a rise in long factory hours, harsh conditions and generally bad morale, especially in the lower classes and among immigrants. Labor Day began unofficially and eventually was signed into law in 1894 by President Grover Cleveland as a way to celebrate the working class and their accomplishments.
Celebrating workers and their accomplishments is a worthwhile endeavor. Over the last few years we have been highlighting the role that work plays in the life of the Christian. We were created to tend the garden and keep it, to bring about the flourishing of creation in all that we do. For sure, as a result of the fall, our work has taken on a quality of toil, but that does not eradicate the inherent goodness of work. May we take some time this weekend to THINK of all the ways that we are laboring in the re-Edenized world of the New Testament. Then, THANK the Lord for the good work, paid and unpaid, that he has given us to do both as individuals and as a community. And while we are on the topic of work, why not make plans to join us next weekend for the Faithfully Working discussion with Dr. Daniel Doriani?
In the previous paragraph I mentioned the re-Edenized world of the New Testament. What I have in mind here is the way that God is renewing what was lost and broken in the fall. In Exodus, particularly with the tabernacle, there is a calling back to creation and a movement to restore what was lost. This renewal culminates in the resurrection as Jesus essentially brings about a renewed creation, with a renewed humanity. We are now heading toward an eternity where Paradise lost is Paradise regained (see this in reading the first 2 chapters of Genesis and the last 2 chapters of Revelation, and note all the connections!). Re-Edenization will be in view this Sunday as we finish our look at Exodus. We will see God's glory finally come and fill the tabernacle in the midst of the people. In so many ways this signals a foretaste of the reversal of Eden, where Adam and Eve were driven out of the garden and lost the intimacy with YHWH. But now we have intimacy with the living God. His glory can be seen all around! What a story to celebrate!
Photo by Angelina Kichukova on Unsplash