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 out of work; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(From The Book of Common Prayer)
During the years that I served as a rector (1998-2013) I often used the propers (i.e. the collect and readings) for Labor Day on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend. Why? Because I felt it was important to focus on vocation, on the work that we do, whether we do it for money or not. I felt it would be a missed opportunity to miss out on the important themes of this day.
This is my first Labor Day as a pensioner, which invites a different kind of reflection about work. I say pensioner on purpose because, as some have noted, I am still working. In fact, it's been a fairly busy summer for me. Eight months into retirement I am getting even clearer that I want to say "yes" to work that brings joy and "no, thank you" to work that feels more draining rather than lifegiving. Some of what I am saying yes to involves money and some does not. But the criteria is no longer about needing to work for daily bread and I have found that quite liberating.
But the freedom that comes from this makes it even more imperative to also reflect on the fact that the work that I do, or any of us do, is not for self alone. It seems to me that the theology that undergirds the collect for today is quite radical and countercultural in our current context in the United States. It feels like we've forgotten that work "links our lives with one another" and that what I do, or what you do, impacts on us all. The collect further suggests that our work isn't for our own gain, but for the common good. And it invites compassion for those who are out of work, or undervalued in their work, or underpaid for what they do.
What exactly is a "proper return" for labor? I seriously doubt that the collect means that as a synonym for the minimum wage.
What happens when this collect is prayed not just in worship on a Sunday morning of Labor Day weekend but in our places of work from Monday to Saturday? What happens when elected officials embody these words in the work they do, to serve as people who recognize that our lives are linked together and all that we do affects, for good or ill, all other lives? What happens when medical professionals or those involved in the justice system pray these words not only with their lips but in their lives?
Here is what I know: I am a reasonably good cook, but I rely on others to get the ingredients I need to the grocery store. This involves farmers and truckers and people who stock the shelves and work as cashiers. I cannot fix the electricity or the plumbing or the internet in my home when it needs fixing. I once worked a summer with my uncle doing roofing but no one, including me, wants me up on a roof trying to do that at 63.
We need each other and this day invites us to remember that and give thanks for all workers. Martin Luther King, Jr., once put it this way:
When we rise in the morning...at the table we drink coffee which was provided to us by a South American, or tea by a Chinese, or cocoa by a West African; before we leave for our jobs we are already beholden to more than half the world.
Indeed. This day of rest invites us to reflect on these big questions, and to pause and give thanks for the work God has given us to do, and the work that God has given others to do.
