A Divine Vision of Meaningful Labour

                                            Christ in the Carpenter's Shop -- Gerrit van Honthorst

 He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him.  On the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” 

                                            Mark 6: 1-3 NRSVue

We were part of the congregation at Trenton United yesterday and as is usually the case in many churches on the extended Labour Day Weekend there wasn't a big crowd on hand. Still, Rev. Isaac presided for our worship while Dianne was the music leader, with help with some friends, and it was a thoughtful service all round. Lots of people work on holiday weekends and we hope that they are adequately compensated for their labour. 

The reason we celebrate Labour Day today is to honour meaningful work and those who were committed to protecting the rights of workers. During my years of ministry I took Monday as a day off and no one ever suggested that I should receive Tuesday as well on our so-called long weekends...but I'm not bitter. There have been efforts to establish a union for clergy and other church workers in the United Church but the movement never gained traction. 

As Christ-followers we remind ourselves that God chose to be with us as a human, a premise that is preposterous to many but it is part of the appeal of Christianity to me. And he had a job, identified as carpenter in the verses above. There are plenty of paintings of Jesus apprenticing for this trade with his father Joseph but poor Joe doesn't get a family mention here in Mark. 

I preached on the theme of work on a number of Labour Day Weekend Sundays and approached the subject from different perspectives. What would I say in 2026? Maybe I would reflect on the rise and some would argue the threat of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to honest human labour. 

Some pundits are sounding the caution that AI will result in the disappearance of tens of  millions of jobs world-wide and create a crisis for those who are approaching the labour market. Some billionaires are open in speculating that AI will change their industries and shrink their workforces. There is no sense that they consider those job losses as unethical or immoral. Perhaps they're too busy building rockets and buying castles. 

I'm grateful that Pope Leo's first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, considers what lies ahead with AI. The irony that the quote above was shared on X is not lost on me. The complexities of these new developments in artificial intelligence make may make the notion of traditional trades such as carpentry seem almost quaint yet communities of faith do need to ponder the ethics of technology. 

While this may seem overwhelming we are called to be discerning and faithful in every "brave new world" we find ourselves in. I may sit outside on this glorious day and ponder it all. Happy Labour Day!