09/04/2026
Services this Sunday: 8:00 & 10:15 AM
Almighty God, you have so linked our lives one with another that all we do affects, for good or ill, all other lives. So guide us in the work we do, that we may do it not for self alone, but for the common good; and, as we seek a proper return for our own labor, make us mindful of the rightful aspirations of other workers, and arouse our concern for those who are unemployed; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Collect for Labor Day, Book of Common Prayer, page 261
This weekend some of us are blessed with an additional day off from our jobs to celebrate Labor Day. Labor Day began in the late 19th century as a movement to recognize the contributions and dignity of American workers. In 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed legislation making Labor Day a federal holiday, observed on the first Monday of September, and a day set aside to remember to rest from arduous daily work.
Over the years, Labor Day has become more associated with being the last day of summer, the day for family gatherings, or the start of school. It meant a wardrobe change—with white dresses, shoes and jackets going to the back of the closet—and yet the Collect for Labor Day invites us to reflect on invites us to recognize work as a gift and to see our daily labor—whatever that may be—as part of God’s creative and sustaining work in the world.
The Collect for Labor Day invites us to see our work not simply as a means of earning a living, but as a way of participating in God’s work of caring for the world and our neighbors, echoing Paul’s teaching to the Romans that “love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.” Paul’s words challenge us to reflect on the relationship between our labor and our call to love. We all share that same calling—which is to love and serve God with our whole lives. That is our first mission, our primary vocation. Our jobs are a way of making a living—but more so, our way of carrying out that fundamental calling. The words of Martin Luther remind us that one’s daily work is a calling, and that no single calling is more special in the eyes of God than another.
“Only look at your tools, your needle, your thimble, your beer barrel, your articles of trade, your scales, your measures, and you will find this saying written on them. ‘My dear, use me toward your neighbor as you would want him to act toward you with that which is his.’ None of the things with which you deal daily are too trifling.”
So guide us in the work we do, that we may do it not for self alone.
