Throughout the years, I’ve noticed a mischievous thing about Labor Day weekend. If I’m not careful, I miss it. I can get so caught up in the sensational hoopla of picnics, yard work, or a last-hurrah-of-summer getaway that I mindlessly skip over this holiday’s true significance.
Might we dare to think, stir, and move a step or two deeper this year on the meaning and opportunity of Labor Day weekend?
The History of Labor Day
Originally, Labor Day was so much more than a calendar marker to wrap-up summer, the pool’s closing, and launch of all things flavored pumpkin spice. The call for such a day was the creation of the labor movement and it was dedicated to recognizing the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.
The first state bill for Labor Day was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to become law was passed by Oregon on February 21, 1887. During that year, four more states—Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York—created the Labor Day holiday by legislative enactment. By the end of the decade, Connecticut, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 other states had adopted the holiday in honor of workers, and on June 28 of that year, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in DC and the territories.
A Labor Day Prayer
I’m afraid we too often forget just how meaningful and significant our daily work is in the scope of God’s original call to humans (Gen. 1-2) and his ongoing redemptive plans (Eph. 2:8-10). For present-day disciples of Jesus who are seeking to actively grow in holistic faith, there’s a thought-provoking, responsive prayer, originally penned by Jim Cotter and Paul Payton.
In recent years, we’ve prayed an adaptation of this prayer in our local church. If we dare to pray like this, it might just refocus our outlook. We might find guidance into an even more robust, holistic perspective on the vital role our work plays in God’s great work in this world. It goes like this:
Leader: Let the sowers of seed bless you, great God, the gardeners and farmers sing your praise.
Everyone: May the fishers and foresters bless you, Beloved, praise your name and glorify you forever.
Leader: Let the bread from grain bless you, great God, the wine from the grape sing your praise.
Everyone: May the transformations from cooks bless you, Beloved, praise your name and glorify you forever.
Leader: Let the spinners and weavers bless you, great God, the designers of clothes sing your praise.
Everyone: May the salesmen and retailers bless you, Beloved, praise your name and glorify you forever.
Leader: Let the sounds and silences of music bless you, great God, the great composers sing your praise.
Everyone: May the improvisers of jazz bless you, Beloved, praise your name and glorify you forever.
Leader: Let the software and civil engineers bless you, great God, the architects sing your praise.
Everyone: May the pastors and clergy bless you, Beloved, praise your name and glorify you forever.
Leader: Let the marketers and advertisers bless you, great God, the entrepreneurs sing your praise.
Everyone: May the attorneys and judges bless you, Beloved, praise your name and glorify you forever.
Leader: Let the educators bless you, great God, the academics and authors sing your praise.
Everyone: May the doctors and nurses bless you, Beloved, praise your name and glorify you forever.
Leader: Let the sculptor and scientists bless you, great God, the business owners and janitors sing your praise.
Everyone: May the artists and baristas bless you, Beloved, praise your name and glorify you forever.
Amen.
May you dare to pray this personally, share it with friends, and even potentially share it in your own local church in the coming days.
