Labor Union

Labor Union
9-12-21                        Sermon Notes             “Labor Union”
We just celebrated Labor Day – a day when we pause to remember…work and workers! “Labor” is our theme for September.  “Labor Union” is the title for the message this Sunday.  Don’t worry – I’m not going to try to sign you up for the AEA, or the IBEW, or any such.  Instead, I’m going to ask you to consider what the Apostle Paul asked the church in Ephesus to “labor” at doing.
I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. 7 But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. (Eph. 4: 1-7 NRSV)
Focusing on v. 3 – “making every effort (laboring) to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Labor for unity.  “Is that all?” we think sarcastically, rolling our eyes. Unity?  Is that even possible? I met a pastor named Jeff from the state of Washington who was in the Free Methodist denomination.  Not being familiar with that denomination, I joked, “Just how FREE are the Free Methodists?”  He replied, without missing a beat, “We are about as FREE as United Methodists are UNITED!” Touche, Jeff.  
Does laboring for unity mean that our goal is to have everyone agree on everything?  To see eye-to-eye on everything?  That’s not where we are going with this.  We will talk about the sevenfold unity Paul describes in verses 4-6 of Ephesians 4.  We will talk about John Wesley’s famous quote on unity: “In the essentials, unity. In the non-essentials, tolerance.  In all things, charity (or love).”

See you Sunday,
Pastor Sam

The origins of the labor movement lay in the formative years of the American nation, when a free wage-labor market emerged in the artisan trades late in the colonial period. The earliest recorded strike occurred in 1768 when New York journeymen tailors protested a wage reduction. The formation of the Federal Society of Journeymen Cordwainers (shoemakers) in Philadelphia in 1794 marks the beginning of sustained trade union organization among American workers.
Posted in
Tagged with , , , , , , , ,

Recent

Archive

 2022
 2021
 March
Weird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis - Day 13Weird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis- Day FourteenWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis-Day FifteenWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis- Day 16Weird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis- Day SeventeenWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis, Day EighteenWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis- Day NineteenWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis- Day TwentyWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis- Day Twenty-OneWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis- Day Twenty-TwoWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis- Day Twenty-TwoWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis-Twenty-FourWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis- Day Twenty-FiveWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis- Day Twenty-SixWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis - Day Twenty-SevenWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis- Day Twenty-EightWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis - Day Twenty-NineWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis - Day ThirtyWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis- Day Thirty-OneWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis - Day Thirty TwoWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis - Day Thirty-ThreeWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis - Day Thirty-FourWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis- Day Thirty-FiveWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis- Day Thirty-SixWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis- Day Thirty-SevenWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis- Day Thirty EightWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis- Day Thirty-NineWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis - Day Forty

Categories

Tags

3 Encouraging 40 Days Abraham Acts All Saints' Day Apostle's Creed Ash Wednesday Back to School Baptism Be Bold Bible study Blessings Body Build up Build Burden Busy Celebrate Center Christian Christ Church Commandment Communion Connect Four Connected Connect Core Values Core Covenant Dare Discernent Disciple Don't Stop Dreaming Egypt Faith Father's Day Father\'s Day Fear Gentle Gifts Give up Give Go Wrong Goal God Gospel Grace Growing Grow Hard Hear Holy Spirit In Charge Jacob Jerusalem Jesus Wept Jesus John Wesley Joseph Journal Journey Knowing God Labor Lent Listen Lord Love Man Martha Mary Member Ministry Mission Statement Moses Name Obey One Another Paul Peter Pharaoh Plan A Pop Quiz Prayer Psalm 102 Purpose Quiet Rejoice Renewal Saints Samarian Samaritan Sanctifying Grace Satisfied School Scripture Serving Spirit Sufferings Talking Truths Union Unity Used Why Work Yesterday accomplish actions action act admitting all ambassadors angel anger another answer arrogance ask attention attitude bad news bad beautiful before believe birthright blessed blessing boat body of Christ bold break brothers brother calling call candle care carry catch change chat children child choices choice church family circumstace commandments commitment confession consequence content control conversation courage creation cross crucified crying cry death deceiver deceive deception decisions decision dedication defeat dejected demons depth devote devotional die difficult dinner discipleship dispair divine door doubt dreams each other earth encouragement encourage equipped eternity evil excuses experience extraoridnary fair faithfulness faithful faults favor feeling fellowship financially flaw fly followers follow forgive fortune friends fruitful fruit full future generosity gift glory goal good life goodness good grateful growth grudge guest guide happen happy hard times hardship harmony hearts heart heaven help history homes home honesty honest honor hope hospitality human humble humility hungry hurt image impatient imperfect impossible inheritance inivte inspiring integrity intersect jealous judge justice keep the faith keep kept kindness kind knock lament law liar life light live load lonely long look back look loss lost lunchroom make meaning meditate mercy messed up mess minister missed mission and service mission mistakes moment money more mountain mourning mysterious near needy need new year new next notice obedience offering open oppressed others outsider pain part passionate worship past patience peace people perserverance persistent pigs place plan ponder poor position power pray preach prefer prepare prevenient price pride progress prophet protect provided provision question race reaction reap reason received receives redeem reflection reflect relate relationship remember remorse repay repentance require research respond responsible reveal revenge reward riches right risk-taking risky rivers road roll call rotten rules sacrament sacrifcially sad save secret seek self-examination sermon serve service shelter shortcomings sick sign sinners sin situations slove someone else sorrow sorry sow spiritually spiritual steps step store storm strength struggle suffering survey swine sympathize table talents tears tempted ten commandments thankful thanks theology think thoughts ticket to ride time tomorrow trait travel treasure true trust truth unbelief unclean unfaithfulness unhelpful universal unlikely people unlikely places unlikely violence wait walk on water walk wander want waves weep weird welcome when pigs fly where wholeheartedly who why? willing wisdom wise wonder worked worries worship wrestle write wrong years yesterday thinking