Monday, September 3, 2012

Sermon: Dirty Jobs


Labor Day reminds us to honor those who work for their efforts. Tomorrow most folks – not all – get a paid day off to celebrate their willingness to go to work every other day they are required and provide for their families while creating products or performing services we all need and want.

Roger’s one of those guys who doesn’t get tomorrow off. He’ll be at the communications center and will dispatch others who don’t get Labor Day off to meet the need for law enforcement, fire departments, ambulance services, and related issues.

Even those of us who are lucky enough to have the day off will very likely still engage in some kind of work. There are always chores, projects, and responsibilities to be completed.

Having a job is a blessing. Not all are employed and some are despairing to find work. We remember them this weekend as well.

When you have a job you love – as I am so blessed – it’s not a struggle to go to work. Finding joy in my career is something I try to never take for granted. I know people who hate their jobs and go to work only to get the paycheck to meet their basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter.

Then there are those who have jobs we need to have done yet are so very grateful not to have to do ourselves. Roto-Router comes to mind! We all have to do dirty jobs sometimes - jobs resulting in our clothes, shoes, skin, hair, and nooks and crannies of our body being filled with some kind of dirt, muck, mud, or other unmentionable goo.

Sometimes the dirt is figurative and the job is one covering us in emotional goo which is equally hard to scrub away. These jobs are conversations about accountability, right, wrong, emotional pain, mistakes, and, hopefully, forgiveness.

There are not a lot of television shows I truly enjoy. My must-watch list is short and, honestly, the time I have for watching is just as short. One show I do enjoy is Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe. It’s on the Discovery Channel. Have you seen it?

Mike travels the country – and world - working as an apprentice on jobs most people would go out of their way to avoid. His mission is celebrating the hard-working Americans who make civilized life possible for the rest of us.

No matter what the job is – the dirtier the better – Mike jumps in and does the work. Yes, it’s entertainment. More so, it’s a lesson in humility, appreciation for those who do jobs we would do anything to avoid. In the description of the show on the Discovery Channel website, it says, “In fact, the notion of depicting hard work as noble and fun is central to his personal mission. On Labor Day 2008, Mike launched a Web site called mikeroweWORKS.com, where skilled labor and hard work are celebrated in the hope of calling attention to the steady decline in the trades and bolstering enrollment in trade schools and technical colleges.”

So Dirty Jobs is a calling for Mike – a mission to honor those whose work is hard and, yes, dirty.

How about your jobs?

I know many of you are retired. I know you still have jobs to do. Some of you are in school. And getting your education is your job. Among us there are communications workers, grant writers, farmers, teachers, nurses, physical therapists, health care aides, moms, mechanics, tire guys, accounting staff, secretaries, entrepreneurs, truck drivers, sales people, and so much more.

And no matter how much you love your job, as I do, I’m sure there are days when it’s hard to go to work. When circumstances outside your control crush in on you and create unrest and unease.

So what does the Bible say about how we are to approach our labors? Our scripture lessons today hold clues to help us all no matter what our job is.

In his letter to the church at Thessalonica, Paul reminds them of the example he and his fellow workers for the cause of Christ set. They worked for their food and lodging. They were intentional about not being a burden to anyone. They wanted others to see their work ethic and make it their own. Paul knew there were believers who didn’t share their ambition, warning the people at Thessalonica to be wary of those who were idle.

Our reading from 2 Thessalonians closes with this encouragement from Paul: And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.

Never tire of doing what is good.

My Mom is 81 and just moved to Alburnett so she can be near Guy and his family in their new home. She’s settling into her new home and already finding her time filled with serving her family in their new locale. She’s making rolls and cookies for them to enjoy and share. She’s making meals for them. And she’s there to attend school activities, worship, and community events, too.

Like her, I hope I never tire of doing what is good. Her mission is to be close to her granddaughters as they mark the milestones of their education and enjoy success in their activities.

1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (ESV)

For Mom, her job is to support her family. Her mission is joyful and full of love. For others, whose work is drudgery, Paul’s note to the church at Corinth holds a clue on how to change the attitude of your heart so the drudgery becomes purpose. Do all to the glory of God. How much more meaningful does the gross job become when you look at it through the lens of God’s glory.

Last Sunday during lunch, Pastor asked me what I was going to preach on this morning. I gave her the thumbnail sketch. She sat back and said, “During seminary, at my internship, my first job in the church was to unclog the upstairs toilet.”

She remembered the occasion with humor now, but, certainly didn’t find the joy in this job when it was given to her! We all are faced with clogged toilets, plugged drains, overflowing washing machines, and screeching dryers from time to time. Paul gives us perspective on how to handle these nuisances. Do it to the glory of God. Remember in your service to your family in fixing these messes, you honor Him who gives you blessings too numerous to count.

Thankfully, we don’t need to worry about being equipped to handle these crises on our own. We are given all the tools we need by our Loving Lord who sends the skills, the people, the ideas, and the abilities we need to succeed.

In Philippians 4:13 it says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

How do we access this supernatural power? Through prayer.

I am a fixer. Not a fixer-upper or a flipper of houses or a medical professional. But I want to fix the problems in my life, my family’s life, my friend’s lives… I’m wired to find answers, do the work, or whatever it takes to restore peace, wholeness, and joy to the lives of those I love.

Yet I have learned my desire to fix is not always the right thing for the situation. When I take the problem to Jesus in prayer, I often discover my role is to be a supporter, not the solution. I am to listen and be present, but not do. And the only way to know what you are called to do – what your job is – is to be in constant communication with our Creator.

This summer, I learned a new catch phrase among our youth. “You got this.” It’s encouragement for teams on the ball diamond. It’s support for those exhibiting projects at the fair. It’s uplifting and promotes self-confidence.

Yet what really gives me confidence is to know “God’s got this.”

I must always do my best, dedicating all my work to His glory. Then with faith and trust, know He’s got this and I don’t need to worry. No matter how dirty the job is  - literally or figuratively – God will provide all that’s needed.

Colossians 3:23-24 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

This is encouragement beyond comprehension. We will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward when we work at our jobs – whatever they might be – with all our hearts. He celebrates when he sees us toiling with smiles on our faces, knowing we are working to please Him. Not only do we accomplish the necessary task, we bring God glory in the process.

My life verse is Zephaniah 3:17 which says, “The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”

I picture this when I’m doing a job I don’t particularly like – something like house cleaning – and picture the Lord with me. He delights in me when I honor Him. He will quiet my anxious heart. And, gloriously, He will rejoice over me with singing. Isn’t it an amazing assurance of our place as loved, cherished children of the most high God?

In all this talk of jobs, work, and dirt, we can’t forget what’s most important. Today’s Gospel lesson from John reminds us when it said, “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

Amen.
(C) Ann Trimble-Ray 2012