Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Monday, 2 June 2014 "The archetype: God and humans both work"

Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Monday, 2 June 2014 "The archetype: God and humans both work"
Daily Scripture:  Genesis 2:1 The heavens, the earth, and all their vast array were finished. 2 On the seventh day God finished his work which he had done; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done. 3 God blessed the seventh day, and made it holy, because he rested in it from all his work of creation which he had done.
15 Yahweh God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it.
Genesis 3:17 To Adam he said,
“Because you have listened to your wife’s voice,
    and ate from the tree,
    about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it,’
    the ground is cursed for your sake.
You will eat from it with much labor all the days of your life.
18     It will yield thorns and thistles to you;
    and you will eat the herb of the field.
19 By the sweat of your face will you eat bread until you return to the ground,
    for out of it you were taken.
For you are dust,
    and to dust you shall return.”
Reflection Questions:
The archetypal stories in Genesis set many of the basic Biblical assumptions about life. Among those is the principle of work. Work was always a part of God's original, "good" creation, rather than being any kind of punishment. The simple reality is that both God and humans work, creating and maintaining life.
In Genesis 2:15, God "put [the man] in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it." God's command to work came before sin entered the world. The Hebrew word for "work" (abad) meant "preparing" or "tending," which implied that there was more work to do. From the start, God invited humans to join in his work in the world. What are your feelings about work? Do you see work as something God intended, or in a negative light?
In the ancient Hebrew foundation story, a fateful shift took place when humans chose to ignore God's wisdom, and sought to be their own masters in the world. It was not that God imposed work as punishment—it had been part of life all along. But sin created conditions in which work became more difficult to carry out effectively. How did Genesis 3:17-19 explain why work can be harder than God originally intended?
Today's Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for giving me work to do. Help me to see my work as a blessing, and seek out ways in which my work can join your work to create and maintain life in our broken, hurting world. Amen
Insight from Chris Holliday
Rev. Chris Holliday serves as the associate minister at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection West
When asked, “What is your work?” many might respond by describing their job – what they do to earn money each day. But your work is not always your job, and your job is not always your work. I believe that your true work deals much more with what God calls you to do and who God calls you to be. While your job can be part of your call, I feel that living into who God created you to be is the higher purpose of your life. God knit you together in your mother’s womb and gave you wonderful gifts and talents – ways in which you can continue to tend the garden and grow the kingdom – ways in which you can care for and love one another – ways in which you can help God’s marvelous vision for creation come to fruition.
In his book Wishful Thinking: A  Theological ABC, scholar and theologian Frederick Buechner helps in discerning work and call with these words: “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” In other words, God calls you to use your God-given gifts, talents and skills to help meet the world’s great needs, near and far. This call can include caring for your family, friends, co-workers, community, country, world, and all of God’s creatures and creation. So I ask you, what is your work, your God-given purpose in life? As you consider and reflect on this, I invite you to click here to listen to “Lifesong” by Casting Crowns. (The lyrics are below.)
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May all that you are and all that you do compose a lifesong filled with the ways of our loving Savior, and dedicated to the One who made us and calls us his own. Amen.
Lifesong by Casting Crowns ©2005
Empty hands held high
Such small sacrifice
If not joined with my life
I sing in vain tonight
May the words I say
And the things I do
Make my lifesong sing
Bring a smile to You
Let my lifesong sing to You
Let my lifesong sing to You
I want to sign Your name to the end of this day
Knowing that my heart was true
Let my lifesong sing to You
Lord I give my life
A living sacrifice
To reach a world in need
To be Your hands and feet
So may the words I say
And the things I do
Make my lifesong sing
Bring a smile to You
Let my lifesong sing to You
Let my lifesong sing to You
I want to sign Your name to the end of this day
Knowing that my heart was true
Let my lifesong sing to You
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Let my lifesong sing to You
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