UCC marks Labor Day observance with new liturgical resources

Labor Day will be celebrated on Monday, September 7 this year, not only to gratefully recognize the sacrifices of those who organized for justice in our workplaces, but to remember the torch we must yet carry to manifest an economy that guarantees security and resources for all who work–and those who can’t for any reason. Labor Sunday recognizes the decades-long, often dangerous activism and advocacy of laborers in a multitude of professions and workplaces who collectively fought for human dignity, safety, and with a goal to thrive in all endeavors.

This year, the United Church of Christ economic justice ministry offers two newly commissioned hymns to mark the occasion in the special Fill the Jar toolkit. These can be downloaded at ucc.org/fillthejar.

Today is the time to shine a light on the “ongoing and rapidly accelerating distance between the wages and benefits of workers, and the ability to actually afford the food and housing we all need to survive,” said the Rev. Seth Wispelwey, minister for Economic Justice at the UCC.

“An expansive crisis is coming if we don’t change course as soon as possible,” said Wispelwey. “We know the living God is passionate about correcting these injustices, and promises a reckoning for powerful perpetrators that enrich themselves at the expense of the masses. We in the UCC know this, historically, and must draw mightily on our prophetic traditions to push back the wave of need that is here and yet coming.”

Wispelwey went on to say, “thankfully, we have not only history but people who can do this work. We have union members in our pews, and members who show up to support the picket lines in their community. We belong to and support organizations that measurably advance worker rights. We have members who march with farmworkers and boycott the companies that exploit and enslave them.”

The Rev. Monica Dawkins-Smith, interim senior minister at East View UCC in Shaker Heights, Ohio, agrees with Wispelwey’s assessment. “Over the years, Labor Day has taken on more significance for me as a ‘Union Mom,'” Dawkins-Smith said.

She has strong ties to the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his advocacy for workers’ rights. “I’ve stood in solidarity with labor siblings at rallies and offered invocations at several national and local labor union gatherings. Labor Day reminds us that the dignity of work and the well-being of workers remain values worth protecting at the intersection of faith and justice. We look forward to welcoming the North Shore Federation of Labor AFL-CIO leader back to East View UCC for Labor Sunday this year.”

Wispelwey asks congregations to do something to mark Labor Sunday in the pews this year. “We can and must do more. We have the relationships and tools to realize much more robust activity at a time when the threats to specific lives and our collective livelihoods are extremely dire. Name and worship the God who is on the side of exploited laborers this Labor Sunday – bring in union leaders to speak with your congregation – and find and join the solidarity your community needs, in Jesus’ strong and holy name!”

You can listen to Wispelwey’s “Fill the Jar” podcast on Spotify or access it on the UCC Fill the Jar webpage: https://www.ucc.org/category/column/fill-the-jar-podcast/.

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