If the fabled garden symbolizes for us “paradise lost”…well, please notice that it doesn’t come with a lazy boy chair or season tickets. The Lord makes the ideal world we call Eden and puts the human being in it for a purpose. Ok, it’s a test: What is the purpose?
a. pray
b. work
c. name animals
d. believe
Careful readers will have re-read the text above and answered correctly…”the man…tills and keeps the garden.” That is to say, Adam was put in the garden to work! Those of you who answered “b” get a gold star. Others? Well, those are good answers too!
I just finished a volunteer project for the community and am tired. I worked and worked and worked over two days. It looks like a third day of work will be required…and that’s good for me. Work is a gift, blessing for those of us who take it on. I feel good about the project and the effort I put into it.
A church member called me a while back in this terrible situation we are currently in with a pandemic and a closed building. Our church activities are drastically compromised! “I miss the church” he said “I really need to connect.” I made a few suggestions and now he is teaching a children’s Sunday school class and they love him and he loves them. He loves the commitment, the lesson, the relationship, the responsibility…in a word the “work”. All he needed was what we all need…meaningful, good, other-focused work to do.
Ponder what you might want to “DO"…and call a staff member or church officer to sign up for some really great work. We have lots of it just waiting to be done. It's work meant to change the world! A lot in our world needs to be done for people and the planet to be healthy, just and peaceful.
