Rocket Boys and Work

This is from the The Rocket Boys by Homer H. Hickam Jr. Homer wanted to quit making rockets after an accident in the mine injured his father and killed a friend. He felt guilty because he got his friend in trouble and his father assigned Homer's friend, who was a machinist, to work the "face," the most dangerous part of the mine. Homer just told his chemistry teacher, Miss Riley, he wanted to quit making rockets.

"You've got to put all your hurt and anger aside so you can do your job," Miss Riley said.

There it was, the West Virginia thing--the almighty job I should have known that was coming. Oh, yes, we all had our job to do in this state, breaking our backs to ship our wealth out to the world so we could turn around the next day and do it all over again for next to nothing. "What's my job?" I demanded harshly.

She ignored my tone. "Your job, Sonny is to build your rockets."

"Why?"

"If for no other reason, because it honors you and this school."

I wanted to run from her, tear out of her classroom and keep going, and never look back. "What if I don't like doing my job?" I argued weakly.

She gave me a look that went down to my marrow. "Then and especially then," she said, "you give it everything you've got."

p. 254. Delacorte Press. copyright 1998.

Jesus and Work/Wealth

Jesus made the following assertions in Luke about money.

Luke 16:10-14
Jesus also said to the disciples, "There was a rich man who was informed of accusations that his manager was wasting his assets. So he called the manager in and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Turn in the account of your administration, because you can no longer be my manager.' Then the manager said to himself, 'What should I do, since my master is taking my position away from me? I'm not strong enough to dig, and I'm too ashamed to beg. I know what to do so that when I am put out of management, people will welcome me into their homes.' So he contacted his master's debtors one by one. He asked the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' The man replied, 'A hundred measures of olive oil.' The manager said to him, 'Take your bill, sit down quickly, and write fifty.' Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?' The second man replied, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' The manager said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.' The master commended the dishonest manager because he acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their contemporaries than the people of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by how you use worldly wealth, so that when it runs out you will be welcomed into the eternal homes.

"The one who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and the one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you haven't been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will entrust you with the true riches? And if you haven't been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money."(net bible)

God gives us wealth to test us. The proper use of wealth is to help others.

Milton and Work

Ryken in his book about the Puritans, Wordly Saints quotes Milton's Paradise Lost about work.

Man hath his daily work of body or mind
Appointed, which declares his dignity
And the regard of Heaven on all his ways

bk. 4, lines 618-620.

Ryken goes onto to write,

We can glimpse here the Puritan belief about God as the one who calls people to tasks, about the dignity of work, about how the proper attitude toward the goals of work can transform every task into a sacred activity.

p. 35.Worldly Saints

Joseph and Work

I heard a sermon the other day (08/13/2006) about Joseph and promotions. The preacher, Greg Gilbaugh, draws three principles from Joseph's life concerning promotions.

1. Promotions are in God's control and not your control.


2. God uses waiting to develop character. Notice that Joseph had to wait 2 years before the cupbearer remembered to tell Pharoah about Joseph.


3. God will promote you to fulfill his purposes and not just to satisfy you.

Jesus and Work

Os Guiness in The Call writes about Jesus and his pre-mission work:

In the second century, Christian apologist, Justin Martyr grew up over the hill from Galilee. Interestingly, he notes that the plows made by Joseph and Jesus were still being used widely in his day. How intriguing to think of Jesus' plow rather than his cross -- to wonder what it was that made his plows and yokes last and stand out

In Mark 6, scripture records that people referred to Jesus as being a carpenter.

Mark 6:2–4
And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” (ESV)

The theological premise that physical/manual labor is honoring to God does not depend on the interpretation of Mark 6:3 or trusting Martyr's witness. Several passages support that work can be a form of worship (Colossians 3:6, 23; 1 Corinthians 10:31). God gives the blessing of enjoying the work of one's own hands to his people (Ecclesiastes 5:19-20). However, the fact that Jesus did work with his hands is an intriguing idea to meditate upon and seems to be supported by scripture and the historical witness. The God of all creation chose the profession of carpentry during his time on earth and he did not choose to be a scribe or a rabbi. All that Christ did on earth glorified His Father in heaven (John 17:4). Only God knows fully knows why, but God chose carpentry as the best way to glorify himself in in "pre-mission" period of Christ's life.