It's Off to Work I Go

August 7, 2026

Opening Prayer

Lord God,

thank you for this day and for the gift of your Word.

As we open the Bible, quiet our hearts and help us to listen.

Show us something of who you are and what you are calling us to be. Amen

Bible Readings

Genesis 1:1-2

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

Genesis 2:7

Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.


Reflect

The Bible begins by telling us something pretty important about God.

God worked.

Before we read about Abraham, Moses, David, or Jesus, we read about God creating. He brings order to what is formless, fills what is empty, and brings light into the darkness.

Then, in Genesis 2, we get this wonderfully earthy picture:

“The Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground.”

God gets his hands dirty.

I love that picture because it reminds us that work isn't something added to the story later. Work is part of the story from the very beginning.

God worked. And because we are created in God's image, work is part of who we are too.

God didn't need our help, but he chose to invite us into his work. He told humanity to “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth” (Genesis 1:28), and placed Adam in the garden “to work it and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15).

In other words, God gave humanity a job.

And that job isn't limited to what we get paid to do. Whether we're caring for someone, building something, teaching, creating, serving, volunteering, raising children, or helping a neighbour, we have opportunities every day to participate in God's work in the world.

Through our work, people are served, communities are strengthened, needs are met, and lives are touched.

Our work matters because the people we serve matter to God.

That's why work can be more than simply earning a living. It can be a way of loving our neighbour and reflecting the character of our Creator.

Genesis 2:15 uses Hebrew words that carry the ideas of working, serving, keeping, and caring. These same ideas are also connected with our calling to serve and worship God.

So there can be something holy about ordinary work when it is done for God's purposes.

On this Labor Day, perhaps the question is simply:

What would it look like to see my work as part of God's work?

Before beginning the day, what if we prayed:

“God, how can I serve you through the work you've given me today?”

How would God approach this job?
How would God treat the people I work with?
Who could I serve?
What difference could my work make?
How can my work reflect the God I represent?

And at the end of the day, instead of simply saying, “I'm glad that's finished,” perhaps we could say:

“Thank you, God, for giving me the opportunity to work alongside you today.”

That changes the way we see work.

We don't simply go to work.

We go into the world as people created in the image of a God who works.

And whatever our work looks like, we can offer it to him.

Prayer

Oh God, put your grace into my heart so I may praise your great and glorious name. You have made me, and you send me into the world to do your work. Assist me to fulfill the purpose of my creation, and to show my praise by giving myself to your service. Amen.