Lessons Learned Over a Toolbox
Lessons Learned Over a Toolbox – Things I Appreciate About My Dad
A sermon
delivered by Rev. Dr. Randy K. Hammer – June 16, 2019
Matthew 13:54-56
GNT
I was surprised to learn, and you may be surprised to learn as well,
that there are only two references of the word “carpenter” in the entire New
Testament. One is in the passage read
from Matthew, referring to Jesus’ father, Joseph: “Isn’t he [i.e., Jesus] the
carpenter’s son?” (Matthew 13:55) And
the other reference is in the Gospel of Mark, referring to Jesus himself:
“Isn’t he [Jesus] the carpenter, the son of Mary?” (Mark 6:3). From these two scant references, it appears
that Joseph was a carpenter and that Jesus learned from Joseph the carpenter’s
trade and for a time worked as a carpenter himself before leaving his
woodworking tools behind and becoming an itinerant preacher.
The traditional view has been that the carpentry of Joseph and Jesus
may have taken the form of furniture making, or perhaps contributing to housing
construction through producing wooden doors and windows, door frames, and other
wooden objects. As biblical commentator
Pheme Perkins points out, “Some scholars even surmise that he [Jesus] might
have spent some time working on building the magnificent Gentile cities, like
Sepphoris, that were not far from his village.”1
But the pertinent point here is the distinct possibility that as a
youngster Jesus worked alongside and learned from Joseph in the family
carpentry shop. And as father and son
worked together, we are wont to believe that much teaching and learning
occurred amongst the tools, sawdust and shavings, not just about shaping wood,
but about religion and the shaping of life as well.
Now, I am not putting my life on the same plane with the life of Jesus
by any means (so don’t even go there), but before I turned to the life of
preaching, I, too, worked in a carpenter shop (just like my Boss J) as
a crafter of wood and maker of hand-crafted furniture. (I’ve always taken satisfaction in the
thought that one can’t go too wrong by starting out as a carpenter and ending
up as a preacher J.)
But the truth is, I have carpentry in my blood or genetic make-up. Two of my great-grandfathers – Great-grandfather
William Isaac Hammer and Great-grandfather Marion Burger – were carpenters, and
their sons, my two grandfathers – Johnny Hammer and Howard Burgner – were
carpenters as well. The country store that
I frequented as a boy was revitalized a few years ago and is doing a booming
business these days as an authentic country store and restaurant. The building was constructed just after the
turn of the 20th century, making it well over 100 years old. That country store that has been situated at
the community crossroads opposite two community churches for over 100 years was
built by my Great-grandfather Hammer and his son, my grandfather, and his
brothers. It is the Pilot Hill Old
Country Store in Limestone, Tennessee, if you care to Google it.
My Dad never made his living as a carpenter, but he did a lot of
carpentry work as a sideline in my formative years, and I was able to work
alongside him and learn from him. My Dad
was most gifted in working on large projects, such as building barns, tool
sheds, tractor sheds, and the like. I
look back fondly on my adolescent years when my Dad and I worked together on
various community carpentry projects.
So, just as I did in my Mother’s Day sermon, when I drew some points
from the scripture and shared some things I appreciate about my Mom, I thought
it only right that today I draw some spiritual points and share some things I
appreciate about my Dad. (You have heard
the saying, “Give people you love flowers while they are living.”) So, here are a few things I learned from and
appreciate about my Dad, along with some points about life in general:
Point #1: You take care of things.
I learned from my dad that you take care of the things you have, like
the tools that you own and depend upon to get the job done. My Dad would never leave one of his carpentry,
automotive, or other tools outside to be rained upon, because metal tools left
out in the rain will rust and wooden handles on shovels, garden hoes, rakes,
and such will ruin and cause you to blister your hands when you use them.
Several years ago, the pastor of the local church asked my Dad if he
could borrow his wooden stepladder to do some painting. The pastor kept the step ladder for weeks,
and every time my Dad would pass by the pastor’s house, he would see the step
ladder out in the yard where it was getting rained on. When the pastor finally returned the
stepladder some weeks later, my Dad half-jokingly commented, “I guess I will
have to give that stepladder a good whipping so that it won’t stay gone so long
the next time!” I think the pastor got
the point.
My Dad taught me to take care of my automobiles by changing the oil and
servicing them regularly, parking them in a garage out of the weather, keeping
them clean and waxed, and trying as much as possible to keep them looking like
new.
But Dad’s teaching about taking care of things extended to other areas
as well, like taking care of and providing for one’s family. Dad worked hard at his primary job, which was
being employed by the Magnavox Company and its successors for 43 years, getting
only two or three weeks of vacation each year.
Who works for the same company in the same plant today for 43
years? Not many people. And then as noted earlier, he often worked at
a second, after-hours or morning job, when his primary job was working the
second shift from 3-11, doing carpentry work or farm work in the community. Such were the times when I worked alongside
him. But with limited education, my Dad
took care of us.
Point # 2: Following the first point, my Dad taught me that orderliness
is next to godliness. In other words, in
my Dad’s shop space or garage, there was a place for everything, and everything
was put in its place when the day’s work was done. We weren’t allowed to leave tools lying
around on the ground or floor. He had installed
boards on the basement wall with nails driven at just the right places so as to
hang hammers, shovels, pick axes, and every other tool that hung, or else
things were put in a cabinet or on a shelf in the proper place. I’m still working on this point, Dad, and
sometimes the disorderliness of my work area would shame you.
But in a broader, life sense, there is a time and place for everything
in life, and everything in its proper place, to draw from the Preacher of
Ecclesiastes. There are some things that
are proper to do and say, especially in public, and there are some things that
are not proper to do and say. Everything
in life in its proper place.
Point # 3: A third thing I learned from my Dad is you take pride in
your work. You don’t cut corners, and
you do things right the first time. When
doing a job for yourself, it is a practical, prudent matter. If you do it right the first time, you won’t
have the expense and trouble of having to do it again. If you are doing a job for someone else, it
is a matter of honesty and integrity.
And such is a principle for life in general. We learned to be honest and to respect others
and their property. And maintaining
one’s integrity and good name is of the utmost importance.
Yes, like boy Jesus who learned much about carpentry, but who also likely learned much about life and religion alongside Joseph over a toolbox, I learned much about carpentry and hard work and about life alongside my Dad: taking care of those you love; the proper way to live your life; and honesty, integrity and respect for others. Such life lessons helped make me who I am. So thanks, Dad for the lessons learned over a toolbox. Amen.
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