What Is Good and Beautiful: Labour, Dignity, and the Call to Justice
In the wisdom literature of Ecclesiastes, the Preacher speaks a sentence that invites deep reflection: “What I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in one’s toil under the sun during the few days of the life God has given.” (Ecclesiastes 5:18) The words seem simple, yet they reach two of humanity’s most fundamental questions: health and justice. The speaker took this verse as his starting point, leading the congregation to reflect on a theological question that modern society often overlooks, yet carries enormous importance — can those who labour truly enjoy the fruits of their work?
This Sunday fell on Pentecost, and the words of Ecclesiastes chapter 5 carried a particular weight in the atmosphere of the Spirit’s anointing. The Preacher’s words first point to the question of health: can our bodies eat, digest, and be nourished? In medical terms, these are the most basic indicators of wellbeing. But the speaker quickly widened the lens: this is not only a matter of personal physical condition, but a question of justice — whether a person can enjoy the fruits of their labour depends on fair compensation, reasonable working hours, and the conditions for a dignified life.
To illustrate this in contemporary terms, the speaker shared several observations from a recent four-day stopover in England. He had the chance to meet with friends who had relocated from Hong Kong, and found they commonly faced a significant downgrade in professional standing. A friend from the technology sector was now driving a double-decker bus; a music teacher had taken up security work at concerts; someone formerly in environmental services was now packing goods in a factory. These examples recalled a belief many carry from childhood: that no job is above or below any other. The intention behind that belief is good — but if it remains only a slogan while the prevailing system fails to guarantee that frontline workers receive fair treatment, then what we say amounts to nothing more than hollow comfort.
The speaker then cited Oxfam research, noting that the current minimum wage (HK$43.10 per hour — a rise of just HK$1 from the previous year) falls considerably short of the estimated living wage of HK$61 per hour, a level that makes it difficult to support a family with dignity. He also referenced a recent London Underground workers’ dispute — not about wages, but a request to compress 36 working hours into four days per week for a better work-life balance. The two sides reached an impasse. The speaker observed that how working hours are arranged matters not only for personal preference, but for worker safety and public safety alike. Closer to home, the discussion around standard working hours has long remained unresolved, and for many workers the very idea of “work-life balance” remains a luxury.
Perhaps most poignant was the speaker’s account of a gathering the previous day with a group of high-functioning neurodivergent adults, ranging from their twenties to forties. Despite legal anti-discrimination protections, these individuals face immense difficulty finding and keeping employment. Many are overlooked in the hiring process; some who do get hired are eventually let go for not meeting certain performance benchmarks. The speaker noted that this experience of being denied the opportunity to contribute through labour resonates deeply with the LGBTQ+ community gathered that morning: they too may find themselves facing real barriers in employment because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. One of the neurodivergent participants had said: “I need to do advocacy work.” Those words moved the speaker deeply — they expressed precisely the core message he wanted to convey.
In the face of these structural challenges, the speaker emphasised that what is needed goes beyond teaching marginalised groups “more skills” or “better communication.” What is needed is advocacy at the institutional level — genuinely caring for every person’s right to participate in work and to enjoy its fruits — so that the Preacher’s phrase “what is good and beautiful” becomes not merely religious language but a concrete practice of social justice. The “good” in “good and beautiful” is not simply about moral reward; it asks: does our current system allow every person to live the life that the Preacher describes?
The wisdom of Ecclesiastes, anointed by the Spirit of Pentecost, ignites in us a longing for justice and a concern for our neighbours. The question it poses is still alive today: Does our society allow every person — regardless of ability, neurodivergence, gender, or sexual orientation — to live the life that God sees as good and beautiful? This is not an easy question to answer, but it is precisely the vocation of a faith community: to refuse comfort in the face of injustice, to hold fast to what is right, and to speak on behalf of those who have been denied their opportunity.
Blessed Ministry Community Church (BMCC) is a home for everyone. Whether you are a worker, someone on the margins, or someone who is in the midst of struggle — there is a space here for you to bring your questions, your anger, and your hope, to seek together what it means to live what is good and beautiful. Every Sunday in Hong Kong, we meet one another in the fire of Pentecost, and walk this journey of faith together. Will you join us?
