September  2005

From the Pastor

             “What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun?  All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest.  This too is meaningless.”

            It would seem as if this quote was written to describe modern life – to describe work in the 21^st Century.  After all, we too often toil with “anxious striving” only to often see so little result.  We work long hours to provide for our families – many of us with more than one job – and there often seems so little left to go around.  After paying for taxes, groceries, clothes, housing, insurance, automobiles, ever more expensive gasoline, and a host of other necessities, it may appear that we have so little to show for our work. 

            But these words describing work were actually written several thousand years ago, by King Solomon in his book, Ecclesiastes.  The book was probably written towards the end of his life, when he looked back at his work and accomplishments and saw how little he had really achieved.  Sure, he had been a powerful king.  Sure, he built the temple in Jerusalem.  But how long would all of his accomplishments last?  He would soon leave his kingdom to his son, Rehoboam.  What would happen to his accomplishments after he died?  “I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me,” Solomon wrote.

            And Solomon had reason to be apprehensive.  For the powerful kingdom that he had built up did not survive him.  Soon after his death, the northern tribes of Israel revolted against Rehoboam, and permanently split the kingdom into two.  Even the great and glorious temple Solomon built would not last forever.  Several centuries later, the Babylonians under King Nebuchadnezzer marched in and completely leveled it.

            As we celebrate Labor Day at the beginning of September, we thank God for the gift of work.  We thank Him for the opportunity to serve our neighbor in our vocations.  We thank Him for the opportunity to earn an honest living that God uses to provide for our daily needs.

            But as we celebrate Labor Day, we also remember that our identity and our sense of self-worth should not be based on our jobs and career.  Too often, we define “success” and “failure” in terms of work and accomplishments.  We may think that we have “failed” in life if we didn’t proceed rapidly up the business ladder, or didn’t build up a huge, wealthy estate.  But that, as Solomon described, is a “chasing after the wind.”

            For our identity, and our sense of value, is not based on our accomplishments.  Instead, it is based on God’s love for us.  We base our sense of worth on the fact that God valued us so highly that He sent His only begotten Son into the world to die on the cross for our sins.  God valued us so much that Jesus rose from the dead on Easter.  God valued us so much that He came to find us when we were spiritually lost and brought us into His Kingdom.

            So no matter what work you do.  No matter whether you are “successful” in the eyes of the world – you are always highly prized and treasured by God.  No matter what job you have, no matter even if you are retired, you have opportunities to serve others and to serve the Lord.  And no matter what happens in your work in this often uncertain economy, your identity as a forgiven, beloved, redeemed child of God will remain for all eternity.  There alone, do we find our meaning, our worth and our value.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Wohletz