Happy Labor Day weekend, Pali Pres!
I hope everyone has some fun and relaxing plans in store for this long weekend (unofficially, the last weekend of summer). Mary and I plan on braving the crowds on Saturday and taking the boys to the beach, then potentially hitting the Malibu Chili Cook Off on Monday. With school starting two weeks ago and church activities ramping back up after a relatively quiet summer, I am very much looking forward to some easy-going family time. I hope you too will have some time this weekend to take a break from your regular routine and enjoy the company of your family and friends.
Labor Day weekend is also an important reminder of the blessings we have from God. In particular, we remember our God given ability to use our minds and bodies for work and service. We have each been given talents and skills that not only provide us with income, but also help build up our community and our nation.
Below are two prayers that speak to the importance of labor and service, and the importance our labor and service have on those around us. I hope these prayers will speak to you on this Labor Day weekend and help lead you into a deeper sense of gratitude to God for the work we do and the work others around us do.
Almighty God, whose Son Jesus Christ in his earthly life shared our toil and hallowed our labor: Be present with your people where they work; make those who carry on the industries and commerce of this land responsive to your will; and give to us all a pride in what we do, and a just return for our labor; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
-From the Book of Common Prayer for the Episcopal Church (1979)
O God, you have bound us together in this bundle of life; give us grace to understand how our lives depend upon the courage, the industry, the honesty, and the integrity of our fellows; that we may be mindful of their needs, grateful for their faithfulness and faithful in our responsibilities to them; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
-By Reinhold Niebuhr
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Matt