September 6 - Pentecost

Genesis 2:7-15 - It's fitting that our reading for this Labor Day would center us on Adam and Eve's care of the garden. All too often we see work as a burden that is only necessary to earn a living, yet the Genesis picture shows a meaningful collaboration with God. God plants the garden, he provides nature, and Adam and Eve are to work it, care for it, and benefit from it. Luther often talked about this with the term Vocation. He wasn't speaking about ITT, but about all of the callings in this life where God encourages us to work for the sake of the neighbor and creation itself. These vocations include our "jobs", but they also include our relationships as family and neighbor, co-worker and friend. Through all of these God invites us to work alongside Him for the sake of others. This not only makes all of our work a privilege, but puts into perspective the importance of the work others do on our behalf. God saw all that He had made and it was indeed good.