Labor Day is Coming!

Many of us are still basking in the summer sun. But the backpacks are getting prepped, classrooms are being organized, and fall is coming in fast. Labor Day weekend in many churches tends to be one of those “throw away” Sundays. It’s the last long weekend folks are able to travel and enjoy summer’s warmth. Some churches combine efforts, expecting smaller than usual crowds. Some plan a service with minimal volunteer requirements – less musicians, low tech, simple snacks served. And yes! It is good and right that your congregation is reveling in the final days of summer before the busyness of the fall rush is in full swing. But don’t pass up the opportunity to use this particular Sunday well, highlighting the importance of work – what God created us to do, equips us to perform, and sends us to do each week. If this isn’t something your congregation is accustomed to, this is the perfect Sunday to begin and set the stage for slowly building vocationally-conversant worship practices into your services. Start small! Pick a low-hanging fruit! Let’s get to work! *** Interested in preaching on work for Labor Day? Below is a list of possible sermon series on work. You could choose a theme and run with it, start a full series for the fall, or just let this fuel your homiletical imagination. Credit: Kara Martin. 

• Biblical theology of work: Creation (Good), Fall (Broken), Israel (Searching), Jesus (Redeemed), Church (Reconciling), Renewal (Restored)
• Work in the Bible (Theology of Work Project, Work and Worship): Genesis, Ecclesiastes, Psalms, Isaiah, Luke, Colossians, 1 Peter, Revelation
• The aims of work: Money, Purpose, Dignity, Relationships, To Serve, Bearing Witness
• God the worker (Robert Banks: God the Worker): Composer, Potter, Garmentmaker, Gardener, Farmer, Shepherd, Tentmaker, Architect
• Vocations as parables (John van Sloten: https://www.johnvansloten.com/work): HR, Plumber, Nursing, Geologist, Farmer, Mother/Father, Student, Accountant
• Spiritual disciplines for work (Kara: Workship): Holy working, Gospel working, Prayerful working, Incarnational working, Spirit-empowered working, Social Justice working
• Practical wisdom for work (Kara: Workship 2): Stress, Work-life balance, Bullying, Ambition, Ethical decision-making, Unemployment, Hospitality, Beauty
• What are people made for? (Made to Flourish): Love, Discipleship, Work, Hope, Worship, Community, Responsibility, Dignity, Flourishing

Two prayers for Labor Day.

Prayer #1: Written by Nicole Baart

For us all as we celebrate Labor Day and the beginning of a new season:

O God, Creator of Word and world and work,
We thank you for our minds, hearts, and hands.
May we use the gifts you have given us to be your ambassadors
In a lost and lonely world, to help and heal,
Create and cultivate, and fill the earth with good things.
All: Bless the work of our hands.

Be with the students going back to school.
As they learn all about your diverse creation,
May they also learn to love their neighbors as themselves.
Give them the courage to be kind.
Open their hearts and minds to all you would teach them.
All: Bless this season of learning and growing.

Be with those who stay at home.
In the quiet work of dish soap and diapers,
Cooking and cleaning, may they know the holiness of each task.
You are in the quiet days, the simple service
That is often overlooked.
All: Bless the sacred ordinary.

Be with all who are employed.
Thank you for the gift of gainful work,
A way to provide for themselves and their families.
May they find joy and meaning in their calling,
And use their efforts to edify this community and beyond.
All: Bless our service.   

O God, we lift unholy hands and
Ask for the grace of your redemptive touch.
Take our humble offering of work in every season
And use it to bring light and life to your world.
Make our every moment holy.
All: Bless this offering we pray. Amen.

A Litany for the Dedication of Work (from Reformed Worship journal)

While Moses was tending sheep on a mountainside, the Lord appeared to him in a burning bush and called out to him, saying, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Jesus taught us that all ground is holy: all of life for our Master is a sacrament to be dedicated fully to God. Each of us is the temple of the Holy Spirit. We are on holy ground in our work as teachers, lawyers, volunteers, doctors, parents, secretaries, students, business owners, construction workers, and every other vocation God has given us.

Today we affirm before God and one another that our work and our worship are interwoven, our work growing out of worship and our worship growing out of work.

Teacher:  As teachers, let our classrooms be places where your light and your truth shine in all learning, and where we celebrate and nurture the varied gifts and abilities of each student.

Student: As students, let our minds, our talents, and our character be shaped more and more in your image as we learn to use our gifts in the service of your kingdom.

Worker: In the workplace, may mutual respect govern our relationships, and integrity govern our contracts and finances, as we produce useful goods and services.

Caregiver: As caregivers of children and family, the sick and the aged, may we remember the example of Jesus as he washed the feet of his disciples, and treat each person as one who bears God’s image.

Scientist, writer, or artist: As scientists, writers, and artists, may your Spirit inspire and govern the work of our minds, and transform the professions in which we work.

Retiree: As those retired from many years of work, may we enjoy the gift of rest, encourage one another, pray for the church, and mentor the next generation.

Congregation: In all our daily labors, even amidst dull routine or frustrating demands, may we hear the call to serve the Lord.

[Leader: Take a few moments now to pray and meditate on your daily work—its joys, challenges, worries, and relationships—and how these might be more fully dedicated to God in the coming year.]

[Time of silent meditation and prayer] 

[All who were able were asked to stand.]

Leader: The rule of Jesus Christ covers the whole world. To follow this Lord is to serve him everywhere, without fitting in, as light in the darkness, as salt in a spoiling world.

All: Enabled by Christ’s love, we shall endeavor to make each day’s work a sacrament, work and worship interwoven. We will work with all our heart as unto the Lord, knowing that it is Jesus Christ we serve. O Master Workman, cleanse our work from selfishness, impatience, and desire for recognition. Forgive us, train us, and use us for your glory. Amen.