The Rhythm We Were Made For

Introduction

What does the Bible say about work? In Ecclesiastes 3, Revd. Mark Fletcher finds a theology of work rooted in rhythm: there is a time for everything, and our labour belongs in its season. From Sabbath rest to the daily disciplines of prayer and planning, this sermon asks what we gain from all our toil - and where our identity actually rests.

Even for those of us who have not been at school for many years or even decades, this time of year has that sense of a new term, doesn’t it? And I don’t know how you feel about that. Hopefully you’ve had some rest and a change of pace over the summer and you’re excited about a new season and all that lies ahead. But equally, the very thought of going back to school may make your heart sink. And so I thought we would look at the beginning of a term for us, at some ancient wisdom about life and work from this amazing book of Ecclesiastes. And it’s rooted in that question in verse 9: what do we gain from all our toil? What is the point of our work and our labours? And what I’m working towards this evening is a sort of helpful theology of work.

And let’s be clear at the outset. Work is essential. It was given to Adam and Eve in the garden even before the fall. It is something that we are made for, and by the grace of God, we can find real satisfaction in it. Verse 13 said, it is God’s gift that all might eat and drink and take pleasure in all of their toil. There’s a really interesting detail that this is about everyone. This isn’t just Christians. This is a common grace. And so whether that’s paid employment or caring for others or raising a family or volunteering, serving, creativity, in its right place, there can be found real satisfaction in work done well.

But the Bible is also clear that work can be hard and frustrating. The consequences of the fall in Genesis 3 say that through hard toil you will eat food from the ground all the days of your life, and when you plant good seeds, thorns and thistles will grow. And some of you, that might be exactly your experience of work. Just as this has been an awful year for farmers, often our work will not bear fruit in the way that we hope, because the world is not as it should be. And so we need to not be naive or idealistic about work.

I think there is a real problem that our society tends to make an idol out of work, as we do with all good things. We make too much of it. We allow it to define who we are. We judge people by the jobs they do, and then we venerate those who sacrifice everything for the sake of their work. But, like all idols, it will let us down. It will not satisfy our souls. It will break our heart.

And so what the Bible offers us is a radical attitude to work. And it’s rooted in balance and rhythm. As our reading said, verse 1, there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens. Just as at the heart of creation there is a gentle, never-failing rhythm, the seasons of summer and winter, springtime and autumn, a time to plant and a time to reap. So our work needs healthy rhythm. Each day has a natural rhythm of morning and evening, waking and sleeping, rest and labour, and we need that balance.

It strikes me that it might be one of the defining aspects of modernity that we now have the ability to ignore the natural rhythm of creation, whether that is something so simple as an electric light bulb, which means that we are not limited by the natural limits of the day. We can work long into the night. Or equally, these electronic devices which keep work, or more likely distraction, at our fingertips from the moment we wake until we struggle to get off to sleep. We neglect that rhythm at our peril. I think we neglect the rhythm of our lives too. Instead of recognising the seasons that we go through, the times of fruitfulness and times of fallow, we plough on regardless, pushing ourselves to be productive no matter what is going on in our lives, so that there is no time to mourn and no time to dance.

And so if I was to take one defining aspect of the Bible’s attitude to work, it would be the idea of the Sabbath. And have you stopped to think just how foundational that is? It’s there in Genesis chapter one. It was one of the defining aspects about the ancient people of God. It set them apart. A full day of rest. I don’t know if you know, but Sabbath starts at nightfall on the day before and runs through those 24 hours. And there’s something wonderful about it because it’s a gift. Everybody gets it, whether you’re rich and poor. You don’t earn it. It’s a gift from God. And if God rested on the seventh day, then who on earth do you think you are that you don’t need a Sabbath rest? And it’s not just Sabbath, actually.

Have you ever thought why holidays are called holidays? It’s because they’re holy days. There are times and seasons for celebration, for rejoicing, and for recreation. And this is the wisdom of God at the heart of creation. And so if we’re going to follow that wisdom, then it follows that we need to find a healthy pattern of work and rest and of life.

Have you ever noticed what athletes do before they start a race? If you watch them, they’ll always do the same thing. They’ll always take a deep breath and pause and focus on the task at hand and gather their strength. And I think that’s a really good discipline for all of us in our work. You will do better. You will be more efficient, more effective if you learn to pause and focus from time to time throughout the day. The answer to your lack of motivation or your lack of direction is never distracting yourself by popping onto the internet for a little while. It’s never checking your social media.

Distraction will never bring clarity of mind. I know no better way to start the day rightly than in prayer. Prayer is not simply another task to add to the already crowded agenda of any given day. It is the foundation. It is the starting point for all that we do. It’s remembering who’s actually in charge here, whose opinion matters most, whose child I am, who I’m trying to please. And if life is hard now, if it feels like a struggle, then perhaps that is a gentle reminder that you need to learn to pray. Start the day right, lay that foundation, and things will fall into place.

I’m also struck that living well requires planning. Often, our work takes up so much of our energy and creativity that we’ve no time left for anything else. And so, what about this for a suggestion, Christian? Start your day not by checking your emails so that someone else is setting the agenda, or by checking social media or the news which trigger envy and anxiety, but start the day in prayer and then in planning the day ahead. Plan your work, but also plan your recreation, your food, your time with friends, your acts of service; book in creativity, volunteering, leisure and recreation.

Living well requires planning. It is God’s gift that all might eat and drink and take pleasure in their toils. And then, how about this? At the end of the day, evaluate the day. Gently hold it before God. Ask yourself, what have I learned this day? What do I know now that I didn’t know yesterday? What am I grateful for in this day? What do I need to do better tomorrow? And in that way, we will learn to do a little bit better day by day.

Work is essential. It’s part of who we are and what we are made for, and it can be richly rewarding. The lack of meaningful work in our lives is really not good for us. But of course, work is not where we find our identity or our meaning. Verse 11 says, God has made everything beautiful in its time and has also set eternity in the human heart. Who you are is a child of God, made in the image of God. And your calling, your vocation, is to bring glory for him and to find joy in his presence. And the desires of your heart will never be met by the fruit of your labours. He has set eternity in your heart.

And the satisfaction that comes from a job well done or a problem solved is in actual fact a glimpse of eternity, a foretaste of that day when we will see all things made new and the world finally put to rights. The defining thing about God’s people has always been that they live and work in a way which is distinctive. That they are somehow freer from the stress and the anxiety that our culture lives with. And we need to learn that. We need to learn a better rhythm. We need to remember who is actually the boss. And as we learn to live well, then maybe people will catch a glimpse in us of a better way of being, a life defined by the grace and the love of God. And in that, may they catch a glimpse of the kingdom of God, which is at work in our lives day by day, and we look forward to the day when it comes on earth as it is in heaven.

Let’s just take a moment to be still, shall we?