The United States celebrates a national holiday called Labor Day, a day to honor the workers of the nation. In celebration, many people will get to have a break from their daily labor. Of course not everyone will get the day off. Most retail stores will not only be open on Labor Day, but will be having big sales which actually increase the labor for those who work in retail.
Labor Day always makes me think of a couple of related messages, one from the Bible and the other from the hymnal. There is a stanza in the hymn, “When the Roll is Called Up Yonder,” which says:
“Let us labor for the master from the dawn to setting sun,
Let us talk of all His wondrous love and care.
Then when all of life is over and our work on earth is done,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.”
The passage from the Bible is found in John 9:4. It that passage, Jesus says:
“As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.”
This passage of scripture and the verse of the hymn have the same message: we are in the time and season to devote ourselves to the work of the Kingdom. The time is coming when it will not be possible to do so, either individually or perhaps even, universally. It may be one day we will have major health issues, some type of family crisis, financial issues that overwhelm us, or other calamity that we are just trying to keep going. There will even come a time in which the ravages of age so impact our bodies, and perhaps even our minds, that we are severely limited in our ability to labor for the master. This means that NOW, we must labor to perform His works. NOW, we must spread His message from the dawn to the setting sun. NOW, we must redeem the time. NOW, we must make the most of our opportunity.
Labor Day is not only coming, but labor days are here. The need is now. The opportunity is now. Let us prioritize the work of the Kingdom and “serve the Lord with gladness” (Psalm 100:2). The Master is worth it.
As Lent commences on Ash Wednesday, we are entering a time of introspection and prayer leading to Easter. Let us reflect on the significance of death preceding resurrection, urging readers to embrace a daily practice of surrendering self in preparation for our spiritual transformation.