Sermonette: Why Work?

#1344AMs

Given 03-Oct-16; 20 minutes

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Paul Minear observed that the Bible is "an album of casual photographs of laborers . . . a book by workers, about workers, for workers." Love for work is a significant part of God's image. In the very beginning, God is described as ceaselessly working and enjoying His work, unlike the melancholy lament of Louis Armstrong, wishing he could be like "that lucky old sun" with nothing to do except to "roll around heaven all day," with seemingly no responsibilities. As God's called-out ones, we cannot adopt this attitude. Jesus told the Pharisees that His Father has been working continually, setting an example for all of us to develop a passion for creating, something He gave to Adam and Eve in their awesome task of tending and keeping the Garden of Eden, becoming, in effect, co-workers with God. Work has noble divine roots and is part of natural law; man will never become complete without working in cooperation with God. Contrary to popular belief, work did not originate with sin, but became cursed with a kind of resistance after Adam and Eve sinned, subjected to the futility described in Romans 8:19-20. If we view work from an "under the sun" perspective, we will ultimately come to regard it as futile drudgery, but if we view it from an "over the sun" perspective, we will come to see work as a marvelous gift, perhaps even a profound act of worship.




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