In September 2009 I preached a series of messages called “Your Work Matters to God.”   What follows is from my second message, “Work to Love.”   One of my points was how we serve others through our work, and how that work is interconnected.

It’s breakfast time in your kitchen – you pause a moment and you or one of the kids thanks God for the food…

But take a closer look….

You filled the cereal bowls on a counter—but Reggie built the cabinet underneath the countertop.  He may have laid the tiles on the floor, too.

And the milk is coming out of a plastic jug.  And that jug is made of petroleum products, both new and recycled….

And George’s company supplied the drill pipe to go down the hole to get the crude oil.

But Brian and his colleagues found the best place to drill the hole through computer simulations and modeling.

And the place where Chuck works evaluated the core samples for permeability etc. to confirm the work simulations done by Brian.

And Michael, Rafael, and Jan managed the engineering groups that designed and built the refineries to turn the crude oil into petrochemicals to make the milk jug.

Meanwhile Mike, Jim, Chris, and Andrew worked at machine and manufacturing companies to produce the parts need to drill, pump, control, and connect the equipment need to find and transport the oil.

And Debbie answered phones and routed mail and important information to the executives of another oil-related business.

And after breakfast, the kids have schools to attend.  And Ruth, Dianne, Michelle, Bekah, and Leonila, will assist them, teach them, bless them, and do their part to ensure they get nutritious snacks and lunches and a ready ear to listen to their heartaches and joys.

Thankfully, you could eat your cereal without swimming in a sea of roaches and ants, because Scott and Sharah’s business has done a great job controlling the bugs.

And you’re not sitting there in a rough bark skin loincloth and barefoot, because you bought some clothes where Dick works and some shoes in one of the stores in Steve’s district.

And no one need leave the house without a touch of class and panache because Leta has served her customers so faithfully and well.

It may be 6:30 in the morning, but it’s not dark inside the house because Matthew has wired lights safely so you can use them with no fear of being shocked.

And there is power running through those well-placed wires and switches because Leland’s company has reliably generated it with giant turbines that are works of art to behold!

You are also glad to be sitting at that  kitchen table.  There’s a little bit of smoke residue, but thankfully Ronnie’s buddies at the fire department got here right quick last month and saved the house from burning.

And those firemen and EMT’s were ready to go because Leah served them hearty breakfasts and strong black coffee at the restaurant…

And Myron’s company supplied the transmission parts that made sure the emergency vehicles ran smoothly with out bucking and screeching their way down the road.

The vehicles were fueled and ready to go because the firemen had corporate credit cards provided by Luke’s division—so the wheels could keep turning.

The firemen had to trample down a few of the bushes that were originally bought from Kellie’s company, but because she knows her stuff, these plants will come back, being hardy natives that will beautify the home and prevent erosion around the foundation.

Speaking of the foundation, you would probably never have been able to afford this place with cash.  Thankfully, you were able to get a mortgage from the bank where Kathy works.

And in this sad and broken world, you were able to settle on the old house with your ex-spouse justly and with a minimum about of rancor and discord through Dominick’s legal work.  It was painful stuff, but the court dates were scheduled and the system all worked together well—in part because of the technical and computer support services provided by Burt’s division at the offices of Harris County.

Oh, and there is April’s work in the area of childcare.

And let’s not forget the volunteers that quietly filled in the gaps where budget and profit motive fell short:  Julie and Eve and….many others of you as well.

And of course…the stay-at-home spouses who support, bless, and love on those who sally forth day by day into the workplace.  We thank God for you, too!