Celebrating the Workers God Uses to Help us Celebrate the Holidays

As we find ways to celebrate the upcoming holidays with our family, friends, coworkers, church members, and neighbors, it might be worth taking time to look to our Creator who gives us so many reasons to celebrate and provides an amazing array of workers to enable these celebrations to take place.

One of the things God blesses us with which brings Him glory are celebrations. Many of them are highlighted in the Bible. Their purpose was to cause God’s people to joyfully remember His mighty works and celebrate who God is and what He did for them out of His grace and mercy in various seasons. Recurring celebrations were established by God in the OT (i.e. the Sabbath, the Passover), continued in the NT (the Lord’s Supper), are enjoyed by the church today (Easter, Pentecost, and Christmas), and will be culminated in the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

However, these celebrations were only made possible by the diligent work of those whom God created and called with the gifts, talents, and experience to plan, prepare, and execute them well.

God works through His people in the “already, but not yet” window of time in-between Jesus’s first and second comings to make holiday celebrations special. This work enables us to catch a glimpse of the kinds of celebrating we will do for all eternity. My purpose is to highlight the hard work of those whom God uses to bless us during the holidays. Their work matters to God since it glorifies Him.

Adam and Eve’s mission

Let me begin with a brief theological foundation, then I will connect the dots.

When we think about God’s blueprint for human work, we must start in Gen. 1:28, which is often referred to as the creation or cultural mandate. Adam and Eve (and by extension, godly men and women today) were called by God to expand and sustain His creation. In the immediate context, this work that God began but needed humans to continue as His representatives on earth involved gardening. Later, it included hunting and parenting. Soon, men and women built homes, villages, cities, and nations, which brought order out of chaos. God created humans to work, using a variety of gifts and talents that were designed to expand and sustain His creation.

Lee Hardy, in his book, The Fabric of This World reminds us how God uses ordinary human work for our good. “Through the human pursuit of vocations across the array of earthly stations the hungry are fed, the naked are clothed, the sick are healed, the ignorant are enlightened, and the weak are protected. . . In the activity of work, God is present as the one who provides us with all that we need.”

The workers who help us celebrate

It takes a whole host of people with various talents to help us enjoy the holidays: those who labor in retail, postal workers, musicians, music teachers, pastors, children’s ministry workers, and anyone on the “party planning committee.” Let’s add those who do transportation-related work so that the grandkids can travel over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house: road construction crews, travel agents, pilots, those who serve food at the McDonalds along the highway, etc.

Let us not forget to mention all of the mothers and/or fathers who work so hard every day to earn a paycheck to be able to afford the gifts, decorations, food, and travel expenses to enable their family to celebrate the holidays well. Additionally, they spend countless hours decorating, shopping, baking, gift wrapping, and cleaning up after the celebrations are over.

I have learned to appreciate the many talents my wife has developed over the past 44 years as a mother, grandmother, and mentor to military women in our faith community. She uses her God-given abilities and spiritual gifts to show God’s love to those around her. She takes time to meet their needs by beautifully decorating our home and cooking delicious meals and treats so others enjoy the holidays.

Those whom God uses to make the holidays meaningful bring shalom to their communities. They are following the guidance God gave to the Israelites when they were in bondage in Babylonia to “seek the peace and prosperity of the city” (Jer. 29:7). Hugh Whelchel, in his book How Then Should We Work? mentions, “God meant them to be a blessing to the world even while they lived in Babylon. God intends the same for us. We are called to work for the shalom of the city, whatever or wherever that city is, where God has put us.”

What can we do to encourage these hard workers?

Since this holiday-related work is not exempt from the ever-present thorns and thistles that accompany all work on earth until Jesus returns, I make it a priority to encourage others in a personal way to acknowledge that God is working through them. Here are a few ways to do that:

• • Take time to notice the invisible workers behind the scenes
  • Reach out to them with a kind word, thanking them for their hard work
  • Tell them in an appropriate place and time that their work matters to God
  • Pray that God opens a door to share the reason for the hope they see in you

Closing thoughts

As we enjoy our holiday celebrations this season, my hope is that you will give thanks to God for the gift of work that He has assigned each of us to do. May we serve one another in love and strive to be faithful coworkers with God in the work He continues to do through us to sustain and expand His creation.

Russell E. Gehrlein holds a B.S from Colorado State University and an M.A. from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary. He is the author of Immanuel Labor – God’s Presence in our Profession: A Biblical, Theological, and Practical Approach to the Doctrine of Work. As a retired Master Sergeant, he continues to serve the U.S. Army in a civilian capacity. He and his wife of 43 years live in Missouri and enjoy spending time with their grandchildren. To read more of his work please visit Reflections on Theological Topics of Interest. 

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