Christmas and Work: The Fruit of Ordinary Work

When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.

Luke 2:39

In yesterday’s Life for Leaders devotion, we noted that, after the first Christmas was over, both Mary and the shepherds went back to work. Mary was devoted to the care of her infant while the shepherds gave themselves to the care of their sheep.

But, before Mary and Joseph returned to Nazareth, their hometown, they first traveled to the temple in Jerusalem in order to participate in the “purification rites required by the Law” (2:22) and to offer Jesus, their firstborn, to the Lord (2:22-24) with special sacrifices. Then, having “done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth” (2:39).

Luke does not talk about the work to which Mary and Joseph devoted the majority of their waking hours and energy once they returned to Nazareth. Mary, of course, was busy caring for her baby, while Joseph resumed his work as a carpenter-craftsman. (The Greek word used in Matthew 13:55 to describe Joseph is tekton, which means “carpenter” but also could be used for those who built things with stone and other materials besides wood. In Mark 6:3, tekton is used in a description of Jesus.)

Though Luke does not mention the work of Mary and Joseph, he does bear witness to the salutary results of their work in the life of their son, Jesus. In Luke’s turn of phrase, “And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him” (2:40). How did Jesus grow and become strong? Through the efforts of his parents, of course. Joseph earned money to support his family while Mary devoted herself to nurturing Jesus physically and, no doubt, in other ways as well. Joseph contributed to Jesus’s upbringing, not only by providing for his family, but also by helping Jesus grow in his moral vision and his occupational skill.

Now, Jesus surely was privileged in extraordinary ways as the unique, divine Son of God. For example, he was “filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him” (2:40). But it would be wrong to suppose that Jesus’s wisdom was merely the result of a miraculous infusion from the Spirit. Much of what he learned came from his parents, as well as from the community around them. The ordinary work of Mary and Joseph contributed invaluably to the growth and strengthening of Jesus, as well as to his developing wisdom.

Similarly, you and I can make a difference for God through our ordinary work. Yes, we can contribute to God’s kingdom through special efforts as we go on mission trips, build homes through Habitat for Humanity, feed the hungry, seek justice for victims of racial discrimination, share the good news with our neighbors, teach Sunday School, and so forth and so on. But, for most of us, our greatest contribution to God’s work in the world will come through our ordinary work, through work we can easily take for granted or even devalue as “unspiritual.” The case of Mary and Joseph, faithfully parenting Jesus, reminds us of how much God values and uses what we do everyday for his purposes.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:

Are you ever tempted to devalue your ordinary work? If so, why? If not, why not?

Do you believe what you do each day matters to God as much as the work of your pastor? If so, why? If not, why not?

In what ways does your ordinary work make a difference for God?

Are you able to offer your ordinary work to God as worship? If so, what helps you? If not, what holds you back?

PRAYER:

Gracious God, thanks for the faithfulness of Mary and Joseph as they raised Jesus. Thanks for their hard work. Though it’s not mentioned in Luke, we do learn about the results of their effort. We understand just how much work it takes to raise a child well. And that’s exactly what Mary and Joseph did through their ordinary work.

Help us, dear Lord, to see our ordinary work in light of your kingdom. May we understand how what we do each day contributes to the world. May we learn to offer ourselves and our work to you. May our work bear fruit that honors you and that helps this world to be what you have intended it to be. Amen.

Explore more at the Theology of Work Project online Bible commentary.