Labor Day and Love (From the “And” Series)
In the USA, a day is set aside on the first Monday of September to honor those who labor for the good of others. The Holiday was conceived in a time when groups were advocating for better working conditions and legal protections for those who performed the tasks needed to build a nation.
We value work – or at least we expect it as a society. With this holiday, it may be a good time to stop and reflect upon our commitment to a work ethic – and do so through a Wesleyan lens. What is the purpose of work? What is the goal of our labor? How does faith connect to our efforts to create and produce?
In much of American culture, work is often understood through the lens of production. Good work earns and produces, more and more and more. Success is measured by output. And the biggest rewards of this labor often go to others, to those who own and hire.
From a Wesleyan perspective, there is much that resonates with this work ethic. We value effort and frown upon idleness. Some would say Wesley was neurotic about this. He traveled an estimated quarter of a million miles on horseback, preaching, teaching, leading, and engaging in ministries of mercy and justice all along the way. He redeemed his time as he rode with learning, reading, and writing – prolifically. His sense of personal industry was legendary.
To this day, we hear these exhortations found in Wesley’s Rules for Helpers, which are a part of our commitment for ordination and membership in the Conference: “Never be unemployed. Never be triflingly employed. Never waste away time.” For Wesley, every moment is entrusted to us by God and we are accountable for how we use each sand every one. As methodists, we value work!
But, in Wesleyan fashion, we can’t stop here when it comes to our understanding of work and labor. Through faith, even our labor demands the extra work of disciplined reflection. We are challenged to engage in the labor of faith, or to use more precise Wesleyan language, “the work of faith and the labor of love.” (And if you are looking this up you might need to use the spelling, “labour.”). For us, we do not limit faith to only believing, as if that is all that is needed. True faith works by love and for love.
As Charles Wesley wrote in a hymn, “Let us plead for faith alone.” He starts the hymn with a popular Calvinist line, calling for faith alone, with an overt suspicion of any kind of work connected to faith. The motto was “just believe.” After this teasing line, Wesley immediately sings, “faith which by our works is shown.” He ends the hymn with the line, “Saved by faith which works by love.”
As Wesleyans we start and end with love. First God works within us with love. Faith is coming to know and trust in this love. Our hearts are transformed by this love. And then we find ourselves wanting to engage in the labor of love, manifested especially through ordinary acts of mercy and ministries of justice.
And this leads us back to Labor Day and the question: what is the purpose of labor? As Wesleyans we are not let off the hook where we can believe that work is only about production and profit. Work, for us, is not only about industry; it is also about the cultivation of goodness. For us, salvation is never only about escaping judgment or getting to heaven. It is about the restoration of the image of God. As we participate in our own salvation, we are transformed from one degree to another into the very likeness of Christ. Our labor is always to be to this end.
Our culture, blessed by some forms of faith, values what work produces in the world, often at a safe distance from faith. As Wesleyans we value what work cultivates in us and through us for good, making it possible for us to grow in faith. Faith and Works! They go together like…Labor Day and a grill.
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See Wesley’s Sermon, “On Zeal” where he explores the idea that true religion is faith working by love. A paraphrase of this sermon and a devotion on the theme can be found in “Wanting More: Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany Inspired by the Teachings of John Wesley,” published by Market Square Books, 2024. With this sermon, I attempt to make a connection with Christmas Eve.
See Wesley’s Notes on I Thess 1:3 where he list three Christians virtues – the work of faith, the labor of love, the patience of hope, and his Notes on Hebrew 6:10 where he speak of how God does not forget our labors of love, especially those we might classify as ordinary acts of mercy - visiting the sick, caring for the poor, encouraging fellow believers, and supporting the ministry of the church.
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Michael Roberts
Michael Roberts has served as a pastor, a director of conference ministries, a delegate to General Conference, a retreat leader, and a teacher of United Methodist history and doctrine. He is married with three grown children and two grandchildren. He likes to take time each day to write and play guitar as a part of his devotional life. He is the author of four books based on John Wesley sermons which can be found at marketsquarebooks.com.