The Journey 246: Celebration of labour day

Read: Luke 7:1-10

The first week of September is a sort of celebration here in the United States. This is because it is on the first Monday of the September, that nation celebrates labour day a long week end. Most of the countries like India celebrates May 1st as the labour day, or the day that is commemorated on honoring the work force of each country. But then the labour day week end is a sort of three day weekend, that is either spent in one of the beaches, a final barbecue, a family picnic before the school begins. Labour day pales into insignificance before these pleasure trips. What is something that we should never forget is that the luxuries and the comforts that a people of a particular generation enjoys is because of the struggle and the sacrifice by a generation that lived earlier. Today though every nation goes through employment issue, the history behind the labour day, dates back to history when people were forced to work for almost twelve hours and six days a week to feed themselves and their family. With no pensions, health insurance and along with severe and sadistic employers, job often turned to death knell for many workers. But the grit and determination of these work force was what stabilized the nation. When they called for strike, the government used brute force to suppress their rightful needs. Thus when we look back, we need to be thankful to those people who suffered so that our lives are made better in future. What is more poignant is the fact in history is the fact, someone toiled, struggled and suffered, but the fruits of that labour is enjoyed by someone else. This points to the fact that we also need to devise our work and our life in such a way that the blessing that is derived from our work, should be able to be reaped for a generation to come. But sad that this is not the philosophy neither in work force, nor in family living nor in community. When I work or when I am in charge, I should be able to enjoy the fruit of my labour, and I would deliberately not want others to enjoy the fruit of my labour. What a sad fall in terms of standards in work ethics and also in the morality of work. Let us therefore redefine our vision of work so that what we do become contributions in history and blessing in the life. We have one character in the Bible who redefines both work and life.

The theme that we have chosen for our meditation is “Transformed Living”. The portion where we find the account of the man who redefines both work and life is found in Luke 7: 1-10. The person who redefines both morality and ethics of work is the centurion. Roman centurions were very common in the Roman Empire. The centurions were the backbone of the Roman Army. They were regular soldiers who had signed to serve in the army for about 20 years. They were the equivalent in rank to a modern-day Army captain. The standard unit of the Roman Army was a legion, which was a force of 6,000 men which was divided into sixty groups of 100 soldiers each and each commanded by a centurion. This shows the authority that centurion carries on his shoulder and the authority that is vested on him by the Roman empire. Here what redefines his concept of work is that he comes to Jesus Christ to seek help not for his superior but for his inferior. Anything done for the superior is normally done to enhance ones career prospect and also may be to get favors done, but here is a commander who does not something for his career, but requesting Jesus to heal his servant, someone who is inferior in terms of rank and position. It is this concept that is missing today in our concept of work. Word done only for enhancing ones own prospects in career and moving up and getting favors but nothing done so that another person is blessed nor the community or the society being benefitted by my work. It is to such a work vision that the centurion lived and it is to this work ethics that God call us all.

Rev. Dr. Joe Joseph Kuruvilla

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