Devotion - Monday, September 1

Today is Labor Day, and while Clemson and TriCounty are in full operation, much of the rest of our world will be shut down or closed.  The Church Office is closed today, so I will be lying low myself.

Labor Day came about as an attempt to acknowledge the contributions made by those who do the jobs which are all too often overlooked or taken for granted.  Labor Day was intended as an opportunity to acknowledge their contributions.

I was as responsible as any for yesterday's liturgy at UniLu, but I realized too late that we failed to acknowledge this holiday.  In so doing, we may have continued the mistaken notion that what we do the rest of the week is separated from what occurs on a Sunday morning.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

We live out our vocation (as a baptized child of God) in our occupation (the means for making a living and contributing to the needs of our community.)  Our vocational covenant takes on practical expression in the occupational choices we make.  This doesn't simply mean we are "nice" or "considerate" as we design ground water run-off retention pools; it means we approach our work as an opportunity to mold the world to God's desires.  This doesn't mean we are "honest" in our accounting procedures as we manage a local business; it means we see the connections between our business practices and the over-arching goals of a caring society.  We live out our baptismal commitment in the jobs we have accepted.  There is no disconnect.

I visited yesterday with a friend who for decades wore on his lapel a button which simply read "On Mission from God."  It was his way of reminding himself (and announcing to the world) that every interaction he had was an opportunity to act in accordance with God's hope - or to ignore it.   Would that we all realized that we are "On Mission from God."

For most of you, your "job" is that of a student.  This job has its own set of requirements and opportunities.  Being serious about your studies and genuinely applying yourself in mastering the material is where your Godly labor begins.  These years are more than a training ground for what comes after, and they are years in which your commitment to Christ is to be clearly visible.  That commitment is greater than merely a strong code of ethics.  God is very interested in veterinary science and how caring for animals reflects His care for creation.  God loves physics and hopes you will see it in the marvels and mysteries of the beauty of creation.

While you will not have the leisure of resting and reflecting this day on your labors, do make time to think of how you integrate the work that you do with the prayers you offer.  Know that I am offering prayers for that integration, and stand ready to assist you in making even more clear connections between the worlds in which you live.