There are great many products and services, and a great many jobs, that are needed to build and maintain a flourishing society: those who produce food and other goods, distributors and retailers, communicators of various kinds, accountants, lawyers, and administrators, and many, many others.

And here we have a problem – – a problem of perception. The contribution of the people doing many of these jobs goes unappreciated, at least in religious contexts.

Our religious traditions tend to emphasize healing the sick, feeding the poor, and volunteering for church missions. All of these are important, but sometimes we overlook all the different ways people contribute to the well-being of others in their daily work.

In this episode, we try to come to grips with this issue using Isaiah 61:1-4 as a staring point.