Daily Devotion for Friday 5th September 2025

1 Thessalonians 4: 10b – 12

But we urge you, beloved, to do so more and more, to aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we directed you,  so that you may behave properly towards outsiders and be dependent on no one.

Reflection

Paul’s admonition to the Thessalonians might be an appropriate motto for many islanders.  In 1702 the Hudson Bay Company discovered that Orcadians were industrious, hard working, reliable, educated, and made excellent employees. One diary entry noted they were also “generally sober”.   In turn Orcadian men realised they would earn a lot more money at sea than by continuing to work the land in a, then, overpopulated county.  Despite changing economic fortunes the reputation of hard work in the Northern Isles is well deserved; artists, folklorists, musicians, scientists, poets, arctic explorers, an editor of the Times, and even a principal of Westminster College have hailed from these islands. 

Historically, the effort needed in making a living from the land instilled the virtues of persistence and hard work in the population.  Even now farming is a key part of the local economy.  Newer occupations exist alongside the old with there being a surprising number of jewellers here creating interesting work, and a whole sector based on art and craft.  Of course many still earn their livelihood from the sea where no one works hoping for an easy life.  Whilst many youngsters leave for university, in recent years depopulation has been reversed and there is a vibrant building sector.  Our insularity, which means we know each other (or know someone that knows the other), strengthens this culture; reputation is paramount and shoddy work means one won’t be used again. 

I wonder how the Church might learn from this culture.  How hard do we work to make newcomers welcome?  How hard do we work to ensure websites are accurate, up to date, and helpful?  How hard do we work to explain our faith when asked?  How aware are we of shoddy standards repelling?  I’m not suggesting we work for our salvation; I am suggesting that the experience of God, which we find in Jesus Christ, is something which needs hard work, high standards, reliability, education and, in general, sobriety.

Prayer

Lord Jesus,
whose hands were skilled at the plane and the lathe,
remind us to work well in the Kingdom’s causes,
to welcome those you send,
to explain our faith to those who ask,
and to ensure our worship reflects the best of what we can offer.
Amen.