The Labor of Love – September 3, 2023
Psalm 92:1-4, Romans 12:1-13
September 3, 2023
This weekend we celebrate Labor Day. Now, I don’t always do sermons about what are called “civil holidays” – Veterans Day, Independence Day, that sort of thing, but I started looking into this one, and it kind of grabbed me. The Holy Spirit does that! (The Spirit “nudges” us. And sometimes “grabs” us!)
I was Googling Labor Day, and one article I read said this. “In the United States, Labor Day emerged as a response to the labor movement’s push for better working conditions, fair wages, and improved workers’ rights, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.”
Think about that. “Better working conditions, fair wages, and improved workers’ rights.” Those things have to do with how workers are treated. And sure, we can talk about that for a long time! Things are still far from perfect in this country, but we’ve come a long way since then! And I think those things are all things we can agree on. “Better working conditions, fair wages, and improved workers’ rights.”
As I thought about that this week, it seemed to me that those things are also in line with our lives as God’s people. How we live in this world, and how we function with those around us – inside and outside of the Church – has everything to do with the faith we have as followers of Jesus. And he would have been about those things, because he was all about the dignity, and value of all people.
And I think there’s no doubt that Paul would agree. He would say our faith is not just about what we say we believe, it’s how we live that belief. And a big part of living that belief is how we treat people. It’s about how we care about the downtrodden, the outcast, the marginalized, and the oppressed – just like Jesus did! As I thought about that, I was drawn to this Chapter from Romans.
Now Romans is an interesting book. It’s not so much a letter written to a church that had problems and needed some guidance. It’s more like a “Systematic Theology.” That is, it’s a writing where Paul laid out carefully and methodically, what it is that we believe about the Christian faith. It’s almost like Christianity 101!
Well, we read Romans, the first part is all about what we believe. It’s about how God gave us his Grace when we didn’t deserve it, and how he has redeemed us through Jesus Christ. But the second part, (which is also about what we believe!) has to do with the practical aspects of what we believe. It’s about how we live the faith!
Paul was a very practical guy! He was always giving us that part! He always brought things back to the practice of our faith. And I think a lot of what he says here has to do with the principles that we celebrate on Labor Day – better working conditions, fair wages, and improved workers’ rights. In other words, the dignity and worth of all people. And the part we read today gives us the practical instruction of living our faith in a way that rings true with those things.
I want you to see that there’s a flow to Paul’s writing here. (There’s always a flow to Paul’s writing!) The first thing he says is this. “I appeal to you, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
Egad, there’s a lot there! Let me try to “boil it down,” and say it this way. “Because of the mercy God showed you, do everything as an act of worship to him.” Does that say it? Listen to that again. “Because of the mercy God showed you, do everything as an act of worship to him.” What we do in the physical part of our lives, affects the spiritual! Including how we treat people! “So,” he said – in a practical way – “do not be conformed this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.”
Now, that doesn’t mean we don’t have worldly things – houses and cars and stuff. It means we don’t act in worldly ways, and even more, that we strive not to think in worldly ways! “Be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” Even our minds are renewed in God! I’ll always remember the first time a modern version of the Bible came out, and when we read it as teenagers. And the first part of that verse read, “Don’t let the world squeeze you into its mold!” Isn’t that great? Are you “molded” by the world, or by God?
“So, Paul,” I hear you ask, “How should we act?” Paul’s answer? “With humility.” He starts right there! He starts with one of the biggest interpersonal problems in this world! Ego! He says, “Don’t think to highly of yourself than you ought to think.” Wouldn’t the world be a better place if more people acted with humility?
There are too many big egos in this world. There are too many people who think only of themselves. And I think you’ll agree that that’s the biggest thing that causes people not to care about others. Don’t let the world squeeze you into that mold, that way of thinking! As one of my home pastors said years ago, you will have “JOY” in your life when you put Jesus first in your life, Others second, and Yourself last!
Paul goes on to say, “And remember,” – and this is a short version of what we read a couple of weeks ago in I Corinthians – we “We are all part of the body. And we’re all important.” “And,” he would reiterate, “we treat all parts of the body with dignity and worth.”
So, those are two good places to start! “Be living sacrifices and do everything as an act of worship,” and “be humble – practice humility.” (Jesus – Others – Yourself) Then he ends with this section that, in my Bible, has the heading, “The marks of a true Christian.” That makes you want to read and find out what they are, doesn’t it? “The marks of a true Christian.”
Well, there are a whole bunch of things here. And they’re given almost as a list. In one continuous flow, Paul tells us we need to do in order to be a “true Christian.” And the very first one on the list is “Let love be genuine.” Remember what he told the Corinthians? After all the good, practical advice of the first 12 chapters of that letter, he paused to say, “But of all the advice I’ve given you, these three things are tops – faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.
As this weekend celebrates Labor Day, I invite you to keep this is mind. This is what I’m calling our “Labor” in the Lord – “The Labor of Love.” Everything we do in followers of Jesus, starts with love being “genuine.” Paul is telling us that all of the practical things we do as “true Christians,” points to that labor of love. And as he told the Colossians, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.”
As we close, I’d like simply to read these to you. I’d like you to leave here with these “marks of a true Christian” ringing in your head for the rest of the day. These are the things we do to live out our faith in Jesus Christ. And this list isn’t comprehensive. These aren’t the only things. But these are the things Paul would put at the top of his list.
So here you go! The marks of a true Christian. “Let love be genuine. Hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Never flag in zeal, (in other words, “enthusiasm for God”) be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord.” And then these final ones. “Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality.” (Romans 12:9-13)
You know, I like that heading! Those are “The marks of a true Christian.”
Prayer
Eternal God, help us indeed to be the people you want us to be. Help us to seek your will, to live your life, to rejoice in your hope, to love the people you love. Help us to keep in mind always, that your kingdom is in our midst. For it is in your name we pray, Amen.